A Tragedy in the Making

You may not be sure that you want your life to make a difference. Maybe you don't care very much whether you make a lasting difference for the sake of something great. You just want people to like you. If people would just like being around you, you'd be satisfied. Or if you could just have a good job with a good wife, or husband, and a couple of good kids and a nice car and long weekends and a few good friends, a fun retirement, and a quick and easy death, and no hell--if you could have all of that (even without God)--you would be satisfied. That is a tragedy in the making. A wasted life.

John Piper

That's why I read Don't Waste Your Life every summer. That, and so many other paragraphs like it.

Finally Starting

...to read what is said to be one of the greatest books penned by man.













The irony is that, today, reading the Institutes seems to be viewed as something that only theology nerds or super-spiritual Christians actually do -- whereas Calvin wrote the book as an introduction to the Christian faith.

Books, Books, Books (2009 ed)

Once upon a time, it was my intention to write frequent book reviews. I haven't totally given up, but I have come up with a new plan: a brief year-end summary. While this is (at a minimum) for my own benefit, hopefully some of you, my faithful readers (who keep coming back even when I'm five weeks between posts), will find some good books to read as well.

This list will be limited to Christian non-fiction. While I enjoy reading other genres (fiction of various stripes, history, biography... ), this is the only genre that I carve regular time out to read during the course of the year [though perhaps grouping it all into a single genre is too broad].

How then shall I order them? Start with the best? End with the best? Alphabetical by title... or author? I'll just order them in the order I read them. [Note: * denotes a book I previously read]

This Momentary Marriage
By John Piper

While I can't claim to have read all of the best books on marriage, this is my favorite so far. So how can I briefly summarize just why I feel this way? I think it's important to note the subtitle: A Parable of Permanence. This book did more to shift my vision of marriage toward its Ephesians 5 Christ-and-the-church meaning than any other resource has. Not that Piper is in the clouds, far removed from real life and the day-to-day. On the contrary, it's his application of the parable of permanence to the momentary that makes the book particularly rich.

His two chapters on singleness (yes, in a book on marriage) are also the most helpful words I've read on that topic.

I already want to re-read it.

Rating: Must Read
--------------------

Why Small Groups?*
Edited by C.J. Mahaney

A book our church small groups went through together.

Previously reviewed.






Rating: Recommended
--------------------

Spectacular Sins
By John Piper
Challenging? Yes. But John Piper is interested in being Biblical -- not just challenging readers for its own sake. God is sovereign, and He will be glorified. So what do we make of the presence of evil -- not just generally, but even in specific, heinous sins? John Piper examines the most "spectacular" sins recorded in Scripture, from the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, in light of "their global purpose in the glory of Christ" (the subtitle).

Rating: Highly Recommended
--------------------

The Holiness of God
By R.C. Sproul

I finally read this book. And I intend to read it again.

Previously reviewed.






Rating: Must Read
--------------------

Just Do Something
By Kevin DeYoung

I really like a lot of what DeYoung has to say in this book. He addresses the fears that paralyzes so many young people about life decisions (big and small). The subtitle explains: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will OR How To Make Decisions without Dreams, Visions, Fleeces, Open Doors, Random Bible Verses, Casting Lots, Liver Shivers, Writing in the Sky, Etc. DeYoung follows through, untangling (or sometimes simply slicing right through) the questions that leave so many of use feeling all knotted up about what to do.

On the other hand, parts of the book left me frustrated: what then do (or should) Christians mean when they talk about "calling"? Some of his points I think he deliberately overstates. And again, he says a lot that many young people really need to hear. The book is short, easy to read, and provides plenty of challenging food for thought. (But don't just sit around thinking about reading it. Do something!)

Rating: Recommended
--------------------

Finally Alive
By John Piper
It's a thorough book on a topic that most Christians probably think they know everything about. It's also a book on a topic that most Christians should know much more deeply. Yes, regeneration is a deep topic, and wonderful to study. I'll have to stop there if I'm going to stop anytime soon.

