It’s time for a new G3 Reading Challenge! Like last year, the goal with this challenge is not only to get Christians reading but also to stretch us all—as parents, pastors, parishoners—to read more widely. This year we have 12 brand new categories, but, again, we hope these categories will motivate you to both complete some books you’ve been meaning to read and also venture into topics and genres that don’t normally make it onto your bookshelf.
Don’t think you have time to read 12 books in 2023? Audiobooks available through your local library or a subscription service will read to you while you drive or dry dishes. Also, statistics tell us that picking up a book instead of scrolling social media could allow the average American to read over 200 books a year! Consider doing the challenge with your spouse, a friend, or a church group to provide community and stimulate healthy conversation.
Use #G3reads to share the titles you’ve chosen, pictures of the books you’re reading throughout the year, and your completed challenges. Last year we had over 3,000 of you participate in the challenge!
Download the reading challenge here.
As always, you’re free to choose any book you’d like for each category, but if you’re wanting ideas, here are a few suggestions.1Because a title is suggested here does not mean that G3 endorses every author or every statement in each of these books. Rather, these books are worthy reads that contribute to the larger … Continue reading
A Book about a Book of the Bible
This can be a commentary or more of a devotional or a Bible study or some combination of those.
For a reliable list of more technical commentaries on each book of the Bible, see this resource page.
Here are some other ideas, more on the layperson level:
- John MacArthur’s New Testament commentary series
- Dale Ralph Davis’s commentaries
He has Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, I Kings, 2 Kings, Psalms, and others. - Kent Hughes’s commentaries (I especially enjoyed his commentary on Philippians.)
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones’s commentaries (I especially enjoyed this one on Ephesians 5:18-6:9.)
- Beyond Suffering: Discovering the Message of Job by Layton Talbert
- Singing the Songs of Jesus: Revisiting the Psalms by Michael Lefebvre
A Book by a Dead Pastor
While we love many living pastors, let’s narrow it down to the thousands of pastors who have gone to be with the Lord. Here a just a few favorites to get your wheels turning:
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones
- Charles Spurgeon
- Jeremiah Burroughs
- Isaac Watts
- Jonathan Edwards
A Book about the Sovereignty of God
- The Sovereignty of God by A. W. Pink (many editions, including free for Kindle)
- Not By Chance: Learning to Trust a Sovereign God by Layton Talbert
- Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J. I. Packer
- Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
- The Suffering of Man and the Sovereignty of God by Charles Spurgeon
- The Sovereignty of God by Jeff Johnson
- Calvin on Sovereignty, Providence, and Predestination by Joel Beeke
A Book of Letters
- A Sweet Flame: Piety in the Letters of Jonathan Edwards edited and introduced by Michael Haykin
- Letters of Charles Haddon Spurgeon selected by Iain Murray
- The Christian Lover: The Sweetness of Love and Marriage in the Letters of Believers selected by Michael and Victoria Haykin
- C. S. Lewis’ Letters to Children
- Jane Austen: Selected Letters
- My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams
- The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
- 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
- The Letters of Samuel Rutherford
A Work of Classic Fiction
This can be any work of fiction that has stood the test of time. Think of something that might be assigned in a literature class. Just a few ideas:
- Anything by Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre
- Crime and Punishment
- Anna Karenina
- The Brothers Karamazov
- 1984
- Brave New World
- Fahrenheit 451
- David Copperfield
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Little Women
- The Last of the Mohicans
- Silas Marner
- Robinson Crusoe
- Treasure Island
- The Count of Monte Cristo
A Book Recommended by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors
The ACBC has five entire pages (or a downloadable PDF) of books they recommend. From marriage to parenting to suffering to pastoring and counseling to anxiety and depression to addiction to systematic theology, there’s something to benefit everyone. Find the list here.
A Book of Poems
Don’t freak out. Think of it as a book of hymns not set to music. Samuel Taylor Coleridge said that poetry is “simply the best words in the best order.” My all-time, number one recommendation, especially for Christians not used to reading poetry:
- The Soul in Paraphrase: A Treasury of Classic Devotional Poems by Leland Ryken
Ryken chooses the best devotional poetry throughout time and pairs it with a page or two of his expert commentary on what the poem means and its importance for the Christian.
