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2021 Reading Reviewed

My 2021 reading list is composed of 78 books I read during the year. It’s the value I’ve always placed on reading and the compilation of my annual list that made a recent article stand out to me. In the November/December 2021 issue of Success magazine, it says that “American adults spend less than 10 minutes per day reading printed materials, compared to a whopping 7 hours and 50 minutes of screen time.” If correct, this statistic reflects the greatest loss we might suffer as people; to develop through the collected wisdom of the written word. The article continues, saying “The benefits of reading are far-reaching, with research showing bookworms experience less stress, reduced risk of depression, lowered blood pressure and improved sleep.” These benefits are probably true, but interacting with written ideas expands your own wisdom and knowledge, an invaluable exercise.

As I record each title in my journal, I add a rating of 1 to 5. Those rated 5 of 5 are the best, memorable pieces of writing that deserve to be widely read. Three books at the top of my list stand out because their rating exceeds the boundaries, rated as 10 of 5 stars. These 3 books would make a list of must-read volumes for Christians. Perhaps I’ll touch on each of these in separate posts to pique your interest. The books at the bottom of the list rated 2 stars are not worth your time, falling short of their promise (or, in the case of Dr. Flowers’ book, it’s potential). The other note you’ll notice on this list are those books marked 2x, indicating they were read twice or a second time with years of separation. As I look at these volumes, I’m tempted to add Henderson’s book Old Paths, New Power (read twice last year) to the 10 of 5 list. If revival interests you, this is a good place to start.

Make a list of your own for 2022. It might just motivate you to read more and build a growing library of wisdom and ideas.

Fresh Encounter	Blackaby	10
Spent Matches	Moran	10
Keep in Step with the Spirit	Packer	10
How to Take Smart Notes	Ahrens	5
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership	Barton	5
Praying with Paul	Carson	5
The Law of Innocence	Connelly	5
Revival	Edwards	5
Come Down, Lord	Ellsworth	5
Praying for One Another	Getz	5
Stop Loving the World	Greenhill	5
Rediscover Church	Hansen	5
Old Paths, New Power (2x)	Henderson	5
Ego is the Enemy	Holiday	5
Effortless (2x)	KcKeown	5
Famine in the Land	Lawson	5
When You Pray	Lindell	5
The Trellis and the Vine	Marshall	5
21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer	Maxim	5
Why Elders?	Merkle	5
Calling on the Name of the Lord	Millar	5
Digital Minimalism	Newport	5
A Voyage for Madmen	Nichols	5
Transforming Worship	Noland	5
Prayer	Onwuchenka	5
How Do I know if I’m Really Saved?	Ortberg	5
Deeper	Ortlund	5
Praying in Public	Quinn	5
How to Think Like a Roman Emporer	Robertson	5
Qualitative Research	Sensing	5
The Case for Keto	Taubes	5
Whatever Happened to Worship?	Tozer	5
Dangerous Calling	Tripp	5
Do You Believe?	Tripp	5
Lead	Tripp	5
In the Day of Thy Power	Wallis	5
How Can I Be Sure I’m a Christian (2x)	Whitney	5
How the Bible Describes Election	Bulow	5
Skip the Line	Altucher	4
The Message of Ruth	Atkinson	4
Chasing the Thrill	Barbarisi	4
Exegetical Commentary on Ruth	Block	4
Common Sense Investing	Bogle	4
The Church	Clowney	4
The Soul of Prayer	Forsyth	4
A Craftsmans Legacy	Gorges	4
Continuous Revival	Grubb	4
Transforming Presence	Henderson	4
Reclaimed Church	Heward	4
Praying Together	Hill	4
Later	King	4
The Kind of Preaching God Blesses	Lawson	4
How to Worship a King	Neese	4
Spiritual Gifts	Schreiner	4
Disney’s Land	Snow	4
What Does it Mean to be Saved?	Stackhouse	4
Authentic	Van Doren	4
Pray in the Spirit	Wallis	4
Radical Christian	Wallis	4
Introducing Practical Theology	Ward	4
Researching Practice for Missions and Ministry	Cameron	4
True Community	Bridges	3
Ecclesiology	Brown	3
Small Giants	Burlingham	3
Intercessory Worship	Eastman	3
Upstream	Heath	3
How to Pray in a Crisis	Henderson	3
Steering the Craft	LeGun	3
Frictionless	Lemieux	3
The Reset	Riddle	3
Made from Scratch	Taylor	3
A Creative Minority	Tyson	3
The Imperfect Disciple	Wilson	3
Unmasked	Ngo	3
God’s Provision for All	Flowers	2
Man Up	Kevilian	2
Quick Start Writing Guide	Nash	2

