Category: Books

Excerpts, Reviews, Recommendations, Classics

Book Review – True Courage: Emboldened By God in a Disheartening World by Steve Farrar

Inspiring Courage For The Faint of Heart

Steve Farrar has written another biblical and practical winner. I have read all of Farrar’s books and this practical exposition on the first 6 chapters of the Book of Daniel does not disappoint. A good friend of mine recommended I read this book because we are both going through a tough time – much like Daniel – feeling like aliens in a foreign land, fearful or our countries direction, and having our faith tested in the fire.

Desperate times sometimes make us desperate, but the reality is that God is still on the throne and sovereign over all and uses his own people through their courage and convictions as thy take a stand for Him. Farrar writes, “In a nutshell, Daniel displayed True Courage by: Fearing God more than man; Trusting God with his future; and Realizing God’s governance over all events.

Farrar develops these themes throughout the book with many excellent illustrations, examples, and applications of how genuine courage is derived from fearing, trusting, and realizing God’s sovereign rule over the universe and our individual lives.

The book of Daniel is a tremendously encouraging book for our own times, and Farrar does a phenomenal job of showing its relevancy and numerous applications from its exposition of it, so that we can overcome our fears, worries, anxieties, and become strengthened because we have an all omniscient, omnipotent, and sovereign God who will give us the courage and grace we need sufficiently for each day – as he did for Daniel several thousand years ago. I highly recommend this book as one that will better equip you to be a courageous man or woman of God in these difficult days.

Book Review: Thinking, Loving, Doing edited by John Piper & David Mathis

Theological and Practical Help For Balancing the Mind, Heart, and Hands

This book is a compilation of several outstanding pastoral addresses from experienced Christian leaders from a recent Desiring God Conference on the theme of balancing the mind, the heart (emotions), and the hands. I will seek to summarize what each chapter/leader addresses in their specific topic of choice and what I benefited from in my reading of each chapter:

The Introduction is written by David Mathis (an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis). He makes a helpful distinction between churches that focus on being pure and those that focus on unity and encourages those who lean one way or the other to learn from the other side. He then proceeds to use Dr. John Frames helpful distinctions of tri-perspectivalism, whereby some churches emphasis The Kingly role, some the Priestly role, and others the Prophetic role of Christ. He then sets up the following chapters in the book and shows how each contributes to bring balance to how we can love Christ with our minds, hearts, and hands.

I personally really enjoyed this chapter as it caused me to reflect on my own strengths and weaknesses in my personal and corporate involvement in the body of Christ and what I have to offer others and what I can learn from others in becoming more Christ-like in balancing the tri-perspectivalism as described in the chapter via John Frames helpful schema.

Chapter Two is entitled “The Battle for Your Mind” by Rick Warren (everyone knows who he is – if you are on planet Earth). He does a topical study from the Scriptures on the pitfalls we wrestle with in the battle between our ears, and then proceeds to give four principles on thinking; five levels of learning; and five things to remember when we are teaching others.

As usual, Warren is very practical, and gives some good acronyms whereby one can remember easily his various points. What I liked about this chapter is that it was very thorough and broad and it is a chapter I will go back to again and again in my teaching others, and being reminded myself how to win the battle for the mind utilizing distinct principles in taking every thought captive for Christ.

Chapter Three is the most intellectually demanding chapter written by Albert Mohler – the President of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville. He gives a very thought provoking analysis of our present state of thinking in light of Romans 1:18-32 and postmodernism. He gives 14 insightful noetic effects on the mind due to the fall; five precepts of the modern mind, 12 features of the natural mind, and three practical ways to combat the blind spots that we all have due to the fall.

Dr. Mohler has an amazing mind and what this chapter did for me primarily is to help me think more theologically about how thinking must be reformed and renewed by the Scriptures and the amazing effects of the fall upon our minds. It really motivated me to study the Scriptures and Culture more thouroughly then I typically do, so that I give more thought to how to declare the gospel the “natural” mind, and well as to the “spiritual” mind of those I seek to reach and grow in the gospel.

My favorite modern theologian – Dr. RC Sproul – founder of Ligonier Ministries writes about how Paul addresses the secular mind from Acts 17 and what we can learn from what he did, in our own approach to skeptics today.

Dr. Sproul makes the case for how we can never find “an explanation for being, for life, or for motion if we try to find it outside the being and character of God.” I was encouraged by this reminder of how amazing it is to have the perspective of God in my worldview, when so many have suppressed this, and are thus in great need of modern “Paul’s” to address the issues of the day from a Theo and Christo-centric perspective.

