This Treasured Fellowship

 

Suffering 1

 

Philippians 3:7–14

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

          We are forward in time from the founding of the church at Philippi some twelve years. Paul has continued to travel, to plant churches, to write, and to train preachers. In an effort to reach out to the Jews he had (unwisely perhaps) traveled to Jerusalem to partake of some ceremonial observances. The ensuing riot required a Roman cohort to “rescue” him and keep him in custody until right/wrong could be ascertained. Finally, after years of waiting for a judgment, Paul appealed personally to Caesar Nero and was transferred to a prison in Rome.

          While in prison he is “counting”; he is weighing the sum and substance of his former life prior to Christ – the academic and professional success, the plaudits, perhaps a trainee member of the Sanhedrin, an esteemed Pharisee, a practically flawless follower of the Torah – against what he has now. What does he have now? He has a handful of churches started, a few preachers trained, and a couple of letters circulating among them. He is also experiencing the loss of all of his former glory, and his current predicament in a Roman prison.

          Think of a scale or a balance. One side contains his accomplishments prior to Christ. One side contains what he has now.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

          As he counts it up, as he weighs it in the balance, he does not mind the loss of everything on the unsaved side of the scale. Why? Because on this side of the scale he has Christ.

          He is not, however, satisfied with merely having Christ. He wants more than just salvation. He wants to be drawn further into Christ. He wants to experience a growing, intimate relationship with the risen Lord.

          To this end, he lists four things he is currently pursuing, things he wants to add to this side of the scale. 1) That I may know him. 2) And the power of His resurrection. 3) And the fellowship of his sufferings. 4) That I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended.

          His final reckoning or counting tells him to move forward, to pursue growing in grace and knowledge and experience with Christ. (Philippians 3.13-14)

          I want to draw your attention to the third item Paul mentions on his list of things he is pursuing with his life: the fellowship of his sufferings.

          Jesus knew what it was like to suffer.

When we hear this, our mind always rushes first to Calvary, but Scripture tells us He suffered many things. (Matthew 16.21, Mark 8.31, 9.12, Luke 9.22, 17.25). He suffered the loss of Heaven. He suffered as all humans suffer, enduring the difficulties and struggles of life. He suffered being misunderstood by every single person he ever met, including those closest to Him. He suffered as only those who are superior suffer when they are forced to constantly put up with their inferiors. He suffered the constant presence of sin in the people around Him. He suffered criticism and attack even though He only ever did good. He suffered rejection at the hands of His own people. Most of all, yes, He suffered the cross – the emotional agony leading up to it, the physical torture of it, the familial shame of it, taking all our sin upon Himself, the loss of His Father’s fellowship, and through this all of our eternal hell.

Now, Paul says this is what he is pursuing. Not avoiding, pursuing, purposely seeking to add to his side of the scale.

As humans, we are instinctively dedicated to avoiding or at least minimizing suffering. We cushion all of our chairs, include built-in footrests with them, and use power buttons to position them for our maximum comfort. We rarely walk when we can drive or ride. The global mattress industry is worth $81 billion. Casual Fridays have become endemic to the entire week. In America, our system of higher education (and increasingly, of lower education) dedicates “safe spaces” where students can be theoretically free from anything that might trouble them. Medically, we have incorporated treatment not just of the disease or problem but of the pain that results from it. “On a scale of one to ten, how much pain are you experiencing?” This pain treatment is a $100 billion industry itself, and the opioid epidemic it has spun off is devasting hundreds of thousands of people.  

Paul had grown beyond this instinctive avoidance of anything unpleasant. He saw in Christ’s suffering something eminently beautiful and desirable. Nor was he alone in this as he grew in grace; Peter saw the same thing. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in his steps (I Peter 2.21). We are called to it. In the original language called implies we have been summoned to accept the responsibilities of a particular task.

All of us suffer. It is a part, and a large part of life. In this blog series, I want to examine what the Bible says about that large part of our life. What is it, biblically? How should we view it? How should we react to it? Why should we still view God as good in spite of it? How does it impact our service for the Lord? How does it impact our sanctification? What is the right way to respond to it, personally? What are the wrong ways?

