In the past I despised reading. It was a loathsome task to me.

I recall between 2008 and 2012 it took me four years to read the entire Bible. Not because I was reading slowly and carefully and studying the scriptures diligently, but because I would read for a half hour a day over the course of two or three days and then not pick up the Bible again for three weeks.

But beginning around 2022, I began seeing the need for the implementation of personal self-discipline and had begun reading the Bible with consistency and regularity even when I didn’t feel like it.

But a short time ago I asked my wife if there was any value in reading other Christian books. I said “Why bother when you could just read the Bible?” For certain, a man is a fool if he forsakes the word of God while embracing the words of man.

But Last night I purchased for 99cents, a used copy of Francis Chan’s Crazy Love. I’m only on page 29 and already while reading it I feel an inward excitement and enthusiasm toward God that in the past I have only ever experienced while personally associating with a person who had deep spiritual wisdom and enjoyed sharing that wisdom with me.

Thus, it occurred to me that the value in reading Christian books is to receive that inward sense of being spurred on toward love and good deeds and to experience anew that excitement and enthusiasm for following Jesus Christ.

Therefore, I’m feeling now that I want to include in my daily activities, the regular reading of Christian books in addition to the Bible.

I’m going to create, here on this blog post, a list of the Christian books I’ve read that encouraged and motivated me.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Tortured for His Faith by Haralan Popov

Photo credit: flickr Creative Commons, Books read in 2021 by Brett Jordan