BOOK REVIEWS

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

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God always has the last word!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
The storms have come in our lives in an unimaginably destructive way. In the future, more storms, literal and figurative, will intrude their mighty presence upon us, but we stand on the solid Rock of Christ! God has the last word, and that word is hope.

A Time to Remember
Friday, March 15, 2012
Those of us who witnessed the scenes of destruction in the early hours after the incidents were moved to tears and almost speechless as we viewed the indescribable debris and rubble caused by these tornadoes. Those memories are deeply etched in our minds.

A Call for Christian Stewardship during Scary Times
Friday, February 10, 2012
You have most likely heard and perhaps quoted those figures. Twenty percent of the people give 80 percent of the budget, and the other 80 percent give the remaining 20 percent.

John Stott is now approaching 90 years of age. He is currently residing in assisted living accommodations, but his heart for the Lord is still warm and his mind is still aglow with Biblical truth. For decades, he was the rector at All Souls Church in London. During this time, Stott became a world renown missions leader, teacher, writer and, of course, pastor.

A few years ago, Stott penned a book which focused on his convictions as a lifelong pastor. Aptly titled The Living Church: The Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor, it encourages believers to become a learning, caring, worshipping and evangelizing church. The audience for the book is a general one in the context of church life. Although John Stott is a learned and astute man, this volume does not have the esoteric language often found in the works of many apologists.

In fact, that is one of the most compelling features of the book. I can foresee veteran pastors refreshing themselves at the familiar well of basic Biblical truth. Further, there is no doubt that a newer and younger generation of pastors would find this recent work to be encouraging and enlightening.

Lay people can certainly discover inspiration and instruction from The Living Church. Anchored in the book of Acts, this book also leaps across the New Testament in a systematic way to frame the "convictions" Stott has affirmed regarding the church. This is an enjoyable and encouraging read for church leaders facing a continually hostile society. Stott has been faithful to Christ and a true servant through the church. I hope this is not his last book to be written.