The Growth Gospel

There is no place nor social context in which the gospel of Jesus Christ is not true. From East to West, from the highest height to the deepest depth, there is no place where the Gospel is not good news. When the Lord commissioned His church to take that good news to the nations, He knew this to be true and permitted no artificial boundaries:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

This is good news for us at home among our local church family and our neighbors, and it’s also good news for us in our missional efforts in the neighborhood andd abroad. The good news of the mercy and love of God as seen in the sacrifice and resurrection of His Son remains consistent for every human being. None is excluded, no one is separated from the promise, no sin is too great, no reprobation too deep that cannot be forgiven in the atonement of Christ.

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile — the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:12–13

Truth demands action on our part. Our commission is not just to maintain the base camp, to keep the campfire stoked. We have trusted in the gospel and know the blessing of forgiveness and our restored relationship with God. Considering this, we must be carriers of the gospel so that others can experience the same relief and the same blessing. What was true of the gospel in the first century is true today, perhaps even more so, given the multitude of communication channels and the ability to put ourselves within the borders of all nations.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. Colossians 1:6

Plant a seed, trust in the power of the spirit to water and nurture it and pray for the gospel to grow.

Book Review | Reappearing Church by Mark Sayers

To Be Sipped and Not Gulped…

index What if the cultural bottom is just the first step up in revival for Christ’s Church? The answer forms the premise of Mark Sayers’ new book ‘Reappearing Church’. Using biblical and historical precedent, Sayers proposes that the small devoted ‘remnant’ (cf. Isaiah) not given over to the suffocating culture can be the spark of a renewal movement. I will always remember his memorable culturally current description of the next step: revival is renewal gone viral.

Sayers is one of the Church’s cultural prophets who brings a bridge of a sociological viewpoint to God’s people. The culture is a challenge to be sure, but when it is understood we find that God has already given His people assurance that it can be overcome by his presence. The Revival that is needed will not come through legislation or cultural surrender as so many are wont to do. It will come through a small remnant who trust in the transformative process of the presence of God.

Sayers is a rare gift to the church. His writing is not of the 12-step genre. Rather, he is a deep thinker who invites the reader to join him in a meditative examination of the air we breathe. The only how-to included in the volume is the introduction which suggests that we gather a small cell of like-minded revivalists around us to pray through the material. Beyond that, the chapters give small bites to savor on the way to personal transformation. ‘Reappearing Church’ is not a fast read. You will want to slow down and think and pray deeply about each of individual subjects. Read it as your invitation to join the Remnant.

Good News | Hopelessness Defeated

29863962483_562ceffb39_z Varying degrees of hopelessness are an accepted part of life in our world. Better stated, hopelessness has marked life since the moment that rebellion against God entered the mortal plane. Hope requires a foundation, and when it is vested in the ever shifting, rapidly changing, only marginally trustworthy structures of the human world, that foundation can crumble in an instant. Claiming hope while secretly wondering when the ground beneath our feet will give way is no hope at all.

True hope is found in the one thing that never changes; true hope is found in the promises and assurances of God. Through the prophet Malachi, God gives hope to the descendants of Jacob saying “I the Lord do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.” (Mal 3:6) God gave similar assurance in the midst of the words of doom that the prophet Isaiah was charged with proclaiming, God gives this hopeful reminder about the proper placement of hope, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isa 40:8)

The Savior Jesus Christ, Son of Man and second member of the Trinity, never changes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Heb 13:8) Faith in Christ results in an unchanging hope. This is a hope that may be buffeted by the challenges and trials of life but whose roots driven deep in the rock allow it to bend like a reed and not be broken. This is a hope that may be challenged by the many worldviews that swirl about but are ultimately found wanting. Hope rooted in Jesus is hope that will carry you through the worst storm, shine light in your darkest hour and can be counted on when all else inevitably fails.

