It wasn’t a good year for reading. But here’s my list of the 7 books I read in 2019 with comments on each one:

When the Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God – and Joy by John Piper

This book is really good for those going thru the “dark night of the soul”, struggling with depression and a lack of joy. It’s a short and easy read. I recommend it.

Competing Spectacles: Treasuring Christ in the Media Age by Tony Reinke

This is an excellent book to open your eyes to the intensity and enormity of the flood of spectacles hitting us every day, and what to do about it. It’s a little wordy, but very eye opening. I read it to my kids which I wouldn’t necessarily recommend due to the very frequent use of large words, but it sparked good conversation with them. Good book.

What Is the Gospel? by Bryan Chapell

Simple 26 page book on the gospel. I do prefer Bryan Chappell’s preaching to his writing on this topic.

The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness: The Path to True Christian Joy by Tim Keller

Excellent little book! Great topic and only 46 pages long.

A Celebration of Sex: A Guide to Enjoying God’s Gift of Sexual Intimacy by Douglas E. Rosenau

This is a very in depth book on the topic of sex written by a Dallas Theological Seminary grad. I think this book could be very helpful either for the couple struggling with their sex life or for the couple looking to understand the differences between how men and women’s bodies function in sex.

Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover Our True Selves by Various Authors

This is basically a book of testimonies on how people believed the gospel that I bought at the Gospel Coalition Conference. I found some of the chapters to be inspiring, while overall I thought it could have been written better.

The Message of 1 Peter by Edmund Clowney

We preached a series at our church this year on 1st Peter and this was very helpful.