I remember the day I bought my first Bible. I had become a Christian through a friend explaining his faith to me among the Bunsen burners in our school chemistry lab. I saved up my earnings from my Saturday job and looked up my local Christian bookshop. The elderly owner was a bibliophile and I was a brand-new Christian hungry for anything that would help me grow in my faith, so my visits became a weekly event. I'd finish my shift, collect my paycheck, and go and spend it all on Christian literature. The shop owner introduced me to AW Tozer, John Stott, Matthew Henry, Bilquis Sheihk, Marin Luther, Derek Kidner, John Calvin, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Bruce Milne and many more mentors and heroes. I am grateful for a wise old Christian's passion for books and I wonder where I would be in my faith without his guidance and encouragement. But as a church we are losing the habit of spiritual reading, leaders are struggling to recommend books to their congregations, and Christians simply aren't being encouraged to read.

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To help play a part in changing this, I've launched a new initiative called "Books for Life". Each month we will release a feature-length video interview with a significant Christian leader. I'll be asking them to name three Christian books that have changed their lives and why. Then I'll take a look at the latest crop of books to hit the shelves and make three recommendations that are well worth a read.

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It has been a privilege to meet with leaders across the UK and to be inspired by the way that spiritual reading has helped them grow and develop in their faith. I have come across some old treasures that I had missed in my reading as well as being exposed to some of the cutting-edge new books that will equip us for the fresh challenges of today.

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