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.

Hearing the Spirit: Knowing the Father through the Son by Christopher Ash. Good Mr. Ash is rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary authors. There is insightful interpretation, historical sensibility, cultural understanding, and wit to boot in all his work. Hearing the Spirit finds Ash employing all his skill to answer the age old question of, “How does God speak?” Or as he would prefer it, “What is the relationship between the Spirit and the Word?” Appropriately, most of the book expounds the relevant truth from John’s gospel on matters of the Trinity and the word of God. Ash’s answer to the question of the Spirit’s work can be traced as follows :

• Jesus is the awesome revelation of the Father and He revealed the Father through words. (chapter 1)
• In a very real sense the ministry of Jesus’ was a failure – for a time. He made the Father known and yet nobody saw the Father. Until the cross, when sin was paid for, the Spirit could not be poured out and the Father known through the words of Jesus. (chapter 2)
• In the Bible’s words we have the authentic, faithful, and complete testimony of Jesus and His words, and therefore we have the revelation of the Father. The father is made known by Jesus, and Jesus is attested by the Bible. (chapters 3-4)
• The Bible is a complete testimony to Christ and therefore has an intelligible and stable meaning. (chapter 5)
• The objective, historical testimony of Jesus and the subjective testimony to Jesus of the Spirit are complementary and inseparable. (chapter 6)
• The Spirit’s ministry today is to graciously bring conviction that the objective testimony is true. (chapter 7)

Along the way Ash offers great clarity on mystical approaches to Christianity, the source of powerful preaching, the nature of living by faith, not by sight, and why Christians have a divine obligation to be skeptical (let the reader understand). An excellent and timely work!

The Grace of Godliness: An Introduction to Doctrine and Piety in the Canons of Dort by Matthew Barrett.  Barrett says, “While the number of volumes on John Calvin, the Heidelberg Catechism or the Westminster Confession, are legion, the same cannot be said concerning the Canons of Dort. . . . As far as I know, no book exists in English on Dort’s emphasis on piety. And yet, the topic of piety and godliness is one that saturates the canon.” Oh how right Dr. Barrett is. The Canons of Dort are not only, for my mind, as good as any other historic creed or confession at clearly delineating the gospel, they also represent a watermark of Reformed piety. If you can get a right understanding of God’s sovereign gospel then you will be well on your way toward holiness, humility, assurance, and reverent worship. The Canons of Dort will aid such godliness and Barrett’s book is a perfect introduction that classic document of Reformed faith and practice.

Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship by John MacArthur. As I watched last October’s Strange Fire Conference create no small amount of evangelical hullabaloo, I knew I’d eventually have to read the book. Well, this week I finally did. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. For several decades MacArthur has been the most visible, and popular, opponent of Charismatic and Pentecostal excess. The uniqueness of Strange Fire, and I suspect the reason it struck such a chord, is that it has firm clarity directed at the growing continuationist crowd. MacArthur’s exegesis of the relevant texts is typically lucid and confident, and his grasp of the historical flow of charismatic theology is compelling and strong. No matter where you fall on the continuum of spiritual gifts, this book would be well worth your time.

What a Friend We Have in Jesus: Spirituality in the Evangelical Tradition by Ian Randall. Alistair McGrath once called evangelicalism “the slumbering giant in the world of spirituality.” In What a Friend We Have in Jesus Ian Randall, Director of Research at Spurgeon’s College in London, sets out to document what evangelical spirituality is and how it came about. Spanning the time between the Great Awakening and the closing of the 20th century Randall effectively shows the unity and diversity found in evangelicalism’s emphasis on the cross, conversion, personal sanctification, and world missions. The work is an overview so Randall has to assume some level of knowledge with people and places, but I found the work informative, clear, and full of interesting tidbits about evangelicalism’s spiritual practice.

The Unlikely Spy by Daniel Silva. Before he was a best-selling thriller writer and the mastermind behind the widely successful Gabriel Allon thriller novels, Daniel Silva was a television producer at CNN. While overseeing shows like Crossfire and Capital Gang, Silva was quietly penning a debut novel that would be such a resounding hit the budding author would pursue writing full-time. The Unlikely Spy was that debut novel. This thriller is set in the throws and intrigue of the Double-Cross system which was enshrouded the truth of the Allies’ D-Day landing in, as Churchill famously said, “a bodyguard of lies.” Although the book doesn’t shine any new light on MI6, the Abwher, or war-time deception, the plot moves quickly and characters are believably developed. A fun read that, at times, seems strikingly similar to Follet’s Eye of the Needle.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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.

