What I'm Reading Right Now: A LIST OF BOOKS PROBABLY NO ONE ELSE CARES ABOUT.

So anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession with books. Part of it is just about leadership. A mentor of mine in college once remarked to me "A leader is a reader". I'm pretty sure he stole this quote from John Maxwell or Oswald Sanders or someone like that but the truth of that statement remains. I have never forgotten this!

Another reason for my obsession, however, is just therapeutic. Books are so full of wisdom and insight. Way more than any TV show or web site. So, in my spare time, I try and discipline myself to study and read. My most influential mentors are dead guys who wrote great books.

So, with all that said, here's what I'm reading right now:

The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander

This book was actually given to me by an older gentleman at my previous church in Cali right before we left a few weeks ago. It's subtitle is "Building Your Ministry On The Gospel". This should give you a clue into what this book focuses on. It's a great look at how to lead a church that is truly about the Gospel. A church where a "win" is defined by how well we're carrying out the Great Commission and not just whether or not a worship service was, in our own relative definitions, "cool".

Preaching & Preachers by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Ummm..........wow! Gone to be with Jesus in 1981, this incredible pastor of Westminster Chapel in London is fast becoming one of my dead mentors!! This book is so before it's time. In it he addresses the idea that preaching the Word has become stale and is no longer effective. He asserts that not only is preaching still effective it is indeed the most effective task we could carry out in a church. Sometimes as I'm reading this book I actually feel as if I'm reading a contemporary book addressing the emergent church. I love it and hate it when I read things like "If people are not attending places of worship I hold the pulpit to be primarily responsible." OUCH! I totally recommend this as essential reading for anyone who preaches GOD's Word on a regular basis!

John Wesley: A Theological Journey by Kenneth J. Collins

I don't read as many biographies as I should. This one has been a challenging one but it has definitely been beneficial. I have never known a whole lot about Wesley so reading this book has made him human to me. Reading about his struggles and even depressing seasons has encouraged my soul. Reading about how he and George Whitefield disagreed so strongly on theological topics such as predestination and yet how they remained good friends respecting one another's ministry has challenged me in my own life. This is a man who persevered and his work for Christ lives on hundreds of years later. Lord, help me to be a man like this for your glory!

So that's a bit about what I'm reading. So, what are you reading?