In Chapter Four Thabiti Anyabwile (Pastor in the Cayman Islands) addresses how we may encounter Islam by using the mind of Christ as opposed to being driven by fear where he rightly says, “where fear takes control, thinking does not.”

Pastor Anyabwile (a former Muslim who converted to Christianity as a young adult) does a fantastic job of giving an overview of pluralism, Islam, and how we should respond to Muslims. His chapter helped me to fear Islam less, and gave me a bigger heart to share the good news with the many Muslims who live in my community.

In Chapter Five, Francis Chan (Pastor and Writer in San Francisco) addresses how to think hard, combat pride and stay humble based on an exposition of 1 Corinthians 8. In this chapter Chan really does a great job showing how we can love more like Jesus by thinking more like him.

The Concluding chapter is by John Piper (Preaching Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church) and addresses how love flows out of us when we love God with all of our minds. He gives 8 points that he hopes this book will prevent in Christians, and then what he hopes that this book will awaken and increase: ‘Thinking for the sake of loving.”

I really enjoyed this book because it was deep theologically, and gave helpful applications from the Scriptures in how to love God and others with our minds, emotions, and actions. I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars because it’s a book I will come to again and again for my own personal walk with the Lord, and because it will help me to be more balanced in my own teaching, and coaching ministries.

*Note: I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to give a favorable review.

Book Review Gospel: Recovering The Power That Made Christianity Revolutionary by J.D. Greear

 Wow! What a Fantastic Christ-Centered Book!

I never heard of J. D. Greear before reading this book; but after reading this one, I immediately purchased his only other published book called “Breaking the Islam Code” and can’t wait to get started on that one. I’m sure many more books from Greear will follow – because he is an exceptionally gifted theologian/pastor – he is astute, cogent, and practical in his biblical and cultural exposition of the gospel as revealed in the Scriptures.

I’ve been a Christian since I was six years old, but even as a so-called “professional” pastor for the past 25 years and yet I still feel like a baby in my understanding of the depths of the gospel. It has been exciting for me to see how pastors like Tim Keller and a new generation of young pastors have come along who are theologically astute and Christ centered and able to show the relevancy of Christ and the gospel and how it works not only in the past, and in the future, but especially in the NOW. We are the NOW generation, and the best way to live in the NOW is to apply the gospel daily.

It’s hard to improve on Tullian Tchvidjian’s description of the book from the inside cover:

“He [Greear] powerfully and probingly shows the gospel is just as necessary and relevant after you become a Christian as it is before because the gospel doesn’t simply rescue us from the past and rescue us for the future; it also rescues us in the present from being enslaved to things like fear, insecurity, anger, self-reliance, bitterness, entitlement, and igsignificance. J. D. makes the clear case that when the word of the gospel—Christ’s love for us without strings attached—grips our hearts, it sets us free and changes everything.”

In three powerful sections in the book Greear shows how “the gospel can do what religion cannot”; how to daily live out the gospel (the longest section of the book – absolutely fantastic); and how to develop a gospel-centered understanding of life.

Get two copies of this book – one to read year after year – and another to give away. I hope this book receives a wide reading, reception of, and application of the “revolutionary” gospel!

Book Review: How To Lead and Still Have a Life by Dale Burke

Helping You To Go From Surviving to Thriving!

The two books I give away to help people (especially leaders) balance their lives more than any others are this one by Burke and “Life Focus” by Jerry Foster. As a professional Life Coach and Pastor I have found in over 25 years of ministry that most people (even leaders) are merely surviving and very few are actually thriving. The principles and practices articulated in this book by Burke (former pastor of Fullerton Evangelical Free Church for many years) are biblical, logical, practical, and when applied – liberating.

In the first chapter Burke talks about how difficult it is to be a leader today and explicates the following ten facts:

1) The Rules Have Changed
2) Life is Faster
3) Change is Accelerating
4) Expectations Are Higher
5) The Culture Is in Moral Decay
6) Servant-leadership Is Stretching
7) You Are a Limited Resource
8) Leadership Is a Draining Experience
9) More is Not the Answer
10) There Is Hope

In my experience as a leader, pastor, and life coach I see leaders respond to these challenges by trying to do more (like a juggler who drops all the plates because he’s trying to do too much), or they give up – because it’s just too hard.

