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.

A Peculiar Flabbiness

For some extraordinary reason a peculiar flabbiness—intellectual and moral—seems to have entered into many people, Evangelicals included. Many, alas, seem to object in these days to negative teaching. ‘Let us have positive teaching’, they say. ‘You need not criticize other views.’ But our Lord definitely did criticize the teaching of the Pharisees and scribes. He exposed and denounced it frequently. And it is essential, of course, that we should do the same.

-Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Sermon on the Mount

March/April Reading

Here are the books I read during the months of March and April. March only seems thin. I didn’t read a million books in April. I just finished them all in April. Almost everything below is work accomplished for the ClearNote Pastors College. Which, by the way, I have now completed. Which, by the way, means I am now done with school. Forever. Awesome, huh?

 

March

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Good fun, some memorable stories. It was fun getting acquainted with a great fictional character, but I’m done with Holmes for awhile. On to other things.

Tell the Truth – Will Metzger (for d-group)

This book is not profound, but it is helpful. It is written by an Intervarsity staff worker who is trying to undo the damage of jank evangelism methods that present a truncated gospel in a way that lies about the nature of Jesus’ saving work. To that end, the book is good and I commend it to anyone looking to be faithful in personal evangelism. However, the major failure of the book is that it fails to have any understanding of the relationship of the Church or Christian community in evangelism and discipleship.

Revival and Revivalism – Iain Murray (for class)

Awesome. Eye-opening. This book is essential reading for every one who needs to understand why American Christianity is what it is today. It starts by tracing the revivals of the late 18th century up through the revivalism of the mid to late 1800s. Note the key distinction in terms.

April

Tell the Truth – Will Metzger (for class)

Yes, I read this twice for two different purposes… See above for notes.

Total Church – Tim Chester & Steve Timmis (for class)

Very helpful book. Excellent in tandem with Metzger’s book–they’re complementary.

Principles of War: A Handbook on Strategic Evangelism - Jim Wilson (for class)

Good fodder for thinking through strategies of reaching the community and the world with the Gospel. Written by an ex-Navy dude–who happens to be the father of Doug Wilson.

Evangelicalism Divided – Iain Murray (for class)

I’ve said that you should read everything by Iain Murray, and I mean it. This book might be the single most helpful thing I’ve read by him–a history of evangelicalism from 1950-2000. Tremendous. If you want to understand the contemporary climate of evangelicalism, there is no better book. Very excellent when read after Revival and Revivalism.

The Mortification of Sin – John Owen (for d-group)

This is about the 4th or 5th time I’ve read this book. Never get tired of it. I’m writing a blog post series on it over here.

The Christian Soldier – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

Love, love, love, Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Especially after reading Murray’s Evangelicalism Divided. Though I did not actually finish this book due to time constraints, it was very helpful as I finished out our series through Ephesians at the Fold.

The Full Armor of God – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

See my comments above.

Family Update & February Books

First, let me point out that Amanda’s first post on the ClearNote Fellowship Ladies’ blog was published this week. She also contributed an article profiling CNPC’s program for pastor’s wives in the latest edition of the CNF Newsletter. If you want a copy of that you can drop us a note in the comments and we’ll sign you up for the mailing list.

Second, I know it’s been awhile since pictures have gone up. February may have been the busiest month we’ve had since we started the Pastor’s College. I expect Amanda will get some new stuff up for you in the next week or two.

Finally, here’s what I finished reading in February:

Life Together – Dietrich Bonhoeffer (for class)

A good read on Christian community. Maybe one of the best.

2000 Years of Christ’s Power, Vol. 3: Renaissance & Reformation – N.R. Needham (for class)

The third volume in this series, and maybe the best.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Good fun.

Darkness & Light – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for study)

Skimmed and surfed this one for Fold preparation. Didn’t give it as much time as previous volumes on Ephesians.

Calvin: A Life - Emanuel Stickelberger (for class)

I’ve never read anything quite like this before. Profitable and enjoyable at the same time. Will read again.

Persuasions – Doug Wilson (for class)

A small apologetic that tries to be C.S. Lewis meets John Bunyan: “Evangelist” encounters men on the road to destruction and tries to turn them around. It’s a light, easy, fun, and helpful read.

The Puritan Hope – Iain Murray (for… class supplement)

Read this one on my own at our dean’s suggestion. Very good. Very helpful if you want to understand the roots of the dispensational prophecy craze and if you want to understand the view of prophecy that preceded it, how it was displaced, and why it’s never returned. And, as a rule, you should read everything Iain Murray has ever written. I’m serious.

December/January Books

December:

 

Heaven Misplaced – Doug Wilson (for fun)

A fun and challenging take on eschatology. Not buying every bit of it, but it’s a worthy read.

