Book Reviews

John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock

2011-06-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock. By Iain H. Murray. Banner of Truth, 2011. 246 pages.

I'm normally not much of a reader of biography. I was given this book by Grace to You and found it to be very readable and enjoyable. I was a little hesitant to start - I honestly thought it was going to be somewhat boring and why did I even care what John MacArthur did when he was 10 or 19 or 38?

Iain Murray is a very gifted and thorough writer. After reading this book I ordered his biography of Jonathan Edwards and am looking forward to reading that.

I found Murray's treatment of John's childhood to be quite interesting, and I never knew that when MacArthur entered college he really didn't have much of an interest in books. That just goes to show you how a person can change.

There are three chapters that I really enjoyed. The first one was "Across the Pacific," which tells of his travels to East Asia. I've always appreciated hearing first hand accounts of life overseas. It really helps you to take a different perspective. The second chapter was on the ministry of Grace to You. It began as simply a tape ministry taking copies of the Sunday message to those who were not able to come, and then grew and grew. The chapter ends with the story of an elderly lady who wrote that she would not be able to support them regularly due to her financial situation, and Grace to You wrote her to tell her to still make sure she requests the free materials. I can also testify to that - some ministries drop you off their mailing lists if you don't give regularly, but not Grace to You. The most interesting chapter, I think, was the chapter concerning Grace Community Church. I wish this chapter was longer, and I would have liked to have heard more about the church and how things are done there.

On page 145 there is a very helpful list of books that MacArthur says have been very influential on his life. I love lists like this and I even ordered one from there.

I was really surprised that I would have benefited from reading the biography of a man still living. I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone going into (or already in) the ministry. It's more than just a biography.

Crazy Love

2010-09-20T08:10:00.001-07:00

Crazy Love. By Francis Chan. 2008. 205 pages.

I picked up Crazy Love because a good friend kept talking about it. Sadly, this is not a book I probably would have picked up had he not kept on mentioning it. I must admit, when I first heard the title I assumed it was something similar to “The Five Love Languages” and so that would also explain my disinterest in it. (Perhaps if I had read the subtitle “Overwhelmed by a Relentless God” I would have quickly changed my mind about that!).

However, I ordered the book and once I began to read it I really, really liked it. This is a book that you will be underlining and highlighting throughout.

Crazy Love is focused on your relationship with God. He begins with how amazing God is, and the fact that God “cannot be contained in this world, explained by our vocabulary, or grasped by our understanding.” [pg. 35] I really liked his quote from A. W. Tozer: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…”

Francis Chan points out that when we let our problems consume us (with worry and stress) we are in effect telling God that we don’t think He is big enough (or powerful enough, or loving enough) to take care of us. This happens when we “forget that life is all about God and not about me at all.” [pg 42]

The fact that God loves us is just amazing. He is under no obligation or anything to love us – but God loves us so much that He even considers us to be His inheritance. “The greatest knowledge we can ever have is knowing God treasures us.” [pg 61] And His love is so underserved – that’s why it’s “Crazy Love”!

The most convicting part of the book was the chapter entitled “Profile of the Lukewarm.” He opens with a parable from Matthew 13:44, comparing the Kingdom to a treasure hidden in a field, which when a man found it, he hid it, and in joy sold all he had and bought the field. And you have to ask yourself, “Is God that important to me?” He goes on to say that having a relationship with God will change your life. He gives many statements such as “Lukewarm People say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of their time, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.” [pg 72] In the next chapter he goes on to say that following Christ cannot be done halfheartedly. It must be central. He gives a simple but very effective metaphor of the Christian life – it’s like swimming up river. If we stop then we begin right away to go in the other direction.

The converse of the chapter on the lukewarm is the “Profile of the Obsessed.” The statements in this chapter are very convicting and will probably make you a little uncomfortable. One of the ones that stuck out to me was “A person who is obsessed is characterized by committed, settled, passionate love for God, above and before every other thing and every other being.” [pg 143] Chan also gives a real neat illustration of his grandmother, who when at a play was asked what she thought of it. She replied that she really didn’t want to be there right now because if Jesus came back right then she would rather have had Him found her praying or helping someone, not at a theater.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be challenged in their relationship with God. This book will do that. There’s also a DVD series that could be done for a small group. I just started his next book – The Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.

The Normal Christian Life, by Watchman Nee

2009-08-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

Published by Tyndale, 1977. 294 pages.

I picked this book up several months ago when a friend had me order it for her husband, and I got myself one as well. I only just recently got around to reading it.

I have to say that this book will probably end up near the top of my list of books that every Christian must read.