An All-Round Ministry by Charles Spurgeon. In 1865 Spurgeon began an annual conference for the students and alumni of his Pastor’s College; twelve of the best presidential addresses he gave at these conferences were eventually published as An All-Round Ministry. This book functions as something like a sequel to Lectures to My Students. Any pastor will profit from The Prince’s ruminations on pastoral ministry; his characteristic wit, wisdom, and biblical passion fall under the spotlight here. The eleventh chapter, “The Preacher’s Power, and the Conditions of Obtaining It”, is worth the book’s weight in gold.

Behold Your God by Donald Macleod. At some level, every theological fallacy is rooted in a false understanding of God. It’s quite wise then for pastors to consistently study the character and ways of God. One way I put this into practice is regularly reading or rereading books on the doctrine of God. Macleod’s Behold Your God is just the latest in my theology proper parade. I felt like I was invited into Macleod’s home for dinner and got to here him riff on the attributes of God and historical discussions about God. Fun stuff! I didn’t agree with everything he said – his quick disavowal of the historically defined impassibility being one example – but the chapters are helpfully short and clear.

The Hidden Life of Prayer: The Life-Blood of the Christian by David McIntyre. I am always helped by books on prayer. Even if the given book isn’t very good at least it gets me thinking about prayer. And whenever I think about prayer I normally soon find myself in the prayer closet. So I try to always be reading something on prayer. David McIntyre’s The Hidden Life of Prayer is one I return to every couple of years. It’s short, full of lively anecdotes, and packed with biblical and historical insights on a life of private prayer. The first two chapters – “The Life of Prayer” and “The Equipment” – are always challenging. Case in point: in the latter chapter McIntyre says, “The equipment for the inner life of prayer is simple, if not always easily secured. It consists particularly of a quiet place, a quiet hour and a quiet heart.” That kind of sound simplicity awaits anyone who would feast upon this gem.

The Prayer of the Lord by RC Sproul. For years I’ve meant to get around to Sproul’s exposition on the Lord’s Prayer, but it took the prospect of preaching on Matthew 6 to get me to finally open up this little gem. The Prayer of Our Lord is a model of biblical and systematic theology; all packed into 105 pages. Everything you’d expect from Sproul is here: etymological attention, philosophical rumination, theological explanation, and heart searching application.  I could see this book being uniquely helpful in morning devotions and in discipling relationships.

Teach them to Pray: Cultivating God-Dependency in Your Church by Paul Tauges. Day One’s Ministering the Master’s Way series is full of simple and short resources to provoke pastors. Paul Tautges’ little volume on prayer is an arrow worthy of every pastor’s book quiver. The book has three main sections: “Prayer – An Expression of God-Dependency” (Part 1), “Brief Sermons for Prayer Meetings” (Part 2), and “Practical Helps for Cultivating God-Dependency” (Appendices). There is nothing revolutionary nor original in Teach Them to Pray; the best sections are quotes from other pastors or theologians. Yet it will most definitely cause you to evaluate the place of prayer in your local. That reason alone is sufficient for me to commend the book to every pastor.

The Heist by Daniel Silva. Silva’s beloved Israeli spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon returns in The Heist, a novel quintessentially Silva-esque. As I’ve said before, Silva’s mastery is seen in how the Allon books are virtually free from the scandalous or promiscuous, and yet they still thrive. The Heist finds Allon pursuing Caravaggio’s masterpiece The Nativity, investigating the murder of a former British intelligence agent, and endeavoring to bring down the ruling family of Syria. The Heist is another solid work for Silva and is perfect reading on late summer nights.

The Bat by Jo Nesbø. Norwegian mystery writer Jo Nesbø’s Harry Hole (pronounced “HO-leh) series currently stands at ten volumes and is something of a phenomenon in international publishing. For years I’ve had people, who know my propensity to read detective thrillers, tell me, “You must read Nesbø!” So I finally picked up The Bat, “The electrifying first appearance of . . . Harry Hole.” Well, electrified is not a word I would use to define my first experience of Mr. Hole. The narrative moves nicely when it concentrates on the investigation and pursuit of a mysterious Australian (yep, the Norwegian detective is sent down under in this one) serial killer. Yet, those intriguing thrills are too often derailed by Nesbø’s fixation on humanizing Hole by recounting the Norwegian’s dark vices. It may take another few years for me to move on to Harry Hole #2.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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.

