Top Ten Books Of 2019

I was introduced to several really good and helpful books this year. Below are my favorites from 2019. Tomorrow I will post a few “honorable mentions.” After I link to the book, I share a bit of why I enjoyed the book, followed by a quote from the book itself.

What were some of your favorites?

The Unsaved Christian: Reaching Cultural Christianity with the Gospel by Dean Inserra

This book really struck a chord with me on a host of levels. First, I grew up and pastor in the buckle of the Bible Belt. “Cultural Christianity” is my middle name. Second, I believe God has specifically called Matt Pearson to help those who grew up in church, who “think” they know the God of the Bible, know and experience Him for who He really is – as revealed in His Word. Inserra’s book confirmed that calling and terrified me at the task – all at the same time. The negative is that he rightly diagnosis the church in the South. The positive is he sees hope and offers solutions to help any follower of Jesus in this context.

“In the Bible Belt, many people think theyâ€™re Christians but have no concept of the severity of sin, necessity of repentance, message of grace, or the overall message of the gospel. They think theyâ€™re just fine with God and God is fine with them because they arenâ€™t atheists and have been to church before as a kid. Itâ€™s almost like you have to help them get lost, so they can actually be saved. They believe in God, but do not believe their sin has done anything to separate them from Him or caused them to need the Jesus they claim to believe in.â€

Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy by Don Miller

This year I learned I am a bona-fide Enneagram 3. For those of you who know what this means, pray for my wife, my children, and the church where I pastor. The campus pastor’s at Brentwood Baptist were able to spend some time with Don Miller earlier in the year. I really enjoyed my time with him and I learned he too is an Enneagram 3. A church member recommended I read this book. I was eager to jump in and glad I did.

“The more fully we live into ourselves, the more impact we will have. Acting may get us the applause we want, but taking a risk on being ourselves is the only path toward true intimacy. And true intimacy, the exchange of affection between two people who are not lying, is transforming.”

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion by Rebecca McLaughlin

During the Fall of 2019, the Brentwood Baptist Campuses taught a series on tough issues facing our culture, especially the Christian culture. A key resource we pastor’s referred to often was McLaughlin’s Confronting Christianity. It is a fantastic resource. I recommend using it to sharpen your own thinking and would encourage you to consider asking an unbeliever to read it through with you. I believe you will be both encouraged and challenged by her work.

“Saying yes to Jesus means saying no to sexual freedom. But it does not mean missing out. At its best, marriage is meant to leave us wanting more: it is a gateway drug to a far more fulfilling relationship.”

Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Tod Bolsinger

Bolsinger’s work challenged my leadership role more than any other book this year. I didn’t want to agree with him. I didn’t want to need this book. I do. If I, or any pastor/minister wants to lead well in the future – they need this book too.

â€œWe are in uncharted terrain trying to lead dying churches into a post-Christian culture that now considers the church an optional, out of touch and irrelevant relic of the past.â€

Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do About It by David Zahl

I cannot remember how I got turned on to this book, David Zahl, and Mockingbird ministries – but man, am I glad I did. Zahl has a unique perspective on our culture and how the Gospel speaks directly to it – in every facet. If you find yourself wondering why you go to so many things to make you “enough” and how to find “enoughness” in the Gospel of Jesus Christ – I urge you to pick up this book and read it. You will be really glad you did.

“When they sat down together, Jesus didnâ€™t relate to his fellow diners according to their shameful failures or unbearable successes at controlling their cravings. He didnâ€™t deliver a pep talk on the benefits of courageous self-acceptance either. Perhaps because he knew they hadnâ€™t gotten there by accident. Their appetitesâ€”for love and hope, for absolution and glutenâ€”had brought them. Word has it, no one walked away hungry.”

Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences by Carey Nieuwhof

In the middle of 2019, I found myself in a place of burnout. Nieuwhof’s writings, website, and podcasts were helpful to both identify what was going on and introduce the process of getting out. This book is a very honest and real look at Nieuwhof’s own experiences and how so many leaders struggle with similar things.

“When youâ€™re no longer breathing, the legacy youâ€™ll leave will center on your character.”

Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age by Alan Noble

As the title suggests, Noble helps followers of Jesus understand the age we are living in – while suggesting ways to be an authentic witness. This book pairs well with Canoeing the Mountains. We are living in a new time and in uncharted territory. Noble is a fantastic thinker who helps the Christian process reality, while giving helpful counsel on how to move forward as a disciple.

“The point is that our past models of discussing faith have almost all assumed a listener who is active, attentive, and aware of the costs of believingâ€”a listener who conceives of a thick world. But as we have moved to a distracted age, we can no longer make this assumption.”

Â Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren and Andy Crouch

I am one of those people who tends to think that God only works at youth camp, or after I have had an amazing quiet time, or after a great sermon out of the Gospel of Luke. Rarely am I aware of, or even think about, God being at work in the boring, mundane, ordinary stuff. Even more rare is this Baptist boy using the word “liturgy.” Warren’s easy to read, entertaining, and very challenging book helps the Christian walk with God all the time. In fact, you could argue that He is more active in the boring than the “big.”

“Itâ€™s remarkable that when the Father declares at Jesusâ€™ baptism, â€œThis is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,â€ Jesus hasnâ€™t yet done much of anything that many would find impressive.”

Under the Unpredictable Plant: An Exploration in Vocational Holiness by Eugene Peterson

If I had to pick a favorite book from 2019, this would be it. In recent years, I have become a HUGE fan of Eugene Peterson. His understanding of pastoring was so biblical, creative, imaginative, and refreshing. This work takes a long, hard look at Jonah, helping the pastor look at his biblical call from God. Writing as only Peterson can, Under the Unpredictable Plant both refreshes and challenges the pastor to stay focused and true to what God has told him to do.

“The pastoral vocation in America is embarrassingly banal. It is banal because it is pursued under the canons of job efficiency and career management. It is banal because it is reduced to the dimensions of a job description. It is banal because it is an idol â€” a call from God exchanged for an offer by the devil for work that can be measured and manipulated at the convenience of the worker. Holiness is not banal. Holiness is blazing.”

Mistaken Identity: Taking the Gospel to Heart by Matt Brinkley

By God’s good grace to me, I was able to spend a couple of days with Matt Brinkley (and PACT ministries) earlier this year. The Father used him to help me dig out of some serious ministerial burnout, while allowing the Holy Spirit to help me begin – perhaps the first time – understand who I am in Christ. Being someone who is a pro at “Matt in Church,” I don’t know if I ever had really done the work of identifying who “Matt in Christ” really is. There is a really big difference. Too often, “Matt in Church” gets in the way of “Matt in Christ.” This workbook, alongside the careful and compassionate and anointed counsel of Matt Brinkley helped me begin the journey of discovering Matt Pearson in Christ. Mistaken Identity is something you work through, not “just” read. It is hard and revealing. It takes you where it’s difficult to go. But – man, oh man – is it worth it.

The key truths Brinkley immerses into the reader/student are:

We are Justified (Romans 5:1)