Pastor John's Favorite Books
For spiritual growth I recommend...How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
By Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart.
This is simply a classic and one of the best books ever written about this subject. You will greatly benefit in your approach to reading the Bible after reading this book.
What's So Amazing About Grace?
By Philip Yancey.
What a beautiful book on arguably Christianity's most beautiful subject - grace! Extremely well-written and very inspirational. You'll come out of this book knowing God loves you and accepts you.
A Celebration of Discipline
By Richard Foster.
This is simply one of the best books ever written on the biblical spiritual disciplines such as prayer, meditation, solitude, fasting, service, etc. A spiritual classic.
A Testament of Devotion
By Thomas Kelly.
This little book is one of the most personally impactful books I have ever read. This is the book Richard Foster was reading in an airport and the result was he was broken in the area of his priorities and busyness. I underlined so much of this book for myself that a friend once suggested to me that I just spray paint the whole thing.
Abba's Child
By Brennan Manning.
Linda and I have read this beautiful, extremely well-written book on what it means to experience the love of God and be a child of God. This is an excellent text for any who struggle with low self-esteem.
Deliverance From Evil Spirits: A Practical Manual
By Francis MacNutt.
Francis and Judith MacNutt were speakers at our annual Green Lake conference a few years ago. I loved their wise, gentle presentations of healing and deliverance ministry. The great pentecostal scholar Vinson Synan says about this book: "By far the best book I have ever seen on this controversial and difficult topic."
Experiencing God
By Henry Blackaby.
OK - if you haven't yet read this book, why not? It is excellent regarding the issues of: listening to God, discerning where God is active and moving and plugging into what He is doing. This book is extremely well-written and will be very encouraging and inspirational.
In the Name of Jesus
By Henri Nouwen.
Henri Nouwen in one of my all-time favorite Christian authors. In my mind no one writes better about one's true inner spiritual life. This little book is very clearly written and powerful on the issue of being a Christian leader. Currently this is the first book we give for pastors and Christian leaders to read when they enroll in the doctoral program at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Love God With All Your Mind: The Role of Reason In the Life of the Soul
By J.P. Moreland.
Logic! What is it? Moreland is a very good philosopher who is a strong follower of Jesus. He explains how God made our minds, how God made them to be rational and logical, and how logic can help us interpret and defend our faith in God and Jesus. This book will give you an idea of the kinds of things I teach in my MCCC Logic class.
My Utmost for His Highest
By Oswald Chambers.
This is one of the best, most in-your-face devotional books ever written. If you've never used this as a devotional I strongly recommend that you get it and use it for a year. I suggest buying the modern, newer translation.
The Case for Christ
By Lee Strobel.
This is an excellent, readable book that contains Strobel's personal interviews with some great New Testament scholars. Strobel raises questionsnon-believers would ask, and then the various scholars answer them. This is a very good book in the area of apologetics (= defending our faith) and is a faith-builder.
The Case for Faith
By Lee Strobel.
This is an excellent book in which Strobel interviews some great Christian apologists (= defenders of our faith) and asks them to respond to various questions non-believers and atheists ask. You'll grow a lot in your ability to respond to non-believers if you read this book. (P.S. - one of the scholars, William Lane Craig, was a personal mentor to me and is a friend. Linda and I were in his
wedding. We sang a song I wrote for him.)
The Jesus I Never Knew
Philip Yancey.
This book will reintroduce you to Jesus and make you fall in love with Him again. It is very well written, highly readable, and compelling. Yancey is one of evangelical Christianity's best writers.
The Book Warehouse
Monroe's Outlet Mall.
THIS IS NOT A BOOK! This is a book store. It has a very large and very good Christian book section. I have picked up a number of great books at low prices. Their stock is constantly revolving, so I try to get in there once every two months. (I am not getting paid for advertising this!)
http://christianbook.com
THIS IS NOT A BOOK! This is the website where you can get all the books I am recommending to you. It's the best Christian book website available. Good prices, too.