Read and Reviewed: October 2012

46.  Blaggard’s Moon by George Bryan Polivka

A tale well told of pirates and their ships; of good and evil; of greed and sacrifice; and of love and destiny.  Delaney, a pirate facing sure death on a post in the middle of a pond where flesh-eating sea creatures make their home, rehearses the story in his mind.  Although novels are not my normal choice, and stories of pirates even less so, I truly enjoyed this page-turner as each part of the story unfolded and then came together into one.

47.  The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler

The Explicit Gospel is written in a fresh way explaining the straightforward gospel of Jesus.  Chandler discusses what he terms the gospel ‘on the ground’ and ‘in the air,’ which is to say both the work of Christ on the cross, and the way that event affects the entire universe.  He then shows that if the way we view the gospel is unbalanced toward either side that the outcome will be less than what the good news really is as it relates to both a personal relationship with Jesus, and to a global mission.  Lest the gospel be forgotten, the reader is challenged to approach daily life making it explicit, and not simply assumed.

48.  Battling Unbelief by John Piper

I did not realize it when I bought this book; this is the compilation of the application chapters of The Purifying Power of Living by Faith in Future Grace.  I commend Future Grace to you over Battling Unbelief.  Future Grace gives the foundation and doctrine behind what is re-printed in Battling Unbelief.  This little book encourages the reader to fight for faith in future grace and not only look backward to past grace in the cross as he wars against specific sin.

49.  Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman

A short little book that is bound to change your perspective of what church membership is, and how it is practiced.  Practical, interesting, and packed with Scripture references, I enjoyed this book, and was challenged by its content.

Read and Reviewed: September 2012

37.  The Path Of Loneliness by Elisabeth Elliot

Elisabeth Elliot’s own story of loneliness weaves its way through the pages of this book as she proposes a challenge to see singleness as a gift, and to offer the loneliness back to God.  Divorce, marriage, singleness, and widowhood can all be lonely seasons of life, and each are addressed.  All while affirming the pain of being alone, Elliot encourages readers to find contentment and peace in Christ and to find joy in prayerful solitude.

38.  Love Or Die by Alexander Strauch

Beginning with the words, “You have abandoned the love you had at first,” from Revelation, Strauch examines what love is within the church Body both toward one another and toward God, and how it is carried out practically.  It is altogether convicting, practical, and overwhelming.

39.  Holiness by J. C. Ryle

I read this classic in three days, but I recommend you take three weeks so that less content flies over your head because of your haste.  I love Ryle’s writing style, depth of content, perspective of faith, and love of Christ and His Church within this book.  Each of twenty chapters nearly stands alone on separate subjects so I won’t attempt to summarize.  In nearly every chapter, Ryle seeks to persuade the unbeliever to turn to Christ, and applies doctrine practically to the Christian.

40.  Willing To Believe by R. C. Sproul
A book far too intellectual for me to grasp in full.  Using the works of several leaders in the reformation era and beyond, Sproul defends a case for the doctrine of monergistic regeneration, and shows the inseparable connection among regeneration, original sin, and free will.  A brilliant work in which the reader feels taught by Calvin, Luther, Arminius and others as Sproul integrates their writings into his own.

41.  Of The Mortification Of Sin In Believers by John Owen
Owen urges believers to see sin in its full ugliness, and then to kill it as they are obedient to the Spirit working this out in their lives daily.  The life and peace of the Christian is dependent on it.  For me, I read and re-read sentences and paragraphs in order to understand the content.  Deep and rich, but a hard read.

42.  Of Temptation: The Nature And Power Of It by John Owen
Owen is surely hard to read, but I enjoyed this one.  He discusses the reasons for temptation, how to fight it, what to look out for, and specifically explains how to ‘watch and pray’ as to not fall into temptation.

43.  The Nature, Power, Deceit, And Prevalency Of The Remainders Of Indwelling Sin In Believers by John Owen
As seems the norm with Owen, read it with an Advil and a dictionary close at hand.  An interpreter would help too.  Since I didn’t have any of these things I’m afraid I know very little of the aim of this book beyond the summary given in the title.  (But since I spent hours reading words over and over, I decided to still count it in my quest of fifty-two books this year!)

44.  Killing Calvinism by Greg Dutcher
Dutcher unpacks eight ways that Calvinists wreck their own reputation and theology.  Little passionate pursuit of evangelism, being taught by only Reformed teachers, and arrogance are a few.  Blunt, true to life, and convicting.

45.  Feminine Threads by Diana Lynn Severance
A textbook on women from Bible times to the present with great faith and character.  It is full of history and quotations from the writings of the women Severence highlights and those around them.  With a better knowledge of history than I have, and several less women portrayed at more length, this book could be enjoyable.