Summarizing thought: I'll probably never know how much this book has impacted my thought and understanding. (Yes, that could be said of most good books, but particularly so here.)

Rating: Highly Recommended
--------------------

Don't Waste Your Life****
By John Piper

My favorite book. That's why I read it every year -- and will continue to do so until it ceases to convict me of falling prey to the American Dream.

Have I still not written a full review on this book? My, my.





Rating: Must Read
--------------------

The Great Exchange
By Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington

My sin for his righteousness. That's the subtitle of the book, and that's what every page of the book explores, unpacking Scripture after Scripture, starting with Old Testament passages that foreshadow Christ the Messiah, and continuing book by book through most of the New Testament. In this way, I found it to be a great companion book while reading through the New Testament this past fall.

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." That verse is 2 Corinthians 5:21, but that message pervades the New Testament.

Rating: Recommended
--------------------

The Reason For God
By Tim Keller

A recent release that has been (seemingly) universally praised as a sort of 21st Century Mere Christianity, Tim Keller's The Reason for God addresses skeptics in a way that is both respectful and uncompromising.

At times, I felt as though Keller was beating around the bush. But on second look, I'd say that Keller said what he needed to say, when he needed to say it. He doesn't aim to give quick, easy answers. Instead, the first half of the book addresses common criticisms of the Christian faith, both through giving specific answers to questions and through unmasking the faith assumptions of the unbeliever's worldview. The second half of the book centers on making a reasoned approach toward faith in God as revealed in the Bible.

Rating: Recommended
--------------------

The Peacemaker
By Ken Sande

Do you experience interpersonal conflict? Unless you're a Tibetan monk (who somehow has internet access and found your way to my blog), I'll assume the answer is yes.

Ken Sande provides a thorough, Biblical guide on peacemaking -- written not for professional mediators, but for each one of us in our relationships. As someone who regularly experiences conflict (of which I am to blame for more than I'd like to admit), I'll be returning to this book often.

Rating: Must Read
--------------------

The Message of Ephesians
By John R.W. Stott

This is the second title I've read in "The Bible Speaks Today" commentary series, having previously read The Message of Acts. My summary? Solid, readable, pastoral, instructive. And a great resource to read in conjunction with an expository series at church.





Rating: Recommended
--------------------

What He Must Be To Marry My Daughter
By Voddie Baucham Jr.

[Disclaimer: As of this post, I'm actually a couple of chapters from finishing.] Why read a book written to fathers? Plenty of reasons: (a) if I'm going to be a father someday, it's never too early to start studying (b) I'm already a brother with five sisters to watch out for [maybe I should write the companion: What He Must Be To Marry My Sister] (c) to see how I need to grow (d) to find out if I should just quit now.

So far, I'd say that I agree with most of what Baucham says about men and marriage. There's a lot to think about and plenty of good topics for discussion.

On another note, the book was poorly edited. I expect better from Crossway. [And Jacob did not have to wait another seven years before marrying Rachel. A pastor should get that right.]

Rating: Recommended
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More on Ratings

Explain Your Life

Likely you've heard the following words:

"If you were to be put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"

That's a serious question. It's challenging, no matter how many times you've heard it before. Yet today I came across a quote that took it one step farther.

This morning I picked up Randy Alcorn's The Treasure Principle, a book that is oh-so-brief yet packs a wallop. Among the dozens of convicting, thought-provoking words are those he saw on a missionary's grave in Cairo, Egypt.

I dusted off the epitaph on Bordon's grave. After describing his love and sacrifices for the kingdom of God and for Muslim people, the inscription ended with a phrase I've never forgotten: "Apart from faith in Christ, there is no explanation for such a life."

I don't only want to be an upstanding citizen who also is known to talk about Jesus. Simply being an upstanding, kind, charitable person can be explained apart from faith in Christ, because there are people who appear to be upstanding, kind, and charitable, yet want nothing to do with Christ.

