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Kalen Bruce

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Reading Goals for 2020 (Q1)

These are my reading goals for Q1 (quarter 1 of 2020)…

I always start with the Bible. I just finished the year-long Bible Project plan, which was amazing. There are video intros to each book. Now I’m starting a deeper study into the new Testament. This study will go through one chapter a day, and it will remain within the New Testament. It will take all of 2020.

As far as last year’s study, I learned a few things. For one, I read 73 books. I’m pretty happy about that. I was able to find—in many ways and forms—a lot of wasted time to fill with something productive.

I also learned that I can stick to my goals better if I continue to do what I’ve done in the past and set quarterly goals. A year projection is nice, but not always the most effective. Either way, here’s what happened in 2019…

The Books I Read in 2019

1 Jan 19 – 31 Dec 19

I added a lot of extra books, while also not reading ones that were already on the list. That’s another reason I prefer quarterly goals to yearly goals. I didn’t do too well in the fiction area. I did great in finance, business, productivity, and theology, which is normal. I did pretty good in marriage and parenting books. I didn’t do so hot in many of the extrabiblical texts I wanted to read.

My Top 5 Books from 2019

  1. Lord or Legend by Gregory Boyd – The historical and empirical evidence and reasoning for the existence of Christ, the truth of His ministry and the proof of such. This book was amazing in research and depth. I plan to read the academic version of this book, The Jesus Legend, throughout 2019, but it’s lengthy.
  2. Deep Work by Cal Newport – An in-depth study and review of techniques that help eliminate distraction and get more work done in less time. This book was spot on for the topic; however, Cal’s other book, Digital Minimalism, wasn’t as worthwhile of a read.
  3. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger – This is the only fiction book I read in 2019, and it’s in my top 5 books. That alone should tell me something. It’s a great story of grace and dealing with tragic loss. William’s ability to build characters throughout the story was phenomenal.
  4. Teach Your Child to Fish by Holly Reid – This is a great, quick read on teaching kids about money. I thought Holly included so many things that are important to know, while not overdoing it. I’d suggest reading it a few times to learn how you can teach your kids about money… or just wait for my book on the same topic to come out.
  5. The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns – A logical and sensible way to look at the Bible. Though different from traditional conservatism, Peter explains his struggles with how he viewed the Bible and how he views it in light of what he’s learned.

I’d read those 5 again, and likewise with at least 20 of the other books I read in 2019. Here’s what I read…

The Books I Read in 2019 (click to open)

Biographical

  1. Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas

Business & Productivity

  1. The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone
  2. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell
  3. 256 Bloghacks by Yegor Bugayenko
  4. Beyond Grit by Cindra Kamphoff
  5. Deep Work by Cal Newport
  6. The Everything Store by Brad Stone
  7. Grit by Angela Duckworth
  8. How to Live on 24 Hours a Day by Arnold Bennett
  9. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
  10. Making Habits, Breaking Habits by Jeremy Dean
  11. Ultralearning by Scott Young
  12. Self Discipline by Ray Vaden
  13. Morning Magic by Armmon Abedikichi
  14. Indistractible by Nir Eyal
  15. Productivity Hacks by David Vellacott
  16. Own the Day by Aubrey Marcus

Fiction

  1. Ordinary Grace by William Kruger

Finance

  1. Buy It, Rent It, Profit! by Bryan Chavis
  2. Economics by Aristotle/Theophrastus
  3. The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
  4. Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel
  5. Reminiscences of a Stock Market Operator by Edwin Lefevre
  6. More Than Enough by Dave Ramsey
  7. Kiplinger’s Guide to Money-Smart Kids by Janet Bodnar
  8. The Minimalist Budget by Simeon Lindstrom
  9. How to Invest in Real Estate by Robert Waller
  10. Money God’s Way by Spencer Coffman

History

  1. The Christian and the Fall of Rome by Edward Gibbon
  2. The Communist Manifesto by Fredrich Engels & Karl Marx
  3. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder

