January was a strange month for me. Sadly, I was ill for most of it which meant a lot of time working on the sofa and brain fog that kept me from writing. Thankfully the ailments are lifting and so now I feel like I have the capacity again to write. So, what have I been reading over the last few weeks? Well, let me give you a quick run through and brief review of the titles.
My Exceeding Joy by Dale Ralph Davis
Dale Ralph Davis is a well-known name to the Christian world, a former Pastor and Seminary professor from the US whose books have helped thousands of people grow in their understanding of God’s Word. In ‘my exceeding joy’ Dale Ralph David walks through Psalms 38-51 and helps you get your head into the text. This book isn’t a commentary and it isn’t hard to read, but it’s a walk through of the Psalms that helps you see the text, helps you to apply it, and most importantly, helps you see Jesus through it. This is the newest addition to a number of Davis’s books that walk through the Psalms. This would be a helpful little devotional book to accompany your devotional life.
Serve by Steve Robinson
The church is not a place we go in order to consume, but it is a place we go to serve. We serve the Lord, we serve people and we serve our local church family. In this book Robinson unpacks what it means to love your church by serving, but not serving out of a begrudged sense of duty instead out of obedience, joy to love the church with your heart, time and gifts. Robinson helpfully points out that serving is an essential part of the Christian life and as we serve we are following the pattern that Jesus gave us in His life, death, resurrection and His ascension. Have you grown weary of serving in the church? Are you a church leader who struggles to get support for ministries in the church? Are you a Christian who wants to know why serving is so important? This book will help!
Providing for Pastors by Jeremy Walker
In this little book (just 85 pages) Walker encourages churches and church members to support and encourage their Pastor. There certainly is a lot of helpful things in the book, for example, Walker takes you to Scripture and helps the reader see what the Bible says about earning a salary in ministry. But it’s also more than just a Pastor’s salary, Walker broadens the net and helps Christians see how in every area of church life they can support and encourage their Pastor as they serve the Lord and His church. This book is helpful, but it tried to do too much which leads to a lot of different ideas and points being raised but not the depth that might have been more helpful.
Letters and Travels by C. H. Spurgeon
This book is edited by Kevin Belmonte, it’s book that brings together (as the title says) some of the letters and travels of the well-known ‘prince of preachers’ Charles Spurgeon. Spurgeon was a man known for getting stuff done, during his lifetime he preached tons of sermons, wrote plenty of books, articles, letters, trained men for ministry and founded orphanages. But one of the things that might not be so evident is the importance that Spurgeon placed on times of rest and holiday with family and friends. Belmonte draws together Spurgeon’s words with his own little narrative to help you get a broader view of C. H. Spurgeon.
God for Sceptics by John Benton
This book is an invitation for the reader to look into Christianity, to look into some of the difficult questions and to hear the story often referred to as ‘the gospel’. It’s an invitation, specifically for those who are sceptical of the Christian faith. Benton, in his introduction, invites you to follow in the footsteps of C. S. Lewis who was sceptical of Christianity but who was also willing to engage in a good discussion about it (as you probably know Lewis became a Christian). Benton does a good job of packing a lot of evidence and helpful arguments for the validity of Christianity into one little book (111 pages). I have 2 quibbles with the book (that are by no means major); 1) I’m not sure the title is very inviting, even for sceptics, and 2) the cover isn’t the inviting either, I understand why the image was chosen, but many people do judge a book by the cover!
The smile of thy love by Andrew Bonar & The sweet bond of Christian love by Robert Murray McCheyne
I’ve put these two books together because they are similar, both are a collection of quotes from two great Scottish ministers of the past. In each book, Jonathan Master begins with a brief biographical sketch of the different men and puts their lives into context. Following that the rest of the book is filled with quotes on a variety of topics. Some of the quotes are longer than others, but they will make you think, point you to Jesus and help you grow in your love of God and passion to serve Him.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Dayspring Macleod
Dayspring Macleod has written about the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Pastor during World War 2 who was compelled to fight against the Nazi regime and who served the Lord as he did so. In this brief biography, which is part of the ‘hall of faith’ series, you’ll learn about the joys, struggles, travels and tragedies that all took place during during his life. If you’ve not read Bonhoeffer before, I highly recommend you do, and if you’ve not heard his story this book will give you a brief introduction.
Joni Eareckson Tada by Catherine Mackenzie
Many people will know Joni’s story, a normal day in the life of a teenager (in 1967) turned into a life of disability. However, this story is not doom and gloom, it’s the story of how Joni uses her life to tell people about God and how she encourages so many people through her ministry to look beyond their suffering to see God’s goodness. This is a good little book about Joni’s life. I would say that I’m not sure how wise it is to put someone in the ‘Hall of faith’ who is still alive, but maybe that’s me splitting hairs. You can learn about Joni’s ministry here.
*** I received a copy of these books from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews. This does not change the way I rate the books. My views are my own. ***
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