We want people to have no doubt that we have faith in Christ. But even more, we want people to see that the way we live is because we have faith in Christ.

What does it mean for me to live a life that cannot be explained apart from faith in Christ?

With Confidence Draw Near

Have you had the following experience recently? You are reminded of a truth, one that you know and firmly believe in, yet you are suddenly impacted by it in a fresh way.

As noted on my sidebar, I am currently reading Jerry Bridges' The Discipline of Grace. It is a good book, a very good book. Not wanting to speed through it too quickly, I've been doing some extra re-reading and reviewing of earlier chapters as I move forward. While doing this recently, I came across the following quote, which I had marked while reading from chapter one.

"God never intended that we relate to Him directly. Our own performance is never good enough to be acceptable to Him. The only way we can relate to God is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is only the blood of Jesus that will cleanse us from a guilty conscience and give us the confidence to enter into the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-21)."

These words convey theological truths that I know very well in my head. My performance cannot make me acceptable to God, Whom I can only relate to by the blood and righteousness of Christ. Bridges speaks the truth so faithfully with these words. That's why I marked it the first time I read the chapter.

This particular sentence esecially caught my attention as I re-read it: "The only way we can relate to God is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ." As I thought about how we relate to God in prayer, and, in doing so, pray in Jesus' name, another passage from Hebrews came to mind.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

I realized that there are two ways to confidently approach the throne of grace. One is to be confident in approaching simply because we know we can--even knowing that it is ultimately Christ who makes it possible. The second is to be confident in approaching because I have complete confidence in efficacy of the blood and righteousness of Christ. We pray in Jesus' name not only because His once-for-all-time propitiation washed away the sin that would prevent us from coming to God, but also because His righteousness continues to make us worthy to approach the throne of grace.

All of this flashed through my mind in a second (possibly not in so many words, but you get the idea), and a question struck me: [Not just in theological acquiescence, but also in the reality of my attitude] Do I know the difference between boldly approaching the throne of grace and casually approaching the throne of grace?

In Three Days. . .

. . . finals will be over. It's been months since I've read a good fiction book. Any suggestions?

Great Books CD Series

Christian analysis of literary classics. This new series sounds fantastic. And the first book is one of my favorites, even though I know I missed a lot of its significance (or perhaps it's because I know I missed a lot--great books tend to make me realize I need to re-read them before I finish reading the first time). Are there any other fans of C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce?

The Booklist

This list is limited to Christian non-ficiton. But even with that qualification it is not complete, for I know that there are many other substantial Christian works which I have not yet read. Beyond that, even as a list of Christian non-fiction which I have read, the list is incomplete, as it only includes books which I have read since the start of 2005, when I began to cultivate an interest in regular Christian reading and started a personal booklist. Since I don't know that I can recall all of the books I read previously (nor, since it has been so long, exactly where I'd place them on this list) I have decided to relist only the books I've read since 2005. Several of the "older" titles stand out, however, as books which I would still like to recommend. These include C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity, Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey's How Now Shall We Live?, and Josh Harris' I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl, and Henry Morris' The Genesis Record. I'm sure that there are others, but, as I said, I can't remember all of the titles I've read.

All books are listed alphabetically by rating. Those that are hyperlinked have reviews that I have written on this blog. For more on the ratings, as well as a background on why I've decided to write book reviews, please read "Why Review?"

