I love to read. Those who know me well often hear me referencing books I am reading or have read. Given my reputation as an avid reader, I often have people asking me this question: How can I grow as a Reader? I love that question, and there is much we can do to help ourselves read more, and to read better. I’ll post my suggestions in two parts. First, I will suggest advice for those who do not read that much currently, and want to get themselves into reading more. Second, in a later article, I will suggest advice for readers, who are looking to find ways to read more than they currently do. Here are my tips for those who do not read that much, and would love for that to change in 2021.

Learn To Read

This first tip is not meant to be insulting, or belittling. The reality is, most people do not know how to read well. More than simply identifying words and rushing through pages, reading requires prolonged, critical engagement with thoughts and arguments. Every author is making an argument to you, and the reader needs to be able to engage with the authors flow of thought and the development of his/her argument. This takes time, and is a skill worth learning well. You can check out the famous book, How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler, to get you started.

Read What Interests You

Often, when somebody wants to grow as a reader, they think they need to begin by jumping into major works, on subjects they “ought” to be interested in. In my context, I meet individuals often who say they want to grow as a reader, and immediately think that means they should take on Herman Bavinck’s 4 volume Reformed Dogmatics. While such reading might work out for them, often, new readers would be best served starting small, and in areas where they find genuine interest in. Do you like baseball? Read a book on a baseball topic you find intriguing. Do you think history is kind of cool? Go pick up a good book on a compelling era of history. There is no need to get going on a 1,500 page work by a major theologian if you’re going to drop out after 20 pages. Read fiction. Read good, compelling books on the christian life from the best authors (C.S. Lewis, Kevin DeYoung, etc). I constantly find myself reading books on economics, Winston Churchill, and the New England Patriots, because that drives my passion for reading. Reading books you are interested in will make you a better reader, develop more interests that you can read up on, and give you momentum for tackling bigger books.

Quit Bad Books…But Not Too Fast

What happens if you find yourself reading a book, and it is just absolutely dull? We don’t want to waste too much of our precious time on bad books, and let’s be honest, there are a lot of bad books. One blogger made the sad, but true observation that we will not have time in our short lives to read everything we would like to. Therefore, we need to prioritize what we read, and be willing to move on from bad books that only waste time for good books. I learned a rule on when to quit bad books which I find helpful. The rule goes like this – Take 100, and subtract your age. That is how many pages you must read of a book before you can quit it. This keeps you from quitting too fast(some books just take time to get going) and allows you to quit before you’ve spent too much time on it. At the time of this writing, I now give every book 71 pages before I quit. This rule has paid off both ways, both in keeping my in good books which started slow, and allowing me to ditch bad books not worth my time.

Buy More Books

Some people think the best way to buy books, is only to buy them as you are able to read them. This may be very financially responsible, but it actually limits how many books you end up reading. Al Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, shared his recommendations with a group of pastors at a local conference. He said “if you wait to buy books for only when you’re going to read them, you’re going to miss out on a lot of good books”(paraphrase). I think he is right. If you we’re to tally up the most important books in my life, most of them were books I had owned for several years. Books picked up at a conference, in a store, on Amazon, and held until later on prove to be a very fruitful investment. Use discernment, yes, and practice good stewardship, but don’t hold back on picking up a book that has caught your eye simply because you won’t get to it for a while.

Read Together

Reading with others can provide good accountability for everyone involved. If you know that you will be meeting with friends to discuss a few chapters this week, you will be far more attentive to getting it done. Reading together also allows you to benefit from the insight of others. I started a book club at our church early on in my ministry, because I knew getting people together to share their insights into a book would be immensely helpful. People see things differently, and that can be helpful as we engage a good book.

Use Good Books as Kindling For Faith

One of the main reasons I read so much early on in my christian life, was because I had to. I started following Christ in 2010, and shortly thereafter began struggling with spiritual depression. As I fought through the fog that seemed to always be present in my life, I turned to good books to help my faith stay alive. Dane Ortlund, a fellow pastor in my Presbyter, wrote a very helpful article some time ago, and spoke regarding the importance of good books:

I would add a sixth word of counsel: read Richard Sibbes. Or John Bunyan. Or Thomas Goodwin. Or Jonathan Edwards. Or Spurgeon or Owen or Calvin or Whitefield or Charnock or Ryle or Packer or anyone whose heart was in heaven while his feet were on earth and who writes accordingly. When your soul is sullen, shock it to life with the defibrillator of old books.