I have spent the last several years, on and off, preparing to write this series. I have examined every use of the word “suffer” in the Bible, both in English and in the original languages. For dozens of hours, I have studied the great books on suffering, I Peter and Job. I have read about 1,500 pages of other men’s studies on the subject. (see note below) And I have suffered, personally; I have experienced the subject like every person reading this has experienced it.

I have loved and lost. I have been criticized and misunderstood. I have struggled with poverty and failure. I have been lonely. I have buried a child. I have carried the burden of the pastorate for 1,300 consecutive weeks, twenty-five years exactly as of yesterday. I have endured a significant and worsening debilitating disease for twelve years. I have sinned, and been forced to live with the consequences, both of my own and of other’s sins. And most of you reading this have carried all that I have carried, if not more, in your own unique way.

The older I get, the more I want to stop fighting against it. I want, along with Paul and Peter and Job and Jesus, to accept it. Indeed, I want to learn to embrace it. I want to change the paradigm from enduring to treasuring. I want to see in it what God sees in it. I want to value it as God values it. I want to see God use it in my life to accomplish the advancement of the cause of Christ, the edification of the saints, and the glorification of His name.

I want, in short, to be like Jesus.

For the next seven or eight months on this blog we are going to explore this topic. Along the way, Lord willing, we will hear from some other people who have suffered deeply. We will learn how they responded to it, rightly or wrongly, and how the Lord used it in their lives. Some posts will be logical, some theological, some emotional, but hopefully all of them will be edifying.

I invite you to join me. Together, let us seek treasured fellowship. Indeed, I hope you invite others to join both of us along this journey. Lay down your boxing gloves. Stop fighting. Open your mind and your heart to what the Lord has. I will seek to minister to you and I trust you will seek to minister to someone else.        

          Stay tuned. We begin next week.




note: In preparation for this series I have found the following books particularly helpful. This does not mean I agree with everything in them, or with everything the author has ever said. It means I found them helpful in thinking my way through various aspects of this study, and in teaching it to others.
-Beyond Suffering, Layton Talbert
-If God is Good, Randy Alcorn
-When Shepherds Weep, Glenn Daman
-A Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards
-Between Pain and Grace, Gerald Peterman and Andrew Schmutzer

Needs

 Note: My first attempts at writing were poems, mostly in high school and college. From time to time, generally between series, I like to bring one to this blog. Today's poem was written on July 4, 1990 at Mt. Salem Revival Grounds in West Virginia. It was the summer before my senior year of high school. I was traveling with Evangelist Joe Boyd. We had just come back to home base after three weeks on the road holding revivals. Even now, over three decades later, I am unable to share the context behind this, but it is real and raw to me still. After an intense prayer session, I sat on a leafy hillside with a notebook, and this poem poured out of me. Curiously enough, eight years later to the day, I met my wife on the same spot that I wrote this.

Stay tuned. A new blog series launches next week.

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Needs

I need to walk and cry.
I need to sit and weep.
I need to pace and sigh.
I need to hurt a heap.

I need to ache inside.
I need to burdened be.
I need a tear to stride
Down my face slowly.

I need a load to carry.
I need a pain to bear.
I need a hope to bury.
I need a grief to share.

I need a broken heart
I can leave with You.
I need the bitter part
To keep me close to You.

An Open Offer of My Preaching

 Short post today...

     A lesser known branch of Brennan's Pen is Brennan's Pulpit. Several years ago, after I began writing, some of my readers began asking for access to my preaching. At first, we tried to email mp3 attachments of each message but that became problematic over time. So now we host them on a non-public page at my author website. The links play automatically on almost every phone.

Subscribers to Brennan's Pulpit receive an email several times a week with a link to a message preached the previous week or two. I do not pick and choose. Every sermon I preach in my own pulpit gets sent out this way, Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. Of course, you may pick and choose what you listen to, naturally. 

There are currently about 120 subscribers. If this interests you just furnish me your email address and your name and we will add you to the list. If you receive this blog post by email you should know the blog list is separate. To be added to Brennan's Pulpit you may simply reply to this blog email and ask to be added. If you came across it on Facebook or online in some way send me a message at my Facebook author page, Brennan's Pen. 

There is no charge. It is free. The cost is underwritten by Brennan's Pen Patreon supporters.

A Plea for Church Planters

 Note: Today's post is by A. J. Potter. He pastors Pleasantville Baptist Church in Pleasantville, Iowa. He has organized a network of Iowa pastors to financially and spiritually support church planting here in our state. Knowing his burden and dedication in this area, I asked him to write a post about the need and opportunity here.

