One of My Favorite Reads

This book is part of Crossway’s Union series which “invites readers to experience deeper enjoyment of God through four interconnected values:  delighting in God, growing in Christ, serving the church, and blessing the world.”

“This book is for the frustrated.  The exhausted.  Those on the brink.  Those on the verge of giving up any real progress in their Christian Growth.”  You ever feel this way?  That is a quote from author Dane Ortlund in his newest book entitled:  Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners published by Crossway.  This is a book about growing as a Christian and the premise of this author is that believers do it by going deeper.

The author, Dane Ortlund, serves as pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois.  He is the author of the well-known book Gentle and Lowly:  The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers.

He does this by challenging us to get to know Jesus better.  He wants us to see Jesus with more than just the casual look that we give Him but to see Him as the awesome Savior that He is.  Jesus is a never-ending book that you need to read for the rest of your life.

The author then turns to a chapter on despair and how needful that is as well in our lives as long as our despairs drives us in repentance to this Jesus who is our friend.

On his chapter on our union with Christ the author helps us think out what that means for us not just in eternity but now.  He takes a look at it from a macro and micro view.

Chapter four entitled “Embrace” encourages us to think over the fact that God loves us.  He says, “My first challenge is to convince you of how much great God’s love is than even now you conceive.”  He goes on to tell us that, “We grow in Christ no further than we enjoy his embrace of us.”  This chapter is one that you will have to read over a few times.  This love talk is something you will spend a life time pondering.

Chapter five takes us back to the gospel and may be one of the best chapters I’ve read in a long time.  In it the author helps us see how justification is something that we return to all throughout our walk as believers.

Oh my, chapter on honesty may have trumped chapter five.  It brought to life a passage of Scripture that honestly, I had overlooked.  I found it convicting and convincing.  Chapter six is worth the whole read.

Pain consumes chapter seven and our author delves into the subject by showing how pain drives us to Christ. He ends with a discussion on mortification and what that does and does not look like in a believer’s life.

When you approach chapter eight you will wonder what in the world breathing has to do with spiritual growth.  That is, until you understand the necessity of Scripture and Prayer in your life.

The author’s final full chapter focuses on the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer.  In the Spirit is our true hope of growth and He does that work by making Christ “wonderful to us.”

The conclusion pulls it all together with a unifying message of keep your gaze upon Jesus.

I’m so glad I read this book!  I look forward to reading it again and again.  It is so full of truth.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Excellent Work on the Doctrines of Man and Christ

I will never forget walking into my first seminary theology classroom at Reformed Theological Seminary.  It was taught my Dr. Ligon Duncan himself and I will never forget something he said.  “There is the God that is and the God that we want and the two are not the same.”  That is why when I got the chance to review Crossway’s second volume of Reformed Systematic Theology on Man and Christ authored by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley I was thrilled.  In this book of theology we drill deep on the God who is.

            Joel R. Beeke is President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary.  He is also the pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan as well as the editor of Puritan Reformed Journal and Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, the editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.  He is a busy guy.

            Paul M. Smalley is the faculty teaching assistant to Joel Beeke at he seminary and also served as a pastor for twelve years in the Baptist General Conference.

            In their first volume they dealt with the doctrine of revelation and God and continue on in this second volume with the doctrines of man and Christ. What you find in this second volume is much like what you find in the first.  It is full of Scripture references and quotes from the giants of theology from the past.  It is easy to read and will be a great use from anyone from the pew to the pulpit.

            This is something that can be used in a seminary classroom and also in a small group study at a church.  The results will certainly be spiritual growth and worship.  You will certainly see the God that is.  I highly recommend it.

A Must Read by Every Leader

Some writers just have knack of ripping you open in a surgical heart procedure only to bring the healing salve in the next paragraph.  That is how I felt when I read Paul David Tripp’s latest book entitled Lead:  12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church where he addresses what he calls a leadership crisis in the church.

            Tripp is the author of several award-winning books including Dangerous Calling.  Many see this as a great follow to that book.  He is a pastor/teacher who brings the gospel to bear on every subject he encounters.

            In the chapters of this book the author causes us to look at what motivates us in ministry, to look at how we view the people that we serve, to see how we view the leaders that we have the privilege of serving with and how we view this great God that has called us.  In process he challenges us to contrast what we say we value with what we actually value.  He calls us to character in the pages of this book stating that above everything else you would want to be in a leader, that God values character and that character will trump performance.

