It’s so exciting to see people turn to Christ and accept him as their Lord and Saviour. For me, that happened in mid-1990. Although I can’t pin-point the exact time and date, the work of the Spirit was so obvious. Suddenly I wanted to read the Bible – I remember devouring large chunks of Scripture, memorizing verses, underlining & highlighting verses, writing them on post-it notes around my apartment. At the same time I discovered Christian books! I’d always been a reader, but now I could read books that helped me to love Christ more. Sadly, as we mature in Christ, our reading habits change and we often read fewer books. Today, I want to spend some time sharing with you 10 books that have changed my Christian life. If they are not available on the bookstall, they are all available from Moore Books or Koorong.

1. Introduction to the Bible: Moore College (PTC). This is a 10-week course, taking you from Genesis through to Revelation. I did this course as a new Christian (within first 6 months) and it’s utterly transformed how I read the Bible.
2. Knowing God by Jim Packer. An excellent book on the attributes of God – looking at his holiness, sovereignty, revelation etc.. It’s pretty heavy, but packed with biblical truth and amazing for growing your knowledge of God.
3. Turning Points by Vaughan Roberts. An overview of the whole bible, written in a more topical format. This is a great book for unbelievers, as well as new Christians.
4. How to read the Bible for all it’s worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. I found this book really helpful for understanding the different genres of literature in the Bible – and teaching me how to read the bible properly.
5. A Call to Spiritual Reformation by Don Carson. The best book I’ve read on prayer. By looking at Paul’s prayers, we learn how to pray biblically – as well as grappling with the topic of ‘why pray if God is sovereign’.
6. Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges. This was an important book for me to read. By nature, I’m legalistic! This book taught me that God’s grace not only saves me, but sustains me and teaches me how to live to please him.
7. How long, O Lord by Don Carson. Suffering was one of the big issues I had to grapple with in believing in God (mainly due to my Dad’s terminal illness). This book was incredibly powerful in shaping my understanding of suffering and the sovereignty of God.
8. Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. Living to please God was & is hard work! Changing patterns of behaviour and learning to walk God’s way was greatly helped by this book.
9. A biography of Hudson Taylor by Steer. A biography of the man who took the gospel to China. Truly inspiring and placed mission on my heart.
10. Know and tell the gospel by John Chapman. The book that emboldened me for evangelism and taught me simple ways to talk about Jesus.

Of course, none of these books replace the value of daily reading of Scripture, but I commend them to you warmly.

With love in Christ
Paul Dale