I had the privilege of reading G. K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy while on the beach. It is one of those classics I hadn’t gotten around to yet. Written by G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy addresses foremost one main problem: How can we contrive to be at once astonished at the world and yet at home in it? Chesterton writes: He says, “I …
Seasoned pastor Alistair Begg observes that much of what is said from today’s pulpits cannot be counted as Bible-based, God-glorifying, and life-changing. Rather than preparing a steady diet of spiritual meat, pastors are mistakenly serving up a self-focused snack–ultimately leaving congregations malnourished and ill prepared to stand firm when their faith is challenged. Recognizing the need for a return to …
Enjoyed reading through the expansive volume, David: A Man of Passion and Destiny, by Charles Swindoll. It is a part of his series, Great Lives from God’s Word. I am preparing to preach a sermon series on the life of David entitled, “After God’s Own Heart.” I have always loved Swindoll’s scriptural insights and this book was a great companion …
I finished the last book in the Chronicles of Narnia. While I loved all of them, the seventh and final installment, The Last Battle, could easily be my favorite. The imagery of the final battle on earth and the depictions of heaven are simply glorious. What I loved most of all is that my son, Obadiah, and I read them …
I read Tim Cool’s book Why Church Buildings Matter: The Story of Your Space. I picked it up due to a great podcast interview he had with Rainer on Leadership. While the book was helpful and asked some good questions and contained some good ideas, the most helpful insights that a church can use instantaneously were contained within the podcast. …
Loved the content and visuals presented in Visual Theology by Tim Challies and Josh Byers. It is a uniquely appealing volume presenting an intro into systematic theology. Favorite Quotes As we grow close to Christ and as we grow in our knowledge of his work, we will find ourselves with a longing to become like him (14). We never move past …
I used Dr. Hayne Griffin Jr.’s commentary on Titus extensively during the Titus series at Rocky Creek. The New American Commentary is for those who have been seeking a commentary that honors the Scriptures, represent the finest in contemporary evangelical scholarship, and lends itself to the practical work of preaching and teaching. Dr. Griffin was one of my seminary professors …
I finished the 6th of 7 Narnia books this week. The Silver Chair was a delight! Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, a noble band of friends is sent to rescue a prince held captive. But their mission to Underland brings them face-to-face with an evil more beautiful and more deadly than they ever expected. Favorite Quotes “You …
Thom Rainer’s I Am a Church Member is a great read for anyone who desires a biblical look at what church membership should look like practically. Favorite Quotes I am suggesting that congregations across America are weak because many of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the Body of …
Great read this week in Strauch’s The New Testament Deacon: The Church’s Minister of Mercy. Book Overview Our heartfelt burden is to help deacons get out of the boardroom and building-maintenance mentality and into the people-serving mentality. Deacons, as the New testament teaches and as some of the sixteenth-century reformers discovered, are to be involved in a compassionate ministry of …
With the economy reeling in the wake of the recent recession, many people are experiencing such financial challenges as credit card debt, downsizing, dead-end jobs, and inadequate or depleted savings. With these challenges come others as well. Recent studies confirm that more than half of all divorces are the result of financial pressures at home. And spiritually, many people are …
At Rocky Creek, we have a 1-word project our leadership is focusing on for every month this year. As we evaluate how we can best connect our guests into a relationship with Jesus and this church, I have been collecting many different types of resources. One of those is Nelson Searcy’s book, Fusion. Book Overview Next Sunday God will prompt hundreds …
I would have loved The Liberal Arts: A Student’s Guide regardless of who wrote it, but I love it all the more since our President-Elect for North Greenville University, Gene Fant, authored it. The book is the intro piece in a series that is critical for the Church and Christian institutions going forward. Dr. Fant did an incredible job reclaiming …
Reread Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students recently. So good. Favorite Quotes The first sign of the heavenly calling is an intense, all-absorbing desire for the work (26). He is not always in the act of prayer, but he lives in the spirit of it (42). Since, also, in the reading of the Scriptures comfort and instruction may be plenteously distributed, we …
As I preached through the Book of Jonah, I used many resources. One of the most accessible commentaries on the book was Frank Page’s entry for Jonah in the New American Commentary Series. I thought it was a helpful contribution that included sufficient linguistic studies, thorough treatments of argued discrepancies, and helpful pastoral insights. Favorite Quotes The plans of a sovereign …
Dr. Mohler wrote a fantastic volume called Atheism Remix: A Christian Confronts the New Atheists. Here is the description: A leading Christian intellectual explores the newest strain of atheism, its foremost thinkers, the cultural conditions that have bred it, and how Christians should respond. Something has changed in American culture. What for years was a little-regarded belief system-atheism-has now gained …
Book Overview Here is the book overview for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: A king and some unexpected companions embark on a voyage that will take them beyond all known lands. As they sail farther and farther from charted waters, they discover that their quest is more than they imagined and that the world’s end is only the beginning. …
Book Description With so much confusion about the role of men in our society, it’s no wonder so many parents and teachers are asking questions about how to bring up boys. Why are so many boys in crisis? What qualities should we be trying to instill in young males? Our culture has vilified masculinity and, as a result, an entire …
The Five Love Languages for Children is a great resource from Gary Chapman. Using the original love languages (physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, gifts, and acts of service), he teaches parents how to apply them in raising children. Favorite Quotes We need to fill our children’s emotional tanks with unconditional love, because real love is always unconditional (17). For …
I’m excited to say that my new book is available today. As I have discipled our worship team, spoken at worship conferences, and consulted worship teams, I have often been asked to develop a resource based on a teaching I have done around the 5 Worship Team Killers. While there are incredible worship resources available, most of them are geared towards …
