Best books of 2008

Well, now that 2008 has come to a close, here are my top 10 favorite new reads of the past year:

1) Death by Love by Mark Driscoll
Theology and practice collide.

2) Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson
Exalts faithfulness in ministry.

3) Instruments in the Redeemers Hands by David Powlison
Great primer for seeing change in people's lives.

4) Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard F. Lovelace
A book from the previous generation, but helpful in thinking through the Christian life.

5) A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie
We just prayed these prayers for a bit and it gave us a bigger vision of God in our own lives.

6) Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
Sometimes it is about getting things done - completing this post is one more item off my next actions list.

7) The Holman Bible Atlas by Thomas Brisco
I love maps and I feverishly read this from cover to cover.

8) Contrarian's Guide to Knowing God by Larry Osborne
Legalists and performance addicts find recovery.

9) The Reason for God by Timothy Keller
There's lots of reasons for God.

10) The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (audio)
It sounds like audio was a good way to go for this gem.

10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible - review

10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible by Colin Smith gives the reader an overview of the Biblical storyline.

The 10 keys are:
* The Garden
* The Law
* The Sacrifice
* The Invitation
* The Manger
* The Cross
* The Tomb
* The Spirit
* The Fight
* The City

The book is quite short and I was hoping for something that would give a few more hooks to help someone climb through their Bible. The chapters seem to be modified sermons, which means that there is lots of illustrative material, but the sustained argument often lacks comprehensiveness. But, as advertised, Smith gives his readers a good picture of the Bible. And, it is rather easy to grasp hold of the keys. So, for what it does, it does quite well.

You want more after the intro? I suggest the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Smith's other books are probably good too; others will have to attest to this however.