Well, it’s the end of the year and I thought I would look back and pick out my ten favorite books that I read this year. So, here are my ten favorite as of this moment. (I am listing them in the order I read them. I am not going to bother trying to rank them further.)  -Nate Archer

 

My Top Ten Books read in 2003:
(In order read; not necessarily in order of preference)

 

1. “Don’t Waste Your Life,” by John Piper

I can’t say enough good things about this book. It’s deep. It’s God-centered. It’s passionate. It’s incredibly biblical. I couldn’t put it down when I read it the first time, and as I have been going through it again to write a small group guide for it, I have been getting even more out of it. I wish that everyone would read this book. It’s especially great for upper-classmen and college-age. If you have a copy for Breakaway, read it! If you want a copy, we still have them available for only $4. (It’s $12.95 retail!)  We also have small group guides and videos available if you would like to discuss this book as a small group.

 

2. “God’s Way of Reconciliation,” by Martin Lloyd Jones

This is a book of about 30 sermons from Ephesians 2 from this British pastor from a generation ago. Great stuff! I read it this summer when I was preparing for my Ephesians messages that I did for the PM services. I ended up reading it like a devotional book. I think that some of you would get a lot out of it too! (They sometimes have bargain copies of these at Baker for $10 or $12.)  

 

3. The Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin

This might seem overwhelming, but I really enjoyed reading it through finally. It is A LOT less dry than you would think! And I found myself agreeing with Calvin a lot. Don’t believe the caricatures about Calvin; read him for yourself when you get a chance. (But get a modern translation like McNeil, not the old Beveredge translation. It’s more money, but it’s worth it.) 

 

4. The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis

This is a collection of assorted essays by C.S. Lewis. You can’t read him without thinking! 

5. When People are Big and God is Small, by Edward Welch

Troy Gentz (from Breakaway 2001 & 2002) recommended this book to me. It’s about the fear of man and how so much of our failure in our lives is because we view God as too small and unimportant, and because we see other people as too big and important. We are more concerned about pleasing people than God, and our view of God is too wimpy to inspire us to really live for Him. GREAT BOOK! This would be great for either young people or adults to read (it applies to us both!)

 

6. Blame it on the Brain, by Edward Welch

This is another one I read by Ed Welch. The book talks about the interrelatedness between our bodies and our minds and how they affect each other. It gives a lot of help in knowing in what ways certain problems that we have are either physical, mental, spiritual, or all of the above. He breaks a LOT of the myths that are out there today. The book also deals specifically with topics like ADD, Alzheimer’s, alcoholism, depression, homosexuality, and even head injuries. (But DON’T just skit to the chapters on these topics without reading the first chapters in the book. If you skip the first chapters, you will probably misunderstand what he is saying.) Welch is a conservative reformed theologian, and he has a Ph.D. in neuropsychology, so he knows what he is talking about.  (Available in the Peace Youth library) 

 
7. Pierced by the Word, by John Piper

This is a little devotional book that I got a lot out of when I read it! It is hard to find good devotional books to recommend to people… this is one of them! (We still have a few of these for sale. We can give you them for $6. It’s $12.95 retail.)

 

8. I Will Follow You O God, by Jerry Bridges

The best devotional book I read this year. Simple enough for a new Christian. Deep enough for a “seasoned saint.” I also read the other two books in this trilogy thisyear, “I Give You Glory, O God” and “I Exalt You, O God.” They are all great. (You don’t need to read them in order.) I love Jerry Bridges.  (I Give You Glory, O God is available in the Peace Youth library.)  

9. The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien

Don’t just see the movie, read the book. It makes it so much better.

 

10. Created in God’s Image, by Anthony Hoekema

This is a theology book about the doctrine of man. I really enjoyed it and agreed with it a lot. It dealt with themes like the image of God, the fall, sin, and the redemption of mankind and the world from sin through Christ. Good theology.  (You can get it cheep from the Eerdman’s Bookstore across from St. Mary’s if you’re every over there.)

 

Honorable Mentions:

If There's a God, Why Are There Athiests, by R.C. Sproul (According to Sproul, it is not the Christians who use belief as a crutch, it is the athiests who use unbelief as a crutch!  Note: I used a lot of material from this book when I did my message "Is Christianity a Crutch" in spring of 2003.)

Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, edited by John Piper and Wayne Grudem 

I Give You Glory, O God, by Jerry Bridges  (This should have been included in the top ten, but I already had "I Will Follow You, O God" in that list to represent the trilogy.  This one is great also!)

No Other God, by John Frame (a refutation of Open Theism, the growing belief that God doesn't know our choices before we make them.)

Darwin's God, by Cornelius Hunter  (Hunter shows how the main proponents of evolution were more driven by their desire to deny God than science.  This is a good resource on evolution.)

God in the Dock, by C.S. Lewis  (This is another collection of articles.  Some are better than others.  The title article, "God in the Dock" is outstanding!)

The Gospel for Real Life, by Jerry Bridges (A great book about salvation!  This one should have probably been in the top ten also.)

The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis  (A very interesting book!  It's a fictional story about a bus trip to heaven.  In it, Lewis shows some of the reasons why people reject God and don't want His perfection.  I don't agree with every view in the book, but as long as you read it with discernment, it is cool reading.)

Secrets of the Vine for Teens, by Bruce Wilkinson  (This is a book for teens, but I thought it was very well done and had a lot of very insightful things to say about discipleship and growing in Christ.  I would recommend this to all teens.)

 

all books

-Nate Archer