I read 131 books this year (if I counted right). These are the books that I liked most or were most inflential to my life. This is a non-fiction list, that is what I read most. I will post a fiction list later. I am ordering them by date read oldest to newest.
Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture by Adam McHugh (Amazon Link) I have known that I am an introvert prior to reading this book, but this book really helped me understand how I can use my introvert tendancies to my benefit instead of trying to become an extrovert.
Your Church is Too Small by John Armstrong (Amazon Link) ““ I actually did this in three parts. So here is part two and part three. This is on of the best book on why the church should be ecumenical that I have ever read. It was not a large release, but was a book that I think more people should read. I want to read it again in 2011.
A Praying Life by Paul Miller (Amazon Link) - This was the first book that I did a "Read Again" post. The books that I think I can learn most from, I schedule to read again six months to a year later. Right now I have a bunch of books that I should be reading again for my Read again posts. A Praying Life is a great book to help you actually start praying more. This is a practical and very helpful book on prayer.
Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas (Amazon Link) - This is a book I thought about a lot. It is easy to think of this as a book about having fun. Helping us to understand the purpose of pleasure, and the role of the body as created by God is useful. This is not a perfect book (it can be a bit repetitive) but I think it is a topic that is both interesting and not important.
Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy (Amazon Link) - I am not a parent, but I am a full time nanny for my two nieces (almost 2 and just barely 3). I see a lot of parents at the park competing to protect their children more. The problem is that children need risk in order to develop. This book really does make the case that children need freedom in order to develop. This is not a Christian book, but I think there are many Christian implications. We need to trust God to care for our kids and at the time time help them learn to understand why it is important to make good decisions.
Permission to Speak Freely by Anne Jackson (Amazon Link) - I appreciate Anne Jackson's focus on helping people heal. This is very autobiographical. The basic thesis is that it is important for people to be honest in the church and admit issues (to be first) so that others can be second. This is a gift to the church to allow others to go second.
The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels (Amazon Link) - I have read several books on the role of the Holy Spirit. This book is primarily about hearing from God (not particularly about the Holy Spirit). I think it is important that Hybels speaks clearly about the need to listen to and respond to the direction from God.
The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University - Paperback (June 3, 2010) by Kevin Roose (Amazon Link) - This is not a new book this year, but a number of people recommended it to me over the past two years. If you are a Evangelical Christian that wants to know what an intellgent non-Evangelical thinks of the Evangelical subculture this is a great book to read. He is very sympathetic to Evangelicals but calls them out in many areas. Most comments are very reasonable, even when not right.
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions and Hurtful Acts (Amazon Link) – This was probably the most interesting non-fiction book I read. All about why people lie or justify false beliefs. It is focused on psychology and brain science, but I think has a lot of theological and moral implications. If people tend to hide when confronted with their false beliefs it may be important to help understand how to better help people confront sin in their lives.
Flame of Love: A Theology of The Holy Spirit by Clark Pinnock (Amazon Link) - This was the best strait theology book I have read this year. It is not a new book, it was written in 1995, but it is very current. Pinnock passed away this year and this is a great book to introduce you to his work.
Practice Resurrection by Eugene Peterson (Amazon Link) I am a huge fan of Eugene Peterson's books. His books are very biblical (this one traces Ephesians). Practice Resurrection is all about showing us how to be more like Christ. This book is strongly focused on role of the church in personal Christian growth. If you are a church staff person, you need to read this book.
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