Reading List 2016
I’m not sure if readers love them, but I read enough blogs to know that bloggers love to create them: End-of-the-Year Lists. This is my contribution: The list of books I read in 2016.
How to Survive the Apocalypse
Professors Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson wrote this book to prepare us for the apocalypse. Their approach, however, is less Swiss Army Knife and more Encyclopedia Britannica.
ROOTED by J.A. Medders and Brandon D. Smith (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
My book review of Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians by J.A. Medders and Brandon D. Smith. A great, accessible book to help Christians both know God and live for him.
Can You Really Become Unoffendable?
A book review of Brant Hansen’s book Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better.
Opening a Church Bookstore
If you’ve been to a Christian bookstore recently, then you might have been overwhelmed by the amount of stuff there. That’s why two weeks ago our church launched our own bookstore. We filled it with 25-30 Christian books that were handpicked by our elders and staff. Here’s our list.
YOUR BEST LIFE NOW by Joel Osteen (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
On the whole, Your Best Life Now has so many troubling aspects that, to be honest, I don’t think we should even call it a “Christian book.”
RESISTING GOSSIP by Matthew C. Mitchell (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
Speaking gossip comes easy; it’s resisting gossip that’s hard. But, by the grace of God and for the glory of God, we have to do it. Matthew C. Mitchell’s book Resisting Gossip is a good book to help us recognize and resist this common sin.
What Does it Mean to “Glorify” God?
At times, my family has struggled to have consistent family devotions. I’m sure there are several reasons for this, but lately we have had great success using Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago. Here is one of my favorite entries from the book. In it, Lloyd-Jones explains what it means to glorify God.
HOW TO READ A BOOK by Mortimer Adler (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
In 1940, Mortimer J. Adler published How to Read a Book. Since the original publication, it’s become a classic. Here are a few of the questions Adler gives to help readers understand what they read.
ANSWERING JIHAD by Nabeel Qureshi (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
Nabeel Qureshi (former Muslim, now Christian) answers eighteen questions about Islam and jihad. Qureshi is also the New York Times bestselling author of Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. I think many readers, especially Christians, will find Answering Jihad accessible, thoughtful, and a help as we seek to “love God and love people” in a complex and sometimes violent world.
The Owlings by D.A. DeWitt (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
A book review of The Owlings by D.A. DeWitt. It’s an engaging children’s story about talking owls, the struggles of a young boy without a father, and whether or not “nature is all that there is.”
DO MORE BETTER by Tim Challies (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
I want to do more—better. Don’t you? Tim Challies has written a short, practical book to help us steward our gifts for the good of others and the glory of God.
THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE by Sally Lloyd-Jones (FAN AND FLAME Book Reviews)
A book review of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones . . . well, it’s not really a book review; it’s probably better, but you’ll see that as you read.