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What would you do if you had to drive one and a half hours one way to get to a solid Independent Baptist Church? If you are like me, you would pray that God would send someone to plant a church in your community. The above scenario is a scene that was played out at our church several months ago. A family looking for a church with specific convictions and standards would drive 90 miles one way to attend our church. This is not an unfamiliar weekly occasion in the state of Iowa. Every Sunday, families will get up early and plan to drive many miles to attend a church that will feed them spiritually and meet the needs of their family.

Only a few years ago, when I would have a conversation about church planting, my mind would go to the need of the western states or maybe to the void in the northeastern part of our country. After doing some research, I found that the state of Iowa, the state where I pastor a church, presented a great need for new churches as well.

There are approximately around 70 Independent Baptist churches in the state of Iowa. With a population of about 3 million people, this leaves many spiritual needs in our state and there are entire counties without an Independent Baptist presence. I am not insinuating that there is no gospel presence in some of these communities, because I am sure there is a gospel light in some cases, but the greater concern is for additional Independent Baptist churches to be established in the state of Iowa.

When I realized the lack of churches in our state, I automatically assumed I knew the answer to the dilemma. I wrongly thought that the reason there were not more Independent Baptist Churches in our state was because of the many smaller towns out in the rural communities. In my mind, I pictured little towns scattered all over the state with only a few hundred people in each community. This had to be the answer, there was no population base to support more churches in the rural communities.

It was only when I and a few others in our church started researching my theory that I found something that shocked me. I found that there were communities, towns, and cities in the state of Iowa that numbered in the thousands for population that had no Independent Baptist Church. Through research we have identified over 20 communities ranging in size from a low of 3,400 to a high of 9,800 in population that have no Independent Baptist Church. This knowledge created a burden in my heart for these communities without the presence of an Independent Baptist Church.

Let me give you some quick statistics about the state of Iowa. The state of Iowa is split up by two main interstates: I-80 running east and west and I-35 which runs north and south.  About 50 miles north and running parallel east and west with I-80 is Hwy 20. North of Hwy 20 is approximately 1/3 of the state of Iowa with a population of just over 770,000 people.

There are three main cities that are located right on the Hwy 20 corridor, Sioux City in the west with a population of 170,000, Waterloo toward the east with a population of 170,000 and Dubuque on the east border with a population of 96,000.  This leaves a population of over 334,000 outside these large cities in the top third of the state of Iowa.

The distance from the border from east to west is about 300 miles and from Hwy 20 to the north border of Iowa is about 70 miles.  In this entire area there are only a small number of Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches.

The area to the west of I-35 in the state of Iowa is also an area with a small scattering of Independent Baptist Churches.

We need laborers in the state of Iowa to come and start churches in these communities which have a need, not only for a gospel witness, but a strong witness for truth without compromise. 

There is also a great opportunity in the population centers of our state for more churches.  The Des Moines metro has around 700,000 people with about 5 IFB churches to reach them.  Statistics tell us by percentage, Greater Des Moines is growing faster than several large Midwest cities, including Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. (businessrecord.com)

There are 258,000 in the Cedar Rapids metro with only 4-5 IFB churches.  There are 150,000 + in the Iowa City metro with only 3 churches.  Davenport has over 100,000 in population with only a couple churches and there are close to 400,000 in the Quad Cities metro area with just a handful of churches.  Ames has a metro population of 90,000 with one known IFB church.

As you can see, there is a great need in the midwestern state of Iowa for church planters to come and establish Independent Baptist Churches. Thousands of souls without a true gospel witness are waiting for a preacher of the gospel to come to their community with this life saving message.

After seeing some of these surprising statistics, the result became a burden to see more churches planted in the state of Iowa. The formation of the Iowa Independent Baptist Church Planters was the answer to this burden for our state.

