BOOK REVIEWS

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

Other Recent Blog Entries:

The Caleb Spirit in 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
In my mind, Caleb is the Barnabas of the Old Testament. When others seemed to lose hope, he offered encouragement to them.

A Year to Remember
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Thursday, December 8, 2011
This can be the most wonderful time of the year if we allow the Christ of Christmas to guide us through the experience. Rather than being caught up in the routined frenzy of long lines at stores shopping for gifts and the endless social gatherings during the season, we can focus on what is called the Advent.

Finishing Strong
Monday, November 21, 2011
I do not pretend to be a football coach, but I do believe this "sports experience" translates into our everyday lives, most notably in our Christian lives. There are times when we have seemingly given our all and we feel spent, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.

Be Encouraged!
Thursday, October 28, 2011
In periods of history like the one we now face, Christians have often done some of their most effective service for Christ. But in order to be an effective servant, we must find our source of encouragement in the face of these discouraging situations.

SBC Today: An Interview
Thursday, October 16, 2011
Managing ourselves means more than controlling the calendar, staying morally and ethically pure, reading the latest books, keeping family time balanced, and running things smoothly in one's ministry. I am convinced this means staying in touch with Lord and with yourself in such a way that you make the right decisions and lead in the right direction.

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!