Our Book List for 2009/10

Ali and I have been busy working out our book list for 2009/10 and are now ready to share the final version with you. This list won't be 'launched' until EQUIP women in May, but we thought we'd give you a sneak peek in case you wanted to think about buying or borrowing books in advance (we were originally planning to have this list finalised in December so you could add them to your Christmas lists, but alas, it wasn't to be!).

So ... here's the list:

May - Esther
June - Radical Womanhood, by Carolyn McCulley
July - My Seventh Monsoon, by Naomi Reed
August - Guidance and the Voice of God, by Philip Jensen, Tony Payne
Sept - Practical Theology for Women, by Wendy Alsup
Oct - Treasuring God in our Traditions, by Noel Piper
Nov - When I don't Desire God, How to Fight for Joy, by John Piper
Dec - Beyond Greed, by Brian Rosner
Jan - The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Feb - Stirrings of the Soul, by Mike Raiter
March - The Message of Prayer, by Tim Chester
April - Married for God, by Christopher Ash

As we said at the beginning, you don't have to read all of the books to be involved, you can work out which books on the list appeal to you and join in on those months. Or you can even read the books at your own pace, and benefit from the notes after we've finished discussing them - we've kept the links on the left hand side of the page for that reason!

And if you're feeling like you need to put some more time aside to read, you might find it helpful to re-read this post from last year on this subject.

Time to buy 'Feminine Appeal'

If you are interested in reading Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother with us in September, now is the time to start thinking about buying your copy. Reformers Bookshop has kindly agreed to order it in for us from the States, but it is better if you place your order sooner rather than later.

For those of you who are wondering what it is about, Feminine Appeal is a book which discusses the implications of Titus 2:3-5 to the everyday lives of women (and wives and mothers in particular):

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

When I first read this book I found it challenged me in many areas of my life and gave me lots to think about. I'm looking forward to reading it again in September, contributing the notes and hearing your thoughts on it as we go. If you're interested in reading a little more about the book before buying, Tim Challies has a review on his site.

Want to keep reading about 'faith'?

Lee Carter has made these suggestions if you want to keep reading...

James Montgomery Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith.

Jerry Bridges, Growing Your Faith.

Wayne Grudem (ed. Elliot Grudem), Christian Beliefs*

JI Packer, Knowing God

Arthur W Pink, Life of Faith**

Arthur W Pink, The Attributes of God.**

John Piper, Desiring God.

John Piper and Justin Taylor (general editors), Suffering and the Sovereignty of God.

Rebecca Manley Pippert, A Heart for God.

RC Sproul, The Invisible Hand.

Gary L Thomas, Authentic Faith.

* this is a condensed version (157 pages) of “Bible Doctrine” (528 pages) which in turn is a condensed version of “Systematic Theology” (1,290 pages), all by Wayne Grudem.

** these are compilations of AW Pink’s writings from the first half of the 20th Century – the language is old-fashioned, but rich in truth and understanding.