That's why every year in the January-February issue of Preaching, we offer a special focus on books. It's important for preachers to be able to sift through the thousands of titles published each year to be able to identify the ones which will be most valuable to their lives and ministry. We aren't able to include all the good ones that are available, but we work hard to recognize and share some of the most important books released over the past year.

As an editor and preacher - a dangerous combination if there ever was one - I spend most of my days (and often nights) working with words, either reading them or writing them. I always have at least one (and usually two or three) books going at a time: one or more at the office, one by the recliner, one by the bedside table, one in the car for my treadmill time at the YMCA, and so on. Allow me to share some of the books which made the most impact on me this year. I know such lists are usually a "top ten," but I just couldn't stop at ten. So sue me. (Click on a title for more information or to purchase from Amazon.com)

The Divine Conspiracy (Harper San Francisco) by Dallas Willard has been available for about five years now, but I had never read it until this fall. Now I suspect it's one of those I'll re-read before long. Willard shares wonderful insights on spiritual formation. This is a book any preacher (or believer) will read with profit.

Another book that's been around for several years is A Godward Life (Multnomah) by John Piper. This book includes 120 brief readings and meditations designed to help the reader in his or her "quest to savor the supremacy of God in all of life." This is one of those books so filled with wisdom that practically every reading lights a fire (and a sermon) in my mind.

Hero for Humanity: A Biography of William Wilberforce by Kevin Belmonte (NavPress) inspired me with its tale of the bold, faithful Christian leader who helped lead Britain to outlaw the slave trade. Wilberforce is a model to which we should point young Christians as a demonstration of how God can use one person to change the world.

Gettysburg (Houghton Mifflin) by historian Stephen W. Sears isn't the first book I've read on that climactic Civil War battle, but it is a well-written reminder of the price our nation paid to eradicate the evil of slavery from our midst. Sears' well-written narrative puts the spotlight on the bravery of individuals who made a difference on the battlefield and in our history.