BOOK REVIEWS

State Missionary Rick Lance is executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions.

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A Sincere and Respectful Call for A Great Commandment Renewal
Thursday, June 24, 2010
As I have said earlier, I will do my best not to let disagreements define our relationships. I am praying that The Great Commandment Renewal will begin in me!

VBS Is a Blessing!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
As a pastor, I always felt that VBS was to be a major commitment on my part. I wanted to be in town, involved and engaged in the efforts of impacting the lives of children, youth and adults. It was not a chore for me, but rather it was a joy!

Taking the 'Stew' Out of Stewardship
Thursday, May 27, 2010
At first, I thought I had hurt his feelings. I mean this was a serious project, and maybe I was being a little too cute for my own good.

A Variety of Quick Reads for the New Year

This past year I bought a Kindle, and I must admit that I have enjoyed it more than I ever could have imagined. Mine is not the latest one but the second version. I have downloaded a good number of books for my reading pleasure.

Despite the love affair with the Kindle, I still read the print version of books, and I would like to share with you a variety of quick reads which have inspired and informed me this past year. There really isn't a common thread to this list, except they have been helpful to me devotionally and spiritually.

G. K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense, by Dale Ahlquist, is a very good introduction to this intriguing English author, so loved in his time and in the present as well. Chesterton did take a common sense approach to Christianity, and this book highlights that lasting legacy.

So does Orthodoxy, foreword written by well-known contemporary author, Philip Yancey. Concerning this classic work by Chesterton, Yancey writes, "Whenever I feel my faith going dry again, I wander to a shelf and pick up a book by G. K. Chesterton. The adventure begins all over again." Orthodoxy is a book you want to read again and again.

Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge, by Dallas Willard, author of The Divine Conspiracy, is well worth your time too. In this work, Willard has written a definitive defense of the faith for our time. Not every assertion will be well received, but Willard does a good job arguing for the Christian ideals of the gospel in a culture of postmodern thought.

One Sacred Effort: The Cooperative Program of Southern Baptists, written by collaborative authors David Hankins and Chad Owen Brand, was a book I reread recently. This is the best description of the Cooperative Program in Southern Baptist life today. It brings a fresh understanding to this time-tested and preferred plan of giving developed by Southern Baptists. A reading and studying of this work by Southern Baptists of all generations would go a long way in helping our convention sustain a cooperative missions focus in the 21st Century.

My friend, Don Wilton, has written a very helpful book, A Future and a Hope: Overcoming Discouragement. Wilton is a well-known Southern Baptist pastor, who preaches with a unique passion for sharing the gospel. He is also concerned about the challenging problem of discouragement in the lives of Christians today. That is the focus of this biblically solid and practically applied material. Don Wilton offers an encouraging word to his fellow believers which will resonate in the hearts and lives of so many in the future.

Two other quick reads deserve attention too. 100 Bible Verses That Changed the World, written by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen, is a delightful study of famous people and their choice Scriptures. From the Apostle Paul to Charles Colson, you will live some biographical history and see the mighty influence of the Bible upon lives well lived.

Similarly, Words to Die for: Verses That Shaped the Lives of 30 People Who Changed the World, by Lawrence Kimbrough, reveals the stories behind what many call "life verses." You will read again the story of the verses which brought Augustine to his knees. Other influential people included are Bach, Booth, Bunyan, Bonhoeffer, Carey, Judson, Luther, Livingstone, Spurgeon, Wesley and Wilberforce.

The Kindle is a sheer joy, but I still like holding a book in my hands and having an experience of reading pleasure. In the years to come, that may become rarer, but I am going to enjoy while it lasts. Happy reading in 2010!