End of 2023: Books Read

This past year was a decent reading year, reading 21 books: one of which I read twice (hey, it counts on Goodreads). Even after taking a speed-reading course, I never understood how people can read a 300-page novel in a day, let alone sit still for more than an hour. Hat’s off to you. But, here is my humble list.

1. Act Like Men: 40 Days to Biblical Manhood by James MacDonald.
2. Absolute Surrender: The Blessedness of Forsaking All and Following Christ by Andrew Murray (READ TWICE)
3. God Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life: The Myth of the Modern Message by Ray Comfort.
4. Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray.
5. The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer.
6. What Time is Purple by Tom Hammond.
7. The Pursuit of God: The Human Thrist for the Divine by A.W. Tozer.
8. Letters to the Church by Francis Chan.
9. Don’t Ask Jesus Into Your Heart: A Biblical Answer to the Question: “What Must I Do to Be Saved” by Dennis Rokser.
10. God’s Pursuit of Man: Tozer’s Profound Prequil to the Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.
11. The Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-loss Plan for a Flat Belly, Optimum Health & Body Wellness by Stephen Perrine and Heidi Skolnik.
12. Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It by Ken Ham, Britt Beemer, and Todd Hillard.
13. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul.
14. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by J. Mack Stiles.
15. Chosen by God: Know God’s Perfect Plan for His Glory and His Children by R.C. Sproul.
16. 4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-makers by Dann L. Spader.
17. Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church by Alexander Strauch.
18. Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane C. Ortland.
19. Words That Hurt, Words That Heal by Carole Mayhall.
20. The One Year Chronological Bible NKJV by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Every year, I had at least one or two books that were a disappointment; but this year, I was pleased with each and every one of them. Of course, there were some I liked rather than others.

The Most Underrated

By far, the most underrated Christian book you will ever read was Dane Ortland’s Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. It was a struggle for my wife and I to put the book down every morning after reading a chapter. It was so rich with biblical truth about Christ and His heart for us. It was like a warm bath for your soul.

I picked up this book at a Calvary Chapel Pastors & Leaders Conference because it was free. I kept putting off reading it and was ashamed of myself that after reading the introduction, I should have started with this book.

Not only was it the most underrated, but probably our favorite book, because of how many times we shared quotes to our friends and church members, several of them purchasing the book for themselves.

The Most Needed for Today

Already Gone: Why Your Kids Will Quit Church and What You Can Do to Stop It by Ken Ham, Britt Beemer, and Todd Hillard is probably the one that is most needed for today, especially for parents, church leaders, and youth ministers.

Many high-school teens in your church youth group are already planning their escape out of your fellowships after they graduate. In other words, they are already gone. They don’t want to be there, have no desire for God’s Word, or want to learn about Him. In many cases, there are no better than, and in some cases in worse shape, than unbelievers who don’t go to church. Where the church fails is that teens do have concerns and want to do and say the right things to combat the evil that is coming against them, but they just don’t know what to say and what to do. Church youth groups are not equipping them to go into the world and win souls for Christ, or even how to answer questions biblically that they and their friends have.

This book is packed with statistics that pastors can see that there is a problem with today’s youth and practical hands-on suggestions and tips to keeping teens engaged. A must-have for any church leader, pastor, and youth pastor.

No Nonsense Small Books That Got to the Point

Many of these books were small in stature but rich in truth. They were inspirations to me in that they showed me I didn’t have to write a ton of words to make a book meaningful.

For instance, Words That Hurt, Words That Heal by Carole Mayhall. Even though this book is small, it has been used by many professional counselors, Christian and secular alike.

4 Chair Discipling: Growing a Movement of Disciple-makers by Dann L. Spader was a pleasant suprise, with many graphics and charts that explained what the author was trying to say using minimal wordage. Jesus’ way of discipling was meant to be simple, understood by fishermen, carpenters, as well as tax collectors, and scholars like the Apostle Paul.

So, what about you?

I’ve already started some books that will be in the list next year that were not completed in 2023. Though the list won’t be as long, I hope the choices will be as impactful. If you would like to see a complete list of books I have read, check out my Goodreads page at: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/42859095-frank-chirico

Share your completed books in the comments below. We would love to read your choices of 2023 and share some that you plan on reading.

Happy New Year!