Category: Books

Excerpts, Reviews, Recommendations, Classics

Book Review: Three Simple Questions by Rueben P. Job

3 Great Questions Tackled By an Elderly Saint

Every once in awhile I like to read Christian authors outside of my circles – I guess in my case that would be Reformed Baptist types. Here is a short read by one of the compilers of several very helpful books on prayer in the Upper Room Series – and a long time United Methodist Pastor.

I’m assuming that Pastor Job is in his late 70’s or 80’s in writing this book. One gets the sense that he is an elderly grandfather with many years of walking with God and life experience under his belt as he grapples with three very important questions in a devotional manner:

Who is God?

Who am I?

Who are we together?

I think these are great questions to grapple with and that Job gives much good food for thought. He isn’t as theologically precise as I would like, but he does give some practical principles to chew on via mediation and prayer. I think that any person would benefit from this short devotional and especially from seeking out the answers to these questions by reading God’s Word as often as possible. This book provides a “Guide for Daily Prayer,” and a “Pattern for Daily Prayer” in the appendix that are very helpful to connecting with God and implementing the three questions he addresses in the book.

My Top 10 Reads of 2011

I read over 100 books this past year, so I thought I would share my top ten books that were actually published in 2011. This next year I will be reading another 100 plus books (God willing) and one of the themes for the new year will be to read as many of the “Views” books as I possibly can (I have 70 of these books already at last count). The most important book I will be reading is the Bible. I will be using Robert Murray McCheyne’s Bible reading plan and the One Year Bible as well. Therefore, I hope to read through the Bible three times. I hope that God blesses your intake this next year and that His Spirit will illuminate your mind and saturate your thinking, emotions, and activity with a Christ centered and Holy Spirit empowering to live for His glory. All the books below (and more) were reviewed on Amazon.com and here on my blog.

10) Passages: How Reading the Bible in a Year Will Change Everything for You by Brian Hardin. He will really motivate you to get into the Word daily – which is arguably the most important discipline for you to maintain.

9) All In: From Refugee Camp to Poker Champ by Jerry Yang with Mark Tabb. This was one of the most spontaneous picks I ever read – I bought it because it was cheap! However, it was a gripping story of a Christian refugee coming to the USA and winning the biggest Poker prize in history and the astounding way he was and is a testimony for Christ in his lifestyle and giving. Jerry Yang is an amazing person who places Jesus first in every aspect of his life – even playing poker! I was surprised at how much God’s sovereignty and providence was brought into the story – not just the families escape from Cambodia, but also in the refugee camp in Thailand and then all the details that God worked out for him in the USA.

8) Salvation Accomplished by the Son: The Work of Christ by Robert A. Peterson. I always enjoy reading anything related to Jesus. This book was not easy reading, but very rewarding in that it mined the depths of the atonement and opened my eyes to riches to be found in Christ that I had never seen before.

7) The Essential Commandment: A Disciple’s Guide to Loving God and Others by Greg Ogden. This book is the third workbook in this series of outstanding discipleship workbooks. This one focuses on the application of the Ten Commandments. I highly recommend all of Ogden’s books on and for discipleship – He knows how to make and help you make multiplying disciples for Christ.

6) Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian. I loved this book perhaps mainly because I could so identify with “rediscovering” that beauty of the gospel after going through so many trials and tribulations in recent years. Tullian clearly articulates the doctrines of justification and sanctification and how they are both grace based and emphasizes the “nowness” of the gospel in your life.

5) Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture by Jonathan Morrow. This is a fantastic book that combines the biggest ethical and cultural issues of our times, and interviews with Christians who are experts in these areas – who have thought deeply about the issues, and are actually penetrating culture with their Christian views and actions and making a difference for the glory of God.

4) Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well by Billy Graham. Actually this wasn’t that great of a book – but it was written by one of the most used vessels in God’s arsenal in world history. This may be Graham’s last book that he will write before he goes home to hear those words we all long to hear, “Well done good and faithful servant.” I was brought to tears in reading this book because of this man’s integrity and faithfulness for the cause of Christ.

