I enjoy reading. I make it apart of my devotional time. I have a personal goal of reading at least one chapter a day, and I'm usually reading 5 to 8 books at once. I typically will read anything except fiction. I've found that reading the right books will actually help your personal growth and knowledge of God's Word. Christians who refuse or can't find time to read likely remain stagnant in their spiritual lives. Thanksgiving and Christmas usually allows me more time to read.
Here's three books I'm reading this Thanksgiving:
Here's three books I'm reading this Thanksgiving:
Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay, wrote I Am A Church Member. Our church's staff, deacons, praise band, and church council are all reading this book right now. I wish every member of FBC Moreland (and every church) could read this. One of the things I've seen in nearly 9 years as pastor is people get saved, get baptized, get excited, and then ask, "What's next?" How they answer this question determines if they remain involved and the level of involvement at church. This short book explains the function of a church member.
I love Billy Graham. I remember in 1999 when I was a youth pastor at First Baptist Church, Largo, Florida - I drove across Tampa Bay to look at a monument of Billy Graham's first sermon. He began preaching on the streets in downtown Tampa while at Bible college. Earlier this month Graham turned 95 - I remember seeing him preach once in person in Nashville, Tennessee in 2000. Next Thursday, our Boy Scout den will be at our home and we're showing the "My Hope America" DVD to the young men and their families. Graham's message is always the same: Jesus Saves. His newest book: The Reason for My Hope: Salvation makes an outstanding Christmas gift.
Our women's ministry is beginning a new Christmas study on Wednesday. The Women of Christmas is a biographical study of three ladies in the Christmas narrative: Elizabeth, Mary & Anna. Character studies are important because they help us remember that people in Scripture were real people; experiencing the same challenges, disappointments, emotions, and surprises as we do. Another outstanding character book study is John MacArthur's Twelve Ordinary Men.
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