Three Books That Changed My Life
Don't Waste Your Life, John Piper
The God Who Is There, Francis Schaeffer
Money, Possessions & Eternity, Randy Alcorn

Must Read
The Discipline of Grace, Jerry Bridges
The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul
Humility: True Greatness, C.J. Mahaney
Knowing God, J.I. Packer
Living the Cross Centered Life, C.J. Mahaney
The Peacemaker, Ken Sande
Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
This Momentary Marriage, John Piper
Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey
When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy, John Piper

Highly Recommended
The Cross of Christ, John R.W. Stott
Desiring God, John Piper
Do Hard Things, Alex & Brett Harris
Escape From Reason, Francis Schaeffer
Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, Bruce Ware
Finally Alive, John Piper
The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges
Heaven, Randy Alcorn
He Is There And He Is Not Silent, Francis Schaeffer
Her Hand in Marriage, Douglas Wilson
Holiness, J.C. Ryle
The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer
The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges
Not Even A Hint, Josh Harris
Questioning Evangelism, Randy Newman
Reforming Marriage, Douglas Wilson
Spectacular Sins, John Piper
Thoughts For Young Men, J.C. Ryle
What Jesus Demands from the World, John Piper
When People Are Big And God Is Small, Edward T. Welch

Recommended
A Call to Spiritual Reformation, D.A. Carson
The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel
The Certainty of Faith, Herman Bavinck
A Christian Manifesto, Francis Schaeffer
The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Counted Righteous In Christ, John Piper
Doing Things Right In Matters of the Heart, John Ensor
Federal Husband, Douglas Wilson
Fifty Crucial Questions, John Piper & Wayne Grudem
Future Men, Douglas Wilson
Get Married, Candice Watters
The Good Life, Charles Colson
A Good Start, Charles Spurgeon
The Great Exchange, Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington
Growing Up Christian, Karl Graustein
Jesus Among Other Gods, Ravi Zacharias
Just Do Something, Kevin DeYoung
Life As A Vapor, John Piper
Light in the Shadow of Jihad, Ravi Zacharias
The Message of Acts, John R.W. Stott
The Message of Ephesians, John R.W. Stott
Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton
The Reason for God, Tim Keller
Seeing And Savoring Jesus Christ, John Piper
Uniting Church And Home, Eric Wallace
What He Must Be, Voddie Baucham Jr.
What's the Difference? John Piper
Why Small Groups?, C.J. Mahaney (editor)

Don't Bother
They're out there, but so far I haven't bothered to read them.


Last Updated: 1/10

The Queue

The following books are on my bookshelf, waiting to be read. Some I've purchased at conferences. Some I've ordered from Amazon.com. Some I've received as gifts. All look promising.


Above All Earthly Pow'rs: Christ in a Postmodern World, David Wells
Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, John Piper
Charity and Its Fruits, Jonathan Edwards
Creation Regained, Albert Wolters
The Discipline of Spritual Discernment, Tim Challies
Disciplines of a Godly Man, R. Kent Hughes
Every Thought Captive, Richard L. Pratt, Jr.
Future Grace, John Piper
The Godly Man's Picture, Thomas Watson
The Holiness of God, R.C. Sproul
The Jusification of God, John Piper
Overcoming Sin & Temptation, John Owen
Pathway to Freedom, Alistair Begg
The Pleasures of God, John Piper
What's The Difference? John Piper


These are listed alphabetically (and no, they aren't arranged that way on my shelf), and will be regularly updated as I move some onto The Booklist and as others get added to my shelf.

Feel free to comment on any of these if you have read them, or have heard anything about them. Also feel free to recommend books you've enjoyed. . . or, better yet, donate them to my library.

Ratings

Those of you who know me well were, I'm sure, waiting for this part. (i.e. Here is where Jason explains how he will run a multi-level numerical analysis of each book's quality.) Well, guess what, I'm not going to give numerical ratings. I have, however, decided to list books that I read/review in one of four different categories:

Must Read
Highly Recommended
Recommended
Don't Bother

Don't think of them as being 1-4 stars. Reading takes time, and I try to choose what I know to be good books. These ratings are a way of separating the good from the really good, and the really good from the exceptionally good. If you really want to think in terms of numbers, even books listed as "Recommended" would probably be about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. When I say that I would recommend reading a book, I mean it. But there are a handful of books that I honestly believe everyone should read. (As an example, I loved reading John Piper's Life as a Vapor and recommend reading it, but don't find myself recommending it as a life-changing book to practically everyone I know, as I do with his book Don't Waste Your Life.)

