Those of y'all that know me know that I love reading more than most things. If you're looking for things to do during quarantine, here's a few books that I've really enjoyed and that I highly suggest.
Obviously these can't be a substitute for reading Scripture, but a little extra-biblical reading on the side can be very helpful indeed.
1. Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
This little book by Reeves is an excellent exposition of why we, as Christians, should not just know about the doctrine of the Trinity, but love it (delight in it even). Reeves has been a youth pastor for a lot of his life and it shows in the accessibility of this book. This is a good, easy read about one of the distinctives of the Christian faith.
https://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith-ebook/dp/B009G00GYU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=GZ378TEWUICR&dchild=1&keywords=delighting+in+the+trinity+michael+reeves&qid=1588361291&sprefix=delighting+in+the+%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-2
2. Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This will always be one of my favorite books. This is an extended meditation on the Sermon on the Mount and what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during WWII who stood up to Hitler. He didn't write vainly that "when Christ calls a man, he calls him to die." Bonhoeffer eventually gave his life in the struggle against Hitler, so you can trust that he was committed to his faith and meant what he wrote. This book has inspired and challenged Christians for decades and I hope it will do the same for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Discipleship-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Works-ebook/dp/B016NESLY8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3RB46E943AIQ7&dchild=1&keywords=discipleship+dietrich+bonhoeffer&qid=1588361310&sprefix=discipleship+%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-4
3. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
I read an abridged version of this when I was younger, but I recently read the original. This book is a beautiful example of how Scripture can be your sword to fend off temptation and sin, and how no matter the difficulty of the Christian life, no matter how many times you fall, Christ is always worth it. Our inheritance that lies in heaven is always worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Penguin-Classics-ebook/dp/B002ZJSV64/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=pilgrim%27s+progress&qid=1588361448&sr=8-5
4. Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
This is, by far, the hardest read I've put on this short list. It took me a little over a year to finish this book (that was because I had to put it aside during school though). Edwards has been a fascination of mine for quite some time, and if I get nothing out of that fascination besides the benefit that reading Religious Affections has given me, it was still worth it. Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening in order to help people know if they were truly saved or not. He explores what a genuine work of grace does in the lives of people. If you're down for a longer read, that will take a bit more brain power than some of the other ones I've put up here, then definitely go for this. I found it convicting, encouraging, and down right sanctifying. I'll put links to two different editions. The first is a facsimile of what the original printing was like. The nice thing is that it has massive margins for annotating, but the downside is that the typeset is small and difficult to read at times, and blurry on occasion since it's scanned images of an original printing. The second edition is a modern edition with normal type which is easier to read, but smaller margins.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0530095866/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Works-Jonathan-Edwards-Vol-Affections-dp-0300158416/dp/0300158416/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1588361867
Good reading! Drop a comment if you end up reading any of them with how you liked it, I'd love to hear from you!
Obviously these can't be a substitute for reading Scripture, but a little extra-biblical reading on the side can be very helpful indeed.
1. Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
This little book by Reeves is an excellent exposition of why we, as Christians, should not just know about the doctrine of the Trinity, but love it (delight in it even). Reeves has been a youth pastor for a lot of his life and it shows in the accessibility of this book. This is a good, easy read about one of the distinctives of the Christian faith.
https://www.amazon.com/Delighting-Trinity-Introduction-Christian-Faith-ebook/dp/B009G00GYU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=GZ378TEWUICR&dchild=1&keywords=delighting+in+the+trinity+michael+reeves&qid=1588361291&sprefix=delighting+in+the+%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-2
2. Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This will always be one of my favorite books. This is an extended meditation on the Sermon on the Mount and what it looks like to be a disciple of Jesus. Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during WWII who stood up to Hitler. He didn't write vainly that "when Christ calls a man, he calls him to die." Bonhoeffer eventually gave his life in the struggle against Hitler, so you can trust that he was committed to his faith and meant what he wrote. This book has inspired and challenged Christians for decades and I hope it will do the same for you.
https://www.amazon.com/Discipleship-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Works-ebook/dp/B016NESLY8/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3RB46E943AIQ7&dchild=1&keywords=discipleship+dietrich+bonhoeffer&qid=1588361310&sprefix=discipleship+%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-4
3. Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
I read an abridged version of this when I was younger, but I recently read the original. This book is a beautiful example of how Scripture can be your sword to fend off temptation and sin, and how no matter the difficulty of the Christian life, no matter how many times you fall, Christ is always worth it. Our inheritance that lies in heaven is always worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Penguin-Classics-ebook/dp/B002ZJSV64/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=pilgrim%27s+progress&qid=1588361448&sr=8-5
4. Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards
This is, by far, the hardest read I've put on this short list. It took me a little over a year to finish this book (that was because I had to put it aside during school though). Edwards has been a fascination of mine for quite some time, and if I get nothing out of that fascination besides the benefit that reading Religious Affections has given me, it was still worth it. Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening in order to help people know if they were truly saved or not. He explores what a genuine work of grace does in the lives of people. If you're down for a longer read, that will take a bit more brain power than some of the other ones I've put up here, then definitely go for this. I found it convicting, encouraging, and down right sanctifying. I'll put links to two different editions. The first is a facsimile of what the original printing was like. The nice thing is that it has massive margins for annotating, but the downside is that the typeset is small and difficult to read at times, and blurry on occasion since it's scanned images of an original printing. The second edition is a modern edition with normal type which is easier to read, but smaller margins.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0530095866/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Works-Jonathan-Edwards-Vol-Affections-dp-0300158416/dp/0300158416/ref=mt_paperback?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1588361867
Good reading! Drop a comment if you end up reading any of them with how you liked it, I'd love to hear from you!
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