Mark's #7 - Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God by John Piper

Think is John Piper's plea to Christians to engage their minds in the process of delighting in God, and therefore glorifying God.  If you've read any of Pipers many books you've probably picked up on this theme in other areas of life as well.

Piper is clear from the beginning that the aim of this book is different from some of the other very well done books done regarding the Christian mind.  This book is a kind of apologetic for thinking, but not in the way the other books are.  Piper, as a pastor, and as someone with a passion for God's glory in all things, approaches thinking, and our need for thinking rightly from that angle.

The big idea of this book was, for me, worth the price of the book.

Loving God with the mind means that our thinking is wholly engaged to do all it can to awaken and express the heartfelt fullness of treasuring God above all things (pg. 80).

That focus of WHY we are called to love God with our minds was eye-opening for me.

Think is not John Pipers best book (he would probably agree that Desiring God holds that position).  There are parts of the book that seemed a bit foggy or unnecessarily long.  There are other points that Piper addresses that other authors seem to do a better job of bringing forth their importance with more clarity.  However, I do think Think adds a positive contribution to the wider variety of Christian books dealing with the life of the mind in our faith.

Here are just a couple of suggestions for other books in this general realm:

Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul by J.P. Moreland

The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Noll

Mark's #6 - The Justice Game by Randy Singer

My friend Ron Coia suggested I read this book by "the Christian John Grisham" - Randy Singer.  While this book won't make it into my top ten list this year, it was an intriguing and enjoyable read before drifting off to sleep each night. If you like John Grisham books, you would probably like this book.  There is plenty of legal tension, mystery, and suspense throughout the book.  As such, I don't want to discuss the plot much here.

While there are some indicators as to Singer's Christian worldview, I never felt like the book was preachy or cliche as sometimes Christian fiction can be (which isn't always a bad thing either).  Nonetheless, this book does do a good job of helping the reader think through issues of guilt from hidden past sins, moral responsibility, and personal sacrifice.

If you're looking for some light reading, or an alternative to another Grisham novel, give this book a try.

Mark's #5 - The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper

This book is a must read for all who stand in the pulpit and preach God's Word in our day.  In fact, it should be read at least twice, which is what I've done now with this book. This is not a manual for preaching and communication (though perhaps more can be learned about both from this book than most other so-called manuals).  Rather, this is an urgent plea by a man of God who has been a faithful preacher of the Supremacy of God over all things for decades to preach with passion, clarity, gladness, and God centered weightiness .

I remember sitting in my seminary preaching course and hearing my professor tell us to find another preacher we respect and study their preaching style.   In terms of preaching passionately and with depth, John Piper is that man for me (admittedly, I have a very very long way to go to emulate him).

This short plea to fellow preachers is divided into two sections.  In the first, Piper makes his case for Preachers to bring back the Supremacy of God in their preaching.  In section two, Piper examines the preaching methods and content of Jonathan Edwards.  Like me, in seminary Piper was encouraged to study a great preacher, he chose Edwards.  This part, while still good, was not as captivating for me as Piper's plea.  Though it was insightful to see Edwards passion to reach both the head and the heart for the glory of Christ in preaching.

I'll leave you with just a few 'nuggets' of wisdom from the book:

Laughter seems to have replaced repentance as the goal of many preachers.

It is not the job of the Christian preacher to give people moral or psychological pep talks about how to get along in the world.

Preaching is public exultation over the truth that it brings.  It is not disinterested or cool or neutral.  It is not mere explanation.  It is manifestly and contagiously passionate about what it says.

People are starving for the greatness of God.  But most of them would not give this diagnosis of their troubled lives.

All genuine preaching is rooted in a feeling of desperation.

I urge you to rely on the Holy Spirit by saturating your preaching with the Word he inspired.

Mark's#4 - Free-Range Chickens by Simon Rich

I picked up this short humor book based on the review and recommendation of Ron Coia who read the book last year (here).  I'll admit, this was a very funny book. As Ron mentioned, I too appreciate the insightful self-depricating humor that Rich offers. I do have two complaints about the book.  First, it seemed way to short.  I read this book in a couple of hours on the flight back to Japan.  Second, Rich's 'God' section did not seem nearly as funny as the rest of the book, and at times it seemed over the line in it's irreverence.

Nonetheless, if you're looking for a quick fun read, or a good bathroom book, check this one out.

Mark's #3 - Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ:The Cost of Bringing the Gospel to the Nations in the Lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton (The Swans Are Not Silent)

This book is part of John Piper's short biographies of great Christian men and women in church history.   Each book summarizes the life, faith, experiences, and lessons we can learn through the lives of three people.  The theme of this book, as the title suggests, examines the lives of three men who gave up everything to follow Christ and proclaim His name to the nations.  I enjoy these books as they serve as quick snapshots of significant lives that were not wasted.  Often, I am motivated to go on and read the more in-depth biographies as a result (as I have already done with Judson, and plan on doing with Paton).

