Karl's Reading List

Published by Multnomah Publishers: Oregon, 2000. This little book was very popular in Christian circles when it first came out, and I remember hearing about it, but I'm not sure whether I read it or not. It doesn't really matter if I did read it; it was so influential that I got the gist of what it was about anyway! The titular prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, where 'Jabez' makes his only appearance in the Bible, in the midst of a long genealogy. Wilkinson stresses: "Something about this man Jabez had caused the historian to pause in middrone, clear his throat, and switch tactics. "Ah, wait a minute!" he seems to interjet. "You just gotta know something about this guy named Jabez. He stands head and shoulders above the rest!"" (page 14) After repeating the two verses to us that contain all of Jabez' life, Wilkinson then uses the rest of the book to break the prayer into chunks and talk about why he thinks it is so effective. For ...

Published as an audiobook by Blackstone Audio, Inc: 2013. First published 1536/1559 in Latin, 1541/1560 in French. Translated into English by Henry Beveridge, 1845. Audiobook narrated by Bob Souer. There is a real artifice to creating a yearly book list, that is sometimes more apparent to me than others. In terms of the placement of Institutes at this point in this list in this year, it becomes very apparent to me, because this is an audibook I started listening to in (I seem to recall) 2024. That means that I actually listened to the vast majority of this book (which at normal speed is 67 hours long - I did listen to parts of it at 1.25 speed) in 2024 and 2025, and yet, because it was finished now, I add it to my 2026 list. Potentially I could have divided it into four reviews, matching the four books/volumes of the overall work, but as it is gathered together under one title, I'm mostly happy with my decision. Still, I'm happy to be able to add it to any list, because this ha...

This is the first time I have done a 'yearly' top 5 (although I did a ' Top 5 Top 5s ' previously, after my 5th book list), but it seems to fit with the year ending in a 5. Anyway, this is entirely subjective, and is an indication of where I currently sit in regards to these books. The list might even be different if I was asked on a different day. The following are not reviews of these books per se, but each one has been reviewed, and that review can be found by clicking on the title of the book in question. Also, these are ranked in the order that I read them, rather than specifically 1-5 or 5-1. That would take a while longer to sort out! The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. I will give this one the award for 'Best Audiobook of the Year' and 'Best Whodunnit of the Year'. I listened to this over the Summer holidays last year, and enjoyed it enough that I listened to the rest of the series in the same year. Twisty, humorous, a bit unpredictable (a...

Published by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago/Moody Press: Chicago, USA, 1977. A few months back we had a Jewish trainee teacher arrive at work. We got along well, and I was interested to learn more about her faith. During her time here, the annual Founders Book Fair happened, and among the books on offer, I found this one. I read half of it at that time, but when Elise and I went to Australia, I put it down. This week I finally picked it up and finished it. Zola Levitt is a Jew himself, but one who has accepted Jesus as Messiah. This gives him an 'inside perspective' on Jewish culture and faith, along with an understanding of the main reasons why Jews can struggle to accept Christ. The history of Christians persecuting Jews is a big one(!), and is rightfully seen as a blot on our record. But even the fact that we call Jesus by a non-Jewish name can make things difficult. After all, Levitt points out, in Hebrew Jesus's name would actually be " Yeshua Hamashiah (...

Published by Victory Press: London & Eastbourne, 1976 (1962 - fourth edition). First published in 1957. Wow, it's been five years since the last time I read a book by Watchman Nee ! Time flies! I got this book from a box gifted to me by my late grandpa's wife, Leone - very generously. I think I have another copy of it somewhere, by it jumped out at me, and I decided to have a browse. A browse turned to a read quite quickly. Sit, Walk, Stand is based on a series of sermons that Watchman Nee did, which were inspired by the book of Ephesians. From that book, Nee draws the titular words out as key: "1. Our position in Christ - 'Sit' (2.6) 2. Our Life in the World - 'Walk' (4.1) 3. Our Attitude to the Enemy - 'Stand' (6.11)" (page ix). The rest of the book is broken into three chapters (sermons?), each of which focuses on one of those keys, unpacking them in the insightful and slightly foreign (culture) style that I have come to recognise as Nee...

(title continues) "...With the Necessary Preparation Required For the Benefit of Young Communicants, and of Such as Have Not Well Considered This Holy Ordinance. To Which is Annexed, The Office of the Holy Communion, With Proper Helps and Directions For Joining in Every Part Thereof With Understanding and Profit." Published by the Society For Promoting Christian Knowledge: Northumberland Avenue, Charing Cross, London. First written 1734. First published 1807. This (physically) little book with the massive title has been sitting on my shelf at home for ages, and at times I've picked it up, curious to have a read, but then haven't gotten into it. Recently, Ezekiel came across it, and pulled it down from the shelf. Because it is an older and perhaps more fragile book than some, I moved it to my bedside table to keep it safe, and in the process, finally got into it.  I'm glad I did. Bishop Wilson writes in an old-fashioned style, occasionally seeming like his faith mi...

Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 2014. Audiobook published by Penguin Audio, 2014. Narrated by Sean Pratt. Usually when I finish an audiobook I remove it from my phone, in order to create space for the next one.  ...Yeah, my phone is a little old. I'm trying to not replace it for as long as I can... With this book on prayer, I'm holding off. I have considered a number of times simply starting it again and re- listening to it, because of how inspiring and insightful it has been. Keller is a good author - I already knew this - but Prayer is a really good book.  Keller admits at the outset that he was not good at prayer, and that this book arose from his desire to have a deeper prayer-life himself. In sensing my own stirring to pray, I relate to how he felt, and also find myself being challenged and stirred along with him throughout the journey of this book. In different sections, Keller looks at the history of prayer, prayer in other faiths, some of the great theological wo...

Published by Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1991. Book 2 in 'An Emerald Ballad.' Preceded by ' Song of the Silent Harp. ' Followed by 'Land of a Thousand Dreams.' Last year, Elise and I read Song of the Silent Harp , the first book in this series, and we blown away by how sad it was. Heart of the Lonely Exile still has some sad moments, but these are more spread out, and now the characters even get to have some good experiences!! We pick up where we left off: Nora and Daniel Kavanagh are living in New York, where Nora is being wooed by her old friend Michael Burke. Meanwhile, Evan Whittaker - the one-armed and stuttering Englishman - is also harbouring feelings for Nora, and Sara Farmington may have some feelings towards Michael.  A class love-square situation. Yes, the word 'heart' in the title of this book does have some significance, as much of the book is filled with angst, pining, and sweet declarations of love. And, having walked...

With Dean Merrill. Published by Zondervan: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2018 (1997). I recently did a sermon on prayer and fasting, and borrowed a number of books from our church library shelf that seemed to have some connection to the topic. I browsed a few for research (and read the entirety of Fasting by Derek Prince) and then took most of the rest back to church when the sermon was done. A handful, however, I kept to read later, and Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire was the first of these that I picked up post-sermon. I'm so happy I did, because this is an inspiring book, with a far more biographical bent than I was expecting.  The author, Jim Cymbala, is the pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, quite a large church in New York that - aside from my parents-in-law playing some musical clips - I've had no exposure to. Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire tells the story of the growth of that church from a small handful of people to a congregation numbering in the thousands, but (rightly) is far less focuse...

Published by Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA, 1986. Quite a short book, I actually read this in a few hours while I was putting together a sermon on the topic of prayer and fasting. I have read a longer work by Derek Prince on this topic in the past ( Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting ), and wonder if this little book might actually be excerpts from that, but either way, it provides a good foundation to the biblical principle. The primary reason for (Biblical Christian) fasting, reminds Prince, is not to gain the health benefits that can come, nor to try and twist God's arm to do what we would like Him to do. Rather, "Primarily, the purpose of fasting is self-humbling." (page 6) Prince points out that throughout the Bible God promises blessings on those who are humble, and stresses that "We cannot transfer that responsibility to God. To pray, "God, make me humble," is unscriptural, because the reply of God in Scripture is always, "Humble y...

Published by Passio/Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group: Lake Mary, Florida, 2011. This is a book on discipleship that my mentor recommended I read, and I am glad I did. It will take me quite a while to unpack it, but the insights will be helpful as our church seeks to grow in this area. Murrell is a pastor at Victory Church in the Philippines, a church which saw a large growth in numbers during his time in leadership, but Murrell points out, firstly, that numbers are not as important as lives changed and people growing, and secondly, that a lot of what has happened at Victory isn't directly to do with him. He takes the example of wikipedia (which the book title is based on), and points out that originally the creators of wikipedia had attempted to make an online encyclopedia written by - and checked by - experts, but that this slowed the project down to the point that it was untenable. When they opened the project to amateur writers, it grew rapidly, in numbers of articles an...

Published by Moody Press: Chicago, 1988 (1984). First published 1900. A short but challenging book on prayer that I began a while ago, and then picked up again more recently, How to Pray is a loud call to, well, pray! There are moments when Torrey (writing at the turn of the 20th century) leans slightly into semi-legalism - he attacks the idea of Christians going to the theatre, dancing or smoking, for example - but considering the heart of his message I am quite prepared to forgive him this; to call people away from apathy and into a passionate relationship with Jesus will sometimes mean attacking much loved idols! The word 'passionate' is an apt description for this book. There might not be many 'wow, I never thought of that!' moments, but there are a lot of 'so true!' moments instead. For example, in a chapter on Praying in the Spirit, Torrey writes: "When we feel least like praying it is the time when we most need to pray. We should wait quietly before ...