You could say that The Normal Christian Life is a pretty much a commentary on Romans (particularly chapters 6, 7, and 8). The exposition and application of Biblical truth in this book is amazing. Nee also includes a number of excellent illustrations.

One of the beginning chapters talk about being "in Christ" and Nee gave the perfect illustration:

"I took up a small book and put a piece of paper into it..." 'Now look carefully. I take a piece of paper. It has an identity of its own, quite separate from this book. Having no special purpose for it at the moment I put it into the book. Now I do something with the book. I mail it to Shanghai. I do not mail the paper, but the paper has been put into the book. Then where is the paper? Can the book go to Shanghai and the paper remain here? Can the paper have a separate destiny from the book? No! Where the book goes the paper goes. If I drop the book in the river the paper goes, too... Whatever experience the book goes through the paper goes through with it, for it is still in the book." (pgs. 36, 37).

He goes on to say:

We were crucified with Christ was crucified, for God put us there in him. That we died in Christ is not merely a doctrinal position, it is an eternal and indisputable fact." (pg. 37).

Near the end of the book Nee talks about "wasting" your life on God. That is based on the disciples' reaction to Mary pouring out expensive perfume to anoint Jesus Christ - they all said that she wasted it, whereas she should have sold it and given the money to the poor. But the idea was that she was giving her best to the Lord. Is it possible to give too much to God? Not possible. Nee points out that waste is giving more than necessary. If something costs $1 and you give $2, then you just wasted $1. You are giving something too much for something too little. Is it possible to give God more than necessary? Absolutely not.

I would highly recommend this book to every believer. I was able to get another 12 books that Nee has written, and with a very good discount. I look forward to diving into those soon.

Search the Scriptures

2009-06-14T21:20:00.000-07:00

Edited by Alan M. Stibbs. IVP, 2004. 6th edition. 519 pages. Link.

Search the Scriptures is an absolute must have for every Christian's library. I have been using it for several weeks now and I have loved it. It is designed to take you through the entire Bible over the course of three years.

At first, I thought that was too long of a time frame, and that I would do 3 lessons a day in order to do it in 1 year, but I soon found out that you really need to give a 1/2 hour (or more) to each lesson to get the most out of it.

Here is a sample lesson:

STUDY 3 Isaiah 5
1. Compare Isaiah's song of the vineyard with Christ's parable of the wicked husbandmen (Mark 12:1-9) and the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6-9). Note the differences, and then work out the one great lesson taught in all three passages. How can it be applied to our lives today? Cf. John 15:8.

2. Make a list of the six 'Woes' in verses 8-24, finding twentieth-century words to describe each sin denounced.

Note: Verse 14. 'Grave' or 'Sheol" (Greek 'Hades') is the place where all the dead go. It is depicted as a dim and shadowry underworld.

The lessons will have you read 1-4 chapters, and then there will be 2 or 3 study questions along with some notes on the verses.

I have a notebook in which I write out the questions from the lesson and then answer them. This is the most time-consuming part of the study, but I think it's also the most profitable part. I also have found that by going at such a slow and steady pace I tend to remember a lot more of the lesson.

The book also contains a 5 page introduction entitled "Suggestions on Method of Study" that was really helpful as well, not just for using this book but for Bible study in general. The order of the studies rotate between New Testament and the Old, and larger books are broken up into smaller sections. For example, the book begins with studies on Luke 1:1-9:56, then Genesis 1-26, then Luke 9:57-19:28, then back to Genesis 27-50, and back to Luke 19:29-24:53. The idea is to get variety in there, though you can do them in the canonical order if you like (and there's a chart for that).

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to have better devotions and who wants to know their Bible better.

Terminal Freeze, by Lincoln Child

2009-03-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

I had pre-ordered this book and forgot all about it until it showed up in my mailbox. I started it on my lunch break at work, and it was supposed to last me a whole week, but I ended up taking it home and finishing it that night :-)

The setting is a huge military facility in the middle of nowhere in Alaska. A group of scientists are doing studies on global warming when they come across a large creature frozen in ice. A large media crew (which subsidized the scientific expedition) comes to make a documentary about it. The creature thaws and is still alive, and terrorizes the base.

Terminal Freeze borrows from The Relic and Deep Storm. The creature was created supposedly for the same reason as the monster in The Relic - when a population becomes too large and it needs to be reduced. The creature is just like the creature from The Relic - very strong, intelligent, and fast. The chase at the end is similar as well (although in Terminal Freeze, the "bait" doesn't survive). On Deep Storm, the scientists were stuck in a large government facility deep under water. In Terminal Freeze, the scientists were stuck in a large government facility 1/2 under ice.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It didn't creep me out nearly as much as The Relic did, but it did keep me on edge.

