Books for your Christmas list

I always ask for books for Christmas, so here are some suggestions if you'd like to do the same. There are loads more on the Helpful Resources page.

By the way, I've recently become an affiliate with The Good Book Company, so if you go to their site via this link, they'll give me a little bit of the proceeds from any books you buy from them.

Books I've read this year...

For the love of God...
Christ Our Life, by Michael Reeves
This is a rich celebration of the nature, character and achievements of God the Son across eternity. My heart was stirred to praise God again and again as I read; Reeves also gave me fresh insights on well-known Bible passages, introduced me to a starry cast of theologians I'll be looking to learn more from, and helped me see how wonderful truths I already knew could fit together in ways I hadn’t appreciated before.

For getting your life in order...
Simplify, by Bill Hybels
A Holy Spirit-led pragmatist, Hybels shares his wisdom on key areas of life that most of us realise could do with a bit more careful attention such as time, money, and relationships. It's like a compilation of much of the good stuff he's said elsewhere put into one volume. Your life doesn't have to be a mess for this to be helpful: Simplify could help you put in foundations that will serve you well for decades to come.

For preparing for and/or enduring hard times...
The Life You Never Expected, by Andrew & Rachel Wilson
How do you talk about parenting two severely autistic children with hope, let alone with humour? By God's grace, as Andrew and Rachel make clear in this moving but never melodramatic book. I know these guys so reading their struggles felt more personal for me than it might for you but they are good writers and anyone who has experienced suffering will find help in what they share and who they point to.

For digging a bit deeper...
Now My Eyes Have Seen You, by Robert S. Fyall
I love IVP's New Studies in Biblical Theology series, it's perfect for those of us who want to think about theology in more detail than a typical paperback does in a volume the same size as a typical paperback. Fyall looks at Job, one of the Bible's most mysterious books, and makes a fascinating case for how to understand it, and God's final speeches in particular.

Books I always recommend...

For beauty...
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
My biggest disappointment in reading this year was Lila, the final part of Robinson's triptych which began so magnificently with Gilead. The charity and gentleness that brought such beauty in the first book were corroded in both books that followed it but they don't diminish the original's greatness. It’s a wonder-full consideration of what Christian faith can feel like.

For the love of God...
The Good God, by Michael Reeves
Who is God: what has He told us and shown us about Himself, and what does that mean? Too many serious theological books are too serious for their own good but Reeves has a lightness of touch with the greatest of things, and a love for God that will stir your heart.

For understanding God's grace...
God's Lavish Grace by Terry Virgo.
If you want to know how God relates to Christians, what He thinks of them, what's He's done for them, then you should read this. Crippling fear, desperation to impress,

For encouragement in prayer...
A Praying Life, by Paul E. Miller
A good measure of a book is how long it stays with you, and I’ve been enjoying my daily times with God a lot more since reading Miller last year. He is good company for anyone who struggles with praying, and even if you don’t follow his model he will help you to think about how and why you pray, and bring grace to an area of life that easily becomes legalistic and dispiriting.