A New Bible-Reading Plan

If anyone has the chutzpah to give this a try, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Why I Recommend Books

As I wrote yesterday, I love books and frequently recommend books on this site. Periodically I've been asked why I make such a big deal about books. Isn't the Bible sufficient? Why distract people from the Scriptures and point them to fallible men and women who write about what the Bible has to say? Why not go directly to the Scriptures ourselves?

Here's the short answer:

Yes, the Bible is sufficient. I love the Bible, and desire that others find great joy in the Bible. But one of the things the Bible tells us is this, in Ephesians 4:

"And [God] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ..."

The Bible says that God has appointed teachers who are particularly gifted at handling the Scriptures, and that these teachers have been appointed to build up Christ's body by the use of their God-given gift.

These teachers teach through different forms (preaching being a main one that is mentioned in the Scriptures), and one way that teachers build up Christ's Body is by writing books. While I devote much of my time to the spoken word through preaching, the written word is especially useful because sentences and paragraphs can be read and re-read, enabling the mind to ponder more carefully the truths being communicated.

So, yes, I love the Bible. And yes, like the Bereans in Acts 17, test everything you read in books by the inspired, infallible Word of God. But if you love the Bible and regard highly its authority, then you should love books too. For the very Bible you cherish so much tells us that God has given teachers to His Church. If you neglect books, you neglect one valuable means that God has given us by which we might grow into maturity in Christ
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Yet He Wants Books!

I know I recommend a lot of books, and sometimes that has led people to question whether I minimize the importance and preeminence of the Bible. Why all this talk about books?

I want to say a little something on that tomorrow, but for now here's a quote from Charles Spurgeon along these lines. It is from a sermon he preached on 2 Timothy 4:13, which reads:

"When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments."

Yes, he actually preached an entire sermon on this verse! In it, he said:

He is inspired, and yet he wants books!

He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books!

He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books!

He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet he wants books!

He had been caught up into the third heaven, and had heard things which it was unlawful for a men to utter, yet he wants books!

He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books!

The apostle says to Timothy and so he says to every preacher, “Give thyself unto reading.” The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains, proves that he has no brains of his own.

Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible. We are quite persuaded that the very best way for you to be spending your leisure, is to be either reading or praying. You may get much instruction from books which afterwards you may use as a true weapon in your Lord and Master’s service. Paul cries, “Bring the books”—join in the cry.

My Current Read

I just began this new book from Jonathan Leeman today. I've heard a lot of good things about it and I look forward to seeing how this new book addresses a couple of important subjects that I have not done a lot of reading on: church membership and church discipline.

What book(s) are you currently reading?

On Reading Books...

Words of wisdom from Martin Luther:

The writings of all the holy fathers should be read only for a time, in order that though them we may be led to the Holy Scriptures. As it is, however, we read them only to be absorbed in them and never come to the Scriptures. We are like men who study that sign-posts and never travel the road. The dear fathers wished by their writing, to lead us to the Scriptures, but we so use them as to be led away from the Scriptures, though the Scriptures alone are our vineyard in which we ought all to work and toil.

Vacation Reading

I'll be off work for ten days beginning on Monday. Here's what I hope to read:




















A Praying Life, by Paul Miller






















Counterfeit Gods, by Tim Keller (is anyone surprised by this?)






















On Being a Pastor, by Derek Prime & Alistair Begg

Anyone think I have even a chance of reading all three of these in ten days?

Becoming a Better Reader

Last year I read 54 books, probably the most I've read in any one year of my life. But what I found in reading that much is that I did a pretty lousy job of retaining what I read. As 2009 came and I thought about setting new reading goals, it dawned on me that I felt like I needed to re-read many of the books that most engaged my thinking last year. I was in such a rush to read a book per week, that I have only a fuzzy idea of the content of many of those books.

So, with the help of John Piper, I have devised a way to be more active when I read and hopefully read books in a way that will profit me for a longer period of time. I have read that when Piper reads a book, he makes notes in the front and back blank pages of the book indicating the page number of quotes and thoughts that were significant. In addition, he breaks the page into tenths to indicate where on the page the quote or idea is found.

For instance, I'm currently (re)reading a book called Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright (yes, I am aware that he has some questionable beliefs; we can still read authors like that, so long as we use biblical discernment!). On page 18 Wright gives a succinct definition of the Kingdom of God. I thought it was worth noting, so in the front of the book I wrote, 'Kingdom of God defined, 18.6.' That means I can find that quote on page 18, around 6/10 of the way down the page.

Also, as I finish a chapter I am writing a sentence or a phrase or two in the front of the book so I know what the main theme or idea of that chapter was. Another book I'm reading is Robert Coleman's The Master Plan of Evangelism. Inside the front cover I have written, 'Chap. 1 -- Jesus invests in a few, not crowds.' That will now jog my memory as to the content of that chapter.

Whether you find these particular tips helpful or not, I encourage those of you who love reading to think about some specific ways that you can retain what you have read. Because a book with great content isn't really worth much if you can't remember anything that you read six months later.