Hello! It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone. And with that means another year of book reviews. This past year I actually set a new goal with my reading and that new goal was to try to read a book a month. This was a big deal for me because I have always made the goal of reading five books in a year. That goal was attainable and I was very successful over the years so I didn’t know what would happen if I increased the number. But I gave it try. So, did I succeed? Well, no. I made it nine books – three books shy of the goal. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t have good reading this year! So here is my review of the nine books I read this year. This year, I have included not only a brief review of the book but also a little line entitled, “What I learned” since a new part of this blog is about what we are learning together in our family as we journey through life. Buckle up! It’s time to begin.
1. Real Christianity by William Wilberforce – Started off the year with this book because I finished last year reading one of his biographies and in that biography this autobiography was often quoted and referenced. Primary source books and documents are so powerful. I think that is why I enjoy reading them and this book doesn’t disappoint. It is poignant and elegant. Convicting and insightful. Wilberforce, who was a tremendous orator and passionate advocate, describes a little bit of his journey to faith but spends more time showing how the Christian faith has impacted his life and how it should impact our lives. He also debunks many of the cultural christian thought lines in his day and culture. This book could almost be described as the original “Radical” and it is truly a gem.
What I learned: God often calls us to something that is difficult and requires perseverance. I learned the value of steadfastness and perseverance to what is right based on biblical standards and that you must have a genuine faith to complete the particular task you are called to do. You cannot accomplish hard things with a wishy-washy faith.
2. Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer – A Dietrich Bonhoeffer classic. In this book he chronicles the necessity of believing community. The writer of Hebrews tells us to not give up the habit of meeting together and Bonhoeffer expounds on this idea in his writings. This book is super helpful if you lead in any small group setting. He provides insightful guidelines into creating and maintaining deep spiritual community. I mean, the guy used to meet for hours with friends to study and pray together. But one thing I appreciated is that he also applied the essential elements of community to the family. The book is a shorter read but very Bonhoeffer-y. Most excellent in my opinion.
What I learned: I learned that we need to take community to a deeper level to experience more of God, to pursue more holiness, and strengthen our families. All to often, our community groups in church only begin to scratch the surface of what God intended. And that is the other thing I learned. God designed community for the good of the believers. It is a divine gift to grow together. Let’s not waste it.
3. Revolutionary Parenting by George Barna – This book was fascinating and challenging. As many of you know George Barna is a prolific researcher and he takes his research prowess and performs several large surveys and interviews to answer a social question regarding Christianity and parenting. The essential question is with so many kids of Christian parents leaving the faith, what did those Christian parents do or what was the environment these parents created for their kids who remained in the faith and continued an active faith legacy. This book is full of fascinating interviews and interesting statistics. There are a lot of thoughtful takeaways from this book and I would recommend any parent to read through it.
What I learned: I learned that one of the biggest factors in faith legacy is, surprise, actually living out what you believe. This is probably common knowledge but to see some of the statistics is pretty eye opening. The other thing I learned is that it all boils down to being intentional in yours and mine parenting. Parenting is a high, difficult calling but it is also a glorious one. And while there are no guarantees on how kids will turn out, investing wisely and biblically in your kids can pay dividends for generations to come.
4. We Cannot Be Silent by Al Mohler – I haven’t read many books written by Al Mohler but I read his blog often and listen to his daily podcast so I was familiar with him and his style. In the book, Dr. Mohler deals with the topic of the sexual revolution and all the outflow components of the sexual liberation mantra. I enjoyed this book even though it has Al’s distinct academic style. Despite that, I think he takes many difficult and complex arguments involving sexual identity, etc and breaks them down to easily understandable points and applications. I especially appreciated his thorough legal and social history of the sexual revolution as well as his question and answer section towards the end of the book. I found that section particularly helpful since we as believers need to engage a world that is confused about sexuality. This book was very informative and helpful both in understanding the sexual revolution and engaging it with the Gospel.
What I learned: Truly the Gospel has the answer for all of the confusion and lostness of our world even down to our sexuality. I learned that the most important component to engaging the new sexual ethic is to know what the Bible has to say on the subject. I was also reminded that compassion is a powerful component to evangelism. We must never forget how lost we were and and from what great sin the Lord saved us.