An-All Surpassing Fellowship: Learning from Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Communion with God by David Beaty. Of all the figures I’ve learned from in church history none has been more pivotal than the young Scotsman named M’Cheyne. So I’ll grant that I’m unusually predisposed to love this book. But, oh what a book it is! I can’t remember the last time I read a new publication and was this affected; tears of gratitude and repentance came from almost every chapter. Beaty is to be commended for simultaneously giving us a masterful biography of M’Cheyne and an unbelievably accessible portrait of his communion with God. Choice selections from original works, letters, sermon, and poems occupy almost every page and Beaty manages to offer it up with cohesive eloquence; a difficult feat from what I suspect is originally his D. Min. dissertation. This book now occupies an exclusive shelf in my study, the “Read at Least Once a Year” shelf.

Heart to Heart: Octavius Winslow’s Experimental Preaching by Tanner Turley. Do you know who Spurgeon invited to preach the inaugural sermon at The Metropolitan Tabernacle? Octavius Winslow. He was a giant of 19th century England, but is largely forgotten today. Turley – and Reformation Heritage Books – has done the church a favor in publishing his Ph.D. on the experimental preaching of Winslow. Not only is this work a useful introduction to a spiritual giant of centuries gone by, but a fabulous introduction to a philosophy of preaching neglected today: experimental preaching. Joel Beeke, one of the foremost experimental, or “experiential”, preachers of our time defines this philosophy as preaching that “addresses the vital manner of how a Christian experiences the truth of Christian doctrine in his life.” Turley argues for the following eight characteristics of Winslow’s preaching: doctrine, Christ-centeredness, discrimination, interrogation, illustration, persuasion, and exhortation. Although I found the treatment to be somewhat anachronistic in places,¹ I believe any preacher today would profit from its salient points.

All Hell Let Loose: The World at War 1939-1945 by Max Hastings. Sir Max is, for me at least, somewhat of a maddeningly brilliant historian. Every work of his I’ve read possesses pointed reflection and countless individual stories that give the events of old a movingly personal dimension. Hence, the brilliance. Yet, those same works also seem strikingly slim on cohesion of narrative. And All Hell Let Loose is no different. The whole book seems to operate in the following fashion: historical statement, summary, or insight followed by a personal vignette of said history. Rinse and repeat the process for hundreds of pages. Hence, the maddening part of his brilliance. I have Hasting’s Winston’s War on my shelf and it’s crying for attention. It remains to be seen if the first prong of his “maddening brilliance” will keep me away for a while, of if the latter facet will lead me to open it up next week.

Natchez Burning by Greg Iles. Before picking up this book I had only read one Greg Iles book and it didn’t go so well. But when Stephen King proclaims a book to be “extraordinarily entertaining and fiendishly suspenseful; I defy you to start it and find a way to put it down,” I feel my literary senses challenged to a duel I cannot refuse. So I bought the book. And Mr. King’s superlative defiance is well founded, this book is marvelous. Natchez Burning is set against the dark racial tensions of Mississippi in the 1960s, tensions that span all the way into 2005 when the protagonist’s father is accused of murder. The murder sets in motion a series of events that the last four decades have managed to suppress; a series of events Iles plans to cover in a projected trilogy (with Natchez Burning being the first volume). I’m still astounded how Iles leaves most of the plot lines open, but resolves just enough of the storyline to not offend the reader’s need for some finality. It took Iles five years to write this book and I can only hope the trilogy’s second offering arrives much, much sooner.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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.

Spurgeon: A New Biography by Arnold Dallimore. Tomorrow night I hope to preach a biographical sermon on the Prince so I reread Dallimore’s work in preparation. This simply is the finest introduction to the great Spurgeon. The prose flows nicely and while the book consistently celebrates the great preacher, Dallimore manages to steer clear of hagiography. Pithy quotations  and lively stories saturate the work, making almost every page “edifyingly readable.” After reading Dallimore, I’d move on to Lewis Drummond’s The Prince of Preachers, and then feast on Spurgeon’s magisterial two-volume autobiography. Tolle lege!

