Book recommendations are one enduring blessing of blogs. I appreciate seeing what others do and do not like. This helps me to curate my reading list. At the end of each month, I try to pick out a few books that I’ve read and recommend. Here are some of the books I enjoyed in January.
Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News of the Fear of the Lord (Union), Michael Reeves. You don’t have to be in a church to hear the phrase “the fear of God.” But while the expression is frequently tossed around, it’s far less often understood–or appreciated. Enter Michael Reeves. He provides a biblical pathway to explore this vital concept. In addition to learning about the fear of God, I was instructed by Reeves about this topic’s apologetic value. With one foot in the church and the other in the world around us, Reeves explains and applies this regrettably overlooked subject with clarity and accessibility. I plan to read through this book with some men in our church in the coming months. If you want to learn more about the fear of the Lord, then you should pick up this helpful resource from Michael Reeves.
The Care of Souls: Cultivating a Pastor’s Heart, Harold Senkbeil. As a pastor, I appreciate the bevy of resources that are published in the pastoral ministry category. Reading these books helps sharpen my focus with diagnostic analysis of my own ministry. I appreciate how the author exudes a love for the ministry. It’s catchy. Furthermore, he writes in a folksy way that beckons us to the farm and field with other shepherds. I found myself comparing his writing style with Wendell Berry. I appreciated it greatly. One aspect of the book that I especially enjoyed is how he vectors the reader to the heart of ministry. Today, there’s a lot of emphasis on the professional aspect of pastoral work. Senkbeil writes with dirty hands, stained pants, and a brimming smile. He’s working the field and among the sheep. My only critique of the book actually becomes a strength. The author is from a different theological tradition than I am, so occasionally, his differences come out in his practices. Initially surprising, they became instructive–not so much for me to emulate, but to better understand the heart behind the action. Definitely a book to add to one’s catalog of ministry training books.
Holly, Stephen King. Sometimes, people outside of the church can make profound theological points. This is especially true with fiction writers. In a newer book, Stephen King shows his readers that people are surprisingly evil. And sometimes, people who appear to have it all together are brimming with astonishing anger, hatred, and selfishness. Holly is a mystery that brings its readers to face depravity, a thirst for justice, and the pain of death. I know some people might not want to read Stephen King. In addition to what you might expect from a King novel, you will also encounter political and COVID-related themes. If you’re fine with these, the book does not disappoint. And his epilogue helps show his hand in writing the story (I don’t want to give anything away). Fascinating.
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder, David Grann. I loved this book. I was looking for an adventure on the high seas, and I got it. David Grann writes a captivating historical fiction narrative that brings us to the mid-18th Century. He takes us aboard a British ship dispatched to capture a treasure-filled Spanish ship. Things didn’t go precisely as planned. As the subtitle states, the book has shipwreck, mutiny, and murder. I couldn’t put the book down. The author comically reminds us in the introduction that he was not there to eye-witness the events. But, reading it, you really couldn’t tell. Grann is a terrific writer, bringing the reader through the cresting waves of history and making us feel as though our shoes are waterlogged. Pick this one up if you’re looking for a fun, informative, historical page-turner.
Some Previous Recent Reads
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
September 2021
Summer 2021
April 2020
March 2020