            Tripp has broken his book down into 12 chapters.  Each one hits these ideas from a different side, but they all tie together. 

            I probably appreciated the most his chapter on identity which was a strong reminder to me of where I search for identity in my life.  It is so easy for pride to slip in as it has in my life.  Finding my identity in Him and separating it from me and my achievements is so freeing.  That is a freedom that I need and want.

            He ended the book with a chapter on God’s presence.  It was such a needed reminder to me that I need to practice God’s presence and practice it with my fellow leaders each and every day.  The work is His work, not mine. 

            Nestled in this book is the truth that at the end of the day all leaders are sinners in need of grace.   I was thankful for the reminder that we need to strive to restore those who have fallen.  I have been that person.  Thankful for those who did not give up on me.

            Seriously, any leader needs to read this book.  It is so needed in our churches as we see so much ego and not so much about Him.  This book just might make a few pastors mad and see it as threatening.  It is threatening because it cuts deep, but then again, it also heals.

            I received a copy of this book for an honest review.  I’m so glad I did.  You will too.

What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church?

9 Marks ministry has recently come out with a series of short books that it calls the Church Questions series.  Each book sets out to answer a specific question regarding the church and church life.  I was recently sent a copy of one of these short books entitled What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church? Written by David “Gunner” Gunderson.  Gunderson is the Lead Pastor of BridgePoint Bible Church in Houston, TX.  He is a graduate of Master’s College and Southern Seminary.

            I think that this is a very timely book that has recently been published in that many pastor’s are faced with the challenge of regathering their flocks.  Sadly some have not yet decided to return and need to be reminded of why we gather in the first place.

            In this book the author reminds us what a church is and there is no way around the fact that the gathering of fellow believers is vital.  There is something that will never be replaced by a Facebook video or a Zoom meeting. 

            I appreciated so much his words concerning the fact that a church is a covenant family.  After seeing the ebb and flow of church life it was good to be reminded that “covenants are made for the hard times, no the good times.”  We tend to forget that.  The author reminded me that covenants are about us and not all about you even though they may involve us.  We live in such a naval gazing day where we think that church should be about me and what they can do for me.  The author reminded me that is not the case.  I found myself convicted by His words.

            I highlighted the author’s section on the power of consistency and how it is the “most underrated weapons in our walk with God.”  He encouraged his readers to be disciplined to consistency in their church attendance. 

            The author debunked various reasons why people give for not coming to church.  In the process he shows the many benefits of coming even when you don’t feel like.

            If you are struggling with problems found within your church, he gives you some insight on how to Biblically deal with it in your own heart and in your church.  He reminds us that “Jesus didn’t die for saints; He died for sinners.”  The church is going to have problems because there are people in the church.  Plain and simple.

            He finishes up His work by diving into what should be our mission when we go to church as dealt with in Hebrews 10:24-25.  He encouraged me to be an encourager when I go to church this Sunday.

            This is a small book in a series of books than any church could purchase and have available for those who may need to be encouraged in their church membership.  I see value here.

            I was given a copy of this book for an honest review.  Honestly, I liked it.  You will too.

Should You Join a Church?

9 Marks ministry has recently come out with a series of short books that it calls the Church Questions series.  Each book sets out to answer a specific question regarding the church and church life.  Recently I was sent the book entitled Why Should I Join a Church?  It is authored by none other than Mark Dever himself who is the founder 9 Marks and the pastor of Capital Hill Baptist Church.  It is no surprise that he might write on this subject since membership is one of the original 9 Marks of a Healthy  Church.

            In a day when many churches have no type of former membership and many of those who do allow people to easily come in and out of their covenant, it is good for us to think about why we should or shouldn’t join a church.  Does the Bible have anything to say about church membership?  That is what this short book which can be purchased for under $5 speaks about.

            First I was appreciative of the fact that the first reason Dever gave for joining a church was to display the gospel by joining a church.  We don’t think about the gospel enough when we make our decisions concerning the church.  In a day where church has become about us rather than about the God who has created us and redeemed us, we don’t think about the fact that church can be hard and difficult at times because of all the different people who are part of that congregation.  Because of the fact that I am reconciled to God, I should work on being reconciled to others who have a faith in Jesus Christ.  He tells us that we don’t just “say we’re reconciled, we show it.”  We show it by our love for one another and by helping each other grow into Christlikeness.

            Isn’t it true that we so often just totally miss the meaning and mission of the church?  He goes on to show how membership and commitment is the Biblical model that is expressed in the Scriptures.