The first person Piper addresses in this book is William Tyndall (1494-1536).  As English Catholic priest who began to read the works of other reformers of his day, God gave him a passion to translate and mass produce copies of the Bible in the english language.  To the modern man, this seems like a rather benign pursuit, but in Tyndall's day, this was an offense punishable by death.  Tyndall was forced to live the bulk of his adult life in exile on the European continent.  There he translated the entire New Testament and much of the Old Testament, which were subsequently smuggled into England by friends.   Tyndall and most of his cohorts were put to death by St. Thomas More (and to think that was the name of the Catholic church I grew up going to!).  Most people think of the authorized version of the King James Bible (1611) as the dominant influence of the spread of Reformed Christianity in the english speaking world.  however, Tyndall's Bible set the foundation, as nearly 80% of the KJV is directly from Tyndall's translation.

Next was the life of John Paton (1824-1907), missionary to the New Hebrides (present day Vanuatu).  Again, through much hardship, tribulation, persecution, God was glorified in his life.  A couple things of note: First, it is interesting that Paton had already a very successful inner-city ministry in Scotland.  When he felt called by God to go to the islands full of cannibals, almost everyone in his life tried to persuade him to stay in his fruitful ministry.  Nevertheless, strengthened by his parents faith and encouragement, Patton followed God's lead to a life of incredible hardship and incredible fruit.  Today, 91% of the people of Vanuatu identify as Christian.  Second, Patton said that when his life was on the line (which was quite often), it's in those times that he experience the presence and peace of God like no other.  He was convinced that if the rich and comfortable people back home could just have one such experience, they would gladly leave it all for the sake of following Christ.

Finally, Piper summarizes the life of Adoniram Judson (1788-1855), the first missionary from American soil.  I had already read the main biography on Judson's life - To The Golden Shore (which I highly recommend), so this short recap served mostly as a reminder for me.  Again through much hardship and tribulation, which included the death of three wives and many of his children, God was glorified in Judson's life as he took the gospel to Burma (present day Mynamar).  Here he was able to translate the Scriptures for the Burmese people.  Though Burma is currently under a communist dictatorship, Judson's legacy lives on today through the lives of more than 3,700 baptist churches.

If  you don't want to read long biographies, I would recommend all of the Swans are Not Silent series by John Piper.  They will challenge and encourage you in your faith.

Mark's #2 - Churchill by Paul Johnson

It could be argued that for the preservation of western ideals and culture, Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was the most important man in the 2oth century.  Not only was he crucial to the survival of democratic Europe, he was immensely talented, hardworking, funny, cunning, adventurous, joyful, articulate, ambitious and artistic. Winston wore many hats during his lifetime; soldier, parliamentarian, prime minister, master orator, painter, husband, world leader, and prolific writer.  In this book, author and historian Paul Johnson does a masterful job of walking the reader through Winston's life - the highs and lows, the battles won and lost, the personal shortcoming and remarkable attributes that made Winston who he was. In the 1930s, Churchill, like a prophet, decried the build-up of Nazi Germany whilst most of England and the world shouted him down with chants of "Peace, peace, peace!".  The world had just recently gone through the first World War, and most were not eager to entertain the idea of yet another, more horrific war to come.  As a result, western European countries did nothing (to the dismay of Churchill) when Hitler invaded Czechloslavakia in 1938 - perhaps the best and biggest army outside of Germany at the time.  Hitler continued into other countries and eventually turned his sights to the west.

When the Nazi crisis had reached it's boiling point in 1940, and almost all was lost, England finally gave way to the leadership of Churchill.  As Prime Minister, Churchill began the tireless task of defending the island, building up war supplies, luring the Americans into battle, and encouraging the troops and public masses.  Churchill did not tell the people what they wanted to hear, he told them the hard and difficult truth... but he did so in a way that infused hope and courage.  My favorite quote of Churchill comes from this dark hour of history:

We shall not flag or fail.  We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.

The epilogue alone is worth the cost of the book.  In it, Paul Johnson offers five insights as to what we can learn from the life of Winston Churchill.

1. Always aim high.  As a boy, Winston did not receive positive encouragement from his parents, and he struggled in school.  Throughout his life he had many failures and embarrassments, but he always aimed high.

2. There is no substitute for hard work.  Winston worked extremely hard to master whatever he put his mind to.  He worked up to 16 hours a day.  He also played hard and made sure to get plenty of rest to keep up a high level of efficiency when he did work.

3. Churchill never allowed mistakes, disaster - personal or national - accidents, illnesses, unpopularity, and criticism to get him down.  "He had courage, the most important of all virtues, and its companion, fortitude."

4. Churchill wasted an extradinarily small amount of his time and emotional energy on the meannesses of life: recrimination, shifting the blame onto others, malice, revenge seeking, dirty tricks, spreading rumors, harboring grudges, waging vendettas.

5. The absence of hatred left plenty of room for joy in Churchill's life.

Oh that a Winston Churchill would rise up again in world history - America could really use a leader like him right now.