3) For Calvinism by Michael Horton. One of the most misunderstood doctrines so clearly and effectively articulated by one of the finest theologians of our times. A cogent and balanced defense of what the Scriptures teach about the doctrines of grace.

2) Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary by J. D. Greear. Very Christ-centered book on applying the gospel daily.

1) Tie for 1st! Forever by Paul David Tripp and The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller. Essentially anything that Tripp or Keller writes on anything trumps just about everything outside the Bible itself! These two writers have a great grasp on the gospel, Biblical Theology, and how to communicate these two elements with great relavency in the 21st Century. I’m sure I would also be including Keller’s “King’s Cross” here as well – but I haven’t read it yet!

Honorable Mentions (Most of these could have easily been in the top 10 too, but you gotta draw the line somewhere!):

Historical Theology by Greg Allison; Being George Washington by Glenn Beck; Reflections on Words of the New Testament by Vine and Benoit; Four Views on the Spectrum of Evangelicalism (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology – Various authors); Community: Taking Your Small Group off Life Support by Brad House; What is the Mission of the Church? by DeYoung and Gilbert; Preaching and Teaching the Last Things: Old Testament Eschatology for the Life of the Church by Walter C. Kaiser; More Than Ordinary: Enjoying Life with God by Doug Sherman.

 

Book Review Knowing God by J. I. Packer

A Classic on the Character and Attributes of God

 The New Oxford American Dictionary defines a classic as that which is “judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind.” Therefore, based on this definition I dub Packer’s book a “classic.” It is simply one of the most readable, and enjoyable books on the doctrine of God’s character and attributes in modern times. Originally written in 1971 – this book will be reprinted again and again for its wonderful portrayal of the transcendence and immanence of God and how we can know Him personally because of how He has revealed Himself to us in the Scriptures.

We can know God intimately and personally because He has chosen to come into human history through the Person and Work of Christ and the most direct route to knowing God is clearly summarized in the pages of this book as Packer “unpacks” what it means to know God with warmth, depth, reverence, and great joy. I love and agree with what my favorite theologian R.C. Sproul has to say about this book, “Knowing God is a masterpiece by a master theologian. It serves as a wake-up call for those who are asleep to the majesty of God.”

Perhaps the evangelist Billy Graham uttered the best tribute I have read on this book, “A hundred years from now only a handful of books written today will still be widely read and accepted as Christian classics. Dr. James I Packer’s Knowing God may well prove to be one of them. A gifted theologian and writer, Dr. Packer has the rare ability to deal with profound and basic spiritual truths in a practical and highly readable way. This book will help every reader grasp in a fuller way one of the Bible’s greatest truths: that we can know God personally, because God wants us to know him.”

I can attest to the fact that the greatest need of every human being on the planet is to know God personally through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. J. I. Packer’s book is MUST reading for anyone who wants to know God personally, intimately, daily, for this life, and for eternity.

Book Review: When Work and Family Collide by Andy Stanley

Helping You Balance God’s Priorities for Your Life

 One of the most difficult things I’ve experienced in life (as a pastor with five kids) is balancing work/ministry and family. Whether you are a dad, mom, single parent, in full time ministry or have a full time job – or no matter how you slice it – it’s hard to balance work and family.

In this book Andy Stanley articulates the modern realities that face us in the market place and in our homes. He does not minimize, rationalize, or make excuses for the break down of families. What he does very well is to show how we can be excellent in the marketplace and serve our families needs in a balanced and biblical manner.

Andy Stanley gives a myriad of practical examples of how we can prioritize our lives biblically and bring glory to God in the workplace and in our homes. I highly recommend this book is a very practical guide and help for you in seeking to be a balanced Christian that prioritizes life in a manner that contributes mightily to what is most pleasing to our Awesome God – for His ultimate glory.

