In case you are looking for some reading, here are some books you might consider. Make sure to read my brief descriptions (and warnings in some cases). In general, I like to read books that challenge me. I’m not looking for the safest books, but the ones that make me think. I’ve listed them in categories. And, please, take my warnings seriously. If the things that I list in the warnings might offend you, please do not read those books.

Spiritual Formation/Psychology:
I’ve done a lot of reading this year on psychology and the spiritual life. I read about psychology this year because I realized that I am mentally unhealthy in many ways. The main thing that I have learned from my reading is that I have everything I need in Jesus. These three books brought this wonderful truth to my life in their own brilliant ways.

1. Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp’s How People Change. This book is a fantastic look at how the gospel impacts your life. Right now. It gave me hope and insight this year as I struggled through different things.

2. S. Bruce Narramore’s No Condemnation: Rethinking Guilt Motivation in Counseling. Preaching, and Parenting. Is guilt from God? Or is it an expression of our moralistic pride? How do we deal with guilt and shame? This book is a careful treatment of these and other related questions.

3. Ed Welch’s Addictions- Banquet in the Grave: Finding Hope in the Power of the Gospel. Whether you are an addict of some kind (alcohol, drug, sex, food, etc.) or not, this book is a great analysis of how the gospel can bring hope and change to us in our sin. It shows how all of our addictions and sins are idolatry. Welch talks about how we have a worship problem: we want to worship ourselves rather than God. His book gives insight on how we can worship Jesus and ask God’s Spirit to turn us from our idols.

Theology and Bible:
4. N.T. Wright’s Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. This book will put you right into the middle of the discussion on “The New Perspective” of Paul’s theology. Wright questions our traditional Reformation understanding of Paul’s letters in this book, which is written as a response to books and lectures by John Piper. I love this book because it is forcing me to go back to Galatians, Ephesians, Romans, and 1-2 Corinthians to see what I really believe about the gospel. (A word of warning: Wright does not hold to a traditional understanding of things such as justification and righteousness. If you want to balance his view, you might go to John Piper’s The Future of Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright. I plan on reading this book by Piper next year.)

Parenting:
5. Tim Kimmel’s Grace-Based Parenting. I found this book to be incredibly refreshing. I loved how he challenged me to raise my kids to be strong, not safe. I even learned a lot about God’s grace and love towards me when I read this book. It is beautiful.

Novels:
6. C.J. Sansom’s Dissolution. This mystery novel (first in a series of four) is set in the 1500s during the Reformation in England. A hunchback lawyer is sent to a monastery to solve a murder. I loved the setting of the novel, and the mystery was compelling. Also, the book forced me to think a little differently about the Reformation. (Warning: There is some bad language in the book. Also, you may not like the author’s take on the Reformation very much. I get the impression that Sansom is not exactly a big fan of the church.)

7. Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. This is a post-apocalyptic novel that features a beautiful relationship between a father and son. It’s probably one of the best pictures of love that I have read or seen in a long time. In the midst of all of its dreariness, the story brings great hope to me. (Warning: the book contains language, violence, and allusions to cannibalism.)