Covenantal Apologetics: Principles and Practice in Defense of Our Faith by Scott Oliphint. I find Oliphint to be one of the most underrated theologians and apologists of our time. Lord willing, this latest book will broaden his exposure. Covenantal Apologetics is Oliphint’s effort to recast what has been traditionally categorized as presuppositional apologetics into something more easily explained and practiced. And I believe he succeeds. The overwhelming strength of Oliphint’s approach is how he roots persuasion (apologetics) in the Triune God’s self-revelation in Christ. His ten tenets of the covenantal approach are sound and cogent, and the sample dialogues go a long way in helping readers understand how to put their faith into practice. I still think Frame’s Apologetics to the Glory of God is the best introduction to the presuppositional approach, so I’d start there and then move on to Oliphint’s excellent volume.

Dissolution by CJ Sansom. I love historical fiction and regularly scour Amazon to find the latest and the greatest. So it was a couple weeks ago that I came across CJ Sansom and his Matthew Shardlake series. Set in 16th century Tudor England, specifically 1537, Dissolution vividly portrays a country divided between the Roman Catholic Church and newly established Church of England. The novel is fast-paced as Shardlake, a lawyer in the employ of vicar general Thomas Cromwell, is sent to investigate the murder of a royal commissioner at a monastery on the south coast. Shardlake is a fascinating character, a hunchback whom Sansom paints with a brilliantly human brush, and the lawyer uncovers all sorts of darkness in the religious institutions of the day. Sansom clearly is a gifted historian and writer, two skill sets not often brought together. PD James is right to call Dissolution a “remarkable debut.”

The Target by Baldacci. Baldacci is, for me at least, the quintessence of “dessert” reading. You can’t survive on it alone, but it sure tastes good in moderation. The Target is Baldacci’s most recent publication and thankfully it comes in his Will Robie series, arguably my favorite character in his voluminous corpus. Robie teams up with Jessica Reel, they are becoming quite a formidable pair, for a dangerous mission sanctioned by POTUS in North Korea. Baldacci weaves this mission together with another storyline involving an old enemy of Reel, which I found more compelling than the North Korea business. While the two narratives coincide, the book’s pace is rapid. Once Reel’s old enemy disappears the book feels as though it coasts to the end. I’ve consumed much Baldacci dessert this spring and the tastiness of this dessert is become stale. Time to move on for a while.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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. 

God in the Whirlwind: How the Holy-Love of God Reorients Our World by David Wells. What a book. After years of constructive deconstruction of modern evangelicalism in the west Wells charts a path forward for faithfulness. Wells convincingly argues that what churches must rediscover is an understanding of God’s “holy-love” (the hyphen is very important). The book’s final paragraph sums it all up quite brilliantly:

Today, we need a fresh vision of God and his character of holy-love. Our understanding of his greatness gets worn down, sometimes worn out, by the constant rubbing against our highly modernized life. It is this vision, though, this knowing of God, that puts steel into spines and fire into Christian hearts. When we are God-centered in our thoughts, God-fearing in our hearts, when we see with clarity what his character of holy-love is like, he begins to have weight in our lives. When that happens we become, not just occasional visitors to the eternal, but its permanent residents, its citizens. And that is when the church becomes more than just another organization but, in fact, the outpost of eternity in this wounded world. May the church indeed be all that it is in Christ, so that through its life the glory of God will be seen anew in all its splendor! (242)

Amen.

Calvin on the Christian Life: Glorifying God and Enjoying Him Forever by Michael Horton. The latest entry into Crossway’s “Theologians on the Christian Life” is a marvelous introduction to the Genevan reformer. What Mark Beach did for the Institutes Horton does for all of Calvin’s corpus. Horton wisely devotes careful attention to Calvin’s doctrine, for the Geneva reformer had not place for a dichotomy between doctrine and life. I do think that Horton’s Escondido emphases come through in his discussions on justification, union with Christ, and two kingdoms. Reader will notice a conspicuous rise of Luther footnotes in these sections. Nevertheless, if you are looking for an imminently readable and practical introduction to Reformed faith and practice, this is great place to start.

Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War by Max Hastings. With this year being the centenary of World War I’s outbreak, I have purposed to read several works on The Great War. Fascination with The War to End All Wars is not nearly as pronounced in our country as it is over in Europe and my historical reading has reflected such a reality. I have read dozens of books on World War II, but – as best I can tell – have only read two on the preceding catastrophe. And that is an apt title for Hastings most recent volume. The acclaimed Hasting hand on history is visible for all to see: penetrating analysis, moving personal accounts, and thoughtful questioning of the status quo. I do think, however, like many of Sir Max’s other books, this book has a penchant for so filling the narrative with personal recollections that the overall flow becomes disjointed. This may prove to be one the best publications in year filled with offerings on World War I.

Click here to find other entries in the Recent Reads series.

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.

Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What that Means for You and Me by Kevin DeYoung. The praise for the book is high, with some people already calling it the most important book of the year and one DA Carson recommending churches purchase it “by the case.” The praise is not excessive, the book is that good. DeYoung’s characteristic clarity and wit permeate the book, which is largely structured around Scripture’s four attributes: sufficiency, clarity, authority, and necessity. I can’t remember the last book I read where the margins were so marked up with simple agreements like, “Yep,” and “Right!” The annotated bibliography at the end is brilliant and makes it all the more useful. If you can afford it, buy a case for your church.

The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortland. If you are looking for a clear and concise summation of what it means to be “gospel-centered” this is it. I appreciated Ortland’s continual focus on how we can and ought to move from gospel doctrine to gospel culture in our churches. The book is particularly helpful in the diagnostic questions sprinkled throughout; for example, “Is there some place in your church’s life where obedience to Christ is being withheld but his blessing is expected anyway?” (84). Also useful is his gospel matrix:

Gospel doctrine – gospel culture = hypocrisy
Gospel culture – gospel doctrine = fragility
Gospel doctrine + gospel culture = power

The book does unfortunately slip into cliches and reductions that have come to typify the gospel-centered resurgence, but that shouldn’t discouraged pastors and church members alike to read the book. We want our churches to be model homes of the new neighborhood that Christ is building for eternity and The Gospel will help encourage you unto faithfulness in the gospel.

On Being a Pastor: Understanding Our Calling and Our Work by Derek Prime and Alistair Begg. Originally published in 1989 as Pastors and Teachers the revised edition came out ten years ago and remains a welcome contribution. Derek Prime had a vibrant ministry in Scotland and, for a time, had a pastoral assistant named Alistair Begg. The great value of On Being a Pastor is it’s conversational breadth. With clarity and warmth the authors cover everything essential to faithful ministry: calling, praying, preaching, shepherding, leading, and caring for one’s family. Undoubtedly the lasting value of the books is the insertion of personal commentary from both authors on whatever topic is at hand. Many of the comments will stir a pastor to reevaluate or revamp his pastoral practice, and just as many will have you smiling. Prime tells us why wearing slippers in study makes him feel lazy, and thus he must wear shoes. Begg comments on why he won’t let any of his pastoral team where facial hair, saying the fact that he would have to exclude Spurgeon causes him no small loss of sleep. A thoroughly enjoyable and edifying read.

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. Many people know Hillenbrand today as the author of the runaway bestseller Unbroken, a page-turner on the incredible life of on Louie Zamperini. Before helping Zamperini become a national hero late in his life, Hillenbrand reminded 21st century readers about the most famous American figure of 1938-1939, a horse named Seabiscuit. While the European continent was teetering the edge of World War II, thorough bred racer Seabiscuit captivated America in a way few sporting figures have ever done. I don’t have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to rightly sings this book’s praises. Seabiscuit represents a pinnacle of narrative history, a fact all the more stunning when you discover it was Hillenbrand’s first book. Hillenbrand is a master and I have every reason to expect her next work to be another masterpiece.

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. For years I have meant to read this book as I have heard the phrase so often in other World War II readings, but it wasn’t until last week I actually took it off the shelf. Brokaw’s method is simple: tell the stories of those American citizen heroes and heroines who battled through The Great Depression and World War II. With simple prose and moving reflection Brokaw gives flesh and blood to this generation that almost now entirely rests in the grave. An excellent contribution.

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.

Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm. Chandler says this book is “the most helpful, concise, and useful book on expository preaching I have ever read.” Dever says if he could only assign one book for a preaching class this might be the one. Does the book live up to its hype? I would say so. I found the first chapter on “Contextualization” abundantly useful, especially when Helm talks about how “blind adherence to contextualization alters our preaching” (17). The alterations of impressionistic preaching, inebriated preaching, and “inspired” preaching are helpful categories to fight against. A great entry in this great series from 9Marks.

Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles. Stiles is, by all accounts, a profoundly gifted evangelist. His previous book Marks of the Messenger stood as my favorite on evangelism, but this latest offering takes its place. The value of the book is found not only in the excellent encouragements offered for personal evangelism, but also in its focus on a culture of corporate evangelism. He says, “If you are part of a healthy church that has a culture of evangelism, you are a part of the greatest way of evangelism ever known.” Amen! If I had could only give one book on evangelism to church members, this would be it.

Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rinne. In light of the two books above you might expect me to say that Rinne’s contribution to the “Building Healthy Churches” series is my new favorite on the topic of elders. It’s not, but it sure is close. In many ways I feel that he has ably condensed Anyabwile’s Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons and Witmer’s The Shepherd Leader into one accessible volume. The book is full of sound exegesis and sane application, and pokes devastating holes in the “Elders as Board of Directors” approach. I’d encourage any church member to read this book, it would help them get a better understanding of and appreciation for the biblical model of shepherding.

Is God Anti-Gay? by Sam Allberry. Few issues are as timely for Christians to get their minds around as what the Bible says about homosexuality. Is God Anti-Gay? comes from The Good Book Company’s little series “Questions Christians Ask” and Allberry’s contribution ought to be read by all Christians. The author struggles with same-sex attraction (SSA), and thus he is able to combine sharp biblical insight with a unique personal perspective . The book tackles questions like “Aren’t we just picking and choosing which Old Testament laws apply?” to “Can’t Christians just agree to differ on this?” to “What should I do if a Christian comes out to me?” Allberry has done the church an incredible service with this book. Get many copies for your church.

The Evangelistic Zeal of George Whitefield by Steve Lawson. Reformation’s Trust “Long Line of Godly Men” profiles have all been excellent, but Lawson’s entries (Edwards, Calvin, Luther, Spurgeon) have been my favorites. And the admiration only continues with his work on Whitefield. I found my heart stirred afresh for holiness, the gospel, preaching, and evangelism. What a gift to God’s church Whitefield was! “Often as I have read his life”, said Spurgeon,”I am conscious of distinct quickening whenever I turn to it. He lived. Other men seemed to be only half-alive; but Whitefield was all life, fire, wing , force.My own model, if I may have such a thing in due subordination to my Lord, is George Whitefield; but with unequal footsteps must I follow in his glorious track.” This book will help you understand why the Prince makes no overstatement with that sentiment.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. Not since Unbroken has a work of narrative fiction caused me to miss sleep like this one. Millard masterfully weaves together the tales of President James Garfield, his assassin Charles Guiteau, and legendary inventor Alexander Graham Bell into a narrative that is equal parts gripping and informative. Millard is not yet on the level of Hillenbrand, but give her some more time and she’ll be there. I am told she is currently writing on Winston Churchill, a publication I look forward to with high expectation.

The Camel Club by David Baldacci. The Camel Club, group of misfits who love conspiracy theories, stumbles upon a murder that has the predictable “astounding, far-reaching implications” threatening the very fabric of our national security. I am a sucker for such unrealistic predictability so I dove in despite my fear the outcome would be somewhat cheesy. The plot is interesting, in spite of being bloated by too many characters. I am not sure the conclusion actually crossed the border into the realm of “cheese”, but it nonetheless demands more faith from the reader than I can give. And so it is that my month-long Baldacci binge comes to its conclusion.

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.

Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin’s Doctrine of the Lord’s Supper by Keith Mathison. When RC Sproul read this volume for the first time he told Mathison (a longtime colleague), “You may die now.” In the foreword Sproul remarks, “I explained [to Keith] that if he made no other contribution to the church for the rest of his life, he has already provided a legacy for future generations by writing this book.” And it is an excellent book. Packed with historical, biblical, and theological reflection on the always timely topic of the Supper. I for one wish the book started with biblical theology instead of historical/systematic theology, but the ordering make sense as Mathison is out to reclaim the traditional Reformed view of the Supper. The book is longish (some 360 pages) and packed with lots of valuable research, so it probably won’t be a fast read. But it nevertheless remains one of the best books available on the topic.

