Some people have requested my reading list for 2014. I don’t recommend all of them but the variety keeps my mind and heart and soul alive.

NON-FICTION
1. THINGS THAT MATTERS, Charles Krauthammer, 2013, Instructive
2. SCIENCE, RELIGION, AND THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL INTELLIGENCE, David Wilkinson, 2013. Fascinating (see my review on Amazon).
3. CHRISTIAN ESCHATOLOGY AND THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, David Wilkinson, 2010. A tour de force on the continuity and discontinuity of the new heavens and the new earth.
4. ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS: UNEXPECTED ANSWERS TO LIFE’S BIGGEST QUESTIONS, Timothy Keller, 2013. Excellent
5. ENGAGING WITH KELLER: THINKING THROUGH THE THEOLOGY OF AN INFLUENTIAL EVANGELICAL, edited Ian D. Campbell, William M. Schweitzer (see my review on Amazon).
6. THE DUMBEST GENERATION: HOW THE DIGITAL AGE STUPEFIES YOUNG AMERICANS AND JEOPARDIZES OUR FUTURE, Mark Bauerlein, 2009. Important, prescient.
7. FROM CELLS TO SOULS – AND BEYOND: CHANGING PORTRAITS OF HUMAN NATURE, Malcolm Jeeves, editor, 2004. Challenging research.
8. THE LAST DAYS: A CHRISTIAN VIEW OF HISTORY, edited Richard D. Phillips & G.N.E. Fluhrer, 2011. Good.
9. RAGING WITH COMPASSION: PASTORAL RESPONSES TO THE PROBLEM OF EVIL, John Swinton, 2007. Superb.
10. EXPLORING REALITY: THE INTERTWINING OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION, John Polkinghorne, 2005. Helpful.
11. SURRENDER TO LOVE: DISCOVERING THE HEART OF CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY, David G. Benner, 2003.
12. PROBLEMS OF CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP, John Stott, 2014. Excellent.
13. PLATFORM: GET NOTICED IN A NOISY WORLD. A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR ANYONE WITH SOMETHING TO SAY OR SELL, Michael Hyatt, 2012. Important.
14. GOSPEL: RECOVERING THE POWER THAT MADE CHRISTIANITY REVOLUTIONARY, J.D. Greear, 2011. Provocative.
15. MIRACLES: IS BELIEF IN THE SUPERNATURAL IRRATIONAL? John Lennox, 2013.
16. SEVEN DAYS THAT DIVIDE THE WORLD: THE BEGINNINGS ACCORDING TO GENESIS AND SCIENCE, John C. Lennox, 2011. Persuasive.
17. GOD’S PASSION FOR HIS GLORY: LIVING THE VISION OF JONATHAN EDWARDS, John Piper, 1998, 2006. Hard work!
18. THE PASTOR’S KID: FINDING YOUR OWN FAITH AND IDENTITY, Barnabas Piper, 2014. Should be compulsory reading for all pastors.
19. AHA: AWAKENING, HONESTY, ACTION, THE GOD MOMENT THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING, Kyle Idleman, 2014. Contemporary application of the parable of the prodigal son.
20. MAKING SENSE OF THE BIBLE, Adam Hamilton, 2014. Methodist megachurch pastor’s liberal interpretation of difficult biblical passages in the sexuality debate.
21. THE AGE OF MY ANXIETY:FEAR, HOPE, DREAD AND THE SEARCH FOR PEACE OF MIND, Scott Stossel, 2014. Very important. See my review on Amazon.
22. GOOD MOOD, BAD MOOD: HELP AND HOPE FOR DEPRESSION AND BIPOLAR DISORDER, Charles M. Hodge, M.D. 2012. Helpful.
23. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, A.J. Gordon, 1894, 1978. A classic.
24. READING FOR PREACHING: THE PREACHER IN CONVERSATION WITH STORYTELLERS, BIOGRAPHERS, POETS AND JOURNALISTS, Cornelius Plantinga, Jr., 2013. A stimulating and daunting challenge to preachers to stretch their minds and deepen their communication.
25. HURTING WITH GOD:LEARNING TO LAMENT WITH THE PSALMS, Glenn Pemberton, 2012
26. AFTER LAMENT: PSALMS FOR LEARNING TO TRUST AGAIN, Glenn Pemberton, 2014. Both good.
27. IN PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS: FINDING GENUINE FULFILLMENT IN LIFE, James Houston, 1996. A Classic.
28. OVERWHELMED: WINNING THE WAR AGAINST WORRY, Perry Noble, 2014. An honest confession of being burned out by success in the ministry.
29. VITAL LIES, SIMPLE TRUTHS: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-DECEPTION, Daniel Goleman, 1985.
30. IN HIS STEPS, Charles M. Sheldon, 1896. A classic.
31. THE MYTH OF SISYPHUS, Albert Camus, 1942, 1955.
32. MAKING GAY OKAY: HOW RATIONALIZING HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR IS CHANGING EVERYTHING, Robert R. Reilly, 2014. See my review on Amazon.
33. GREAT QUOTATIONS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, Richard Bewes, 1999.
34. THE GOSPEL IN THE MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS: PAUL’S MARS HILL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR PLURALISTIC WORLD, Paul Copan & Kenneth D. Litwak, 2014.
35. WHEN GOD GOES TO STARBUCKS: A GUIDE TO EVERYDAY APOLOGETICS, Paul Copan, 2008. Excellent.
36. IS GOD A MORAL MONSTER? MAKING SENSE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD, Paul Copan, 2011. Illuminating
37. PURITY OF HEART IS TO WILL ONE THING, Soren Kierkegaard.
38. THE INCOMPARABLE CHRIST, George H. Morrison, 1959
39. C.S.LEWIS & MERE CHRISTIANITY: THE CRISIS THAT CREATED A CLASSIC, Paul McCusker, 2014. Fascinating.
40. DEATH BEFORE THE FALL: BIBLICAL LITERALISM AND THE PROBLEM OF ANIMAL SUFFERING, Ronald E. Osborn, 2014. A Seventh Day Adventist scientist demolishes biblical literalism.
41. ORDINARY: SUSTAINABLE FAITH IN A RADICAL, RESTLESS, WORLD, Michael Horton, 2014. The sensible response to histrionic calls for radical missionary work from popular authors such as David Platt who pile guilt on the average American for aspiring to make a success of their careers, make a living and care for their families.
42. BREAKFAST WITH FRED, Fred Smith Sr. mentor to a generation of leaders, 2007. Insightful.
43. THE ONE YEAR UNCOMMON LIFE DAILY CHALLENGE, Tony Dungy & Nathan Whitaker. A great daily devotional – would make a great gift to a guy.
44. THE PRECES PRIVATAE OF LANCELOT ANDREWES. A treasure house that enriches my daily prayer time.
45. JESUS NOW: UNVEILING THE PRESENT-DAY MINISTRY OF CHRIST, Frank Viola, 2014

HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
1. SHAFTESBURY: THE GREAT REFORMER, Richard Turnbull, 2010
2. THE SECRET THOUGHTS OF AN UNLIKELY CONVERT: AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR’S JOURNEY INTO CHRISTIAN FAITH, Rosario Champagne Butterfield, 2012. From radical feminist lesbian to conservative pastor’s wife. Amazing.
3. THE RACE FOR TRIESTE, Geoffrey Cox, 1977. The end of World War II in Italy.
4. GALLIPOLI MEMORIES, Compton Mackenzie, 1929.
5. COMPTON MACKENZIE: A LIFE, Andro Linklater, 1987
6. BILLY SUNDAY: THE MAN AND HIS MESSAGE, William T. Ellis.
7. THE PRICE OF PITY: POETRY, HISTORY AND MYTH IN THE GREAT WAR, Martin Stephen, 1996. A helpful corrective to the revisionists.
8. LETTER TO AN AMERICAN LADY, C.S. Lewis, 1967.
9. THE SLEEPWALKERS: HOW EUROPE WENT TO WAR IN 1914, Christopher Clark, 2012.
10. IMPERIAL LEGEND: THE MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE OF TSAR ALEXANDER I, Alexis Troubetzkoy, 2002.
11. NEVER SUCH INNOCENCE: POEMS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR, edited by Martin Stephen, 1993, 2003.
12. THE LAST INTERVIEW AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS, David Foster Wallace, 2012
13. LITTLE DID I KNOW: EXCERPTS FROM MEMORY, Stanley Cavell, 2010.
14. SOMETHING OTHER THAN GOD: HOW I PASSIONATELY SOUGHT HAPPINESS AND ACCIDENTLY FOUND IT, Jennifer Futwiler, 2014. A texan feminist atheist’s journey to Catholicism.
15. EDMUND BURKE: THE FIRST CONSERVATIVE, Jesse Norman, 2013. See my review on Amazon.
16. DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONT: STORIES OF GOSPEL ADVANCE IN THE WORLD’S DIFFICULT PLACES, Time Keesee, 2014. Humbling.
17. WAR DIARIES: A CHAPLAIN AT GALLIPOLI, edited Gavin Roynan, 2011.
18. THE GREATEST DAY IN HISTORY: HOW ON THE ELEVENTH HOUR OF THE ELEVENTH DAY OF THE ELEVENTH MONTH, THE FIRST WORLD WAR CAME TO AN END, Nicholas Best, 2008.
19. PASSAGEWAYS: THE STORY OF A NEW ZEALAND FAMILY, Ann Thwaite, 2009.

FICTION
1. UNCLE FRED IN THE SPRINGTIME, P.G. Wodehouse, 1939
2. STONER, John Williams, 1965
3. THE CANDLEMASS ROAD, George MacDonald Fraser, 2011
4. THE LOST STRADIVARIUS, John Meade Falkner, 1895, 1987
5. THE POLISH OFFICER, Alan Furst, 1995
6. THE EXILES RETURN, Elisabeth de Waal, 2013
7. POLAND, James A. Michener, 1983
8. STRAW INTO GOLD, Gary D. Schmidt, 2001
9. TROUBLE, Gary D. Schmidt, 2008
10. THE WEDNESDAY WARS, Gary Schmidt, 2007
11. RASSELAS, Samuel Johnson, 1759. A classic
12. WHITE GUARD, Mikhail Bulgakov, 2008
13. THE IKON ON THE WALL, Elizabeth Goudge, 1943
14. A CITY OF BELLS, Elizabeth Goudge,1936
15. THE BLUE HILLS (or HENRIETTA’S HOUSE), Elizabeth Goudge, 1942.
16. A QUESTION OF LOYALTIES, Allan Massie, 2002.