1. Read—We start with the obvious: you need to read. . . .
2. Read Widely—I’m convinced that one reason people do not read more is that they do not vary their reading enough. . . .
3. Read Deliberately—Similar to reading widely, ensure that you read deliberately. Choose your books carefully. . . .
4. Read Interactively—Reading is best done, at least when enjoying serious books, when you work hard at understanding the book and when you interact with the author’s arguments. Read with a highlighter and pencil in hand. . . .
5. Read with Discernment—Though books have incredible power to do good, to challenge and strengthen and edify, they also have the power to do evil. I have seen lives transformed by books but have also seen lives crushed. So do ensure that you read with discernment . . . .
6. Read Heavy Books—It can be intimidating to stare at some of those massive volumes or series of volumes sitting on your bookshelf, but be sure to make time to read some of those serious works. A person can only grow so much while living on a diet of Christian Living books. . . .
7. Read Light Books—While dense books should be a serious reader’s main diet, there is nothing wrong with pausing to enjoy the occasional novel or light read. . . .
8. Read New Books—Keep an eye on what is new and popular and consider reading what other people in your church or neighborhood are reading. . . .
9. Read Old Books—Do not read only new books. . . .
10. Read What Your Heroes Read.

Read the whole post.

In that span of time, over one million copies have been sold, according to Pulpit Magazine.

An article was written to commemorate the occasion—“A Little History on a Historic Day.”

Run as a bulletin insert this past Sunday, the article is now available online from Grace Community Church.

This shipment bumps our library to just under 500 titles—each waiting for a reviewer to claim it.

Here’s a list of our new books from IVP:

If you’re interested in reviewing any of these, make sure to request it (email: matt (at) jcacompany.com) or add it to your Profile (in the “About” section).

For those of you who are unaware of our Review Program, I’d encourage you to check it out.

Email blogbookreviews[at]gmail.com, saying that you’d like to review the book on your blog. Crossway will send you a PDF copy to review.

When you’ve written your review, post in on both your site and on Amazon. Send the links to Crossway, along with your shipping address.

Before long, a hard copy of the book—not a PDF—will arrive at your door.

Don’t wait too long, though—Crossway is only supplying the PDFs through October 1.

[HT: Justin Taylor | Between Two Worlds]

• Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce
• Letters of Geerhardus Vos
• The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World
• Only One Way?: Reaffirming the Exclusive Truth Claims of Christianity
• Through the Year with William Still
• Love Walked Among Us: Learning to Love Like Jesus
• Justified in Christ: God’s Plan for Us in Justification
• By Faith Alone: Answering the Challenges to the Doctrine of Justification
• What Jesus Demands from the World: Thoughts on the Infinite Value of Jesus’ Absolute Authority
• Preaching the Cross
• Chosen for Life: The Case for Divine Election
• Why Do We Baptize Our Children?

A sale like this can’t last long—so go invest in your library!

Driscoll has taken those messages and morphed them into a 12-chapter book—Vintage Jesus.

Here is the chapter break-down:

1. Is Jesus the Only God?
2. How Human Was Jesus?
3. How Did People Know Jesus Was Coming?
4. Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?
5. Why Did Jesus’ Mom Need to Be a Virgin?
6. What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?
7. Did Jesus Rise from Death?
8. Where is Jesus Today?
9. Why Should We Worship Jesus?
10. What Makes Jesus Superior to Other Saviors?
11. What Difference Has Jesus Made in History?
12. What Will Jesus Do upon His Return?

Vintage Jesus, published by Crossway, can be pre-ordered now for $12.99. Crossway is offering autographed copies for the first 1,000 orders—so hurry!

Vintage Jesus is scheduled for release in February, 2008.

Al’s personal library, known as “The Bat Cave of Evangelical Christianity” is home to more than 30,000 volumes. It’s rumored that a person could pick any of those 30,000, hand it to Mohler, and and Al could promptly produce a detailed summary of the book (Need proof? Watch the first few minutes of this video).

Al lists six suggestions for more faithful, meaningful reading:

1. Maintain regular reading projects.
2. Work through major sections of Scripture.
3. Read all the titles written by some authors.
4. Get some big sets and read them through.
5. Allow yourself some fun reading, and learn how to enjoy reading by reading enjoyable books.
6. Write in your books; mark them up and make them yours.

Reading is a discipline that can always be improved. How many books have you read in the past 30 days?

Read Mohler’s entire post.

At present, we are scheduled to release multiple books, including six of my own books. Among them are two large hardcover books I am co-writing with my good friend Dr. Gerry Breshears, who is the former president of the Evangelical Theological Society and currently professor of theology and chairman of the Division of Biblical and Theological Studies at Western Seminary in Portland.

The first book, scheduled for release in February of 2008, is Vintage Jesus: Timeless Answers to Timely Questions (Amazon), which asks and answers 12 questions “with insights from people such as Jesus himself, Dog the Bounty Hunter, Friedrich Nietzsche, Martin Luther King Jr., Hugh Hefner, Jack Bauer, Fidel Castro, Oprah, Kanye West, Gandhi, Homer Simpson, Mike Tyson, Gil Grissom, and Madonna, along with some demons and a porn star.”

A second book that Driscoll mentions is Death by Love, which, rather than being a book that debates “the finer points of the doctrine of the atonement,” Driscoll hopes will “allow people to understand, appreciate, and trust in Jesus’ work on the cross for sins in a way that other books on the subject simply do not.” The book is essentially a compilation of Driscoll’s letters to individuals that he pastors “about the practical ways that Jesus’ death is the only hope for their life.”

Driscoll also mentions a series of shorter books that will “serve as a rich theological/apologetical primer for non-Christians, new Christians, and people who like to simply get to the point.” At 20,000 words each, most people should be able to get through them in about an hour. Driscoll expects to publish four books in the series each year—the first four covering the Old Testament, the New Testament, God, and Church Leadership.

Read the whole post for additional information.

From Baker’s description:

While none of the New Testament documents claims to provide a “theology” on its own, Thomas Schreiner suggests that certain recurring themes emerge from the study of the whole. In this volume, he traces key themes as they appear throughout the New Testament canon, exploring the emphases that emerge from a detailed reading of the texts.

Read the entire summary.

The book is priced at $44.99 from Baker, or $29.69 from Amazon.

Simply add the Download Format to your shopping cart and use the coupon code SEPT2007 during checkout to receive this audiobook for free.

Don’t miss out—they only offer a book for free once, and it normally sells for about $25.

ChristianAudio describes Interior Castle:

In her pre-coffee-house conversational style, Teresa of Avila charmingly proves to her readers that she does have the wits for conveying that “the most essential thing is that we should love God” as she takes us by the hand and leads us on a visually beautiful spiritual journey into the soul.

Rather have a hard copy? Find it at Amazon.