Read and Reviewed: August 2012

31. Sex Is Not The Problem (Lust Is) by Joshua Harris
Refreshing in comparison to the last book, I’ll recommend this one to you. I am afraid I have read far too many books about sexual purity in order to be fair; they just don’t seem to all say the same thing. Harris’ book is well written and focuses mainly on fighting lust instead of boundaries in dating and other usual chapters to read in these books.

32. SHE by Rebecca St. James and Lynda Hunter Bjorklund
A book scattered with numerous topics, this book covered everything from sexual purity to beautiful femininity, from the importance of mentoring relationships to living on purpose within boundaries. Throughout, the stories of women in the Bible are highlighted and retold. It attempts to define what a healthy woman of God looks like. I didn’t find this book helpful, but it wasn’t awful either.

33. And The Bride Wore White by Dannah Gresh
The subtitle of this book is, “Seven Secrets to Sexual Purity.” I have no idea what the author thinks those seven secrets are, although I’m sure I could find them in the table of contents. Regardless, reading this book was more like a long heart to heart talk over a cup of hot chocolate, written to a younger audience than myself. Gresh tells her story and encourages the reader through it and through Scripture to make a relationship with Jesus Christ priority as one seeks to act purely in dating relationships. And The Bride Wore White is unique among its kind.

34. Do You Think I’m Beautiful? by Angela Thomas
It’s in the heart of a woman to know if she is beautiful. Oftentimes she goes looking for the answer in the wrong places, and in my opinion this book is not the place either. Angela Thomas tells women they are beautiful because of the way God makes much of them as she quotes from Psalms and Song of Songs. It focuses on throwing off fear and choosing to try to dance an intimate relationship with God into being. Thomas uses several substitutes for profanity, and several ellipses in each chapter leave the reader wondering if the author knows how to complete her own thoughts.

*End of purity and femininity books! Back to a more normal reading list.

35. The Cross by Peter Jeffery
Jeffery uses a simplistic writing style to tell the story of the cross, tracing the prophecies of the Old Testament and discussing the accounts in the gospels. It is nothing out of the ordinary. Reading about Jesus’ last moments and resurrection three days later from the gospels themselves is far richer. Sadly, Jeffery hardly mentions the resurrection, is often repetitive, and takes few words to connect the event of the cross to everyday life despite the subtitle, "The Reality of the Cross for Today."

36. The Doctrine Of Repentance by Thomas Watson
Written originally in 1668, The Doctrine of Repentance is rich in both vocabulary and rhetoric. Watson discusses six character traits of true repentance in full detail, especially focusing on sorrowing over sin. Some other topics within this little book include why we should repent, a warning not to trust in our own repentance but in Christ’s work on the cross to cover our sin, and encouragement to live a life of daily repentance. It made me pause to contemplate as I read. Not a read leading to a happy, light spirit, but a necessary one, I think, regardless.

A Tribute: The Schroeders

Once again I have said another goodbye. This time to the family I have nannied for over the past year on Fridays. I'm only there once a week, but it's been a fun adventure. Jacob and Sophia have tons of energy. They love running after one another, playing chase. Pretending to go grocery shopping and making food in their little kitchen is another favorite. Every week we went on long walks around the neighborhood and talked about all the birds and dogs we would see. I've watched them since they turned one and now they're almost two so there have been lots of fun moments as they've learned single words and then put those words into two and three word sentences! I enjoyed the chance to love these little ones on Fridays!

Read and Reviewed: July 2012

28. God Is The Gospel by John Piper
Love this book. It was my second time reading it, and I kept my highlighter close by. In its pages, Piper unveils how each good gift that comes from the gospel really points to the ultimate gift of the gospel, God Himself. It challenges the ‘prosperity gospel,’ and, I think, American Christian culture in general.

29. Weird by Craig Groeschel
Groeschel says that normal isn’t working in American Christian culture, and challenges the reader to be different – weird –in a way that seeks to glorify God. He addresses the areas of time,
money, relationships, sex, and values. If you’re considering reading this book, I suggest Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman instead (Book #1). I read this at the beginning of my adventure of resolve to read a book a week and it has a similar premise as Weird, but, I think, is better written and more practical.

*Note: I previously worked for a small organization called Love180 as a secretary. As part of that job, I read many books about sexual purity. I was recently given a stack of more purity books, and so the next several books on my list will be in that category.

30. Soul Virgins by Doug Rosenau and Michael Todd Wilson
Please do not read this book. This one is now in the garbage because it is not fit for my bookshelf
and I will not pass it along to someone else. It is far worse than the typical Christian sexual abstinence book. As is typical, the authors attempt to coin some of their own phrases and terms and redefine words; there are plenty of stories about Tom and Jane, and Harry and Sally. More than that, this book has no specific practical helps; it is all generalizations, and the few boundaries it does propose are perilously close to what the authors call “true sex,” or
intercourse. Completely unhelpful practically, and liberal in belief and boundary, it’s not a book I’m recommending.