Well, another year has ended, and by God’s grace I can report it was a fruitful year of reading! My goal (the first of its kind for me) was to read a book a week (or 52 books by year’s end) OUTSIDE of my regular pastoral reading of commentaries, online/print periodicals, and, reference works.

I tend to start lots of books, reading at a time, but not always finishing a book (sometimes intentionally). I wondered if my goal would be a help or a hindrance. I can say now it was a huge help, motivating my to make better use of free time (and reduce time spent online or in other less profitable pursuits).

For fun, I set up a spreadsheet to track my reading in 2010. Here are some of the statistical highlights…

• 84 books were started, representing 25,302 pages!
• 27 books (including the ESV Bible) were completed!
• over 10,382 pages (in all books) were read!
• the longest book was 950 pages, one was 35 pages

As for particulars on a few of the books…

0f spiritual profit (in addition to reading the whole BIBLE) was:
* Sinclair Ferguson’s BY GRACE ALONE
* Tullian Tchividian’s UNFASHIONABLE
* Marcus Loane’s JESUS HIMSELF

My ministry was enhanced by reading:
* Tony Payne’s THE TRELLIS AND THE VINE
* Tim Keller’s PRODIGAL GOD
* WHY WE LOVE THE CHURCH by DeYong & Kluck
* PASTORAL MINISTRY by the Puritan Richard Baxter

My enjoyment of history was well satisfied by:
* TROUBLESOME YOUNG MEN by Lynne Olson (about how Winston Churchill came to power,
* THEODORE REX by Edmund Morris [I’ve already started the third/final volume, COLONEL ROOSEVELT]

The new year begins with my now owning a KINDLE — and trying it out for some of my reading. So far, it’s very good!

May we all read to improve our minds, and to better love and serve our great and gracious God!
pdb