With the help of many other established Independent Baptist Churches our goal is to:

·       Establish

o   Independent Fundamental Baptist Churches in the state of Iowa 

·       Equip

o   Supply the resources needed to let the community know about the church plant

§  Mailers

§  Brochures

§  Flyers

§  Door Hangers

·       Enable

o   Help church planters shorten deputation by assisting to schedule meetings with Iowa churches

o   Introducing church planters to Iowa pastors looking to support church planting efforts

o   Sending regional churches to help canvass and door knock for new church plants 

·       Encourage

o   Two year church planter training course available

o   Church planters get practical training on how to plant a church

o   Church planters get involved in a local church to serve

o   Iowa pastors available to help mentor church planters

I am encouraged that there are churches excited about getting involved in the church planting process in Iowa, but there is a definite need for men and families to surrender to the call to start a church in this midwestern state.

In sharing this burden with others, I often use the example of a man named Cornelius found in Acts 10. This was a man searching for God through religious activity. God intervenes in his life through a vision first to Cornelius and then to the Apostle Peter. God sends Peter to give the gospel to Cornelius. We are told in Acts 10:24 that Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends. I believe that there are many Cornelius’ that are waiting for someone to come to their community and share the gospel. They are searching for God, they are hungry for truth, and they may even be crying out to God for someone to come meet their need.

This was the case for a city in the suburbs of Des Moines called Waukee. There was a three generation family that began to pray for God to send someone to start an Independent Baptist Church in their community. They were driving to the opposite side of Des Moines to attend church. When they began to pray, God began to call. It was about the same time that they began to pray for a church planter that God called a young man and his wife from our church to start a church in that same city of Waukee. Through God’s providence, three years later, Grace Baptist Church began, and that praying three generation family became charter members of that church.

Someone has a Cornelius to meet in an Iowa community. Someone is waiting for them to answer the call of God to become a church planter in our state. I am excited about several church plants in progress or to be started this year in our state. The need is still great, will you join us in praying for God to send more church planters to our state to meet this great need? Will you consider asking the Lord if Iowa is your calling?

If you would like more information about the need for churches in the state of Iowa, please contact Pastor AJ Potter. Cell #: 641-226-0490. Email: pleasantvillebaptist@gmail.com.

A Request With an Offer

    

     Brennan's Pen is a curious ministry in at least two respects. First, it is unique. I do not know of another one like it. Second, it has grown organically over time. I did not set out to have a blog, publish books, email sermons, teach classes online, or minister to local church leaders. Twenty-five years ago, while reading a book, I said, "Hey, I think my friends would like that statement." So I sent it to them. And the Quote List, currently numbering nearly 600 men in ministry, was born. While preaching through the life of Christ, I decided to write a companion series online. And a blog named Concerning Jesus, currently numbering about 900 subscribers, was born. Someone reading this blog wrote to ask me to consider writing books. And The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached was born. People began ask for my sermons. And Brennan's Pulpit, currently numbering about 125 subscribers, was born. Covid happened. And free online college level classes were born. 

     As one thing in the above paragraph led to another, the costs associated with providing this amount of free content began to mount. Other than for my books, I do not charge for anything. And I do not begrudge that. For health reasons, travel is very difficult for me. It is a joy to me that I can minister to so many people geographically removed from me anyway. But over time, as the Lord has expanded Brennan's Pen to impact more and more people, the costs associated with it have grown as well. On a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis I pay Clover, Dropbox, Zoom, Xulon, and Mailchimp, and an editor and a secretary. Since the last time I asked for support (May of 2021), I have published one book, taught thirty hours of classes, written fifty blog posts, provided about 140 sermons, delivered about 275 book selections, and sent out about 212,000 emails, all with completely free content. I have also spent more hours than I can count on the phone, online, and in person ministering to men all across the country. 

     In light of this, very simply, I am asking you to consider supporting Brennan's Pen. I ask rarely, in fact, I should probably ask more than once a year, but I am asking now. The Lord birthed this ministry. He is using this ministry. I have judged it worthy of my investment. I would be grateful for your help along the way. 

     Since my costs are ongoing costs, I am asking you to support me via Patreon. Patreon is the world's largest funding site for content creators, including writers like me. You create an account, decide how much to support Brennan's Pen monthly, they take a small cut, and send the rest on to me. 

     As a thank you to those of you who do choose to support Brennan's Pen, I make two things available to my patrons, as Patreon calls them. First, via Dropbox, you get access to all of my archived book quotes. Currently, they total about 2,500 spanning hundreds of topics and more are added every week. Second, via Dropbox, you get access to about 1,300 of my sermon outlines. These are not for stand alone messages, but for all the series I have preached. Some of these have become blog series or books, but most have not. This includes the full notes for 7 class curriculums, 4 biographical series, 7 doctrinal series, 15 expository series, and 29 subject series. Any new sermon series I write gets added as well.