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by JI Packer. Few books have an undeniable case for inclusion in the “Must Read” category and this is one of them. The issue lying at the heart of the book is as pertinent as when it was first published in 1961. Packer’s objective is to show that “faith in the sovereignty of God’s government and grace is the only thing that can sustain [evangelism], for it is the only thing that can give us the resilience that we need if we are to evangelize boldly and persistently.” And boy does he succeed! While it may be wished that more reflection on the local church’s role in evangelism was offered, it cannot be denied that Packer – in my view – offers the best, and clearest, dismantling of the objection that God’s sovereignty in salvation limits man’s responsibility in evangelism. We should look at this book and, like Augustine, hear a childlike voice saying, “Tolle lege!”

True Beautyby Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre. Excellent. Wise. Clear. Convicting. Encouraging. These would all be words I’d use to describe this offering by the mother and daughter duo of Mahaney and Whitacre. In fact, it might just be one of the most useful books one can find on biblical femininity. The authors define true beauty as “behold and reflecting the beauty of God.” With biblical and cultural awareness the book covers all the bases one would expect: True Beauty and Our Hearts, True Beauty and Our Bodies, and True Beauty and Our Clothes. The chapters on beauty’s relationship to trust and works are especially useful. I’d love to see all the women in my church read this. It’s that good.

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci. My march through Baldacci continued with the fourth volume in his “King & Maxwell” series. The plot of The Sixth Man was the weakest one I’ve read in my recent Baldacci binge. It somehow manages to capture the attention, while not really picking up steam until about two-thirds of the way through. Which, I imagine, is a backhanded compliment of sorts. The first three books in the series were compelling in their development of the protagonists, but the titular players are quite static as they race to uncover big government machinations. I’ve have to give Baldacci great credit as the twist in this one was an absolute surprise, the first time that had happened in a long time. I must have been asleep at the reading wheel!

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.

The Lord’s Supper: Eternal Word in Broken Bread by Robert Letham. Next week I am scheduled to deliver a lecture on the Lord’s Supper to a group of pastors in my local county, so I’ve been working through some choice titles on the topic. And I think Letham’s work is the best introduction to one’s understanding of this means of grace. It is clear and convictional, while steering clear of the monotony I find in many works on the topic. If you want to wade into a classic Reformed understanding of the Supper, this is the place to start.

What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Matt Perman. For years I’ve heard about this book and I was eager to see it finally come to publication. In full disclosure, I’ve rarely profited from productivity books. Why that’s so is a post for another day. As I read through What’s Best Next I found myself consistently saying, “Yeah! That’s how I do it.” Perman just explains the method much better than I ever would. He is spot on to say that productivity is something God deeply cares about and ought to be thought of as “effectiveness” not “efficiency.” Effectiveness is necessarily efficient, but the reverse is not always the case. A particular highlight for me was his discussion of the “ringing effect” and how it informs capacity in work. Any Christian worker would do well to read this book. Tolle lege!

Reaching and Teaching: A Call To Great Commission Obedience by David Sills. This is a marvelous book and one every pastor should read. Sills believes that much mission work neglects a crucial aspect of the Great Commission, namely that we are to teach everything Christ commanded. He convincingly argues that long-term patience in theological education is vital to taking the gospel all nations and planting healthy indigenous churches. I experienced Sills argument first hand while in Uganda last week. We performed all manner of service in the area where we worked: dental/medical clinics, kids programming, soccer camps, construction work, and ministry to orphans. And you know what sure seemed to be the most sought after ministry? Teaching the Bible. More than meeting physical needs, the people longed for and needed the meat of God’s word. I’d recommend every mission team read this book.

A Bundle of Baldacci. The trip to and from Uganda consisted of, literally, a few days worth of travel time. For me, bumpy plane rides and bus rides are not really conducive to heavy theological reading. So I loaded up the iPad with a lot of David Baldacci, the quintessence of easy and fun reading to make the time fly. We could call it “dessert” reading. Reading that you can’t survive on, but is good to partake of every now and then. The plot lines are always intriguing, character development finely paced, and twists inventive, if not predictable at times. Here are the individual titles I read:

• The Hit
• The Forgotten
• Split Second
• Hour Game
• Simple Genius
• First Family