Pastor Bryan's Recommended Reading List

C.S. Lewis writes, "For my part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others.  I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion would find that their hearts sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."  I read this Lewis quote in When I Don't Desire God by John Piper.  Piper's response is "Amen! (Well, with the exception of the pipe!)"   I could not agree more, we need to fill our minds with the things of God.  The stuff of light devotion only lightly brings God before me.  But I have found that  God uses "God-saturated, Bible-saturated" authors to help me in my pursuit of Christ.

With the above in mind, I recommend the following books as a few of the books that have been most helpful to me in my pursuit of Christ. 

Theology and Christian Living

  • Knowing God by J.I. Packer
  • When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
  • The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges
  • The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
  • Today's Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic by Walter J. Chantry
  • Christian Theology by Millard Erickson
  • Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem
  • Desiring God by John Piper
  • Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
  • The Peacemaker by Ken Sandie
  • The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
  • Erasing God by Francis Chan
  • Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen edited by Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor 

Bible Study

  • Living by the Book by Howard and William Hendricks
  • New Dictionary of Biblical Theology edited by Desmond, Rosner, Carson, and Goldsworthy

Evangelism

  • Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People by Will Metzger

Parenting

  • Shepherding the Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp
  • Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp

Prayer

  • A Call to Spiritual Reformation by D.A. Carson
  • Valley of the Vision edited by Arthur Bennett