Read good books, because they serve your faith, your joy, and keep your heart tethered to Christ.

Don’t Compare Yourself To Other Readers

We do not read to make ourselves feel good, or to be better than other members at church. We read because it’s good for our souls, and it serve our hearts delight. If you find yourself being discouraged because others read more than you, remember that people have different dispositions and preferences. Some people(me) are just nerdier than the rest, and find constant reading to be a joy. Comparison will not be able to sustain the desire to read more, only joy can. Recognize that the reason you should read more is because it is good, important, and healthy. We are justified by faith alone, not by pages read, so challenge yourself to read more this year than you did last, and give yourself grace when others seem to be moving quicker than you.

At the close of every year, it’s very normal to evaluate the previous year, as well as set goals for the next. One thing that can be helpful, is taking inventory of your spiritual disciplines, and making plans to strengthen them in the coming months. One particularly helpful thing for your christian life, is making an intentional plan to engage with God’s word during the new year. Below are a few resources that you may find helpful as you seek to do this in 2021:

 

Bible Overviews/Introductions/Resources:

Before you even start a Bible Reading Plan, you may find it beneficial to get an overview of the story of scripture. Knowing the story of scripture helps you to understand what you’re reading, and how it fits together.

R.C. Sproul has a helpful intro article here

Nick Roark has a very short, helpful book here

Vaughn Roberts has a book which is a bit more in depth, but is incredibly helpful here

The Gospel Coalition also offers an online course, taught by Vaughn Roberts, totally for free, here

My favorite study bible, The Reformation Study Bible, is an immensely helpful tool to help you understand the Bible, as you read it, with in depth introductions to every book, and an appendix filled with documents and resources. You can purchase on here

 

Bible Reading Plans:

Want to read the entire Bible in 2021, chronologically? Here is a plan for that

Want to read the entire Bible in 2021, reading only 5 days a week? Here is a plan for that

Want to read the entire Bible, including the New Testament & Psalms twice, and has options for family worship? Here is a plan for that.  (There is also a reduced version, designed by D.A. Carson here, as well as his very helpful devotional which goes alongside it here.)

Want to spread out the entire Bible over two years? Here is a plan for that

Want to read the entire Bible, straight through from Genesis to Revelation? Here is a plan for that

Want to read the entire Bible, over three years, by just reading one chapter per day? Here is a plan for that

Want to read the entire Bible in 2021, going book by book, and have built in room for days missed? Here is a plan for that

 

 

 

 

 

Every year I read many good books, but some stand out above the rest. What follows is my annual recap of the best books I read during 2020.

As a disclaimer, not all of these books were published in 2020(though most of them were). I also am not putting the list in any particular order, they all stand out for particular reasons, and ranking them amongst one another is quite impossible. I also want to clarify that just because a book is listed here does not mean I agree 100% with it. These books simply stand out as the most enjoyable, helpful, and thought provoking I read this year.

Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck 

This newly published work of Bavinck’s was perhaps my favorite book of all in 2020. This one volume, accessible systematic theology was equal parts intellectually stimulating, as well as devotionally stirring. This is one of my favorite systematics now, and I have recommended it passionately all throughout the year to whomever would be interested. All christians should own, and read, this book.

Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher 

I remember reading Dreher’s The Benedict Option in seminary, and while appreciating it, finding it to be a little on the alarmist side. Much of the world has changed since then, and now The Benedict Option looks to have been prophetic in encouraging christians to prepare for what was happening. In Dreher’s new work, Live Not by Lies, he helpfully points our attention to the changing social fabric around us, and offers us a sobering appraisal of what lies ahead for the church in western culture. Drawing on testimony from those under the Soviet Union, as well as leveraging history for our benefit, Dreher helpfully alerts us to the coming challenges the church is most surely to face. He offers christians practical means to begin now preparing for the increased opposition, and provides a handbook for how christians might remain faithful even in harsher times. This may be the most important book of the year.