     If either of these interest you - helping me as I minister to hundreds of churches via Brennan's Pen or having access to these resources - simply click on this link. It will take you to my Patreon page where you can sign up. 

     Thank you for your consideration. It is a privilege to serve you. 

Next: A Manual for Pastoral Transitions

My newest book is here. Next, A Manual for Pastoral Transitions is an eminently practical guide for pastors and pulpit committees. It is designed to help each side think through the different aspects involved in such transitions, to come up with a plan for them, and to help them execute that plan wisely. For whatever reason, there is little published information available to help pastors and churches in these situations. This book seeks to rectify that. It is available immediately on Amazon and iTunes, in ebook and paperback. 

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart,

which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

(Jeremiah 3.15)

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Life is a series of transitions. From child, to teen, to adult. From newlywed, to parent, to grandparent. From apprentice, to laborer, to retirement. In these scenarios, knowing the inevitability of change we make preparation. The ministry should be no different. Should the return of Christ tarry, every church will ultimately have a different pastor than the one who now leads the flock. Some of those changes will occur because of calling, some because of health, some because of death, and others will change because of sin. Regardless of the cause behind the change, every church and pastor should prepare for that day. Next: A Manual for Pastoral Transitions is an invaluable resource for making those preparations. Written by a man who has experienced such transitions as a child in the home of a pastor, as well as being in the position of pastor himself, this book is filled with practical and helpful insights for navigating the troubling waters of change. With chapters for the departing pastor, the pastoral candidate, the successor in waiting, and the pulpit committee, this book helps provide a roadmap through every facet of transition. While you may not agree with every opinion expressed by the author, there is more than enough practical advice to make this book an essential part of every preacher’s library and a valuable tool for every deacon board and pulpit committee.

 

Craig Burcham, Chairman of the Bible Department

Golden State Baptist College, Santa Clara, California

Life of Christ Class, Part Two - An Invitation

 

Life of Christ Class, Part Two

Many years ago, my father bequeathed me a massive 1500 page volume on the life of Christ. Reading it changed my life, and created in me an appetite to study the life of Christ that has never gone away. As of this writing, I have spent over a thousand hours on this study. Indeed, there is no one biblical subject I have studied more, including any of my books. Some time ago, I wrote an in-depth course about Jesus with a special focus on the political and religious culture of His day. I am extending the offer of a free course to everyone on my blog list. The course will run on Monday nights beginning March 14 from 7 PM Central to 9 PM via Zoom. You will receive a hundred page syllabus from me which you will use as we work our way through the course. The course will run for about six to eight weeks, depending on how it goes. In that time we will cover the second half of Jesus' life. This is a continuation of the course I offered last year, though you do not need to have taken last year's course to take this one. Between them both, we will have examined in context every single event and story between His birth and His crucifixion. Because this course will use a syllabus that must be emailed to you I will need to establish some kind of registration. If you know you plan to take the course please simply reply to this email. I will need that response by Sunday, March 13. From those responses I will create a special email group that I will use to communicate with you, and that I will use to send you the syllabus on Monday morning, March 14. If you have any questions I can answer for you, as well, please don't hesitate to ask. Again, there is no charge for this. It is underwritten by my Patreon supporters and is entirely free to you. I simply need to know whether you plan to be part of it or not. Thank you.

My Top Ten Books of 2021

Only rarely, do I do standalone blog posts. Today, I am going to make that exception with an overview of my reading in 2021, and a number of recommendations for you from that.

Last year, I read 52 books in their entirety for a total of 21,064 pages. The longest book, the Bible, was 1,590 pages; the shortest book, E. M. Bounds’ Prayer and Praying Men was 115 pages. The average length was 405 pages. I rate/review every book I read on Goodreads. My average rating for 2021 was 3.7 stars. Here, in no particular order, other than the Bible, are my top ten books for last year.

