In celebration of my 10th anniversary at  Cornerstone, I’m writing  several blogs listing a variety of my favorite  “10 things.” Over the next couple weeks my lists will include  people who influenced me over the last 10 years, why I love living in the Forest City Community and what I learned in the last 10 years of pastoring. In this blog post, I want to list 10 books that have impacted me, and or books that I think would also be valuable for people to read. Making this list was very hard, and if I looked at it in another week, I would probably change it again with more great books, but these are my current picks. 

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1. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith by Ravi Zacharias and Norman Geisler. This sounds like a massive book to start with, but it’s only about 200 pages. It answers questions that people often ask about  God and topics of  confusion.
2. This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence by John and Noel Piper. John Piper is one of my favorite authors and speakers. He has written dozen of books and is very eloquent. This is just one of many of his books which have impacted me.
3. Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ by Mark Driscoll. This book, focusing on  the book of Ephesians, addresses  how our identity  has everything to do with how we think about God, man, and ourselves. Most people’s struggles could be helped by reading this book.
4. The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. Understanding how to think is of supreme importance. Taking time to wade through something like love and dissect it into pieces is important. I could have listed many other C.S. Lewis books, but if you take your time to go through this book, you will not only understand love better, but how to think better.
5. Tree and Leaf: Including Mythopoeia by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book changed the way I thought about the fantasy genre as a Christian. Of course, Tolkien would be the one to bring me home. The article itself can be found free online with some searching.
6. Why You Think the Way You Do: The Story of Western Worldviews from Rome to Home by Glenn S. Sunshine. This sounds like somewhat of a nerdy book, and it somewhat is, but it is very enjoyable and not too long of a read. If you want to understand current culture, this is a must.
7. Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem. This small, 160- page book discusses  the basic doctrines of Christians. If it isn’t in-depth enough for you, he also has  400- page and 1,300- page books on the subject.
8. The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. Lee is an apologist like Ravi Zacharias and others. They answer the tough questions that are often asked by people searching for faith and God, or people attacking God.  Whether or not it is reasonable to believe in Jesus is among topics covered.
9. The Brother’s Karamazov by Fydor Dostoevesky. A huge part of my life over the last couple years includes  studying philosophy. I could have listed many philosophical- great books. From Dante’s Inferno to Paradise Lost by John Milton, to Homer’s Iliad. Great books have more of an impact on us than we think.
10. Philippians by John MacArthur. I understand that John MacArthur, or as I like to refer to him as, J-Mac, did not write the book of Philippians, Paul did. What I am referring to is John MacArthur’s commentary. You could pick any book of the Bible to study and use his commentary to enhance your understanding. I believe every Christian would benefit from sitting down with one of his commentaries and reading through it with Scripture. He provides helpful  methods of Bible study.

I just want to take time to thank Crossway Publishers. They have donated thousands of dollars worth of books to my personal library and the library at Cornerstone. This pastor, our ministry and community  are blessed because of you.

Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10:45 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes  or Googleplay.