Misc. Reading

I know it’s been some time since I’ve updated, but let me go ahead and let you in on some of the reading I’ve done in the past couple of months anyway. Like previous months, I’ve been spending a lot of time in reference books and simply referencing other books. The nature of my time right now hasn’t quite allowed me the freedom to plow through books in their entirety the way I’ve been able to in the past. Nevertheless, we’ve made it through a few:

That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis

If Out of the Silent Planet is fun and Perelandra takes this series to a whole new level, then That Hideous Strength takes it somewhere out of this galaxy. I’d say that this book ranks at the very top of some of the most helpful and influential fiction you can ever read. By all means, make this book a priority. I read it aloud to Amanda and we really enjoyed it.

 

The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milne

Featuring both Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. Every kid should grow up listening to these stories. They’re fantastic and hilarious. This was, I think, our second time through. (The first time Amanda and I read them aloud just for our own enjoyment).

 

 

By Faith, Thomas Manton

I wish I had the time to really read every book I use for sermon preparation. I was able to read most of Lloyd-Jones on the Sermon on the Mount last year as I preached through it, and it was wonderful. This is a series of sermons by Puritan Thomas Manton on Hebrews 11. I’ve read as much of it as I can as I preach through my series on the same, and what I’ve read has been excellent. Lives up to the standards of a rich, searching, evangelical Puritan.

 

God Is, Doug Wilson

This book is an extremely short commentary on Christopher Hitchens’ God is Not Great. Extremely short, as in, I think I read it in a couple of hours. You’ll notice that I’ve nowhere commented on having read Hitchens. I haven’t. But the book is helpful in its own way, and would be helpful as a chapter-by-chapter companion to Hitchens’ book. I read it because Wilson is going to be in town with us next April and I was exploring ways to use him on IU’s campus.

March-May Reading

Consider these the all-of-my-time-is-devoted-to-ordination-and-ministry months. A lot of reading was done, but few books were actually read cover to cover. Here’s what I finished:

Perelandra, C.S. Lewis

Out of the Silent Planet is fun. But Perelandra is about 10x better. More insightful, a faster pace, more striking imagery, a better story. I read this aloud to Amanda, and we loved it.

 

Radical Reformission, Mark Driscoll

This book is pretty awful. It’s gimmicky, tacky, full of self-important numbers-related braggadocio, dated, and not particularly helpful. It does have its useful and challenging points, but I’d skip it and pick something better suited to your needs. In this case, I read it with a group of my college students because I thought it’d challenge them to be more salty on campus. I don’t want to short-sell the book, because it had its helpful points, but I do have to say I was embarassed at first.

Don’t Waste Your Life, John Piper

Classic Piper. A simple, straightforward appeal to spend your short life for what matters—the glory of God. Useful for young believers if they can be made to hear all that Piper is actually saying—namely, that life is about the glory of God, not about you and your super-excited afterburners. Read this with a group of undergrad men.

Persuasions, Doug Wilson

A very short, easy to read book modeled after Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Evangelist is walking down the road interacting different types of people, modeling evangelism and apologetics for us. I read this book with a group of guys and role-played through each of the conversations with them, challenging them to have an answer to objections about the faith, and to get to the heart of various stock rejections of God’s truth.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Absolutely fantastic. I used this two-volume set for my entire study through the Sermon on the Mount this past school year, and I hardly found myself needing to reference anything else. I did look at Thomas Watson, James Boice, and John Stott on occasion, but they rarely added anything to Lloyd’Jones’ sermons on the passage. I recommend it to anyone who wants to grow in grace, in obedience to Jesus’ commands, and who wants to understand one of the most beautiful sermons ever preached.

Angels in the Architecture, Doug Wilson & Doug Jones

This is like the opposite of Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life. If Piper is calling you to give up your obsession with this material world and to live for spiritual things, Wilson and Jones are calling you to remember that God created the material world and that it’s very good. If Piper is telling you to live for the life to come, Wilson and Jones are urging you to enjoy God’s gifts in this life—gifts like wine, steak, sex, gardens, laughter, and poetry. If Piper smacks of asceticism, Wilson and Jones smack of decadence. Piper is dealing with American materialism. Wilson and Jones are dealing with American evangelical gnosticism. You get the picture. There’s merit to both of these books, obviously, but if you’re going to err, err with Piper for crying out loud. But don’t miss the lesson that sex and steak and wine are good and meant to be enjoyed in this life.