Book Review: The Strategy of Satan by Warren Wiersbe

Understanding and Overcoming Satan’s Tactics Primer

Review by David P. Craig

 Warren Wiersbe can always be trusted to be biblical, concise, clear, and give ample practical illustrations and applications to modern life. In this short primer on Satan’s tactics and our responses to his tactics the book may be broken down in the following three ways:

First, the writer shows how Satan is the ultimate deceiver, destroyer, ruler, and accuser. In each of the first four chapters Wiersbe gives an Old Testament example in each of these four areas in order to demonstrate Satan’s target, weapon, purpose, and then tactical defenses we can use against his deceptions, evil plans, feeding our pride, and his accusations towards us.

Secondly, the middle of the book is about increasing our faith in God, and how not to give Satan a foothold in our life so as not to paralyze and immobilize us in God’s work on earth. He focuses on the positive ways we can overcome the Evil One’s tactics by trusting and obeying Christ.

Thirdly, Wiersbe gives a masterful exposition of all the armor we have been given in the battle against Satan and demons from Ephesians 6, and how Satan attacks the family, and churches as a key strategy in his arsenal of tactics.

Overall, this book is thorough, biblically sound, and very useful in its many practical applications. I highly recommend this book – especially if you have never read anything on the wiles of the Enemy and how to overcome our greatest Adversary.

*Distinguished Professor of Preaching at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary, Warren Wiersbe is the author of more than 100 books. Billy Graham calls him “one of the greatest Bible expositors of our generation.” Interestingly, Warren’s earliest works had nothing to do with scriptural interpretation. His interest was in magic, and his first published title was Action with Cards (1944).

“It was sort of imbecilic for a fifteen-year-old amateur magician to have the audacity to write a book and send it to one of the nation’s leading magic houses,” Warren says. But having a total of three books published by the L.L. Ireland Magic Company—before the age of 20—gave him a surge of confidence. In later years, he applied his confidence and writing talent to the Youth for Christ (YFC) ministry.

Warren wrote many articles and guidebooks for YFC over a three-year period, but not all his manuscripts were seen by the public eye. One effort in particular, The Life I Now Live, based on Galations 2:20, was never published. The reason, Warren explains with his characteristic humor, is simple: it was “a terrible book…Whenever I want to aggravate my wife, all I have to say is, ‘I think I’ll get out that Galations 2:20 manuscript and work on it.’” Fortunately, Warren’s good manuscripts far outnumbered the “terrible” ones, and he was eventually hired by Moody Press to write three books.

The much-sought-after author then moved on to writing books for Calvary Baptist Church. It was during his ten years at Calvary that Expository Outlines on the New Testament and Expository Outlines on the Old Testament took shape. These two works later became the foundation of Warren’s widely popular Bible studies known as the Be series, featuring such titles as Be Loyal (a study on Matthew) and Be Delivered (a study on Exodus). Several of these books have been translated into Spanish.

His next avenue of ministry was Chicago’s Moody Memorial Church, where he served for seven years. He wrote nearly 20 books at Moody before moving to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he and his wife, Betty, now live. Prior to relocating, he had been the senior pastor of Moody Church, a teacher at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a producer of the Back to the Bible radio program.

During all these years of ministry, Warren held many more posts and took part in other projects too numerous to mention. His accomplishments are extensive, and his catalog of biblical works is indeed impressive and far-reaching (many of his books have been translated into other languages). But Warren has no intention of slowing down any time soon, as he readily explains: “I don’t like it when people ask me how I’m enjoying my ‘retirement,’ because I’m still a very busy person who is not yet living on Social Security or a pension. Since my leaving Back to the Bible, at least a dozen books have been published, and the Lord willing, more are on the way.”

Wiersbe’s recent books include Your Next Miracle, The 20 Essential Qualities of a Child of God, The Bumps are What You Climb On, Classic Sermons on the Fruit of the Spirit, Classic Sermons on Jesus the Shepherd, Key Words of the Christian Life, Lonely People, A Gallery of Grace, Real Peace: Freedom and Conscience in the Christian Life, and On Being a Leader for God.

