I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

Christ and the Future: The Bible’s Teaching about the Last Things by Cornelius Venema. Back in 2000 Venema published his masterful study of eschatology entitled Promise of the Future, which was a modern reshaping and update of Anthony Hoekema’s landmark The Bible and the Future.¹ Banner of Truth felt the size and weight of Promise of the Future would prevent many church members from feasting on its truth. So they commissioned Christ and the Future, an abridgement that cuts down Promise and the Future by over 50%. Venema deals with everything from inaugurated eschatology to the intermediate state to the millenium to final judgment with clarity and color. This book remains my “go to” recommendation for interested lay members. It doesn’t hurt that Venema is a convinced amillennialist.

Perspectives on Pentecost: New Testament Teaching on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit by Richard Gaffin. Originally published in 1979, this work remains entirely relevant to the contemporary discussion on spiritual gifts. Gaffin’s careful exegesis of the relevant New Testament texts will be daunting for some, but slow reading will be rewarded. The book is short (just over 110 pages) and the tone is irenic, so anyone interested in the debate would do well to wrestle with this one. Chapters 4 and 5, “Prophecy and Tongues” & “The Question of Cessation” will be of unique interest. Regardless of where you stand in the debate on spiritual gifts Gaffin’s work should have a home on your shelf.

Building Her House: Commonsensical Wisdom for Christian Women by Nancy Wilson. This book was one of several I gave my wife for Christmas and it is a treat. I raced through it so I could converse with my wife on its content.  Nancy, the wife of Doug Wilson, writes with a direct style and offers exactly what the subtitle proclaims: commonsensical wisdom. Building Her House is broken up into five parts: 1) Service, 2) Family Relationships, 3) Marriage, 4) Mothering, and 5) Attitudes. The chapters are super short and packed with meditative truth; I could see this being a great discipling tool for women. I plan to add a couple copies to our church’s bookshelf.

One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson. I happened across One Summer on Amazon and it sounded so intriguing that I added it to my Christmas wish list. My in-laws graciously feed my book addiction so this was one of several titles I received at their house on Christmas Eve. And oh my, what a read! Bryson walks the reader through life as it was in America during the summer of 1927, a surprisingly potent season in our nation’s history. Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Babe Ruth was on the way to his magical 60, Al Capone ruled corrupt Chicago, the enigmatic Calvin Coolidge dressed up as a cowboy, and a Jack Dempsey fight attracted 150,000 fans. Bryson compellingly weaves the various story lines together, even if many of the characters are treated somewhat irreverently. This was the most fascinating book I’ve read in a long time.

On Target by Mark Greaney. On Target is the second book in Greaney’s Gray Man series, which focuses on the exploits of one Courtland Gentry; a man that everyone wants to catch, but no one can (think Jason Bourne). The series’ first installment was thrillingly paced, but the plot line was thin. On Target has a much more engaging storyline punctuated by surprises. The book’s abrupt ended is redeemed by a solid epilogue, but I do wonder if the conclusion sets up a trajectory that tempts believability. I mean, can Gentry really escape a world, quite literally, every known power in the world? We shall see.