It's been a while since I've acknowledged Ezekiel, so here is another list of picture-books we are reading to him, most of which he is enjoying quite a bit. Now that he is beginning to 'interact' with things a bit more (he's almost a year old!!!), you will notice that a lot of these books have a common element... Karl's List: Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct - Mo Willems. Published by Hyperion Books for Children: New York, NY, 2006. This one is almost a cheat. I have known about this book since it was first published, and love its humour, so recently purchased a copy just so I could read it to Ezekiel and put it on this list. I've only read it to him once so far, and probably won't read it to him much until he's a little older, but I like it, and so here it is! The basic story of Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct is that Edwina is (surprise) a dinosaur who doesn't know she is extinct. She is friends ...

Published by Marshall Pickering/Marshall Morgan & Scott Pickering & Inglis: London, 1989 (1984).  Part of the 'Heroes of the Cross' series. Elise and I started this book together some time ago, but didn't stick with it. Recently I picked it up and finished reading it. The book is a fairly short (96 pages) and simple version of the life of someone that deserves a lot more recognition, but to give this book credit, it manages to highlight some of the most challenging aspects of Müller's life in a straightforward (and probably kid-friendly) way. To give the basic gist of what made Müller so inspiring: he believed that God had called him to run a number of orphanages, looking after those children who had nowhere else to go. This was during the Victorian era, when workhouses like those mentioned in Charles Dickens's novels were more the norm, and in fact, Dickens himself came to visit Müller at one point.  As part of his belief that God was directing him to do th...

Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.: London, 1956 (1947). Some books are quick reads. Some are not. Some only take me a day or two. Some take a lot longer... I can estimate almost to the day how long this book took me to read, because I started it a day or two after I put up my post about finishing my previous 'devotional' book, The One Year Worship the King Devotional , posting on September 25th last year. So, about 214 days (including February 29th). This might imply that I didn't enjoy The Way, but that is definitely not the case. E Stanley Jones is a very interesting writer, but is just not a quick read. He was widely travelled, and spent a large amount of time in India, where he set up Christian 'ashrams.' This is important to note, because at times Jones sees things in a very non-Western way, pulling out gems of truth from scripture I had never considered before, or life-lessons that are very a pplicable while being quite 'foreign.' Two examples f...

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2008. For my birthday last year I was given this devotional, by an author I had never heard of, and started reading it sometime later in September. I have quite a hit-and-miss record with devotionals; they are often a bit glib or cliche for me and I struggle to stick with them. This devotional, however, quickly appealed to me and although I'm not sure exactly what day I started reading it last year, I know I have now read every entry in it. What I like about this devotional is that it is quite ready to dig into deeper theology, occasionally even into commentary! An example of a good challenge (from only the second day of the year!): "Many believers get caught up in getting the most out of their salvation. Few move on to giving the most out of their salvation. But those who do will realize one of the many paradoxes of the Kingdom: Giving it all results in getting it all. A heart poured out in praise results in...

Published by Fleming H Revell Company: Old Tappan, New Jersey, 1970. Edited by Robert E Coleman. Near the start of the year I heard about what was being called a 'revival' at Asbury College in the United States of America. It was a short-term movement but quite impactful, with students from the campus being involved in a spontaneous ongoing prayer and praise meeting. One night, while visiting Elise's parents, I happened to mention 'the Asbury Revival' and Elise's mother gave me this book to read, which outlined a previous revival at the same campus back in 1970! The book is not an outline of events, but rather various chapters telling the different perspectives of those caught up in the movement, each highlighting different elements of what God was doing at that time. Having a book written at the time of a revival that has now finished is quite interesting; the book is simultaneously challenging and slightly melancholic to read. Melancholic in that the hopes tha...

Published by Chosen Books: Grand Rapids, MI, 1994 (1990). Derek Prince was a fairly well-known Christian author, also having had a successful radio ministry for a number of years. He has pretty solid theology, at the Pentecostal end of the spectrum. I quite enjoy his writing, although haven't read a whole book of his for some time. This book jumped out at me when I was browsing a book stall on Richmond Market Day, and I felt like it would be worth checking out. The topic is one that a lot of people (even many Christians) would likely dismiss as somewhat superstitious, but it is something supported by Scripture. Prince helps to place the concept of blessings and curses into the Biblical framework, demystifying it while also pointing out areas where Christians could pay a bit more attention to the concept. For example, in talking about spoken word curses, Prince points out that:  "It is important to understand that the sin of "blasphemy" includes not only evil words sp...

Published   by Bethany House Publishers: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1991. Book 1 in 'An Emerald Ballad.' Followed by ' Heart of the Lonely Exile. ' This is the first in the series of Christian novels that I remember reading when I was younger. After finishing the Mark of the Lion series, Elise and I were looking for a new series in a similar vein, and decided to give this one a try. All I could remember about the book was that it was very sad, and was set during the Irish Potato Famine.  So... This book is set during the Irish Potato Famine, and it is very sad! We follow the quickly dwindling Kavanagh family as they seek to survive the horror of those times, mostly focussing on the middle child Daniel and his frail yet stubborn mother Nora. The main support they have comes in the form of Morgan Fitzgerald, a revolutionary man who has loved Nora since they were both children, and whom Daniel idolizes. Also gradually gaining prominence as the plot progresses is the character...