Book Review: Passages – How Reading the Bible In A Year Will Change Everything by Brian Hardin

Tremendous Motivations For Reading Your Bible Daily

 In Brian Hardin’s own words from his blog on the writing of this book, “In researching the book I discovered that 93% of professing Christians don’t have a daily relationship with the Bible.  I found that a majority of people find the Bible hard to understand.  And yet with these facts comes the startling reality that more than 200 million people in the United States alone would affirm that they believe the Bible is the Word of God and that it is the truth.  It’s an ironic disconnect that believers in Jesus think the Bible is true and contains the path to life but don’t actually learn that path by becoming intimate with Scripture.  This book was written to create a context for that path.  I wrote it to explain that the Bible is not a manual or rule book to live up to, rather, it’s a story….our story.  We can find ourselves in it’s passages.  It’s not a book of exceptions, rather, it’s a book of examples and we are invited as Walt Whitman so eloquently put it to, “contribute a verse.”

I enjoyed this book immensely. It’s fascinating to read this book and hear from Brian how he was led by the Holy Spirit to begin the Daily Audio Bible on the Internet and hear his own testimony of how reading the Bible daily has radically changed his life and the lives of millions of others around the world for the better.

If you have never read the Bible before this book will give you much added motivation for making this very enjoyable discipline a habit for life. The book contains many personal testimonies of people whose lives have been changed for the better that will inspire you to read and listen to God’s Word daily. The book also contains many resources on the Internet to help you begin the exciting journey of Bible reading. In the back of the book there are three reading plans to help you get started.

As a Pastor and Life Coach there is nothing that I can recommend more to help you in your life than to read the Bible and apply it daily. I agree and pray for you what Brian writes and prays at the end of the book, “The Bible is about becoming more like Christ. It constantly invites us to submit ourselves in obedience not to make us miserable but to change us from the inside out…May you find life in God’s Word, my friend, and may true life find you. May he make his face to shine upon you and keep you. May he lift up his countenance on you and give you peace. May the strength of God go with you. May the wisdom of God instruct you. May the hand of God protect you. May the Word of God direct you. May you be sealed in Christ this day and forevermore. Amen.”

Book Review: All In: Jerry Yang with Mark Tabb

Gripping Story From Beginning to End

 I got this book on a whim because I like Mark Tabb’s writing. I don’t claim to be a poker player or a son of a poker player (as a matter of fact – I don’t think my dad’s ever played poker). Anyway, this is a gripping story of a young boy’s life growing up near Laos and the tragedies and joy’s as his family escaped torture and persecution from the North Viet Nam Communists traveling from their small village in Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand and then to the USA. In the USA Jerry Yang tells the story of how he became the 2007 World Series Poker Champ.

There are 24 chapters in the book and Mark Tabb weaves the story of Jerry and his family’s escape and his rise as poker champion of the world. If you love good stories that end well – you will love this book. It gripped me from the beginning. The story has it all – it will grab your emotions and inspire you (it had me crying and laughing throughout). You will see how God’s providence is weaved throughout the story as well. Whether you like poker or not – you will love this book because it will restore your love for the things that have made the USA such a great country – immigrants fleeing for their lives to have opportunities, working hard, and achieving their dreams.

Jerry Yang is a tremendous role model and I think what he has done with his earnings and life since he won the 2007 championship is amazing and inspiring – not in the world of poker – but in helping other refugees like he was at one time. I highly recommend this book for your reading pleasure and to inspire you to once again believe in the American Dream from someone who has shown that you can be and do anything if you put your mind to it and work hard.

Booklet Review: The Tebow Mystique by Patton Dodd

When Hard Work and Faith Go Hand in Hand

 As I write this review with Tim Tebow at the helm as quarterback of the Denver Broncos are 7-1. Almost all of these victories seem to be “miraculous” wins. It’s hard to open the sports page, turn on talk radio, go on the Internet, or watch television without hearing about the latest exploits of Tim Tebow – his faith and his wins.