Book Review: The New York Times Complete Guide to Personal Investing

2009-02-17T11:04:00.001-08:00

By Gary L. Klott. Times Books, 1987. 612 pages. Link.

I was given this book a few weeks ago, and though I haven't read the whole thing (nor do I plan to), it does contain some interesting and helpful information. Obviously, the information about taxes and such is dated, but there is still a lot of helpful information.

He includes very brief overviews of the different kinds of standard investments - such as bonds, stocks, bank accounts, etc. But perhaps more useful is the common sense material on other "instruments" such as Antiques, Art, Baseball Cards, Coins, Gems, Stamps, Wines, etc. If you've ever considered purchasing any of those items as an investment, you will want to read about it in this book. I collected baseball cards as a kid, and wanted to strike it rich by getting some real valuable cards. The book makes me glad that this fad never lasted - "Most cards sell for less than one dollar. Only a couple of hundred cards sell for more than $10." You also need to consider the fact that the price you pay a dealer for a card is going to be much higher than what you'd be able to sell the card for. Interestingly, though you would have to pay tax on the profit if you sold a card, if you swapped cards there would be no tax.

For each of those categories he points out some of the advantages and disadvantages, gives you tips on what to watch out for, and tells you how to go about investing if you decided that's for you.

The book currently sells on Amazon.com for 1¢ used (plus $3.99 shipping), though you might just want to see if your local library has it.

The ESV Literary Study Bible

2008-08-26T04:36:00.000-07:00

Leland Ryken & Philip Graham Ryken, General Editors. Crossway, 2007. 1913 pages. Link.

The ESV Literary Study Bible is perhaps mislabeled. It is not really a study Bible in the way that most people would think of a study Bible. There is a brief introduction to each book and a very brief introduction to each chapter. There are no other notes.

The introductions to each Biblical book contain a quick summary of the text including, which I find to be very interesting and useful:

The book at a glance.
Genres
Cast of characters
The story line
Inferred literary intentions
Theological themes
[name of the book] as a chapter in the master story of the Bible

The text of the study Bible is set up to read like a book. There is only one column of text, and the only note is a brief summary before each chapter, and then the original ESV translation notes. There were a few people on Amazon.com who were expecting more detailed notes, but I guess they must not have read the description very well. Having so few notes is a good idea in my opinion (though though normal study Bibles certainly have their place). One problem I have when using a normal study Bible (I like the NASB Study Bible and MacArthur's NASB Study Bible) is that I often get of course reading the notes, and then my devotional time is up and I have read very little of the Bible. This one is formatted so that there are no distractions.

Another thing I really like is the Bible reading plan in the back. There are 4 readings for each day, divided up into the Psalms and Wisdom Literature, Pentateuch and the History of Israel, Chronicles and Prophets, and Gospels and Epistles. 4 books are included twice (Psalms, Isaiah, Luke, and Romans. This unique, as most plans I've seen would include only Psalms and Proverbs twice.

One thing I like to do is to go outside and read. Most Bible are printed on a white paper that is slightly shiny, which makes it very hard on the eyes when you read it outside in the sun. This Bible is printed on a cream-colored paper, and that eliminates that problem altogether. There is also a 1 inch margin that would allow you to take notes if you wanted, though I would be careful what you used because the paper seems to be very thin.

My only complaints would be the thin paper (though I guess if they used thicker paper it would be twice the size, weight, and price!) and that it doesn't have a ribbon marker (though I believe the leather versions do).

If you want to see some pages, check out http://www.esvliterarystudybible.org/, where you can actually download a sample of the pages. You will also want to read the preface, as that really explains the purpose behind this book. If you read the reviews on Amazon.com, you'll notice a few people gave horrible reviews because they were expecting a full blown study Bible. If they had read the preface first, they would have known what they were getting (and why they might want to get it).

The Great Divorce

2008-08-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

By C. S. Lewis. HarperSanFransisco, 1943. 146pgs. Link.

The Great Divorce takes place in a dream where a man boards a bus bound from Hell to Heaven. The people he encounters behave quite differently than he would expect. Everyone is complaining and grumbling even before he boards the bus.

The bus arrives at this plain outside of Heaven. Everyone on the bus appears as ghosts - they are somewhat transparent. What's more - they are not "solid" either - they can walk on the top of the grass and the blades do not bend, and walk on the water because they are too light to sink (though the current will sweep them away). It takes all their effort to even move a leaf just a hair. They are greeted by these Spirits (many who are saved friends and relatives).