Marriage & Relationships

  1. Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat & Gaye Whea
  2. People Skills by Robert Bolton
  3. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
  4. Love for a Lifetime by James Dobson
  5. Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Parenting & Life

  1. The 5 Money Conversations to Have With Your Kids at Every Age by Scott Palmer
  2. How to Raise Selfless Kids in a Self-Centered World by Dave Stone
  3. The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker
  4. Minimalist Parenting by Christine Koh
  5. Teach Your Child to Fish by Holly Reid
  6. The Joy of Minimalism by Zoey Poulsen
  7. Uncluttered by Courtney Ellis
  8. A Simplified Life by Emily Ley
  9. Rich Kids Made Simple by Joe Correa
  10. Minimalism for Families by Zoe Kim
  11. Money Smart Children by Anthony Ekanem
  12. Rich Kids Smart Kids by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
  13. How to Teach Your Child the Value of Money by Moe

Theology & Apologetics

  1. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (reread)
  2. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  3. God is Not Great by Christopher Kitchens
  4. Is God a Moral Monster? by Paul Copan
  5. Is God to Blame? by Gregory A. Boyd
  6. Jesus Among Secular Gods by Ravi Zacharias & Vince Vitale
  7. Lord or Legend by Paul Rhodes Eddy & Gregory A. Boyd
  8. Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola & George Barna (Hoopla)
  9. Prayer by Timothy Keller
  10. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis (reread)
  11. Speaking of Jesus by Carl Medearis
  12. Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig
  13. How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious by Fritz Ridenour
  14. What Christians Believe by C.S. Lewis
  15. The End of Religion by Bruxy Cavey
  16. The Bible Tells Me So by Peter Enns
  17. The Sin of Certainty by Peter Enns
  18. Inspiration and Incarnation by Peter Enns
  19. Fathered by God by John Eldredge
  20. Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard
  21. Hearing God by Dallas Willard
  22. Learn to Preach the Bible by Jimmie “Tri” Evans
  23. The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey
  24. Does God Control Everything? by R.C. Sproul

I’ve set a goal to read 80 books in 2020; here’s my plan for Q1:

Reading Goals for 2020 | Q1

1 Jan 20 – 31 Mar 20

Business & Productivity

  1. Blanchard & Miller, Great Leaders Grow (Paperback)
  2. A. Grant, Give and Take (Hoopla summary/RB)
  3. M. Hyatt, Free to Focus (Audible)
  4. Patterson, Crucial Conversations (Paperback)
  5. W. Wood, Good Habits, Bad Habits (audio)

Economics & Social Science

  1. P. Diamandis, Abundance (Hoopla Audio)
  2. R. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Hoopla Audio)

Fiction

  1. D. Liss, The Coffee Trader (Audible)

Finance

  1. C. Dacy, 10 Ways to Kickstart Your Financial Coaching Business (Kindle)
  2. J, Godfrey, Raising Financially Fit Kids (Paperback)
  3. G. Karlitz, Growing Money (Paperback)
  4. R. Lieber, The Opposite of Spoiled (Paperback)
  5. J. Soforic, Wealthy Gardener, The (Paperback)
  6. A. Standley, How to Be Rich (Hoopla eBook)
  7. T. Ferriss, 4-Hour Workweek (Re-read)

History

  1. T. Whittaker, Origins of Christianity, The (Paperback)

Marriage

  1. Dillow & Slattery, Passion Pursuit (Paperback)
  2. D. Rosenau, Celebration of Sex, A (Hoopla eBook)
  3. Stoeker, Every Man’s Marriage (RB)

Theology

  1. N. Anderson, Victory Over the Darkness (Paperback)
  2. G. Boyd, Benefit of the Doubt, The (Hoopla eBook)
  3. — God of the Possible (Hoopla eBook)
  4. G. Fee, How to Read the Bible for All it’s Worth (Hoopla eBook)
  5. N.T. Wright, Lord and His Prayer, The (Hoopla audio)
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