The gospel of the life, sacrificial death and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ fuels the hope of all those who put their faith in this good news of God’s love through His Son. God’s eternal promises from the seconds after the hope-stealing rebellion in the garden come to fruition in the Savior and remain, unchanging, into eternity. The deeper the good news settles in our soul, the greater our hope. The more the good news defines our lives, the greater our hope.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. An I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:16-19)

Be hopeful.

Book Review: Church by A.W. Tozer

We Are the Body

For many Christians, the Church that Pastor Tozer describes in this new collection is almost a foreign entity given the diluted experience that they have each week. Tozer had a deep love for God and His Church, and it pours forth on the pages of this newly published collection. Many of the words have been previously published but Moody Publi 418289 shers has assembled new topical collections of these and other unpublished works on themes important to the modern church. The ‘Church’ collection is inspiring reading as Tozer speaks of the importance of Christ’s Bride, not criticizing for long, but rather, reminding the reader of the world-changing purpose of the assembled Christians.

For those familiar with Tozer’s writing, each chapter is the expected gem. His holiness and earnest devotion to God’s Church is not sanctimonious, it draws the reader deeper and deeper in an invitation to the same devotion. The Church is not a social organization, a club to which we can give passing notice. It is the living, breathing organization through which God works to affect the spiritual transformation of His world. Tozer can be both gentle and firm as the moment dictates and, in both instances, the reader is encouraged to commit themselves and be likewise.

If you are new to Tozer, consult the classics alongside this volume: The Pursuit of God and are good primers. If Tozer has long been on your reading list [as he has mine] you will savor his words and be encouraged in your faith and your ministry, as you probably expect

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” Romans 1:16

Gospel Square 1 The gospel that the Apostle spoke of is good news, stupendously good news. God had intervened in history, entering personally into the morass of human rebellion against Him and making a way out, a way to be freed from the entanglements that drew them to destruction. Jesus Christ entered the world in purity, lived a life of perfect holiness and died as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. His death atoned for all sin. When Jesus was then resurrected on that third day, He demonstrated indisputably that He had overcome death and broken the entrapping bonds of sin. The long-awaited promises to Israel were fulfilled and the blessing of God extended to all who would believe that Jesus was their only avenue of freedom from the bondage of the Fall.

That is fabulously good news. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15

The Apostle quoted the prophet Isaiah in this assuring statement. The prophet communicated to God’s people Israel that their exile would end, that they would be released from their captivity in Babylon, that freedom was imminent. Good news to be sure, fantastic even. Except, the power sin remained and, while physically freed, people were still held in its vise-like grip. Better news was still to come.

The better news is Jesus. Jesus, the savior who died for the “sins of the whole world” 1 John 2:2. The amazing news is Jesus who overcame death and its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57) and gives all who will believe that victory. Jesus not only makes the way of atonement, He shepherds believers along the path of life (Hebrews 7:25) until they are rejoined with God in perfect communion.

This is good news. This is the gospel.

The Final Exam of a Christian

Patience is not a Synonym for Tolerance

Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?

Romans 2:4

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When we are unaccustomed to thinking about God in terms of his character, specifically his benevolence and grace, we can easily be led to believe that his patience with us reflects a lack of resolve. Perhaps resolve is too harsh a word; seriousness and intention to judge would be a better statement of our interpretation of God’s patience.

For many in the natural world, the fact that God has yet to judge them lends credence to their belief that He will not. For those inside of the family of God, patience can be interpreted as tolerance. Both interpretations are equally fallacious as God is neither tolerant or unjust. The missing component in both of these misinterpretations of the patience of God is the finite time span in which most people’s thinking resides, in contrast to the pre and post-existent manner in which God sees history.

History only has a beginning and ending point in human terms. We are given the story of our origin in the garden and a preview of the conclusion of history in John’s Apocalypse. Because of the span of time that passes between these two terminus, human beings tend to think in much smaller spans. Because God has not ended the world and passed judgment in the lifetime of our grandparents or parents or even ourselves thus far, we cannot envision the reality that it may happen at any time.

From the perspective of God, history has no beginning and ending as he has always existed and will always exist. His patience with his beloved creation spans much more than three lifetimes as we see it. Because our minds naturally drift to our favorite subject—ourselves– we pass this infinite patience through the filter of what we would like it to mean, either tolerance or the withholding releasing of judgment.