Biblical Church Growth is a great resource by Gary L. McIntosh. He addresses what the Bible says about church growth versus what current cultural trends can be within the church. Many people hold that the church growth movement is a bad thing, but church growth is a biblical thing. Favorite Quotes I use the word biblical to make the point that, …
This week’s book of the week is by my professor, advisor, mentor, and buddy, Chuck Lawless. Serving in Your Church Prayer Ministry is a fantastic read with practical steps for a church to prioritize prayer. Favorite Quotes “The early church was a prayer-driven church…They watched [Jesus] minister to all types of people, but they didn’t ask for ministry training. Instead, they …
Worship Evangelism was written in response to the seeker-sensitive, church-growth movement. In an era when so many churches work hard at feeling just like the world, Morgenthaler makes a call for churches to remain holy in the truest sense of the word – other than. The best way to reach “seekers” (I know, no one seeks after God [Rom 3:10], but …
2016 has been the best year of my life regarding reading. You know why? In 2016, I decided I was going to read more and I disciplined myself to do it. I wish I had some other brilliant plan, but that was it essentially. A few months into the year, 3 books really challenged me concerning my disciplines, and I made up …
It was a joy to read Piper’s biography on William Wilberforce. I decided to include some biographies in my reading cycle and I was so glad I did. I learned so much from his life. You can get the book on Amazon or download it for free from Desiring God. Book Overview Against great obstacles William Wilberforce, an evangelical Christian …
I finished Prince Caspian, the fourth Narnia installment. As Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are summoned back to Narnia, they must address the dismal state of the land after their absence. Can they fight back the enemy and restore their faith in Aslan? Favorite Quotes Those who run first do not always run last (90). You are my King. I know the …
Return to Worship is a great volume by Ron Owens. With 37 short yet specific chapters and 4 detailed appendices, anyone involved in leading worship can read through the entire book and be edified or select a specific topic and be informed. Favorite Quotes Sometimes it seems we have completely lost sight of Who God is – His might, His majesty, …
I enjoyed reading the 3rd volume in The Chronicles of Narnia. My son and I were taking turns reading The Horse and His Boy, but he was reading it faster than I was, so I had to pick up the pace. I was enjoying the book, but it got much more spectacular the moment Aslan entered the story. Book overview: …
Christ-Centered Worship is a great and thorough book from Bryan Chapell. In it, he gives a balanced and accommodating approach to gospel-centered worship leading. Additionally, he gives examples galore on how to pull it off. Mike Cosper recommended this book in his book, Rhythms of Grace. Favorite Quotes Liturgy tells a story. We tell the gospel by the way we …
There are Christian leadership books that give leadership principles and try to attach a Bible verse to the idea. And then there is Spiritual Leadership. Written by J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership, is an incredible read for anyone who wants to impact another. Favorite Quotes After all, is it not better for the position to seek out the person rather than the person …
A. W. Tozer is a mentor from afar. I have been changed by his writings and his life has impacted me after his death. Tozer on Worship and Entertainment is a collection of writings and excerpts from his sermons on the commercialization of worship. While his ministry was in the middle of the 20th century, his words are still poignant. …
This book by Paul David Tripp was an invaluable gift from friends. Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do, is a simple and yet profound book. Tripp does a masterful job by unearthing things inside you that you weren’t even aware were there. He makes it so obvious you wonder how you never saw it in …
It was such a joy to read Gospel Hoarders. I was blessed to get to know some of the Via boys when I went to North Greenville University. Eventually I would get to know the entire clan. When I met their dad, Rick, I understood partly why I loved these guys so much. Rick Via exemplifies ministry passion and personal …
One of the leadership world’s standard books has been Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I decided to give it a read and become familiar with the principles. The book is full of helpful wisdom that can be applied to anyone who so desires to be effective in any arena. Favorite Quotes Our character, basically, is a composite …
In preparation for a sermon on lust, temptation, and sexual immorality, I reread Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is) by Joshua Harris. While I read this book while I was in college, I was amazed at how much his teaching had influenced the way I personally handled and taught on these issues. While I couldn’t directly quote from the …
As we prepare for The Gathering 2016, I re-read this essential volume on holiness. The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges should be required reading for Christians. “Be holy, for I am holy,” commands God. But holiness is something that is often missed in the Christian’s daily life. According to Navigator author Jerry Bridges, that’s because we’re not exactly sure …
As a pastor, I have regular conversations with those who are suffering through depression. Many people are wondering if the struggle they are experiencing can be labeled depression or something else. In the evangelical world, there are many people who believe in the diagnosis of depression and the need for medicinal aid, and there are other people who feel like …
Practical Family Ministry: A Collection of Ideas for Your Church is a book written by Timothy Paul Jones and many other contributors. I began reading this book as assigned reading as a mentor for a seminary student doing a family ministry project. It was assigned reading for him, but I wanted to go over it as well. The book serves …
On a regular basis, I thank God for Russell Moore. I mean that as serious as I can say it. Oftentimes, when I read something he has written or hear something he has said, I will offer a prayer of gratitude for this work in Dr. Moore. As the President of the SBC ERLC, he speaks on issues of religion …
I often see books that spark my curiosity. Occasionally, I will see a book concept that I just applaud the brilliance behind the topic or the approach. What’s Your Worldview? was one of those books for me. Years ago, I thought about creating an adult Choose Your Own Adventure book working through the consequences for our sinful actions. The CYOA …
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