June Reading

1. The Sacrament of Evangelism - Jerry Root & Stan Guthrie
2. Everyday Evangelism - Matt Queen
3. The Bookshop on the Corner - Jenny Colgan
4. The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett
5. Saint Francis of Assisi - G. K. Chesterton
6. Nighty-Nightmare - James Howe
7. Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow - James Howe
8. Runaway Ralph - Beverly Cleary
9. The Furious Flycycle - Jan Wahl
10. Smith of Wootton Major & Famer Giles of Ham - J. R. R. Tolkien
11. The Bookshop Book - Jen Campbell
12. C. S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller - Beatrice Gormley
13. The Wife of Bath and Other Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer (Translated by Nevill Coghill)
14. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Judy Blume
15. Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores - Jen Campbell
16. Parnassus On Wheels - Christopher Morley
17. The Flying Inn - G. K. Chesterton

February Reading

1. C. S. Lewis: An Apologist For Education - Louis Markos
2. Dancing on the Head of a Pen - Robert Benson
3. Striding Folly - Dorothy L. Sayers
4. C. S. Lewis At The Breakfast Table - James T. Como
5. The Silver Chair - C. S. Lewis
6. The Song of Songs - Marcia Falk
7. The Laws of Marie de France - Robert Hanning & Joan Ferrante
8. Four Quartets - T. S. Eliot
9. The Pilgrim's Guide: C. S. Lewis and the Art of Witness - David Mills
10. The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library - Alice Kimberly (Cleo Coyle)
11. Letters to Heaven: Reaching Beyond the Great Divide - Calvin Miller
12. William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back - Ian Doescher
13. Cupside Down - Terry Cliett

Top 20 Books Read for 2015

1. Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus - J. Mack Stiles
2. The Pastor As Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision - Kevin J. Vanhoozer & Owen Strachan
3. Mere Humanity: G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien on the Human Condition - Donald Williams
4. The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis Volume II: Books, Broadcasts, and the War 1931-1949 - Walter Hooper, Editor
5. Tolkien: How an Obscure Oxford Professor Wrote the Hobbit and Became the Most Beloved Author of the Century - Devin Brown
6. Why Church Matters - Joshua Harris
7. The Spiritual World of the Hobbit - James Stuart Bell
8. The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald
9. On the Incarnation - Athanasius
10. Preach: Theology Meets Practice - Mark Dever & Greg Gilbert
11. Bedeviled: Lewis, Tolkien and the Shadow of Evil - Colin Duriez
12. How to Be Rich - Andy Stanley
13. The Knowledge of the Holy - A. W. Tozer
14. Literature: A Student's Guide - Louis Markos
15. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
16. Gorgias - Plato
17. Four Faultless Felons - G. K. Chesterton
18. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
19. Credo: Believing in Something to Die For - Ray Pritchard
20. Strange Fire - John MacArthur

This list of 20 books was compiled after reading 68 books this year.  As always, if you're only going to read one book, make sure it is the Bible.

What's Your Latest Efforts in Evangelism?

Like prayer and several other things, I always feel like I don't do enough when it comes to evangelism.  However, I am constantly looking for ways to get the gospel truth into the lives of the people I come into contact with, from the congregation in a public worship service to the individual sitting in the parking garage ticket booth.  When it comes to public proclamation, that's an easy one to witness.  Just come to a Malta Baptist Church worship service.  But what is not so easy for you to see is personal evangelism.  I'll simply list some of the kinds of things I do.  If you would like to talk more about evangelism, don't hesitate to contact me.

• When having conversations, I try to steer the talk to spiritual things (hoping for the opportunity for the gospel).  This goes for total strangers and people I am getting to know.
• I ask direct questions about their spiritual life.  Don't be afraid to ask people, the majority of people really don't mind you asking.  For example, ask, "Who do you say that Jesus is?"  It's simple and direct.
• I wear an explicit Gospel shirt in a hostile, public place.  For example, in downtown Montreal I wore a shirt that says (in French), "I choose to follow Jesus."  Jesus is worth taking some risks.
• I tell the parking garage ticket booth workers that Jesus loves them.  It always makes them smile.  Sometimes I have time for a follow up comment.  I at least want to get people thinking about Jesus.
• I constantly read up on evangelism, always looking for ways to improve.  My friend Jason just sent me a small book dealing with evangelism, for which I am very grateful.  I'm definitely not perfect, and I miss a lot of opportunities.  I ask God's forgiveness and strive to do better.
• Sometimes, when talking isn't possible, I leave a gospel tract or a magazine like Home Life or Mature Living that has a presentation of the gospel in it.
• I try to maintain a genuine, consistent witness on Facebook. (I just love it when people post something about loving Jesus, and the next post they're cussing someone out...not!)
• I pray for wisdom, guidance, and opportunities to share the gospel.

Remember, success in evangelism isn't defined by leading a person to Christ (although that is the best and hopeful outcome).  Success in evangelism is sharing the biblical gospel.  Over the past few weeks, I have been teaching the faithful at Malta about missions, practical evangelism, and practical discipleship.  My prayer is that we become a community of Christians constantly developing a culture of evangelism, which will in turn lead to worship of Jesus Christ.