Considering Romans 2:4 in the course of Holy Week (an interesting twist of the language since every week is holy week) brings a fresh perspective to both the idea and the verse. God evidences his unmatched love and care for humanity in the giving of a Savior. The Savior suffers and pays the penalty due from us and makes the free offer to apply this sacrifice to our lives through faith. This does away with the false belief in tolerance as God clearly does not “just look the other way.” The serious of judgment and its inevitability are also highlighted in the fact that the perfectly just God requires the perfectly spotless sacrifice. If judgment were to be permanently delayed, no such sacrifice would be necessary.

What is on display is the fullness of God’s love and his desire (2 Peter 3:9) that none should perish. His withholding of immediate judgment and even the multi-generation patience that God shows has as its goal our repentance. While the Bible is clear that it will not be withheld indefinitely, neither are we told the moment in which that judgment will be consummated. We must act on God’s kindness, repent and put our full faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. This is the only appropriate response to the riches of his kindness.

Grace and peace to you.

Be Careful What You Wish For – Roman Road 6

Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, He gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:28

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Despite our protestations to the contrary, we human beings want what we want. We invest a lot of energy in trying to be less selfish, or at least appearing to be less self-interested. Sooner or later, however, the reality of who we are comes to the surface. Our greatest desire is for our greatest desire.

On its surface, this doesn’t appear to be a negative trait. And if we are pure in heart and consider the greater good when evaluating our own interests then the probability of a positive outcome is measurably higher. But let’s not fool ourselves; we are not pure in heart and our idea of the greater good takes self into account before other.

This is what Paul has in mind as we begin to walk down the Roman Road. He makes a simple case for our greatest desires to be guided by the will of God rather then our natural self-satisfaction. Without diving into a deep theological morass he makes the case that what can be known about the natural order is self-evident to all people. To put this another way, we can evaluate what is proper according to the natural order and therefore judge when our desires are not in alignment with that order.

It’s here that the awful reality of accountability before God strikes our hearts. If we cannot claim to be ignorant of the way in which God intends for things to be then we will only be left with two choices, align with God’s will or our self-will. The consequence of this decision is clear as well.

When we choose and elevate and exercise our desires contrary to the plain evidence of God’s order and will, the possibility that we will find ourselves in a dangerous position increase exponentially. That dangerous position — that horrific position — is that God may turn us over to our desires. Paul makes this awful proclamation three times in the span of four verses and it catches us off guard. The omnipotent God who could force us to toe the line instead appears to throw up his hands and say “have at it!” Enjoy your desire and the consequence of that choice.

“Not fair”, we exclaim. We want the product of our selfish desire without the consequence but this is contrary to the evidence all around us that Paul has pointed to. You can’t have one without the other. It has never happened and it never will since it contradicts the created order.

The direction of our will sets the foundation for the gospel that Paul unfolds as we walk further down the road together. God does not force us to accept his will in place of our own. He makes the superiority of his ways evident to all. He makes the extent of his love for all transparent. He gives evidence to his desire in Jesus. Then God says choose. This call to choose is put in human language by Moses (Deuteronomy 30:19); “choose life.” Not choosing life can result in nothing but death.

Grace and peace to you.

Take a Closer Look – Roman Road 5

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Romans 1:20

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Those who have read Romans—likely all Christians at one time or another—have been presented with this verse and yet it often gets little attention. That evidence for God is plain and apparent to all of humanity leaving them without excuse kind of changes our thinking about speaking about the gospel, doesn’t it?

So many times we back away from interactions with our non-believing friends and family because we are convinced that our apologetic is weak. Fear bristles within us that we might be handed a question for which we don’t have the answer. We’ll look foolish and our opportunity will be lost forever. It almost looks like we believe that the success of the gospel lies squarely on our shoulders.

Read the verse again. God has already laid the foundation for our efforts. God, whose word does not return empty (Isa 55:11) and whose word is living and active (Heb 4:12), has made Himself known to those who bother to look. A friend willing to listen to you tell of the hope you have is already spiritually aware, God has already laid the groundwork for you (and me).

Rereading and thinking about this is both encouraging and humbling. Why would I think otherwise? God has given the foundation, the Word, the methods; everything! God has instructed me to depend on Him alone in everything, why in the world would I think that sharing his precious truth with a person that He loves would be the one action that stands separate from Him? Moment of repentance inserted here.