top of page

Top 5 Books I Read in 2021



It took much contemplation for me this year to load this blog as I haven't written in a while (one year exactly) and personally, this was a very tough year for me. I did not get around to reading as many titles as I would like and for a good season I was in quite a spiritual slump. All this to say that the Lord is good is and has recovered me in so many miraculous way and through means only He could have done. I praise and thank the Lord for His goodness and His mercy in sustaining me and I hope that this year's list will inspire you to continue to read and press forward in your growth in the Lord. With that said, let us get to the list of books that I enjoyed the most this past year.


(Some have asked how many books I read in a year, and the answer to that is simply: as many as possible).

Reformed Preaching. By Joel Beeke.

This is a book I picked up from T4G Conference a while back and never got around to reading until this past year. And I wish I had read it sooner. As a reformed preacher myself, it makes sense doesn't it? Now you may not be a preacher nor someone who will ever preach, but we all stand under the preaching of a pastor in our lives and so this book is relevant to you. It is broken up into three parts: defining what reformed preaching is, historical biographies of reformed preachers, and then a final section on what reformed preaching looks like today. There is a beauty in learning the richness of the history of our faith and the continuity of a singular message throughout Christian history. What we preach from the pulpit and what we hear from the pulpit certainly matters and I commend this book to you as well, that it would inspire you to preach faithfully or listen to faithful preaching.


Taking God at His Word. By Kevin DeYoung.


This is a small and short book that I received in a package from registering to a conference a while back. Although the book is small, its content is not. This is a concise, I think is the proper term here, look at the nature of God's Word. There are a lot of churches and denominations being moved and swayed by "modern science" to no longer look at the Bible as the inerrant, sufficient, literal Word of God. Instead, liberalists are moving towards seeing the Bible as just a book with human error and contextual narratives that hold no truth today. This book tackles those questions for the modern believer and it draws you into knowing, loving and following the Word and taking it in as truly the Word of God.


Disciplines of a Godly Man. By R. Kent Hughes.

This past year I was looking for some material to teach in our church Bible studies. I came across this book through Tim Challies' site and read of his strong commendation on this title. And I could not echo those sentiments more. What I love about this book and it's sister book written by Hughes' wife, Disciplines of a Godly Woman, is that they seek to address nearly every facet of Christian discipline in life. A part of the journey of being a follower of Christ is that it comes with sacrifice and discipline. But many times those disciplines are not identified clearly nor thought out properly. I believe these books do a fantastic job of introducing the believer to just how many areas of our life we need to think deeply about, Afterall the gospel and Jesus are supposed to change everything! This is a great book to read with study groups, between couples or even just with friends. Each chapter follows with a section of questions to consider and discuss. I commend this book strongly to you.


An Infinite Journey. By Andrew Davis.

If the above book does not work for you, then this one might. What a treasure for my book shelf and certainly a book I intend to read with church and future family. Davis explores sanctification but presents it in a precise and systematic manner. His thesis is that the Christian lives a double infinite journey in both personal sanctification and a communal ecclesiological pursuit of witnessing Christ to the nations. Both are infinite in only that God has set the end but earthly pursuit of both are to be on-going until that day comes. We grow in holiness and we make God known. Both are tied in more ways than one might initially think. Davis' precision is what stands out most to me in this book and as technical as the topic may be, his articulation is simple for the masses. Treat yourself and read this book. Another great option to study together in groups.


The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. By Carl Trueman.

If there is one book I recommend the absolute most on this list, it is this one. This is, to me, a must read for modern believers. This book covers everything we need to know about the trends we see in the modern church, modern society and modern culture. We can see that the church today is very much in the position of being influenced by culture, rather than being the one that influences culture. Areas such as sexuality, politics and social justice have divided the church because a lot of these trends in secularism is derived from the rise of human centric thinking. Let this book take you on an amazing journey of learning and take care as you read this book, because it can get heavy quite fast, but soak in all the amazing bits of truth and observations that Trueman provides for the benefit of your mind. This book is masterful and I could not recommend it more.


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page