According to Dodd the Tebow Mystique has two main features: “First, Tim Tebow’s unprecedented popularity; and second, his uncanny on-the-field performance.” The Tebow phenomenon seems to be based on the combination of his work ethic and character based on his faith in Jesus Christ. He has what Max Weber wrote about in how some individuals can inspire “charismatic authority” a leadership style based on integrity of character – when your walk matches your talk.

Dodd makes this excellent observation, “It’s fair to say that Tim Tebow and his siblings were raised to be character savants in the way that Tiger Woods was raised to be a sport savant and Mozart was raised to be a music savant.” All the football analysts keep expecting Tebow and the Broncos to fail, but as Tebow says, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

I for one am enjoying the spotlight on a guy who is passionate for God and helping others on and off the football field. It remains to be seen whether he will win the Super Bowl, or have successful career in the NFL. My hope is that whether Tebow wins or loses he will continue to remain a good role model and example to the myriads of young people who are looking for heroes. It’s nice for a change to see someone walking the talk, and making a difference in people’s lives on and off the field.

I believe in miracles, but I also believe that the hard work and good stewardship of and application of Tebow’s faith will help him to always win in life no matter what the score is at the end of the day. I think this is a good little booklet that shows how integrity of character and hard work in the little things pay off. It’s my hope that Tebow continues to win on the field and turn his critics into fans of hard work and the God who empowers, guides, and gives him wisdom in the face of so many obstacles. May his ilk increase!

Book Review: When Will My Life Not Suck? By Ramon Presson

How To Live and Thrive in the Real World

 Most people have thought and spoken something similar to the title of this book. I for one think the title is unfortunate because it makes the book sound more sophomoric than it actually is. However, I think that every Christian has thought or uttered the words of the title – if not the actual words – definitely with the attitude that the title conveys. It’s actually a very good book which deals with and answers a lot of the questions and struggles that Christians wrestle with living in a fallen world.

The author primarily uses the apostle’s Paul’s writing to the Philippians as a guide in helping the reader deal with scars from the past, moving from “why?” to “what next?” and going from discontent to contentment. If there is a theme that ties everything together it’s the fact that we can use everything in life that we have encountered and integrate into our lives for something good and in order to bring glory to God.

I think this book has a lot of good principles from the life of Jesus, the apostle Paul, and the author’s personal life experiences as a counselor and pastor (he is very transparent and authentic) in order to show how we can go from our default modes to a God oriented way of thinking that leads to a productive, effective, and purposeful life.

The book is very encouraging, helpful, and full of wise advice. I recommend it highly – especially for people who feel like they have been given a raw deal. It will help get you out of the doldrums and onto the right track again.

Book Review: Life Coaching Activities & Powerful Questions by Phyllis Reardon

 Excellent Resource for Self & Life Coaching Others

I have been life coaching professionally for three years now, and I’m amazed at how many excellent resources are available for self-coaching and coaching others. This book is full of great questions, quotes, and exercises to help anyone set and achieve goals. I have given the book five stars because it is a very good resource that I will use for myself and to help others that I coach for years to come. Here are some of helpful topics covered in this resource/workbook:

What is life Coaching?

– Addresses issues related to what makes for success

Visioning Your Future Self

– Has a very helpful template called the “Wheel of life” consisting of balancing 8 life parts: family/relationships, career/work, health/fitness, personal growth, money/finances, physical environment, fun/joy, and romance.

Strategic Planning

Developing a Positive Image and Attitude

Communication

Work and Life Balance

Each section is loaded with great questions in workbook format, great insights for action, and good thought provoking quotes.

I have already used a lot of the ideas in this book in my personal life, and in coaching people in their relationships, in life balance, and goal setting. I highly recommend this workbook for anyone who wants to improve their own life, and the lives of others for the better. I will be coming to this resource again and again for years to come.