Five Books I've Read, Re-Read, Re-Re-Read, and Plan to Keep Reading

I read a fair amount - not as much as some; more than others.  As someone who loves to teach, I read to stay current on content.  But I also read because I really enjoy it.  Reading helps me learn and process, and it helps me relax.  Because I do so much reading, there aren't many books (besides the Bible) I've read more than once.  With most books, I dog ear (and then Evernote) a few pages that I'll want to reference again.  Or I'll return to specific chapters that are helpful in particular books.  Other books have indexes that help me benefit from select content numerous times.  For me, reading a book from cover to cover more than once is pretty rare.  

But it does happen..  And when it does, that means the book has grabbed my attention and helped shaped the flow of my thinking in particularly noticeable ways.

Here are five books I've read multiple times and plan to continue reading.  Consider that a recommendation to check 'em out yourself.

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Knowing God by J.I. Packer
I first read this book when I was in high school, and it was the first "serious" theological work I'd read.  I've been hooked on theology ever since.  Packer's big vision of God, his concern to use Scripture carefully, and his fusion of theology with application are all things that keep me coming back.  And, as I do so, I benefit every time.

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Reordered Love, Reordered Lives: Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness by David K. Naugle
There are LOTS of worthwhile books on spiritual formation.  But for me, David Naugle's Reordered Love has been a foundation for much of my other reading and thinking on this subject.  His articulation of disordered love and properly ordered love (following Augustine) created a new paradigm for me when I was first introduced to this work, and again and again he helps me order my loves in a more rightly-arranged fashion.

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The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I started reading this collection of books to my boys as I put them to bed at night, and have now worked through the set 3-4 times with our oldest.  I'll continue reading it for my younger boys, and then on my own after that.  C.S. Lewis' fiction stirs my theological imagination in all the right ways, and it's not uncommon that his writing will spark an idea and/or an appreciation that takes me into further reflection on God's work and His Word.

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Faithfulness and Holiness: The Witness of J.C. Ryle by J.I. Packer
I've heard it said more than once that reading people outside of our own time and geographical context helps us see our own lives and times more clearly.  In this book, the full text of J.C. Ryle's Holiness (written in the 19th century) speaks forward into our day, without some of the blindspots that contemporary writers may miss.

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The Drama of Scripture: Finding our Place in the Biblical Story by Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen
I've always had a pretty high view of the Bible as God's Word, and this book supplemented my approach to Scripture by helping me see it as a unified story of God's activity in the world - continuing even today.  I've since encountered many good introductions to biblical theology, but (maybe because this book was my first thorough intro), The Drama of Scripture is the one I keep returning to again and again.  I'm glad to see they've recently published a 2nd edition (that I've not yet read, but plan to soon).

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What books have you returned to again and again, and why?  What books would make your list?