Why Review?

I recently decided to begin to post reviews of the books that I read. How I go about this will, in some respects, develop along the way. Some reviews may be mere synopses; others might include my own reflections on the book. In my last post, I explained why I read. What I've decided to do here is give, up front, my reasons for beginning to write reviews of those books.

Why write book reviews?

1. To help me to remember more of what I read. Unfortunately, as I look back at some of the titles I've read over the last couple of years, I can't remember much--maybe a general impression of the book, perhaps a point or two. I always remember what I'm reading better when I am able to to talk about it with others. There's something about having to verbalize the things that I've learned that helps me to remember them long term. Sitting down to write a review will hopefully have the same effect.

So why write them for my blog?

2. First, as an extra motivation to write something sensible. In the same way that blogging helps me to develop my thoughts logically (see #4 under Reasons for Blogging), knowing that someone else might (gasp!) read my review should keep me from merely jotting down poor synopses and ill-defined impressions.

3. To write something accessible. This goes two ways. Obviously, a blogged review is vastly more accessible to others than a review kept on a computer hard drive or in a notebook. On the one hand, it would be great if anyone else benefits from reading a review I write. Beyond this, however, the reviews would be more accessible to myself. Having them all on my blog sure beats flipping through notebooks trying to find what I wrote where!

4. I like to recommend good books to people I know. This could serve as a way of doing that--in an even better way than just saying You might like this.

Ratings
Those of you who know me well were, I'm sure, waiting for this part. (i.e. Here is where Jason explains how he will run a multi-level numerical analysis of each book's quality.) Well, guess what, I'm not going to give numerical ratings. I have, however, decided to list books that I read/review in one of four different categories:

Must Read
Highly Recommended
Recommended
Don't Bother

Don't think of them as being 1-4 stars. Reading takes time, and I try to choose what I know to be good books. These ratings are a way of separating the good from the really good, and the really good from the exceptionally good. If you really want to think in terms of numbers, even books listed as "Recommended" would probably be about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. When I say that I would recommend reading a book, I mean it. But there are a handful of books that I honestly believe everyone should read. (As an example, I loved reading John Piper's Life as a Vapor and recommend reading it, but don't find myself recommending it as a life-changing book to practically everyone I know, as I do with his book Don't Waste Your Life.) All right, enough said about reviewing books--my first review is, Lord willing, coming in the next week.

Why Read?

Becoming a Reader
I've been reading for about two years now. Yeah, I've technically known how to read since I was four or five, but I wasn't a reader. I would read for school or read for fun--The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Sherlock Holmes mysteries, or countless other short stories--but I wasn't a reader. I liked to consider myself sophisticated enough to enjoy reading, but I wasn't a reader. I loved good fiction. I still do. There's nothing like getting lost in the world of Lewis, Tolkien, Scott, Doyle, Henry, Dickens... there I go again. There are many good things to be said about fiction, but that is not what I aim to do here.

In February 2005 I saw a copy of Randy Alcorn's Money, Possessions & Eternity lying around the house, and decided to pick it up and start reading. I don't remember exactly why. Perhaps it was because I'd heard it was a good book. Perhaps it was because I knew that I didn't really know the value of good books, but wanted to. Perhaps I wanted to figure out what Alcorn thought of college loans in light of Christian stewardship. The truth is that all of these reasons may have played a part in my decision to pick it up. But why I picked it up doesn't matter anymore. I read through the first chapter, and read another chapter the next day. This continued for a few weeks until, lo and behold, I finished the book. I enjoyed it. Yes, I was convicted on numerous fronts, and knew that the true benefit of reading the book would be in the application of its principles, but I enjoyed it.