Burke offers a solution as an antidote to doing more, or giving up, by doing less by utilizing your strengths, your schedule, and by operating in each of these areas when you are at your best in short blocks of time. I for one, and many others I’ve coached have been helped immensely by applying the “less is more” philosophy.

In the rest of the book Burke breaks down leadership into manageable categories and responsibilities:

Section One: The Inner Ring–the Heart of the Leader

Section Two: The Middle Ring–The Heart of Leadership

Section Three: The Outer Ring–The Heart of Execution

Honestly, I am amazed that more people haven’t read this book or heard of Dale Burke. He is a leader who knows what he’s talking about – by knowledge, action, and experience, and he is an excellent communicator. I believe that this book will help any person who desires to be less overwhelmed with the responsibilities of life, and have more balance and effectiveness immensely. Read it and than give a copy away to your disciple, apprentice, or mentoree – you and they will be glad you did and so will those you live and work with – guaranteed!


Book Review: The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley

 Would Be Much Better If It Were More Christo-centric and Less Anthropo-centric

The Blessing seeks to be a corrective and preventative guide for parents so that they will foster a high sense of self-esteem, security, and develop children that feel blessed and filled with hope via the loving and positive communication at the heart of God the Father’s love for us. The book is based on the biblical story contrasting the blessing received and not received by the sons of Isaac, and the consequences good and bad thereof.

These are good objectives. According to the author’s this happens best by using meaningful and appropriate touch; spoken words of encouragement; adding value through unconditional love; building in them

Trent and Smalley suggest five vital factors to giving a blessing: Meaningful and appropriate touch; a spoken message; attaching high value to the one being blessed; picturing a special future for him or her; and an active commitment to succeed by fulfilling the blessing you have bestowed upon them.

I experienced all that the author’s talked about from my own parents – for which I am extremely grateful. However, my largest concern about this book isn’t so much what it says – but what it doesn’t say. It is a book that can be equally beneficial to the Christian and the non-Christian (not necessarily a bad thing). What I mean by this is that it is not ultimately helpful in that it is not ultimately Christo-centric in its approach, but behavioristic in its approach. I believe that what children need more than anything else is to know Jesus and to be Christ-centered and not self-centered. The danger of this book is that you make your children and children make you, or themselves an idolatry. I would like to see more balance along the lines of what the author’s suggest with more biblical, theological, and Christo-centric gospel driven focus. A much better approach is offered in Ted Tripp’s “Shepherding A Child’s Heart.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

 

 

 

Book Review: Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing By Peter Kreeft

An Apologetics Masterpiece!

The Book of Ecclesiastes says “God has placed eternity in our hearts.” I have read this book several times and have been waiting to do this book a just book review, but the first thing I have to say is that it’s mind boggling that so many books other than this one have received such a wide reading – and this book hasn’t. I think it’s a classic masterpiece by a brilliant philosopher who in the mold of C.S. Lewis and Thomas Aquinas writes one of the best reasonable defenses for life after death that have possibly ever been written.

The book is not an “easy” read, but an incredibly “rewarding” read. I think the depth of Kreeft’s knowledge of philosophy coupled with theology and his wide range of reading and creativity makes for writing that feeds the soul and the mind. So much of what we read today is “fast food.” Heaven: The Heart’s Deepest Longing is a seven-course gourmet meal that leaves you full and satisfied. After contemplating what you have just read it makes you long for Heaven and a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus.

The reason I call this an “Apologetics Masterpiece” is because I think Kreeft brilliantly articulates how Heaven is necessary in order for all our desires to be satisfied in the afterlife. He makes a great case for the existence of God and the necessity of our home with Him. There is so much that we long for in this life that will never be satisfied, but will be satisfied in the next. The atheist, agnostic, or even varieties of “ists” and “isms” can’t really explain why our hearts long for so much that can’t be obtained in this life. Peter Kreeft articulates with tremendous insight and creativity to show that Heaven is what we were made for and why that’s the case.

I can’t do the book justice. All I can say is what the Holy Spirit said to Augustine so many years ago: “Take up and read, take up and read…this book.” If you are philosophical and a deep thinker you will absolutely love this book. If you are not a deep thinker, you may struggle along, but I would encourage you to read the book slowly and thoughtfully. Anyone can benefit from this book, but especially those who read it slowly and thoughtfully. One thing this book always does for me, is increase my joy and my hope in my future home – where I will finally be satisfied with everything I’ve ever longed for and more.