 

Paradise Lost by John Milton – Sometimes, when you pick up a classic, you wonder why in the world it ever became one. Other times, it smacks you deliciously in the face, and you regret waiting so long to discover it. Paradise Lost is most definitely the latter. More than four centuries old at this point, it wears its age with fierce grace. Theologically, it is spot on, so plus one for the Puritans. Additionally, it provoked me to look at the story of Adam and Eve with entirely new eyes. Milton brings out so many things I had never thought about. Linguistically, it is sheer brilliance. I read the entire 288 page poem outloud, as I always with do with poetry (and the King James Version). Its flights of fancy spun out seemingly endlessly paint an accurately devastating picture of the events of the Fall. Emotionally, it moved me to tears a dozen times.

Too long. I let it set on the shelf for far too long. If it is not on yours, put it there. If it is, pull it down, brew a cup of tea, and settle in. You will find the aching beauty of sorrow and grace.

The Temple: Its Ministry and Services by Alfred Edersheim – As a reader, if I have a man crush, it is probably on Alfred Edersheim. Or Martyn Lloyd-Jones, but I digress. Edersheim is pure D awesome. His encyclopedic Jewish knowledge/experience combined with his warm pastoral perspective bring things out in the Word of God that are priceless, absolutely priceless. His 1500 pages on the life of Christ, which I read four times, changed my life. They are the most important thing I have ever read outside of the Word of God. While this book cannot be expected to be on the same level, nor is it, it is still a grand work. In it, Edersheim walks us through the Temple of Jesus' day, showing us the organization, chronological flow, and furniture. More importantly, he clearly explains each rite, sacrifice, and feast, tying them all to Jesus Christ. In the process, he only rarely reaches; almost always, his interpretation, aided by his unique perspective, is logical and scriptural. As always, his work is massively supported by rabbinic quotation and Talmudic reference.

If you want to know Jesus, all you need is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. But if you want to know Him as He was in His own day, and thus see Him in high definition, Edersheim is the lens you need. Whoever else you read in your pursuit of seeing Christ, read Edersheim. Your reward will be massive.

Missionary Partnership: A Brief Biblical Theology of Missions, Deputation, and Partnership by Ben David Sinclair – I have been a pastor for twenty-four years. I have been around missionaries all of my life, and led churches in supporting and encouraging missionaries now for these decades. Missionary Partnership is the best book I have ever read on the subject. It is researched, documented, organized, scriptural, clear, bold, and compelling. Written from an independent Baptist perspective and for independent Baptists, it nevertheless avoids a sectarian spirit. So often, as I read it, I found my heart beating in entrained rhythm with Sinclair's. The pages of my copy are scrawled with "good", "Amen", "aye", and "well said." In this little book, Sinclair communicates a biblical philosophy of missions that springs from a biblical theology of missions. Further, he offers wise and compassionate advice about the necessity of leading your church in the right direction. He also offers practical, helpful suggestions to aid you in so doing.

It is not often I read a book and immediately plan to buy a bunch for others to read. This is one of those rare, thought-provoking, life/ministry-changing kinds of books.

The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters by R. Albert Mohler Jr. – Every once in a while you pick up a book that you hope will be good and find it to be even better than you hoped. Such is the case with this one. I have my theological differences with the author, and they are substantial, but on this subject he has both lived and written an excellent book.

So often, it seems, books on leadership are merely collections of disparate/unconnected essays packaged together to masquerade as a book. Mohler easily could have done that, pulling from decades worth of other writing. But he didn't. He wrote a book that matches the title, logically and intellectually connecting like a thread through each of his 25 chapters. And what very good chapters they are, for the most part. Each one a well thought through discussion of one particular aspect of ministry leadership.

At my age, I rarely read books again. I do not have time in my life to read all the books I want, let alone reread them. But I will reread this one. Further, I suspect I will incorporate it in teaching/mentoring others. This is a balanced, scriptural book on an important topic clearly written by a man who has lived what he writes. If you are looking to study/strengthen your sense of leadership in a Christian ministry I urge you to think your way through it. You will be most edified.

Beyond Suffering: Discovering the Message of Job by Layton Talbert – I read fifty books a year. I'll be shocked if this isn't the best book I read this year. It is beyond excellent; it is outstanding. I came to the book at the end of a several long year study of Job and the broader subject of suffering in the Bible. It is good that I did. If I had come to it first I might not have ever read another book on the subject. It is organized, detailed, logical, practical, well-written, and eminently scriptural. At the end, you feel as if at long last you understand the book of Job. More importantly, you feel like you know God better, how God works, why He works that way, and what He expects of you. It is this last sentence that proves the book is such a gold mine. It opens up the pages of God's revelation and pours out on us a staggering wealth of riches. As with even the best of authors, I quibbled with him from time to time, but the sheer number of thought-provoking paragraphs was delightful. And revelatory.