 

Desiring God – John Piper (for D-Group)

A modern classic on practical Christian living. This must be the billionth time I’ve read it.

 

2000 Years of Christ’s Power, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages – N.R. Needham (for class)

Good, accessible.

 

Handbook of Church Discipline – Jay Adams (for class)

Very helpful.

 

The Unsearchable Riches of Christ – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for sermon prep)

Beautiful, rich.

 

January:

 

 

A Study in Scarlet – Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Doyle’s first Holmes novel. Mine, too. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

The Sign of Four – Arthur Conan Doyle (for fun)

Pretty good.

 

Mortification of Sin – John Owen (for class)

Unbelievable. Unparalleled. No one deals with the heart like Owen. No one. Read this book once a year—at the least.

 

Of Temptation – John Owen (for class)

Excellent. Another must-read. In fact, read the entire volume Crossway published called “Sin & Temptation.” You won’t regret it.

 

Christian Unity – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for sermon prep)

Very good. Lloyd-Jones has been invaluable to me in helping me rapidly process and get to the heart of Ephesians.

 

My Own Book Club: November

I finished a lot of books this month. Here’s what I read, and here are some of my thoughts:

 

King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table – Thomas Mallory, ed. Sidney Lanier (for fun)

 

An antiquated abridgement of La Morte D’Arthur. Good fun getting into the medieval mind. I would have rather have read the real thing, though.

 

The Butler Did It – P.G. Wodehouse (for fun)

 

A delivery and receiving room book. A rollickin’ good time. I’ve decided I like Wodehouse, and wouldn’t mind reading more.

 

Preaching & Preachers – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for class)

 

Excellent. Another book for every preacher.

 

Amusing Ourselves to Death – Neil Postman (for fun)

 

Wow whatabook. This is one of those books that shows you the man behind the curtain. Should be required reading for everyone. Seriously. Go buy it.

 

Winterflight – Joseph Bayly (for fun)

 

A prophetic novel written by my pastor’s father in the late 70s about what he foresaw as the inevitable consequences of Roe v. Wade—you know, universal health care, government mandated abortion, infanticide, death panels, that sort of thing. It’s not great fiction (as far as the writing goes), but it sure is compelling.

 

Words to Winners of Souls – Horatius Bonar (for class)

 

An excellent and concise summary of the heart of pastoral ministry.

September & October Reading

Because I know how much you all appreciate having the most awesome posts obstructed by worthless mementos of my reading habits, here’s what I read in September and October.

September:

The Reformed Pastor – Richard Baxter (for class)

Reformed, as in, changed for the better. If you’re a pastor or an elder, training to be one, or thinking about becoming one, you should read this book. And then reread it. You know, like… once a year or so. It’s a tough read (a little archaic) but well worth it. I say, (from my vast experience, of course), this is the single most important read for any pastor, anywhere. I say that without hesitation, without equivocation, and without doubt.

2000 Years of Christ’s Power (Vol. 1) - N.R. Needham (for class)

Big volume. Whirlwind tour of the early church. Easy read. Very helpful. I especially appreciated the extended excerpts from pertinent primary sources (key works of church fathers, for example) at the end of each chapter. That was wonderful. I only wish he footnoted more extensively within the chapters.

Orthodoxy – G.K. Chesterton (for fun)

An absolute blast. Chesterton is loads of fun and is absolutely hilarious. He’s a Roman Catholic, so you have to get over his distaste for, you know, BIBLICAL DOCTRINE, but looking past all of that, there’s hardly anyone from the 20th century that’s more worthy of your attention. Absolutely brilliant.

Living the Cross-Centered Life – C.J. Mahaney (for the discipleship group I teach)

It’s okay. I wish there was something better, but it’s definitely a helpful. Recommended as a tool to use with high school students, some college students, and most new believers that need a good foundational understanding of applying the gospel to their lives.

October:

Lectures to My Students – C.H. Spurgeon (for class)

Spurgeon is a hero. I don’t know that any dead man feeds my soul, equips me for my work as a college minister, and spurs me on to faithfulness than this guy. I heartily recommend this book to anyone involved in ministry. Because of this book, I’ll likely always have some piece of work by Spurgeon I’m chewing on.

Persecution in the Early Church – Herbert Workman (for class)

Heart-rending. Stunning. Convicting. I’d call it a must-read, but I’ve already done that 3 times so far.

God’s Ultimate Purpose – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for the Fold)

Lloyd-Jones’ sermons on Ephesians 1. Read, skimmed, and referenced as I was preaching through Eph. 1 at our weekly meeting. Very helpful.

God’s Way of Reconciliation – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (for the Fold)

Lloyd-Jones’ sermons on Ephesians 2. See above.

There are other books I’ve been reading for class and for fun through September and October, but I’ll comment on them in the months I finish them.