            I do recommend this book.  It is an inexpensive way for pastors to get their people to think about what a church really is and what it is not.  This book could easily be purchased and placed in the hands of every member.

            There are other book in this series that deal from everything from prayer to politics.  I do think that this is going to be a helpful resource for the church.

            I was given a copy of this book with the agreement that I would write an honest review.

A Reformed Systematic Theology

I was sitting in on a seminary class taught by Dr. Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary when I heard him say something that has forever stuck with me. He said, “There is the God that is and the God that we want and the two are not the same.” He followed up with another, “There is the God that is and the God that we underline in the Bible and the two are not the same.” I knew right then and there where I would be going to seminary. I haven’t regretted that decision.
Recently I received a copy of the first of a four-volume work entitled: Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God. This work digs into the first two of eight central themes of theology. It was written by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. Beeke is the better known of the two. He is the president and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homilectics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Smalley is a teaching assistant to Dr. Beeke, a bivocational pastor at Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and coauthor of several other works with Dr. Beeke.
This first volume is a massive 1312 pages and covers extensively the two themes. I found it easy to read and even devotional at times. It didn’t seem to be too rigorous and difficult to follow. At the end of each chapter was a song as well as questions for meditation or discussion. To give you an opportunity to go even further, they provide questions for deeper reflection.
Probably the one thing that I enjoyed the most were the quotes from different reformed figures throughout history. The quotes flowed with the topic at hand and brought even greater enjoyment to me as I read.
I look forward to the next three volumes being released by Crossway. I appreciate so much this effort and time it must have taken to have written this. I highly recommend it to you.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Church Conflict Resolution

When you think about the fact that Jesus said that the world would hate us and that we have an enemy in Satan, it shouldn’t surprise us when conflict takes places in church and between Christians. When conflict takes place, unfortunately, what suffers is the gospel. You would certainly think that we would be expectant and prepared when this takes place. Author Michael Hare seeks to tackle this issue in his book When Church Conflict Happens: A Proven Process for Resolving Unhealthy Disagreements and Embracing Healthy Ones.
The author comes at this topic with a wealth of experiencing having served over two decades in the role of senior pastor with most of that in what would be considered turnaround ministries. What that means is that he has seen his share of church conflict and has navigated churches through conflict and to health. He has severed over 15 years a church conflict consultant.
Hare does a good job of teaching us to map out the conflict to see what is truly going on in the situation at hand. He talks about the outward signs that we should be looking for in conflict so that we can address an issue before it gets out of hand.
I especially enjoyed the chapter on spiritual gifts where he showed how different gift sets can lead to conflict if we are not aware of the possibility.
His book has plenty of interacting section where you are encouraged to come map out the conflict discussed and provide your own possible solutions to the situation at hand. The book is also filled with stories that the reader most certainly can relate to.
Do I think that this book would be helpful to a pastor or church leader? Most certainly. To take the time to dissect what is truly going on in a situation and how to best overcome it, is time well spent. As the author points out, the church and personal relationships can grow stronger by going through the process.
It took me a while to read this book because of recent personal pain that I’ve gone through in my own life. I wished that I had a copy of it sooner. I feel a pastor and church leader must be prepared because of the warnings that Christ Himself has put forth.
The book is a 249 page read and is published by Moody Publishers.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

One of the Best I’ve Read

Charles Spurgeon is remembered even still as being the most popular preacher of his era, but his fingerprint upon the Kingdom of God goes even further because of his influence upon ministers and theological students down through the ages.  While pastoring he organized a college for ministers and invested in them.  On Fridays he would be more informal with his lectures and over time those messages were recorded and put into book form.  From that we get Lectures to My Students, a wonderful collection of subject matter that covers everything from preaching, to prayer, and to ministry.

This review, though, is not of Charles Spurgeon’s work but rather of Jason Keith Allen’s work, Letters to My Students.  The book to which I’m referring to is volume 1 of a series where the author desires to mentor ministers and future ministers just as Spurgeon had done many years ago.

Allen is the president of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and was influential in bringing that seminary from near death to a thriving and growing seminary.  He serves as an associate professor for preaching and pastoral ministry, has his own weekly podcast entitled “Preaching and Preachers”, and is the author of several books, including The SBC and the 21^st Century, Discerning Your Call to Ministry, Being a Christian, and Portraits of a Pastor.