5. Church History 101 by Sinclair Ferguson, et al – I thoroughly enjoyed this little book. Yes, little. I appreciated it because it was like cliff notes for church history. The authors highlighted the major events, major players and major controversies of each century after the ascension of Jesus. So each chapter covered 100 years in about five pages or so and in each chapter you learn about some fascinating people that continued to share the truth of the Gospel. This book will give you an appreciation of history, specifically church history and leave you wanting more in depth readings in each century. It is really cool to trace back in time the advancement of the Gospel and the church. I would highly recommend this little book.
What I learned: The main thing the struck me in this book is the importance of history. Seeing the spread of the Gospel from the ascension of Jesus until current time across each century really makes what I believe much more tangible. It provides a reality to the faith.
6. Holiness by J.C Ryle – This book was solid and despite it being somewhat long, I did enjoy it just because he brought out so many thoughtful points about inner holiness of the believer. I think he highlights in an excellent and thorough way the need for more holiness in our lives and the fact that if there is little holiness it is a problem for our witness. Apparently, that was an issue in the late 1880’s and it is no less of an issue today. I think this book is a treasure. It is a bit of a difficult read but well worth it as the reader is challenged to look for evidence of growing in grace, more holiness, a desire for the things of God rather than the things of the world. There are many many quote worthy passages in the book. And there are many points to ponder. So if you are in the mood to sit under the teaching of an old Anglican preacher and be challenged to be more holy in order to demonstrate your love to Christ and evidence of your faith, then this book is for you.
What I learned: I learned in a profound way that I need to be more active in pursuing holiness. I think to often we believe that holiness will just be granted to us passively but to really pursue holiness is an action on our end through the power of the holy spirit. It is to war against the flesh and this war is well worth it.
7. Forgotten God by Francis Chan – What can I say? It’s Francs Chan. Discussing the Holy Spirit. I actually really appreciated reading this right after J.C. Ryle. Because in order to pursue holiness we need the Holy Spirit’s help. And just like we are often slothful in our pursuit of being holy, we don’t often think about or rely on the third person of the trinity. The person that Jesus told his disciples is better for them so He must ascend so the Spirit could come. And in classic Chan fashion, he delivers a very practical and challenging message filled with passionate writing and vivid analogies. It is a shorter read that focuses more on living in the Spirit’s power and the outflow of that in your life rather than heavy doctrinal and theological explanations and operations of the Holy Spirit.
What I learned: I learned that I often neglect the Holy Spirit which is to my own detriment. I learned to have a more effective walk with the Lord and live a life that exemplifies Christ to the world, I need much more of the Holy Spirit.
8. Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World by Kristen Welch – I’m glad I read this book. Laura actually found it and wanted us to read it together. She started it but didn’t finish. So then I started and did finish. And I’m glad I did. The author tackles a pressing question for young families. How can I help raise my kids to be thankful and grateful? She provides many helpful thoughts and perspectives and also provides some humorous anecdotes from her own family’s personal journey. I also appreciated some discussion questions and points to think about at the end of each chapter which where helpfully broken down by child age brackets. This allows the book to be applicable across many parenting seasons. It’s an easy read but at some points gets a little repetitive, but hey, we all can some repetition to remember key points. I enjoyed this book.
What I learned: Much like Revolutionary Parenting, I learned that gratefulness and thankfulness is most fully learned by my own attitude and actions. So if I want my kids to have an attitude that is not entitled, then I must as well. This book challenged me to assess my attitude in daily situations as well as to come up with practical activities to teach responsibility and appreciation of what God has done for us to my children.
9. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass – This was a powerful autobiography. And I think this is a must read. I will make my kids read it, I know that. The book, written by Frederick Douglass, describes his life growing up as a slave. It details the horrific conditions and treatment of slaves. It chronicles his journey to literacy and ultimately to freedom after fleeing slavery. It is truly a heart wrenching but inspiring story of an incredible man who went on to be a great advocate for change. I would highly recommend this book but read it with an open mind and open heart. Let his pen from the mid to late 1800’s challenge your mindset because while slavery is no more in this country there are other pertinent issues of justice that need our attention.
What I learned: Frederick Douglass, a professed believer, had some direct and poignant words to professing Christians in his day that still apply in our times. And through that I learned that we need, in our day, just as the Bible says, to be quick to listen and slow to speak. I also learned that we always need to humbly filter our ideas and positions through the lens of the Gospel in order to act and speak rightly.
Hope you enjoyed this brief look into what I was reading. If you want to get caught up on past years you can click on the year. 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010.
Jason