Cynical Theories by Helen Pluckrose & James Lindsay 

Critical Theory, and all of its offshoots have been rapidly inserting itself into regular life and public discourse. This book is not a christian book, and the authors make affirmations which any christian cannot(support for homosexuality, for one). Still, the authors, who are classical liberals, offer a scathing critique to the postmodern ideology known as Critical Theory. If you want to understand the thought that is behind things you see in the news, and why ideologies such as Queer Theory, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and more are incredibly dangerous, this is an excellent book to get started on.

The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman 

Dr. Trueman has written a massive work towards understanding the underlying ways our culture perceives itself, and arrives at the conclusions it does. Working through major philosophers, Trueman demonstrates how the modern conception of identity came to be, and how it provided the room for things like the Sexual Revolution to take place. This thick book(400 pages) is one of the singularly most helpful books I have read on understanding the culture I live and minister in. Christians would be well served to read this, and take serious consideration into how our culture understands itself.

The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict

I rarely have as much fun reading a book as I did reading The Dynasty. As a lifelong patriots fan, who has literally watched the dynasty from its beginning, this book serves as a masterpiece of storytelling. Drawing on main sources like Robert Kraft, Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and other key coaches, staff, and executives, Benedict offers an unparalleled behind the scenes look into the 20 year run between Kraft, Brady, and Belichick. The writing of this is phenomenal, and the level of detail is unmatched. Patriots fans are now calling this the equivalent to the Bible of patriots literature, and any fan of football would find this immensely entertaining.

Covenant Theology by The Faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary

This massive work on Covenant Theology is a delight for any who have come to know the beauty of Covenant Theology. The faculty of RTS came together to create this incredibly helpful resource which spans several aspects of Covenant Theology. Both insightful, and practical, this volume will be consulted often whenever I need to teach or refresh on the topic.

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

I love Winston Churchill. I own most of the major biographies done on Churchill, and this new volume by Larson is a real treat. Larson recounts the events that took place during World War II, and puts Churchill’s leadership on full display. Larson, known for his skill as a storyteller, has written a truly engaging account of what took place not long ago. I’d recommend this highly, as an incredible account of Churchill’s leadership, excellent history, and enticing storytelling.

Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund

Few books have the ability to stir your affections while you read them quite like this one does. Dane, who is a fellow pastor in my Presbytery, has done the church an incredible service with this book. I have given copies out to church members, and will continue to hand this out liberally. Working out of the inspiration of Puritan Thomas Goodwin’s The Heart of Christ, Dane helpfully displays for us what Christ’s heart is towards his own. Your heart will be touched by the tenderness of Christ shown for us in this work. Buy this, read it, and share it– it’s really that good.

Tactics by Gregory Koukl 

This is one of two books on my list that was not published in 2020. I have owned this book for many years, but finally got around to reading it this summer. Few books have had a bigger impact on me than this one. Koukl is masterful in his ways to teach christians how to have evangelistic conversations with unbelievers. Using incredibly practical techniques, that are so easy you will find yourself excited for your next evangelistic opportunity, Koukl equips the reader with the skills necessary to be confident going into any conversation. If you find yourself nervous at the thought of evangelism, or perhaps struggle to know how to discuss your christian convictions with friends and family, this book is the best tool you can have. A+.

The American Spirit By David McCullough

This, the second book which was not published in 2020 on my list, is a collection of speeches given by McCullough over the years. McCullough is a master historian, and his speech writing is tremendous. Each of these have their own unique character and interest to them. I found them to be creative, engaging, and inspiring. If you’d like something a bit on the brighter side, amidst so much turmoil in our nation currently, this book is an encouraging collections of great U.S. stories.

Honorable Mentions

Pastors and their Critics by Joel Beeke

Does God care how we worship? by Ligon Duncan

Crucified and Risen by John Calvin

The Gathering Storm by Albert Mohler

The 10 commandments of progressive christianity by  Michael Kruger