Four books I’m most excited about from #T4G2016

T4G - the freebie pile

Books. Everywhere. Tens of thousands of them.

And many of them… free.

That, friends, is what is exciting for so many people who attend Together for the Gospel every two years. I’ve never been to an event as extravagantly generous to its attendees as this one, where it is not uncommon to return home with between 16 and 30 free books, the vast majority of which are excellent (depending on your taste and reading habits).

This year, I returned home from the event with 30-ish books. (You can read about the trial of packing them here.) There were a few I chose not to pick up this time around (but only because I already had them). Having now unpacked my books, I’m starting to go through them with a critical eye—specifically, looking for the ones I’m really excited about.

That’s what I’m sharing with you today. While I am pretty keen on all the books that I brought home, these are the ones I know I’m going read at my earliest opportunity, or have already started to use in our home. Check it out:

Hymns of Grace. Yep, a hymnal actually made the “most excited about” list. Why? Because it’s got some terrific songs in it, and not just old ones, either. The folks at The Master’s Seminary did a great job selecting classic and modern hymns that exalt Christ and speak to the heart. Emily’s already started trying to figure out how to play some of them on her ukulele, which is encouraging, as family worship (specifically through music) is not something we’ve done often. Perhaps this will assist us in building a new habit in our home.

Thoughts for Young Men by J.C. Ryle. Reading Ryle is good for your soul, which is probably why his work is as relevant today as it was more than 100 years ago. I’m really looking forward to digging into this volume, which offers his insights into the spiritual formation of young men, the dangers, counsels and special rules they (and all of us, really) need to consider.

Discipling by Mark Dever. The Building Healthy Churches series is one of the first I’d recommend to anyone who is hoping to learn what a healthy church can (or should) look like. Each volume I’ve read has been clear, Christ-centered and extremely helpful. I’m hopeful this volume, focused on how disciple-making relationships should function in the local church, will continue in this vein.

A Camaraderie of Confidence by John Piper. The seventh volume in Piper’s The Swans are Not Silent series, this book focuses on the lives of Charles Spurgeon, George Müller and Hudson Tayler, men who knew and loved one another and whose lives displayed “their shared confidence in the power of God and their love for his glory and goodness.” I am thankful for the influence of each of these men in my life (our son is named in honor of Taylor), so I’m eager to read these short biographies.

Posted by Aaron Armstrong

Aaron is the author of several books for adults and children, as well as multiple documentaries and Bible studies. His latest book, I'm a Christian—Now What?: A Guide to Your New Life with Christ is available now.