Other suggestions:
- Word in the Wilderness: A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter by Malcolm Guite
Similar to the Ryken collection, Guite collects poems (some by himself and some by others) and gives explanatory notes. Though we’d have less theological alignment with Guite than with Ryken, his notes are still helpful. - Waiting on the Word: A Poem a Day for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany by Malcolm Guite
Same as above, different season - A Year with George Herbert: A Guide to Fifty-Two of His Best Loved Poems
Charles Spurgeon’s favorite poet; contains notes - 150 Most Famous Poems
A great place to start to familiarize yourself with poetry. They’re famous for a reason! - Poets’ Corner by John Lithgow
I especially recommend the audiobook of this accessible collection of classic poems. Lithgow, a lifelong poetry lover, makes you want to love poetry too! Each selection contains a brief author bio, the poem (read by a famous actor if you’re doing audio–Helen Mirren, Lynn Redgrave, Morgan Freeman, Eileen Atkins, etc.), a short explanation, and closing comments including a few other favorite poems by that poet. All this takes about 5 minutes listening time. I listen with my children, and we all love this collection.
Other very accessible poets:
- Christina Rossetti
- Anne Bradstreet
- Gerard Manley Hopkins
- Emily Dickinson
- Robert Frost
- John Donne
For each of the above and many others, you can simply look for any edition of their poetry such as the Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets Series.
A Biography about a Christian Marriage
We’ll leave this a pretty loose category. Feel free to read a biography about a Christian that includes the person’s marriage. (For instance, To the Golden Shore includes discussion of Adoniram and Ann Judson’s marriage.) However, here are a few suggestions of biographies specifically about the marriages of Christian couples:
- Marriage To a Difficult Man: The Uncommon Union of Jonathan and Sarah Edwards by Elizabeth Dodd
**Note that G3 Press will be republishing this out-of-print classic in 2023. - Good Christians, Good Husbands?: Lessons from the Marriages and Ministries of Elizabeth and George Whitefield, Sarah and Jonathan Edwards, and Molly and John Wesley by Doreen Moore
- Yours, Till Heaven: The Untold Love Story of Charles and Susie Spurgeon by Ray Rhodes
- Katharina and Martin Luther: The Radical Marriage of a Runaway Nun and a Renegade Monk by Michelle DeRusha (I will be reading this with discernment.)
- Hudson Taylor and Maria: A Match Made in Heaven by John Pollock
- Shadowlands: The True Story of C. S. Lewis and Joy Davidman by Brian Sibley
- Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot by Valerie Elliot Shepard
A Book about Prayer
Last year we challenged you to read a book of written prayers. This year we challenge you to read a book about prayer to strengthen your prayer life. Here are a few suggestions:
- A Guide to Prayer by Isaac Watts
- A Call to Prayer by J. C. Ryle (many editions)
- Prayer by Ole Hallesby
- The Knot of Prayer Loosed by Richard Sibbes
- With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray
- Lord, Teach Me to Pray by John MacArthur
- Prayer by John Bunyan
A Travel Book
This can be any non-fiction book about someone who’s traveling (by boat, train, car, plane, walking, on a camel, whatever).
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
**highly recommend - Richard Halliburton’s Book of Marvels: The Occident and The Orient
- How the Heather Looks: A Joyous Journey to the British Sources of Children’s Books by Joan Bodger
- The Brendan Voyage: Across the Atlantic in a Leather Boat by Tim Severin
- Marco Polo by Manuel Komroff
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose
- In Search of Deep Faith: A Pilgrimage Into the Beauty, Goodness, and Heart of Christianity by Jim Belcher
- West with the Night by Beryl Markham
A Book about the History of Your Country
This is almost completely open-ended. It just has to be historical non-fiction. You can read a biography of a leader, a story about a war, an historical overview, a book about a certain movement or event or time-period. You choose. Here are some favorites for the United States:
- David McCullough’s biographies and history books, including
- Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of President by Candice Millard
- Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose
- Paul Johnson’s A History of the American People or Modern Times (These are long, but they’re good, interesting overviews!)
- A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918 by G. J. Meyer (This would obviously work for multiple countries.)
- Land of Hope by Wilfred McClay (another good, interesting overview)
- Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph Ellis
- Isaac’s Story: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
- The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution by Barbara Tuchman
A Book from Last Year’s Challenge That You Wanted to Read but Didn’t
Whether you didn’t complete last year’s challenge (or didn’t even start it) or a book you wanted to read got pushed aside by something else, here’s your chance for a do-over. Pick a book from any category in last year’s challenge and read it.
References
1 | Because a title is suggested here does not mean that G3 endorses every author or every statement in each of these books. Rather, these books are worthy reads that contribute to the larger conversation. There are many other worthy titles not included on this list. |
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