To have a habit, one must make a habit. That is by no means a profound insight; nonetheless, we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that we can drift toward good habits. Yeah, right. Habits--good ones, anyway--must be formed purposefully. They aren't solidified overnight, but they can be begun overnight. Today, I can say that reading has become more of a habit. By God's grace, after two years and a few dozen books, it's hard to think about not reading. I genuinely love to read, and can think of numerous books that have been a tremendous means of God's grace in my life. But the only way to be a reader is to read, and the only way to read is to pick up the book and sit down. Really, aspects of a Christian's devotional life (I include reading solid doctrinal books in this category) are a good picture of sanctification: it's all by God's grace, but if we sit on our hands, waiting for it to "happen," nothing will happen.

Prioritized Reading
We must read the Bible, first and foremost. It would be a foolish thing to be caught up in reading fallible (though excellent) books, while ignoring the infallible, revealed Word of God. Even more important than being a reader is being a student of God's Word. There may be times when we are struggling in truly desiring to read God's Word, and God uses another book in a special way, but this will ultimately point us to the value of the Scriptures as the revealed Word of God. All great books will ultimately point us to God and His Word, because the most beautiful truths we read in other books are reflections of the truth and beauty found in God's Word.

What Is A Reader?
I don't have a wonderful definition to put forward, but I realized it would be helpful to explain what I'm talking about when I speak of being a reader. Being a reader goes beyond being able to read the the menu in a fast food drive-thru. It goes beyond being able to a read magazine or newspaper. It even goes beyond reading the book that the care group is going through. Rather, a reader is one who systematically, voluntarily reads good books (not merely for the excitement of reading them, though reading and understanding doctrine can be exciting) because he recognizes the opportunity that he has to learn from the wealth of wisdom that God has given to others.

Why Is It Important?
As I said above, God has given a wealth of wisdom to others. In reading the words of men who have been lifelong students of the Bible, my own understanding of the Bible has gained much greater depth. Reading the words of men who have gone through trials and suffering and been challenged with all manner of godless philosophies--and who have only grown in their confidence in God and in His Word--is an unspeakable encouragement to me to trust in God. John Piper has helped me to see my own need to have a passion for the glory of God. Wayne Grudem has helped me to better understand numerous Biblical doctrines. Francis Schaeffer has helped to see the truth and beauty of the Biblical worldview. I could go on, but I'm sure you understand. If you don't, read. Then you will.

The quote from John Piper (taken from When I Don't Desire God) that I posted earlier this week says it well, so I'll post it again.

"It's true that the joy of serious reading and the thinking that goes with it sometimes called study) may not be as immediate as the joy of singing in church, or seeing a sunset, or talking with a friend, or hearing a preacher with lots of stories. But the payload for joy may be greater. Raking is easier than digging, but you only get leaves. If you dig you may get diamonds."

What's the Hurry?
So why am I so concerned with reading good books now? To begin with, it is foolish to delay forming good habits. As J.C. Ryle said in Thoughts for Young Men, "What young men will be in all probability depends on what they are now, and they seem to forget that... Habits, like trees, are strengthened by age. A boy may bend an oak when it is a sapling--a hundred men cannot bend it when it is a full-grown tree."

There's more than that, though. As busy as life feels now, I realize that I currently have more available time than I will at any time later in life. The demands of college, numerous as the are, won't compare with those of (hopefully someday) being a husband and father with a real job. I never plan to stop reading, but I do see this time in life as a window of opportunity to spend a substantial amount of time learning sound Biblical doctrine.

Don't Read Just Anything
Sadly, not everything that is called a "Christian" book really magnifies Christ. There are many books that teach of satisfaction apart from Christ, and a Christian life without the Cross. Ultimately, a book should uphold God's Word. Even the words of the most trusted authors must be tested against the Scriptures. (Here again we see the importance of reading the Bible itself.) Thankfully, authors whose passion is the glory of God will encourage us to do this, and often provide relevant Scripture passages to help us do so.

