The three books that were most edifying and enjoyable to read in 2011 were (in order of priority):
1. Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller. A Keller article I read about his first pastorate in a rural town is one thing that inclined me to look for a smaller, established church to pastor instead of trying to start a new church plant. All that to say is Keller has a way of getting at the heart and motives--his writings are pastoral in nature. This is exactly what he does in Counterfeit Gods--he exposes the idols of our hearts and points to the only cure: Christ! This is the one book that I would recommend Christians read.
2. New Covenant Theology by Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel. This book introduced me to NCT and clarified the priority of Christ and the New Covenant in approaching the Scripture.
3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. This was a very interesting read that made me think more about the factors of successful people and why a "you can be anything you want to be if you set your mind to it" type of mentality can be misleading. I'm not sure if Gladwell is a Christian, but the book is very interesting if you read it with an understanding of Providence.
I have to admit, it is nice to read books that I got to pick instead of a seminary Prof. (though most of the book required at SBTS were enjoyable, the sheer volume of reading was always too much for me).
My goals for 2012, Lord willing, is to get through the following: The Gagging of God by D.A. Carson, Dominion and Dynasty by Stephen Dempster, Abraham's Four Seeds by John Reisinger, The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller, and hopefully a few others along the way. And finally, so I avoid becoming the stereotypical pastor who has zero athletic ability and awareness, How I Play Golf by Tiger Woods is on my current library loan!
RP
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