2006 Top Ten...

Last year (actually in December 2005) I listed my "Top Ten Books of 2005" and got some good feedback so I thought I'd do the same for 2006. These are the books that have challenged, encouraged, and shaped me over the past year. Sorry for the layout...I tried to make it better, but finally reached the point of just wanting to get this posted. Maybe this year I'll read a book about blog layout. If you want to see a big chunk of my library you can look here or check out my Amazon.ca wishlist here.




First on the list comes one of my most loved mentors (as evidenced by being the only person to have two books on this list)...and he doesn't even know it. Eugene Peterson has been used by God to teach me what it means to be a pastor. He's working on a series of 5 books to sum up his life's work. Two are available. And two have made my list. Eat This Book and Christ Plays in 10,000 Places. Want to become more aware of God's presence in your everyday life? Want to see beauty in the broken things of this world? Want to read the Bible and other spiritual books in a way that transforms you? Read these books.


There are some real life stories that point you to "real" life. They go beyond just being stories and give you a small taste of the Kingdom of God. They show you what it might be like if we actually surrendered to the leadership of Jesus. That's why Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore makes my list. I blogged about it here. It is an amazing book...one you need to read.

Not a light read (but the best stuff rarely is), The Prophetic Imagination challenges us to see how God communicates with us and what role we are to play in that process. It's a fascinating book by Walter Brueggemann that has shaped and is shaping how I preach. Even more exciting is that Dr. Brueggemann has agreed to meet with me during my sabbatical in Alabama to help me better understand how his ideas are related to what God has called me to do as a pastor/preacher.


The Younger Evangelicals - by Robert Webber. This book has been around a while but I just got to it this past fall. The reason I list it here is that it is in many ways biographical for me. It was very affirming for me to read that there are others who are wrestling with the same questions that I am wrestling with. That there are others who are committed to Jesus, to Scripture, and to the church but who are questioning a lot of the assumptions that we currently make about those three. It reminded me that I am not alone. There's something to be said for a book that does that.

Secrets in the Dark - A Life in Sermons. My great friend Mark Friesen introduced me to Frederick Buechner several years ago. That is one of the greatest gifts Mark has ever given me. This compilation of his sermons is Buechner at his best. If you read it, read it slowly and savor what God is saying though this man.

The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle is a series of three books that reintroduce the idea of fixed hour prayer to the evangelical church of today. The insight that I got on the Lord's prayer by following these books was worth 1000x what they cost me.

The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience : Why are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World? This is a hard book to read...but it asks questions that expose the heart. Thanks to Ron Sider for being willing to push us. We need it.

The Irresistible Revolution is a fascinating story of the spiritual journey and thoughts of Shaine Claiborne. He truly paints an irresistible picture of what the Kingdom of Jesus could be like. Shaine is one of the founders of The Simple Way.

Follow Me by Jan Hettinga is a must read for every disciple. What does it mean to follow Jesus? How does it influence our day to day decisions. An older book, but a powerful message.