I have read some of his pastor works by this is my favorite.  Over the past several years I’ve attempted to be a student of the preaching process in hopes of improving my own efforts to preach.  This first volume which occupies its attention squarely on preaching I have found to be one of the most refreshing and practical works that I have had the privilege to read.

In this work he has broken down the topic into three sections:  preparing to be a preacher, preparing your sermon, and growing in your preaching.  In these sections Allen is true to keeping the focus upon the Word of God while at the same time navigating a preacher through the events that we face that might tempt us to deter from that.

I love this book!  I would encourage every pastor to read it.  You will find it just as refreshing as I did.  I look forward to future volumes.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

Have an Imperfect Dad? This Book May Help.

My dad was not a perfect father.  He was a hardworking man who worked most of his life at a rendering plant that took the byproducts from chicken processing plants (the intestines, feathers, and such) and cooked them in order to make chicken feed.  Yes, that is right.  Chickens eat chicken every day.  Dad was a deacon and the son of a Baptist preacher.  He was humble, kind, and a man of integrity.  With all of that he still wasn’t perfect.

Louie Giglio, the national bestselling author of Goliath Must Fall:  Winning the Battle Against Your Giants and The Comeback:  It’s Not Too Late and You’re Never Too Far, and co-founder of Passion City Church and the Passion Conference, has come out with another work entitled Not Forsaken:  Finding Freedom as Sons and Daughters of a Perfect Father. 

This book invites us to take a look at the character of God from a Biblical perspective in order to get a view of God as Father that may not match our view of father that we may have gotten growing up.  The author believes that our view of God is the most important thing about us.  To have a flawed view of God leads us to have a flawed view of life.  Unfortunately, that view gets marred by past experiences.

Giglio goes through great lengths to distinguish the one true God from that of our earthly father.  In my opinion he almost spills too much ink doing this.  As a matter of fact, I felt uncomfortable at times reading this book because I honestly believe that I have a good dad.  No, he wasn’t perfect but he was good.  Sometimes I got the feeling that this book was written only for those who had poor fathers.

In this book he spoke of forgiving our father’s for their imperfections but this maybe the best part of this book.  In his chapter he said, “To forgive your dad is not to release him from the consequences of his actions.  Rather it’s to release him to God who said, ‘Vengeance is mine…says the Lord’…You don’t release your dad FROM SOMETHING as much as you release him TO SOMEONE.  You offload the role of being judge and jury to God, who is just and fair, knowing full well that your heavenly Father will exact justice at the right time and in the right way.”  For me personally that was the most helpful statement in the book.

Once again if you had a crappy dad who didn’t give you the blessing and love that you should have received, this book will be a great read for you.  Otherwise you may feel as I uncomfortable reading the book.  I’ve read better from Giglio and yes, I will continue reading his future works.  I’m sure this book will be a blessing to many.

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

Great Book on Politics and Culture for the Beginner

I’ve always been told that you don’t talk about religion or politics but Bruce Riley Ashford has done both with his newest book Letters to an American Christian published by B&H.  Ashford is the Provost/Dean of the Faculty at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he also serves as Professor of Theology and Culture. He is a Senior Fellow in Public Theology at the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics (Cambridge, UK) and a Research Fellow at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.  His book is a 256 page read written as a series of letters to Christian, a new believer who is struggling to bring his faith into hot political topics of the day.

In a day where Christians are all over the place with their political views, the author through these series of letters teaches us how to not ignore the hot button issues of our day but also come across in a Christ like manner.  Not having read much on the Christian’s involvement in the political area and in culture, I found myself challenged by the content in the pages of this book.

The first section of his book deals with a Christian view of politics and public life and challenges us to find balance in our political lives.  We cannot ignore it but at the same time we must not forget our Christian values while engaging it.

The second section of his book deals with various hot button issues of our day like religious liberty, free speech, a woman’s right to choose, Black Lives Matter, political correctness, small vs. big government, supreme court interpretation of the constitution, gun legislation, education, the environment, nationalism, war, gender, and fake news.

He finished up the book with a discussion concerning the Christian hope for American politics.

Some have criticized this book for not giving us enough and have blamed the author’s decision of putting this in letter form as the culprit, but for somebody who hasn’t read much on this subject, I found it to be a great way of getting across the truth.  To me, the average Christian can take this book and find application.  Perhaps he will write something more in depth in the future that will satisfy the desires of the academic world.  For the average Christian in the pew, this will be a solid read.

I will be referring back to this book as I attempt to engage this world that we live in and speak about our role in engaging it.  I do recommend it.