21 Books You Should Read
The staff here at SWO loves to read. Mainly, we love reading the Bible. Paul writes in Ephesians 6:17 that the Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. The Bible is the tool the Holy Spirit uses to shape and conform us more into the image of Christ. Every believer must daily abide in the word of truth. It is both our responsibility and joy to mine the words of scripture and learn more about the character of Christ.
We also love reading books by authors that are gifted by God as writers and theologians who challenge us to discern scriptural truths and accurately apply them to our lives. Paul told Timothy, his son in the faith, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). So, we want to encourage you to read books by authors that follow Paul’s directive of rightly handling the word of truth. Here is a list of Zach Mabry’s favorite reads for the believer who desires to grow deeper in his or her faith.
Zach Mabry’s Top-21 list:
The God Who Is There – Francis Schaeffer… anything by Schaeffer
Total Truth – Nancy Pearcey
A Severe Mercy – Sheldon Van Aucken
The Life You’ve Always Wanted – John Ortberg
The Celebration of Discipline – Richard Foster
The Divine Conspiracy – Dallas Willard
The Cost of Discipleship – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Interpreting the Pauline Epistles – Thomas Schreiner (hugely foundational for Bible Study)
The Reason for God – Tim Keller
A Shot of Faith to the Head – Mitch Stokes
The Reformed Pastor – Richard Baxter
The Mortification of Sin – John Owen
Understanding People – Larry Crabb
Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig
The Way of the Cross – Roy Hession
Van Til’s Apologetic – Bahnsen
Life’s Ultimate Questions – Ron Nash
The Imitation of Christ – Thomas A’Kempis
The Return of the Prodigal Son – Henri Nouwen
Exegetical Fallacies – D.A. Carson
Zach Mabry is the worship pastor and one of the main teachers at Snowbird. He also directs our year-round Snowbird Institute program. He has a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as an adjunct professor for Liberty University. Zach is a teaching pastor at Red Oak Church, a local church within the Andrews area.