Pastor Mark's 2009 Reading List

The following list of 36 books is what I hope to read in 2009 (3 per month)...no promises that I'll actually make it. If you are interested in reading along with me you can buy the books by clicking on the link for each. I will also write a short review of each book so we can interact.

I've listed books by general reading category. I will announce ahead of time which book I will be reading next.

Theology
Providence and Prayer by Terrance Tiessen
Chosen but Free by Norman Geisler
The Potter's Freedom by James White
Arminian Theology by Roger Olson
Chosen for Life by Sam Storms
Pierced for Our Transgressions by multiple
The Great Exchange by multiple**
Future Grace by John Piper**
Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches by John Hammett
Elders in Congregational Life by Phil Newton
Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
The Israel of God by O. Palmer Robertson

Church and Culture
Christless Christianity by Michael Horton**

Hermeneutics
Plowshares and Pruning Hooks by Brent Sandy

Church History
10 Great Ideas from Church History by Mark Shaw
The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper**
The Roots of Endurance by John Piper**
Contending for Our All by John Piper**
also, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper is in his history series, but I have already read it

Leadership and Strategy
The Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath

Parenting
The Habits of a Child's Heart by multiple
If You Take My Hand, My Son by Wayne Hastings

Evangelism
The Heart of Evangelism by Jerram Barrs**
The Pastor-Evangelist by Roger Greenway
Words to Winners of Souls by Horatius Bonar**
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer**
Just Walk across the Room by Bill Hybels**

Christian Life
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges**
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges**
Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell

World Religions
Islam: What Every Christian Should Know by Bassam Chedid
Islam in Context by multiple
Jesus and Muhammed by Mark Gabriel
From Jihad to Jesus by Jerry Rassamni

Fiction Novels
The Shack by William Young
I am not recommending that you read this book. I am reading it for the purpose of being able to tell the church the dangers of the book. It is a fictional book with loose connections to Christianity and with many doctrinal problems.

Okay, so there's my list. It's a daunting task for 2009, but I will be the better for it. Again, I want to invite you to read along with me so we can discuss what we read.

If you feel there is no way you could tackle this, I have designated a lighter reading list. There are 12 books that have ** beside them. These 12 are very good reads and would impact your life and would set you on a one-book-per-month pace.

Happy reading...

Pastor Mark

What's the Future Hold???

I want to get you thinking about what the future holds for us at First Baptist Smithville.

Church, would you dare to dream? Church, would you dare to think that we could be more than we are now...so much more?

Will our dreams come true because we will dream small dreams? I pray not.

I remember a few points in my life where someone asked me the question, "Mark, where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Intriguing question. The question shows how big or small your vision is. It shows how big or small your world is. It shows what your priorities are.

So...church, where do you see yourself in 5 years? Dream big. I am.

Peru Info Meeting

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to everybody from the TBC annual meeting to remind you about the Peru info meeting.

It's this Sunday evening (11/16) immediately following the evening worship service.

If you're even the least bit interested in possibly going with FBC to Peru in 2009 then come to this meeting.

Mark

Sunday Preview: Politics (11/9)

So...now that the election is over we'll be talking about a political issue this Sunday. I'm going to tell you exactly what the Bible says this Sunday (just like I do every Sunday).

If you want to read ahead a little bit you can check out 2 Peter chapter 2 and Romans chapter 13. Good stuff.

See you Sunday...

Mark

Sunday Preview: Worship and Life (11/2)

This Sunday we will finish our worship series with the sermon "Worship and Life."

So what you do think? How is worship connected to life and not just something that we do for an hour on Sunday morning?

Our text for this Sunday is Romans 12:1-2.

See you Sunday...

Mark

Peru Mission Report & Involvement

I'll be sharing this Sunday night (10/12) about the Peru mission. At the end of the service we will take time as a church body to affirm whether or not this is the direction that God has for our church. Please be in prayer for this time as we discern God's will.

We start at 6:30pm. Don't be late!!!

Sunday Preview (10/12): Worship and Eternity

We start a new sermon series this Sunday about worship. Our first sermon will be on worship and eternity. Here's some Scriptures for you to preview that we'll be looking at this week.

Revelation 5
Revelation 7:9-12
Revelation 19:1-10

For our discussion this week...

What is worship???
How important is worship in the life of a Christian?