Apparently, Mr. Talbert has written one other book. Would somebody tell the man to keep writing please? If this book is representative of what he can produce I will buy/read/study/use every book he writes.

The Reading Life: The Joy of Seeing New Worlds Through Others’ Eyes by C. S. Lewis – No, he didn't actually write it. Yes, he did. And what it reveals is a man who loved words, who saw in them the power to move men and enough beauty to make you weep. You do not understand such things as you find here unless you have spent decades reading. You do not write them unless you have spent decades writing. Yet there is profit here even for the immature reader. It will open a door and show him a glimpse of all that may yet belong to him in time to come.

On a personal level, I was delighted to see he likes old books better than new ones, and all books better than their movies. And tea. And long walks. I'm starting to wonder if I am Lewis reincarnated...

If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn – At the outset, let me say that though I have (justifiably) given this a rare five star review it is not faultless. It is too long, clunky in its writing in spots, relies perhaps too much on logic, uses a variety of Bible versions, and leans calvinistic in places. But having said all of that, it is an utterly fantastic work. Alcorn has done massive amounts of homework, philosophically, logically, scripturally, and personally and it shows. He is logical but still cites hundreds of scripture passages. It is leavened throughout with numerous stories and quotes that illustrate his points. He put serious time not just into the academic side of the subject, but in interviewing people who know what it is like to suffer. These all make the book richer. Additionally, he is not afraid to tackle head on the objections that come our way as conservative, bible-believing people.

I picked it up thinking it was a theology of suffering. It isn't. It is an apologetic on suffering. But it is simply outstanding. Deep and wide, heartfelt and scholarly at the same time. This is both impressive and edifying. Worth the hours thinking/reading your way through it. Most worth it.

Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 by Stephen Kotkin - Building on his monumental first volume, Kotkin in this volume has added an immense amount of detail to his yet unfinished three volume biography of Stalin. This one begins with Stalin secure in his position as head of Communist Russia. Policy wise, it sees Stalin launch the Soviet Union's massive industrialization with only middling "success" at great price. One particular tractor factory story was illuminating here. On the personal side, we see the continued deterioration of Stalin's family, and his shameful treatment of his second wife (who commits suicide) and his mother.

By far, the two largest story lines in the book are the purges of the late 1930s and the lead up to WWII. The purges are paranoid megalomania at its worst. It is eye-opening how Stalin built a power base that gradually became enslaved to his every whim. The damage he wrought on people's lives and on his own government/state is nigh incalculable. It was worse than his disastrous peasant collectivization a decade before. On the WWII side, we see great detail on the diplomatic dance between Stalin and Hitler, the national greed of both of them, but especially the abysmal failure of Stalin in the military preparedness and intelligence fields.

Though at times, as with any massive work like this, my attention wandered, Kotkin always brought it back. Having read more works than I can count on WWII it was interesting to see events and perspective from the Russian side, their thoughts, concerns, and reactions in context.

Kotkin's is the very definition of a serious work. It is not for the faint of heart. But it isn't an academic work that bores one to tears with recitation of statistics either. It is heavily researched, well written, thorough but not dry, and analytical both about specific events and the arc of Stalin's life as a whole.

The 20th century is one long witness of man's inhumanity to man, of the way power corrupts, and of the need of man for a Saviour with a capital S rather than a small s. Man's inhumanity is so awful there is no solution outside of Christ. Stalin and his nemesis, Hitler, and their contemporary, Mao, represent the worst of humanity. There, but for the grace of God, go I.

Hitler: Downfall, 1939-1945 by Volker Ullrich - As any young man with an interest in history, I began reading books about WWII decades ago. In that time, I cannot possibly count the number of pages I have read about history. He/that era are endlessly fascinating to me in a train-wreck sort of way. Apparently, my fascination is widely shared for there is no end to the publishing of books about it. This is the second of a two volume biography of Hitler, and it is just as good as the first. In addition, along with Ian Kershaw's two volume biography, is the best of the lot. It is well researched and thoughtfully written. It is professionally done, in the sense that Vollker does not rant; he writes, clearly and plainly, about the horrific thought processes and even more horrific deeds. In the end, he does not ignore the evil as evil, and his lenghty historian's judgment at the end of the second volume is excellently done.

