the books I read in 08

Back at the end of June I wrote a post about me being a chronic Readaholic. I listed and gave SHORT reviews of each of the books I had read so far in the year (6 months). You can read that post HERE.
Now I just want to briefly look back over all the books I read last year... in 2008. Obviously the ones in THIS post I won't review again. You can read about them HERE like I said. There were 21 books included in that one & only 10 books in this one. So, 31 books in all in 08. Honestly, my goal was 42, but this is the best I've ever done in a year, so it's OK.
(Click HERE to see the 1st 21 books I read in 08...) Below are the final books I read in 08:

The Irresistible Revolution - Shane Claiborne
Man! This was maybe my favorite read out of all these for the past 6 months. This guy is awesome! I pray that God gives me half of Shane's passion. If the church becomes even 25% as radical and passionate as Shane then we WILL CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

The Practice of the Presence of God - Brother Lawrence
This short book is a CLASSIC and only takes a couple hours to read. It's a concept we should all learn to practice... living with an awareness of God and in constant conversation with Him.

Financial Peace Revisited - Dave Ramsey
In '07 I read Dave's most recent book, The Total Money Makeover, and it changed our lives financially! This book was a close 2nd. It is AWESOME!

The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture - Shane Hipps
I thought this book would be way better than it was. Very philosophical. Built largely on the works and thoughts of the revolutionary Marshall McLuhan. I don't really recommend this one... honestly, it was fairly boring.

Axiom - Bill Hybels
This was my "pot book". You can read about that HERE. It was like Bill Hybels being my personal leadership mentor for 76 days. The stuff in this book is invaluable! You NEED to read it.

The Story We Find Ourselves In - Brian McLaren
Book 2 of the trilogy I am almost finished with (halfway through Book 3). It was nowhere as good as Book 1, but still an AMAZING read. It's a fiction that covers THE STORY of Scritpure only in a way this brilliant author can do.

Renewing the Center: Evangelical Theology in a Post-Evangelical World - Stanley Grenz
WHOA... this one took me like 2 full months to read. Written by the late great Stanley Grenz, this book is not for the faint at heart. It is an academic book on the scholarly level, but definitely helped me better understand theology in the context of our current postmodern context.

Developing the Leader Within You - John Maxwell
SO MANY takeaways from this book. So many pages of notes. I am trying to take this stuff to heart and I know it's making me a better leader. I hope I can live these principles. My pastor & mentor told me this is Maxwell's best book ever.

Visioneering - Andy Stanley
This one is definitely going to have to crack into my top 10 of all time! Not sure what spot it will land yet, but way up there! I've unoffically & playfully deemed it the sequel to Chazown... it's for Chazown graduates. This was the most practical and beneficial for me of these books I read in the last 6 months. I honestly felt like throughout the book he was talking directly to me! Andy is a pimp! (& I'm CRAZY STOKED about his new book coming out this month!!!)

God's Passion for His Glory - John Piper
*I feel like I can never read too much Piper, so I try to keep a constant diet of him in my iPod or on my reading schedule. This was only the 2nd Piper book I read all year. This book reminded me of why I love John Piper! God continually uses him to change my life & give me a bigger & greater view of Him!

In the last 2 months of 09 I've only read 2 more books =
The Secret Message of Jesus - Brian McLaren
GREAT book... probably his 3rd best book I've ever read - which is saying A LOT! It's all about the Kingdom of God! It is revolutionary.

In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day - Mark Batterson
I love this guy's blog, have been to his church, and even got to meet him a few times... It's an easy and fun read... probably a little elementary, but a good book from a great guy that will definitely encourage you and PUMP YOU UP!


I may only read 1 book per month in ALL of 09 because I want to focus more on processing what I learn in the books I read and put them into practice. I'm also going to try to post my best takeaways on this blog! I want to share with renown readers the best things I think will be most helpful to everyone. Feel free to share your opinion on which of these books you would most like to hear more about...

(P.S. - you can usually check out what I'm currently reading or recently rad over to your right under the respective columns. I try to update them once every month or so. Obviously, I'm usually reading 15-20 books at a time. haha - maybe that's why I don't finish more of them!?)