The Thoughts of Ryan-C

Recommended Reading…

Death By Love by Mark Driscoll

In this book, Driscoll lays out some great theological points, but in a manner that anyone can understand and enjoy. For those of you familiar with Driscoll, this book shies away from his typical demeanor. This book lacks the humor that most of his works have and narrows in on a solemn and thought provoking topic. The focus of the book is on the Atonement and what Christ accomplished on the Cross. Be sure to put this on the top of your reading lists, it’s a must read.

Desiring God by John Piper

Oh, Mr. Piper… for those of you who know Piper, you know his style and you know his main thesis for life. Piper posits that “the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” In this book, Piper lays out the framework for what he calls “Christian Hedonism” or in other words, finding pleasure in God and not in stuff. It is a fairly large book weighing in at a little over 350 pages, but reading a chapter a week can be beneficial to all. Also, if you want to read it more topically, that is also possible. Piper includes chapters on worship, scripture, prayer, marriage, suffering, and more.

The Reason For God by Tim Keller

A while back I did a chapter by chapter review of this book. If you are interested in reading those they can be found here, but warning… major spoilers ahead. This book is great for anyone who is exploring the existence of God or for anyone with tough questions like, “How can God allow suffering?” or anyone with a beef against God. It’s a deep, but easy read and Keller’s pastoral, yet philisophical, writing style is a delight to read.

The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

I must say, I’m only about 2/3 through this book at the moment, but it’s incredible. Keller takes a whole new approach to the story of the Prodigal Son. Generally when one approaches this story they tend to focus on the younger son and the forgiveness he receives, but in this book Keller is sure to not leave out the older son. Keller also points out that both the irreligious and the religious have it wrong and that only through Jesus can we find true acceptance. This book is the easiest to read on this list and it gives a great representation of the Gospel.

Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer

If you haven’t read anything by J.I. Packer, you probably should hop on Amazon ASAP. He is one of the greatest theologians of our time and one of the easiest to read. In this book, Packer lays out the sovereignty of God and how we balance that with human responsibility (in this case, evangelism). Packer argues for Gospel centered, relational evangelism that we are often lacking in our world. It seems like this would be a 400 page book, but Packer manages to throughly cover the topic in a mere 126 pages. This is a winner, add it to your library. If you’d like to read my quick review, it can be found here.

Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach To Finding God’s Will [or how to make a decision without dreams, visions, fleeces, impressions, open doors, random Bible verse, casting lots, liver shivers, writing in the sky, etc.] by Kevin DeYoung.

This is the most practical and Biblical book I have read on living within God’s will. If that last sentence scared you, don’t let it. This isn’t some book about prayer clothes, dew and fleece, out of context scripture, and rolling 16-sided die. It’s about getting a clear picture of living as God called us to live and making decisions that fall in line with his commandments. This is a must read for all Christians.

…More To Come…