2008 Wrap-Up: Danny’s Book Club

I long for the day when I can Oprahfy the literary world.  I love to read, and I love to recommend my favorite reads to other people.

Oh sure, some people read a lot more than I do.  J.D. has been known to read the complete works of Friedrich Nietzsche while watching a single episode of Saved by the Bell.  I heard an interview with Nelson Searcy a few weeks back that said he had already read 240+ books this year.  Nerd.

But still…I dig reading.  So here’s my top five picks of books I read this year, and I’d recommend you read them, too.

• Best book on ministry: Lasting Impressions: From Visiting to Belonging by Mark Waltz.  (You can read more about my anticipation of this book here.  Since I just finished it, watch for a full review in the next few days.)
• Best book on marriage: Love That Lasts: When Marriage Meets Grace by Gary & Betsy Ricucci. (This is a must-read for any pastor who does marriage or pre-marital counseling.)
• Best book on spiritual growth: The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges. (As usual, Bridges eats your lunch in this one.)
• Best “just for fun” book: How to be President: Where to Go and What to Do Once You’re in Office by Stephen Williams. (Full disclosure: I bought this for a friend’s birthday and read it before I gave it to him.  Kinda made me want to run for political office.)
• Best “can’t put it down” book: God in the Whirlwind: Stories of Grace from the Tornado at Union University by Tim Ellsworth.  (Tim and I were at Union at the same time, and he did an outstanding job recounting stories from the devastation of February’s tornado.)