Book Review – Forever: Why You Can’t Live Without It by Paul David Tripp

Typical Tripp – Christ-Centered, Biblical, and Immensely Practical

If you have ever asked yourself questions like: Why is it so hard to find satisfaction? Why is it so hard to find a good relationship? Why do I keep getting myself more and more into deeper debt? Why does it seem like life keeps getting more difficult? Why am I suffering so much? And many other questions like these – than this is a fantastic book for you.

Paul Tripp writes with theological acumen, numerous biblical examples, brilliant illustrations, and practical insights in showing how we were made for eternity and that we need to factor in our lives the fall and the future in order to live in the now. Our current life is simply preparation for our ultimate destination. He shows how we typically view current realities without an eternal perspective and how devastating these consequences are and then shows on the flip side how we were designed to live with Christ at the center of all of life and how living with a forever mindset has gracious overtones leading to great peace and joy.

Tripp delineates specifically how having an eternal mindset makes a substantial difference in our lives in our relationship to God, those closest to us, at work, in our priorities, etc.

I highly recommend this book as “must” reading and an excellent choice to give as a gift to those who are disillusioned, deceived, discouraged, and without hope in this life. The gospel is clearly articulated here over and over in masterful brilliance shows how Christ is our only satisfaction in the now and how all our dreams will be satisfied in eternity through a personal relationship with Him.

Book Review: Come To The Waters by James Montgomery Boice

Be Blessed By Boice’s Best From the Bible

I am a teaching pastor who was deeply grieved by the earth’s loss (Heaven’s gain) of *Dr. James Montgomery Boice just over a decade ago to cancer. He was a gifted theologian who happened to pastor a large church in Philadelphia where he faithfully preached the Bible expositionally for over thirty years. I have read all of his published books – most of which are sermons – and what’s great about this book is that it compiles the best of most of his published works and some unpublished works that the editor was able to find at the Princeton Theological Library.

Organized from January to December and from Genesis to Revelation this daily devotional is like getting the best of Boice from the Scriptures every day – sort of like a mini sermon – but packed with solid theology, exegesis, and life application. For Boice fans this book is a “must have” and hopefully for those of you who have never been exposed to Boice – you will not only “come to the waters” in this book – but go deeper into the waters of the plethora of Boice’s books and be blessed in your pursuit of the knowledge of and reflection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thanks and Kudos to the editor for giving us more Boice, so we can get more of Jesus in our lives!

 

*Dr. James Montgomery Boice, just 8 weeks after being diagnosed with a fatal liver cancer, died in his sleep on June 15, 2000. The senior pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, he was a world-famous Bible teacher, author, and statesman for Reformed theology. He informed his congregation of 32 years of his condition on May 7, proclaiming his complete confidence in God’s sovereignty and goodness.

In the past 72 years, historic Tenth Presbyterian Church has had two senior pastors, Donald Grey Barnhouse and James Montgomery Boice. Founded in 1828, the church itself predates their tenure by another hundred years. Tenth Presbyterian Church lies in the very heart of the city and today has about 1,200 members.

James Montgomery Boice accepted the position as senior pastor in 1968, and was the teacher of the Bible Study Hour since 1969 and the more recent God’s Word Today broadcast as well. Dr. Boice held degrees from Harvard, Princeton Theological Seminary, and the University of Basel, Switzerland. He had written or contributed to nearly 50 books, including Foundations of the Christian Faith, Living by the Book, and exegetical commentaries on Genesis, Psalms, Acts, and Romans.

He was no less involved in the preserving of the fundamentals of the faith than his predecessor, Dr. Barnhouse. In 1985, Boice assumed the presidency of Evangelical Ministries, Inc., the parent organization of the Bible Study Hour, Bible Study Seminars, Bible Studies magazine, and other teaching ministries. In 1997, Evangelical Ministries merged with Christians United for Reformation and the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, taking the latter as the new organization’s name, and Dr. Boice assumed the presidency. In 1997, he was a founding member of, and chaired, the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy.

Of particular concern to Boice was the matter of the church and her relationship to and engagement of society. His recent book, Two Cities, Two Loves, maintains that Christians are citizens of the kingdom of this world and the kingdom of heaven and that they have responsibilities in each. He urged Christians to “participate in secular life rather than merely shoot from the sidelines at secular people.”

