UPDATED: How Do You Decide What To Read?

I average reading about 2 books per week. My Dad reads, I think, even more than Challies.

Because I read so many books, recommend books often, and give away books, I get asked every-now-and-then how I decide what to read. So I thought it might be helpful to share my “what to read” philosophy and perhaps it will equip or encourage some of you to be more intentional about your own reading.

I will read books that supplement my preaching. The most recent example would be from preaching a series entitled “Heaven Scent” at our church, which was a series explain what happens to babies when they die. I focused on Scripture’s teaching, but I have also read books that synthesize Scripture’s teaching on that subject. For example, I read Safe in the Arms of God by John MacArthur,by Ronald Nash, and The Theology of Infant Salvation by Robert Webb. Reading books that supplement my preaching allows me to think about the implications of the Scripture I am preaching, gather helpful quotes for my sermons or the future, and be informed of the reading material that is worth recommending others purchase and read.

I will read books that address an area of my life I need to grow in. I value assistance in my own sanctification and understanding of who God is. So I will read books that address an issue of sin I am struggling with or a subject I need to deepen my grasp of that impacts my walk with the Lord. These types of books could come out of conversations I have with mentors or people I respect. As I share about my walk with the Lord with others and say things like, “I need to grow in ________,” and someone responds, “Have you read _______,” then I very well might read it.

I will read books that deepen my understanding of my community. I live in Wichita, KS and I feel a certain responsibility to understand the history of my community – how and why it thinks a certain way. Since moving here in 2004, I have read books on the abortion debate in the 1980’s (e.g., The Wichita Divide: The Murder of Dr. George Tiller and the Battle Over Abortion), a book about one of the nation’s most feared serial killers and who terrorized our city (e.g., Bind, Torture, Kill), a book about the history of barbed wire fencing, and I even read a book about the history of storm-chasing (e.g., Storm Kings: The Untold History of America’s First Tornado Chasers), since we live in a volatile weather-oriented section of our country. Books like these help me gain a better grasp of the native Wichitan’s past and present.

I will read books that people in my church are reading that I know nothing about. As a shepherd I have a responsibility to protect the sheep, and I have an obligation to encourage certain books that are being read and warn of others that are not profitable or are erroneous. Some books I have read in recent years that I had no intention of reading, but when I heard people in our congregation were reading would be Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, Twisting the Truth, or Heaven is For Real. I want to know what our church is reading, and thus address the errors in those books or encourage the truths in those books.