Thursday 9 January 2014

Reading Plan 2014

Last year I had 24 books in my reading plan. I had to abandon a book after reading first few chapters, and there were many others that I didn't even get to start on. There were other books that I read outside my initially planned 24 books. In the end, I read about 14 books, just slightly above 50% of my initial plan. You'd think I would now adjust my reading plan and reduce the number of books, seeing what I could realistically achieve. Nay, this year's reading plan has more books than last year. Perhaps I will still only read 50% of them, but that would mean I will have read more books than last year. Also, I hope that I will give more focused energy into reading books that I will in fact read more than 50%.

I recognise that the number of books I read isn't so important, and it can be even worse if the number serves to boost my ego. My hope in reading more books and posting what books I plan to read is so that:

  1. To be encouraged myself to pursue a life of serving Jesus
  2. To increase my knowledge of God and His Word
  3. To better understand the culture with the view that I may evangelise to people more effectively
  4. To train myself in reading more efficiently
No doubt my list will go through changes as it did last year, but here is my current list. Also, from this year, I've included the bible as part of the reading list, even though reading the bible was assumed in previous years, I thought it would be helpful to make it explicit.

Theology

Bible (HCSB)
John Calvin's "Instructions in Christianity" by Joseph Pitt Wiles
In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson
God of Promise by Michael Horton
Cross of Christ by John Stott
God Has Spoken by J. I. Packer
Revelation of God by Peter Jensen
The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson
A Clear and Present Word by Mark Thompson
Gospel-centred Hermeneutics by Graeme Goldsworthy
Consolations of Theology ed. by Brian Rosner

History/Biography

The Reformation by Owen Chadwick
The Pastor by Eugene Peterson

Other Christian

Leading Better Bible Studies by Karen Morris and Rod Morris
Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson
The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall
Give Them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick
Fatherhood by Tony Payne
An Alarme to Unconverted Sinners (A Korean Translation) by Joseph Alleine
Sermons of Jonathan Edwards
How Long O Lord by D. A. Carson
When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
Confessions by Augustine

Culture/Novel

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Bring up the bodies by Hilary Mantel
Why You Are Australian by Nikki Gemmell
Atheism Remix by Al Mohler
Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius

Other

Logic: A God-Centered Approach to the Foundation of Western Thought by Vern Poythress