Buzzard's Best Books of 2008

Here's this year's list: Best Books of 2008.Two disclaimers:1) This list involves books I read in 2008, not just books published in 2008. Only a few of these books were published in 2008.2) This list is subjective and personal. This is not necessarily a list of 14 books I think you should read (though all of you will probably want to latch on to one or two of these). This is a list of the 14 books that most significantly impacted me or that gave me the most pleasure in 2008.1. Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of An All-Night RunnerReading this book, in conjunction with turning 30, somehow flipped a switch in me, changing me from a man who jogged 7 miles a week to a man who now runs 90 miles a month.2. Martyn Lloyd Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and CureI'm beginning to think this is the greatest collection of sermons in print. Through slowly reading these old sermons I feel like I've been personally mentored, counseled, and cared for by Lloyd Jones towards deeper joy in Jesus, a richer understanding of the Christian life, and a better understanding of how God has wired me.3. James Petty, Step By Step: Divine Guidance for Ordinary ChristiansI can't imagine a better, more freeing book on understanding God's will and decision making.4. Mike Mason, Champagne for the Soul: Celebrating God's Gift of JoyThrough his 90-day experiment with joy, Mike Mason examines joy from 90 different angles, producing an incredible book.5. G.K. Chesterton, The Complete Father Brown: The Enthralling Adventures of Fiction's Best-Loved Amateur SleuthI love these stories. These are, in my limited opinion, the best mystery stories ever written. Whenever my mind won't quite settle down, I'll often read a Father Brown story before bed, filling my imagination with color and calming me towards sleep.6. Tim Chester & Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and CommunityA tremendously helpful book that helped me further refine my identity as a pastor and my understanding of the church.7. Matthew Elliott, FeelAn exciting look at what the Bible really teaches about our emotions. See the review. This book has subtly changed how I feel and how I think. I'm looking forward to having Matthew Elliott come speak to my church in the new year.8. Daniel Taylor, Tell Me a Story: The Life-Shaping Power of Our StoriesA brilliant, accessible, inspiring unpacking of the significance of story. This book could easily appear higher on this list.9. Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest One sentence/idea from this book brought about a spiritual breakthrough for me while sitting on my porch in August. I've not been quite the same since.10. Andy Crouch, Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative CallingThis book made me think on new levels and look at life through new lenses.11. Robert Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative Big idea: pay attention to the details when reading biblical narrative, that's where the story really comes alive.12. Howard & Geraldine Taylor, Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret My second son's namesake. I know Hudson Taylor's spiritual secret (resting in Jesus no matter the circumstances), but I don't live it. I want to teach my son Hudson to do what I'm just now learning to do and what Hudson Taylor learned to do only through suffering.13. Ethan Rarick, Desperate Passage: The Donner Party's Perilous Journey West The best chronicle of the Donner Party's ordeal in the Sierras. A great work of history. A great story.14. Dane Ortlund, A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards Tasting honey motivates you to live differently. Readers of Edwards know what I'm talking about.