Galatians by Martin Luther - 304 pages

One of the classics of the Protestant Reformation. Surprisingly accessible.  Read this as our church in Okinawa was going through Galatians.

The Brother's Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - 960 Pages

I started reading this book with a group of friends.  To my knowledge, I am the only one who finished it.  I'm not sure who among us was the wisest.

I did not enjoy this book.  I know it is a classic but neither the characters or the story was gripping enough for me to justify the amount of time it took to read the almost 800 page monster.  I have nothing against long books (Les Miserables at 1200 pages is my favorite book of all time), I just wasn't compelled enough early on to stay mentally and emotionally with this book.  By the last half it was just sheer will that got me through it.  By the time something actually happened I was so sick of these hyper-sensitive, overly-philosophical, and exceedingly nick-named characters that I just wanted them to go away.

I know I'm being a little harsh, and there were some interesting commentaries on atheistic relativism, the nature of man, meandering chit-chats with Satan...etc.  Perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I had a guided discussion group or class, but this experience was painful.  Next time I have a need for Russian fiction, I'm going back to Tolstoy.

Visit the Sick by Brian Croft - 128 Pages

I read this book a few years ago.  Since I have been doing quite a bit of hospital visitation for my new assignment as Wing chaplain, I pulled this off my shelf and reviewed it.  In doing so I was reminded of how useful a resource this is.  Here is my review from 2011:

Do you consider care for the sick an essential activity for Christ followers?  Do you have a theology that is sturdy enough to shine even in the darkness of those on the brink of death?  Do you think to pop a few breath mints before you go and pray with someone on their sickbed?

This book presents a concise, Biblical and practical guide for caring for the sick in Christ’s name and strength.  While Croft’s many years of experience as a pastor as well as being the son of a doctor provide ample material for practical advise, it is the Biblical foundation that Croft lays prior to discussing the practical implications of that foundation that is the real strength of this book.  Too often books either expound on Scripture and theology but never make practical demands from that theology, or even worse, start with the pragmatic and then search for prooftexts in Scripture to give weight to opinions.    Croft does an excellent job of letting his practical exhortations flow from the Word of God, both from specific texts on caring for the sick and dying and from the metanarratives of Scripture.  Above all he shows that caring for the sick is about the Gospel.

This book was a great reminder of the essential ministry of caring for the physical needs of people as well as a great tool for accomplishing that task.

Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon by Edward Dolnick - 400 pages

My super awesome sister-in-law Miriam bought this book for me a few years back and I finally got to it this year.  It's the story of the first expedition down the Colorado into the Grand Canyon. 

Adventure, white-water danger, one-armed manly men, presuppositional atheistic geology, Mormon murder mystery...all told in breathtaking detail by award winning journalist Edward Dolnick.

 Excellent read!

Good News of Great Joy by John Piper - 57 Pages

I read this book last year during the Advent season.  I returned to it again this year and read it with my wife every morning.  I think the tradition will continue.

Here's my review from last year:

Although I tend to be schizophrenic when it comes to traditions (my tradition is not being tied down by tradition…unless I want to be) –  getting married, growing a family, and getting older has shown me the importance and value of traditions, especially within the family.  Every family has traditions, even non-traditional families.  The question is to what purpose do our traditions serve?  Are we are slaves to our traditions, as if they exist for their own sake?  Or are traditions our slaves, our tools, or old testament Ebenezers – reminders to point us to something more important and meaningful than the tradition itself?   As we strive to create a Christ-centered culture in our family, we have looked to some traditions that God’s people have observed throughout history and tried to incorporate those that help us keep our eyes and hearts fixed on the Gospel.  Advent is one of those traditions.  And that’s where this book comes in.

Released this year as a free ebook, Good News of Great Joy, is a collection of short daily Advent devotionals taken from John Piper’s sermons and writings.  We found this to be a great resource for focusing us on the celebration of the Incarnation of God at Christmas.  It’s short daily readings made it more realistic that our family would find the time to actually read it and meditate on the truth it highlighted.

A great Scripture driven, Gospel-centered, Christmas resource.  I think a new tradition has begun.

Finally Free by Heath Lambert - 176 Pages

This book has been on the top ten lists of many Christian book reviewers this year.  I won't repeat what they say, only refer you to their excellent reviews and tell you that this book is every bit as good and helpful as they say.  The best, Gospel-centered book on purity I have read.

- Tim Challies' review

- Mark Mellinger's review

A Short Life of Jonathan Edward by George Marsden - 152 Pages

Despite the fact that this is a distillation of Marsden's much larger biography - Jonathan Edwards: A Life - this book still delivers much insight, information, and illustration of the dynamic life that was Jonathan Edwards.  In this short work Marsden captures the impact that this obscure pastor in an obscure new world was used by God to change the whole world.  Like most historical figures, the extent of Jonathan Edwards' influence was not seen until after his death and Marsden does a great job of connecting the dots for the modern reader.

Three thoughts that have lingered since reading this book are:

1.  Conflict:  Most of Edward's defining moments came out of conflict.  Conflict with his culture, conflict with his congregation, conflict with his soul.  Edwards was a man of conviction - compromise - for better or for worse - was completely foreign to him.

2.  Emotion:  I had no idea how emotion driven the Great Awakening was.  I wonder what the Strange Fire crew would have thought of it.

3.  Benjamin Franklin:  Marsden often brought attention to the fact that Benjamin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards where contemporaries.  Although they never met as far as we know, their stories and journeys intersected in many places and Marsden masterfully weaves the reader through understanding the significance of these two lives.


I look forward in the future to reading more of and about this influential jar of clay.

Isaiah by the Day by Alec Motyer - 336 Pages

This book was my favorite Christmas present last year and was one of my favorite reads of this year.  Old Testament scholar Dr Alec Moyter breaks down the book of Isaiah into daily readings, providing his own translation and lexical/exegetical notes along the way.  At the end of each Scripture reading Moyter gives a brief devotional commentary on the passage.  This work helped me understand the amazing book of Isaiah in ways that often left me breathless.  The beauty of God's righteousness, mercy, sovereignty, love and grace were unlocked in powerful ways as Moyter led me through this section of God's Word.  I highly recommend this book.

The Swords of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs - 191 Pages

My least favorite of the John Carter series. Started strong but as the story progressed it felt like Burroughs wanted to hurry up and finish it so he could go outside and play. Still fun and better than Dan Brown though....

The Lost Letters of Pergamum - by Bruce W. Longenecker (192 Pages)

Longnecker creates a compelling story by creating a fictional correspondence between the Gospel writer Luke and the early church martyr Antipas (2:13).  While the book is a great concept which provides considerable insight into the socio-economic barriers and consequences of believing in Christ in the first century A.D it is a bit weak on the content of the Gospel.  Recommended.