There are a multitude of books available on prayer and
all have some value if read and applied. However, few books on the
subject really get to the heart of the matter. Timothy Keller’s book Prayer:
Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God is perhaps the best book I have read
to date on the subject of prayer. It is easy to read, yet highly
profound. He draws heavily on the writers of the past such as Augustine,
Calvin, Luther, Owen, Edwards, Muller, and many more, while using contemporary
illustrations and applications. Prayer is not an act/work we perform, but
rather a way of living. As we live in close fellowship with God, we work
hard to grow closer to Him and Keller covers many ways by which this may be
accomplished.
One of the saddest realities of parenting for many Christians, is to see their
children act, in varying degrees, like the prodigal son in Jesus’
parable. Many parents, and grandparents, weep because one they love, and
one who knows better, has succumbed to the allure of the world and its
ways. Many well-meaning parents and grandparents are saying and doing the
wrong things as they work to try and remedy the problem. Sadly, in many
cases they are pushing their loved one further away and making the situation
worse. In his very helpful book Reaching Your Prodigal: What Did I Do
Wrong? What Do I Do Now?, author Phil Waldrep explores the pattern in
the Lord’s parable and what we can learn and apply to our situation as we long
for that day the prodigal returns home.
Churches are struggling these days when compared
with their former glory. Efforts by some to try and reinvent church have
largely failed. Scripture teaches us to “return to the old paths.”
Further, what seems new is not really so new anyway, after all the wisdom of
Solomon taught there is nothing new under the sun. That is why the church
of the Lord Jesus needs to wake up and experience true revival or
renewal. Charles Swindoll’s book Church Awakening: An Urgent Call for
Renewal was challenging and enjoyable. He writes to the church as a
whole, as well as to pastors admonishing all to awake and get back to the basic
tasks of believers such as exposition of the Word of God, church members being
willing to be taught, sharing of our faith, discipleship, ministry, prayer,
etc. We have been seriously adrift for some time and we need to wake up!
I enjoyed reading Thom Rainer’s latest book Who Moved My Pulpit? Leading
Change in the Church. This is a quick read with some good
insight. There is not a lot of new information in addition to what you
would find in other books on the subject by Rainer, but it was helpful and, at
points, entertaining. I also re-read and taught through his book I
Will: 9 Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian. It also, is well worth
your time to read.
John Piper has been one of my favorite authors for many years. His depth
helps me understand many subjects with more clarity. His book Living
in the Light: Money, Sex, and Power: Making the Most of Three Dangerous
Opportunities shows the dangers of how these three alluring areas tend to
trap us. We have fallen for many lies and we have learned ways to
rationalize our sins. Satan distorts God’s gifts. He cheapens them
and makes them dirty and tells us we are not satisfied with the limits God has
prescribed. Piper helps the reader see, from the Scripture the goodness
of God in these areas in a fresh way, as well as helping the reader face areas
in his/her life that are not as pure as one might think.
American education has undergone many major and minor
changes over time. But one thing is very clear. God was once the
centerpiece and now is out entirely. Up until around the year 1900, The
New England Primer was widely used to help teach children to read and
understand the basics. One will be amazed at, not only the saturation
with references to God, but also the significantly more rigorous academic
expectations of children and their learning. This inexpensive book should
be obtained and read by everyone, as we need to see how far we have drifted.
This past spring I taught through the Book of Esther on Sunday evenings.
It was my third time to do so in the course of my years in ministry.
Among the commentaries and related books I used, which I would recommend, are The
Message of Esther by J. A. Motyer from “The Bible Speaks Today Commentary
Series.” Charles Swindoll’s book Esther: A Woman of Strength & Dignity
from his “Great Lives from God’s Word” series, was also a great help. The
Queen and I: Studies in Esther by Ray Stedman shed a lot of light on the
book for me. The one however I would say do not miss when studying the
book is Inconspicuous Providence: The Gospel According to Esther by
Bryan R. Gregory. This thoughtful and well-written book gives a
tremendous background, and great insight throughout concerning God’s master
plan.
I greatly enjoyed preaching through the Book of Jonah during the summer of
2016. This is the second time I have preached through the book in my
ministry, but the first time I did not go into a lot of depth. However,
this time I took my time and spent 9 weeks. Truly this book is a treasure
trove that sheds a lot of light on several different truths such as God’s
compassion, God’s forgiveness, God’s long-suffering nature, God’s determination
to use certain people for his glory, God’s sovereignty, and God’s enormous
love. Additionally, we understand more about such negatives as rebellion
against God’s will, and consequences for our actions from this book. Also
we gain a better understanding of hell and separation from God by studying
chapter 2; also, Jesus’ comparison of Himself and Jonah and being in the belly
of the fish/earth. I read through 8 commentaries that were helpful in
varying degrees but the two books I would recommend most for laymen are The
Remarkable Journey of Jonah: A Scholarly, Conservative Study of His Amazing
Record by Henry M. Morris; also Jonah: A Study in Compassion by O.
Palmer Robertson. Both bring home the teaching of the book in a
straightforward, user-friendly way. James Montgomery Boice has a couple
of volumes which cover all of the Minor Prophets. His section on Jonah
was very good and extremely helpful in my study. Also, I would give
honorable mention to Billy K. Smith and Frank S. Page for their volume on Jonah
in the New American Commentary Series (NAC).
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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