The Spirits try to get the ghosts to stop thinking of themselves and to have a desire for God. Each ghost has a different viewpoint. One of them is woman who's selfish love for her son killed him and made the rest of the family miserable. She was so upset that her son did not come to meet her, but refused to listen to the Spirit when he told her that she didn't love her son, only herself. She shows this by wanting her son to come back to Hell with her. Another lady was a horrible woman who micromanaged every aspect of her husband's life and was an utter terror to him. She tells her Spirit that she'd love to go to heaven, but only if she can still "work" with her husband, because then maybe she might be able to make something of him still. There was one ghost who did go to heaven. This man had a demon on his shoulder (representing lust). His Spirit asked him if he'd like to get rid of it. He starts making excuses for it at first, that he's behaving himself now, and that he should go back down to Hell and get advice first. He asks the Spirit why he just didn't kill to begin with, and the Spirit replies that it can only be done with your consent. Finally he gives permission and the Spirit strangles the snake, which then turns into a strong horse, and the ghost becomes more solid and takes off on the horse to Heaven.

This book causes one to wonder if Lewis is referring to a type of purgatory here, but that is cleared up in the closing pages. These illustrations basically play out the choices you've made while still in the land of the living.

One interesting point that Lewis made was that sometimes God will bring a hardship into your life for a reason. In the example of the woman who loved her boy so much, God took him away in order that she would see that she loved him too much, and that by doing so there might be a chance for a spark to arise in her heart that would cause her to turn to the Lord.

Though personally I have some issues with some of Lewis' theology, there is a lot of useful and beneficial material in his writings. The Great Divorce was a good book with some interesting truths, just remember that it is only a dream, and that people do not have a chance after death to be saved. The book is a fairly quick read - I spent a couple hours last night and then my two 15 minute breaks at work. Also highly recommended is his The Screwtape Letters.

Kidnapped

2008-07-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

By Robert Louis Stevenson. Barnes & Noble's Library of Essential Writers Series, 2006. 1156 pg (Kidnapped being pages 399-567). HC. Link.

Kidnapped was a most interesting adventure, set in Scotland in the mid-18th century. David Balfour, a young man of eighteen, is the main character. Both parents are now dead and he takes off to his formerly unknown uncle with a letter from his father. The uncle turns out to be a miserly old man of no reputation, who at first tries to kill David by an "accident" and when that did not work, through trickery David winds up on an ship bound for the Carolinas. The captain, Hoseason, was paid 20 pounds to take the boy.

At sea the ship strikes a small french boat, and there is only one survivor, Alen Breck, who offers the captain a large sum for taking him to France. The officers plan to kill the man and take his money, but David warns him and the two take up arms against the rest. They come to a truce, with David and Alan secure in the officers quarters. A few days later the ship goes through a storm and David is washed off, the ship is later shipwrecked and Alan escapes.

David ends up on a small islet, and not having ever seen the see before he came to the ship, he had no idea that the tide would go out and allow him to cross at one end to the main land, and so he spends several days in agony.

David and Alan are falsely accused of murder and have to make a run for it. This part makes up the largest portion of the book, which I won't spoil for you.

One minor drawback to the book is that Stevenson included some of the Scottish language when the characters spoke, so sometimes it was difficult to understand what they were saying. One curious thing about this edition is that the publisher defined some of the odd sayings on the bottom of the page, but they were very selective. One of the most confusing ones for me (though after a while you figure it out) is that "ken" means "know," and when you add "nae" or just "ae" to the end of a word it means not, so "I kennae" would mean "I don't know." "Mair" is more, and a "bairn" is a son/daughter.

I absolutely love the Library of Essential Writers Series. At $12.95 each (cheaper if you can get them on clearance) it's hard to beat the price. The binding is tight, and for such a large volume that's an important feature. The paper is a very light cream color and makes it easier on the eyes. I have several of these volumes in my library, and I hope they make many more. They make a fine addition to any library.

The Lost World

2008-07-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

By Arthur Conan Doyle. The Modern Library Classics, 2003. 227 pages, PB. Amazon.com Link. Originally published in 1912.

The Lost World is a must read for any adventurer. I found it to be along the same lines as Jules Verne's The Mysterious Island.

The story is written from the viewpoint of a young journalist, Edward Malone. The other three protagonists are Professor Challenger, Professor Summerlee, and Lord John Roxton. They embark on a journey to the jungles of South America to prove (or disprove) the absurd claims of Professor Challenger that there is a plateau where prehistoric life has survived.

Professor Summerlee and Challenger are rivals, and Summerlee doubts the veracity of Challenger's tale until they have their supper stolen by a pterodactyl as they near the plateau. The four adventurers have some difficulty getting onto the plateau, which we later find out is about 20 miles by 30 miles, and once they make it up the means they used to get onto it is destroyed by a revengeful indian, so they are now stuck up there.