January & February Reading

Reading over the past couple of months has been thin as I’ve geared up for my ordination exam–reading lots of reference materials, articles, etc. Nevertheless, here’s what I’ve managed to plow through:

Reforming Marriage, Doug Wilson

I read this book aloud with my wife because I was reading it with a group of young husbands and fathers I get together with on Thursday mornings. And I have to tell you, this is by far the most helpful book on marriage I’ve ever read. Short, simple, and very practical. And it was especially helpful to read it out loud with Amanda. Gave me no wiggle room when Wilson put his finger on my sins as a husband.

 

Calvin & Hobbes: 10th Anniversary Edition, Bill Watterson

This was a birthday present. I love Calvin & Hobbes and had a great time sharing this with Peter… who looks remarkably like Calvin.

 

 

 

Out of the Silent Planet, C.S. Lewis

This is the first in Lewis’ Space Trilogy. The Space Trilogy is definitely not Narnia material. This is fiction for grown-ups. The first volume is a little slow compared to the others, but is still a fun read that helps set up the rest of the series. I read this one to Amanda, too, just for fun.

What I Read This Summer

(Jake) I thought it might be fun to start sharing some of my reading with you guys and a one line review or so. Plus, I figured you’d rather read that than see the pictures of Amanda’s awesome pregnant-on-Halloween costume (not).

I’ll start with this past summer (June-August), but first a word about C.S. Lewis.

Lewis is one of those authors I have a visceral reaction to just because so many people love him–especially evangelical Christians. I know, I know… how pretentious, right? However, I loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid, and I jumped into rereading them with Amanda. So, as an act of faith (repentance, maybe?), this summer became what might best be called “The Summer of C.S. Lewis.”

The Chronicles of Narnia:

Prince Caspian – C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair – C.S. Lewis

The Horse and His Boy – C.S. Lewis

The Magician’s Nephew – C.S. Lewis

 

If you haven’t read these, you should. These books are fun and fun is good.

 

Everything That Rises Must Converge – Flannery O’Connor

 

Excellent. O’Connor gets at the heart of southern hypocrisy. These short stories are somewhat morose and depressing, but always in a good, wholesome way–if you ask me.

 

A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking

 

Brilliant, accessible, humble, and often funny. Very good writing from a very brilliant dude. He’s clearly one of the most strident worshipers of the Cosmos you’ll ever find. If you ever thought reading theoretical physics could be fun, this is the book for you.

 

Lectures to My Students – C.H. Spurgeon

 

Perhaps the best and most helpful book I read this summer–although I stopped reading it when I realized it was in my fall curriculum. Spurgeon is a hero.

 

The Man Who Was Called Thursday: A Nightmare – G.K. Chesterton

 

Exhilarating. Chesterton is always a ton of fun. Read everything he’s ever written.

 

Outgrowing the Ingrown Church – Jack Miller

 

Not ground-breaking by any stretch, but certainly helpful.

 

How to Read a Book – Mortimer Adler

 

Helpful. Very intuitive. Everyone should at least skim it once. It convinced me to mark up my books.

 

The Mortification of Sin – John Owen

 

Killer good, and a must read.

 

Shepherding a Child’s Heart – Tedd Tripp

 

A helpful guide to getting at the root of your kid’s behavior.

 

God the Redeemer – James Boice

 

Eh… Just read Calvin.

 

Sermons on Ephesians – John Calvin

 

Good, but not as helpful as I’d hoped. Probably because I rarely sat down and gave it the time I should have. Oh yeah, and never actually finished…

 

The Great Divorce – C.S. Lewis

 

Overrated. But not without merit.

 

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle

 

Read this one as a kid and wanted to reread it. Kind of gross, actually–not nearly as fun as I remembered.

 

The Space Trilogy:

Out of the Silent Planet – C.S. Lewis

Perelandra – C.S. Lewis

That Hideous Strength – C.S. Lewis

 

Absolutely brilliant. Adult fiction that couldn’t be farther removed from Narnia in terms of writing style and content. If you don’t read anything else I read this summer, read That Hideous Strength. Very insightful. Lewis’ strengths in fiction lie largely in integrating cultural commentary into the plot, and this book is masterful.

 

Defending the Faith – D.G. Hart

Biography of J. Gresham Machen, Princeton professor at the turn of the last century. Pretentious author, helpful content. Wasn’t able to finish, but definitely intend to when things slow down. Probably not worth your time, though.