Let's Not Fool Ourselves
The following are two possible results of reading doctrinally sound books:
--Reading without application, leading only to intellectual pride.
--Reading followed by application, leading to sanctification.
Now, there are other possibilities. One could be Pharisaical about the application. Or one might, having received God's grace to change, take pride in himself. But my point here is that the impact of a book is measured not in how much knowledge it imparts, or even in how much conviction it initially brings, but in the lasting impact it has over the following months and years. Has conviction lead to lasting change?

We don't read books on doctrine just so that we can recite definitions of God's attributes. We don't read books on apologetics just so that we can memorize arguments or techniques. We don't read books on humility just to be able to identify pride. On the contrary, we study doctrine so that we can better know God, apologetics so that we will increase in compassion for the lost and better know how to share the Gospel, and humility so that we can identify pride in our hearts and put it to death.

God has given us, as 21st-century Americans, the access to an incredible amount of Biblical resources. May we use them, and use them wisely, keeping in mind at all times that they are a means of God's grace to us, for His glory and our joy in Him.

While I'm on the subject of books. . .

Okay, I'm still looking for a book for our Friday campus Bible study, preferably something which would lend itself to good discussions. Any suggestions?

My Annual Dickens

Last year, having previously read A Tale of Two Cities, I read Great Expectations. It takes a lot of patience to get through Charles Dickens's books (never quit two-thirds of the way through, however much you may be tempted to), but, in the end, they are well worth reading. Having twice enjoyed Dickens's genius, I decided it might be worthwhile to continue reading his works--at the hopefully-not-too-demanding pace of one per year.

As summer rolled around, I began to consider which book of his to read next. I had the impression that A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations are his two best works (or is David Copperfield up there? I don't really know), so I wasn't sure which book to choose. Finally settling on Bleak House--though I myself am not sure why--I ordered it from the library. I had heard that it was lengthy (having been published as a serial), so I should have been warned. Nonetheless, I was not a little perturbed to find it come in at over 850 pages, with type that is none too large. Ask me sometime in the (somewhat distant) future how much I enjoyed it--and whether I ended up doing anything else this summer. Side note: why is it that summer, when no one wants to stay indoors, is the only time of year I have to read for enjoyment?

Books (for lack of a better post name)

I've thought of doing book reviews, both to help myself remember the content of each book and to recommend the really good ones to others. The following lists are all composed of non-fiction books. (I did not include the Bible in any of these lists).

Last 5 Books I Read:
Desiring God, by John Piper
Life As a Vapor, by John Piper
Orthodoxy, by G.K. Chesterton
Uniting Church and Home, by Eric Wallace
Jesus Among Other Gods, by Ravi Zacharias

Currently Reading:
When I Don't Desire God, by John Piper
Questioning Evangelism, by Randy Newman
The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

Next 5 Books I Plan to Read:
The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Growing Up Christian, by Karl Graustein
Living the Cross-Centered Life, by C.J. Mahaney
Future Grace, by John Piper
Holiness, by J.C. Ryle

Has anyone read some of these books? If so, which were your favorites (and why)?

Don't Waste Your Life: Thoughts from Chapter 1

This semester, those of us in our campus Bible study (we number about eight) are studying John Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Life. Throughout the semester, I hope to blog on some of the passages that impact me the most. My reasons for this are two-fold: I want to interest other people in the book, and I would also like to further discuss it. Last Friday, we discussed the first chapter, “My Search for a Single Passion to Live By,” where Piper contrasts existentialism (“first you exist and then, by existing, you create your essence”) with Absolute Reality (“all that looks like reality to us is dependent on God”). When one considers the prevalence of existentialist thought, it is unsurprising to observe the hopelessness of today’s culture, where everyone is struggling in their futile attempts to “create their essence.”

Perhaps my favorite paragraph from the first chapter was actually one where Piper quotes from C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man.

You can’t go on “seeing through” things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to “see through” first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To “see through” all things is the same as not to see.
I won’t try to extrapolate on it, but I will ask this: what are common examples of our culture’s attempts to “see through” first principles?