Dr. Boice is survived by his wife, Linda, and three daughters. Characteristic of his ministry was his pushing Christians to commit themselves to staying in one place. He lived what he preached, committing to the church and his downtown neighborhood for 30 years. A gifted pastor and leader, he turned down many attractive opportunities in order to build a sense of permanence and belonging. And he urged his parishioners to do the same.

Book Review: Four Views On The Spectrum of Evangelicalism – Edited by David Naselli and Collin Hansen

A Scintillating Dialogue on Evangelicalism Historically and in the Present

I love the format of the “Views” books in that they allow the reader to wrestle with and think about crucial issues that oftentimes divide Christians. Instead of having the bias of one author – you get to see an offensive and defensive articulation of each view and weigh the evidence based on the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence given by each author. This new offering in the “Views” series particularly addresses important aspects that unite and divide “evangelicals.” An evangelical is someone who holds to the “good news” as declared from the Scriptures. However, what is the good news? What are the uniting factors of the good news? And what are the boundaries required in disseminating the message, and uniting around the good news in order to penetrate society with the gospel?

The reason this book and the issues are so important is that what is at stake in all of this discussion is the heart of the gospel, and if there is no agreement on the gospel than unity is ultimately a vain pursuit, and the power of the gospel is squelched in isolated enclaves, rather than in a unified front.

In this book the panel of experts specifically focus on three areas in evaluating the spectrum of evangelicalism:

1) They evaluate their views on Christian cooperation with respect to Evangelicals and Catholics in evaluating the Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement led by Charles Colson and the late John Neuhaus, which began in the 1990’s. Also, they address the more recent Manhattan Declaration in order to bring more clarity to cooperation among social and theological concerns.

2) They evaluate doctrinal boundaries – what are the “essentials” that make one a doctrinally sound evangelical – specifically with reference to the recent debates over “open” theism (does God know the future).

3) They explain their specific views on key issues related to the atonement with specific reference what it means that Christ took on God’s wrath meant for sinners.

The Four Distinct Views Presented Are:

View #1: Fundamentalism – Kevin T. Bauder (Research Professor at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Minneapolis)

View #2: Confessional Evangelicalism – R. Albert Mohler Jr. (President and Joseph Emerson Brown Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville)

View #3: Generic Evangelicalism – John G. Stackhouse Jr. (Professor of Theology and Culture at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada)

View #4: Postconservative Evangelicalism – Roger E. Olson (Professor of Theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University)

After each writer presents his view there is a response from each of the others with insightful commentary on the others’ views. I found this book to be historically enriching, doctrinally thought provoking, and challenging in its ecclesiological and sociological implications. I hope this book will summon a wide reading and will help balance the thinking, behavior, and unity of all who care about being an evangelical – and more importantly getting the gospel right so that we may speak it and live it boldly in a world that desperately needs to know Jesus and what it means to be a part of His body on earth.

Book Review COMMUNITY: Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support by Brad House

An Exceptional Resource For Building and Sustaining Multiplying Missional Communities

Brad House is on staff at Mars Hill Church in Seattle – a church that is solid theologically, philosophically, and missionally. They are a church that is exceptional in theological depth and missional outreach in impacting their culture for the sake of Christ. The message of the gospel comes through loud and clear, and without compromise in both their corporate and communal contexts. In one of the least churched cities in America they have proven that what took place in the book of Acts, is still possible today – especially through the medium of the teaching of the Word and its balanced application within the context of community groups.

According to the author one study indicates that less than 18% of young evangelicals ages 18-23 participate in a small group, Bible study, or prayer group that is sponsored by their local churches. This book is not only written to combat this problem, but provides ample Biblical solutions and real life illustrations of how to build a solid foundation for building community groups that are healthy and result in personal, corporate, and communal life transformation via living out the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I highly recommend this book for the following types of people:

1)    Senior Pastors – It will motivate you to launch community groups in your church and help you to be more strategic and missional in your ministries of in reach and outreach.

2)    Existing Small Group Leaders and Participants – It will help give you ideas, tools, and applications that you have never thought of – in order to have a more effective, strategic, and balanced community group.

3)    Church Planters – This book will give you a huge jump-start on what you need to launch a healthy church that provides ideas for training, equipping, and providing the infrastructure needed to have a healthy and growing gospel centered church.

Overall, I loved this book because it’s Biblical, practical, and comprehensive in scope. Any one who loves Christ and His church will benefit from the study and practical implementation of this excellent resource for building gospel communities that make a huge difference for the glory of Christ.