Although it is bad history, it is history done well of that bad history. There is not a better biography available. If you commit the time, you will be amply rewarded.

Rousseau and Revolution by Will Durant – The scope of Durant's work is mind-boggling. The sheer amount of work he has put into this series is beyond impressive. Though the series has shifted over time from a history of civilization to a history of Europe to a history of France, it is nevertheless priceless. Ten of the eleven are now under my belt and I've spent hundreds of hours with Will Durant. As Durant ages, he reveals more and more of himself. As I wrote in my review of the Voltaire volume, what we find in the senior Durant is a respectful and knowledgeable liberal, a man enamored with the Enlightenment and at heart critical of Christianity and all it represents. We see this yet again in this volume. The place he grants Rousseau in history is entirely out of place, and the credit he pays what was by his own admission a bad man is sorely misplaced. How a man of Durant's caliber and knowledge could see the horror of the French revolution up close and yet still admire the French philosophers is as mind-boggling as the scale of his work.

You will learn lots of things in this book, but learn skeptically. Durant's facts are correct but his interpretation is simply sad.

The Best Christmas Gift

 

         I think the best Christmas gift to give or receive is a book. It gives hours of entertainment or learning at a very low price. It requires no batteries. Its technology will never be out of date. It will wait patiently until someone picks it up. It can be passed on from person to person and generation to generation. It helps the person who wrote it. It helps the person who gives it. It helps the person who receives and reads it. It enriches all of society.

        ...so, <grin>, I have several to recommend for you. These can be bought on Amazon, Kindle, Nook, or iTunes. They are available in paperback, hardback, or digitally. And I have every confidence in the soundness and helpfulness of their content.

 

        Freed From Sin, A Primer on Holiness is, as the title suggests, an exploration of what holiness is and is not as well as a scriptural manual on how to grow into it. This is not a little book, and I do not apologize for that. I have no interest in being another source of independent Baptist fluff. Its forty-nine chapters spread over 438 pages are divided into eight sections discussing and applying nearly 1,000 Scripture references. I have not written it because I think it will sell; in fact, I doubt it will. Who reads entire books about holiness these days? I have written it because it cries to be written. I have written it because God’s people in this generation are under what is perhaps a fiercer assault of the devil than any generation has ever been. I have written it because the truths I learned changed my life foundationally, philosophically, and practically; and that change was for the better. In short, I have written it to help you because the truths in it have helped me so very much.

 

        Almost a century ago the independent Baptist movement was born. From its beginning it was deeply marked and widely identified with doctrinal orthodoxy and a vigorous practice. Over the last thirty years that vigorous practice has degenerated seriously in several rather alarming ways. The results of this degeneration are increasingly seen in two mistakes. The first mistake is the tendency on behalf of the brethren to dig in, to admit nothing publicly, and to attack any who assert that something is wrong. In so doing they are simply exacerbating the problem. The second mistake is to overreact. Some overreact by leaving the independent Baptist movement altogether for contemporary Christianity. Others are attempting to transition to some “new” kind of independent Baptist model. In so doing they are abandoning much that is good and ingesting much that is dangerous.

        Schizophrenic seeks to take a balanced approach. On the one hand, it boldly shouts, “We’re right!” On the other hand, it unhesitatingly confesses, “We’re wrong.” It points to the banners of our strength and calls on us to lift them high. At the same time, it lifts the rug covering our dirt and calls on us to clean it up. At all times, it seeks to do this with a careful adherence to Scripture and a well-researched eye on the facts all bathed in a spirit of charity.

 

        Jesus was the greatest preacher who ever lived. His greatest sermon was given on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee toward the beginning of His ministry. Over the course of three chapters early in the New Testament it offers us both a connection to the Old Testament and an explicit appeal to a new kind of life It balances inward calls to self-examination with eminently practical instructions relating to daily life.

        This book is both an explanation of and an application of that great sermon. Over the course of thirty chapters the author walks through its sections and emphases. He lays before us the intent of Jesus’ message by immersing us in His day while at the same time relating that message to our own. In the process he directly challenges us to live, inwardly and outwardly, the truths found in the greatest sermon ever preached.