They encounter a variety of creatures never seen a live before, and many more that science has no record of. They find out that the plateau is inhabited by indians who war against an intelligent race of apes. All of the adventures except for Malone get captured by the apes, and are going to be thrown off the plateau and impaled on bamboo sticks below, but one of them escapes and returns with Malone and their guns and saves them along with the lives of 4 indians who were subject to the same fate. The indian tribe views the men with reverence and they all set off to exterminate the apes once and for all.

The group eventually finds a way off the plateau and make their way back to London where they can give their unbelievable report to their peers.

I really enjoyed this story and I highly recommend it. The book starts a little slow, but once you get into it you will not be able to put it down! I was a little saddened that the book was so short - an adventure such as this could certainly have been twice as long!

The book closes with Lord John Roxton and Edward Malone planning a journey back to the plateau, but I unaware that Doyle ever wrote a direct sequel to this (though there are several more books in which Professor Challenger appears).

The Doctrine of Repentance

2008-06-14T17:47:00.000-07:00

By Thomas Watson, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987 (first published 1668). 122 pages, PB. Link

The Doctrine of Repentance took me a little while to get through. The Puritans usually packed an awful lot of truth into very few pages. I find if I just read through it I learn very little, but if I read little by little I retain a lot more.

Watson really changed my idea of repentance. There is a whole lot more in the concept of repentance than just asking God for forgiveness.

He cautions the reader about "Counterfeit Repentance" Being sorry for your sin and being repentant are very different from each other. Judas was very sorry for his sin after he betrayed Jesus, but he was not repentant. A man may leave one sin and only replace it for another. Or perhaps give up a sin for ulterior motives, such as a man may stop stealing because he's afraid of going to prison. "True leaving of sin is when the acts of sin cease from the infusion of a principle of grace." (p. 17).

Watson wrote for about 30 pages on The Nature of True Repentance, which he says that repentance involves 6 things:

Sight of Sin - you must first be aware of their sin before they can repent of it.
Sorrow for Sin - you must feel sorrowful for the offense rather than the punishment of the offense.
Confession of Sin - your confession is not of sin in general, but you acknowledge specific sins by diligently inspecting your heart, and take whatever steps necessary to ensure you will not go back.
Shame for Sin - sin is vile and filthy, and that's what it makes us. An interesting point Watson makes is that our sins are worse than those of unbelievers because we sin against light.
Hatred of Sin - "Christ is never loved till sin be loathed." (p. 45).
Turning from Sin - you must truly forsake your sin and never return to it.

Watson goes on in the book to give numerous reasons to repent, and to repent speedily. To those who plan on repenting on their deathbed he makes some interesting points. Many times death comes quick and you wouldn't know when your end was coming. Many people also loose their minds on the deathbed, so who's to say you would be in a stable frame of mind? Furthermore, it seems that God usually punishes those who have neglected repentance all their lives with hardness of heart in the end.

I heartily recommend this book to every believer. There are many truths in this book to be learned and applied. As with all Puritan books, you just need to give it the time it deserves - a quick, cursory reading will profit little.

This is the first of what I hope to be many Puritan books I will review. If you are interested in purchasing books in this series, The Banner of Truth Trust has them for 25% off and free shipping on orders over $25.

The Elephant and the Dragon

2008-05-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

By Robyn Meredith, W. W. Norton Company, 2007. 252 pages HB. Link.

The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us is very well written and easy to understand. The first couple chapters give a brief history of China and India and shows the reader how those countries came to be in the position they are now. I found it interesting how Charman Mao murdered tens of millions of his own people in the name of Communism and reduced the ones that survived to utter poverty.

The book explains the reasoning behind moving millions of jobs from America to China and India. It also shows how that helps Americans in general (but obviously not the ones who lost their job) with lower prices.

One of the most valuable sections of the book is the last chapter where Meredith basically answers the question, "What does this mean to me?" Her answer (and I readily agree) is that the U.S. needs to improve its education system so that our workforce becomes better educated. A lot of the world already overtakes us in areas such as math and science. In my opinion, it seems that young people are becoming dumb and lazy.

Jurassic Park

2008-05-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

By Michael Crichton, Ballantine Books, 1991. 416 pages PB. Amazon

I picked up a copy of Jurassic Park a couple of years ago at a book sale. I finally got around to reading it. It was absolutely fantastic. It really is a lot different (and better) than the movie, though the movie was well done.

I was very pleased with Crichton's writing. There were no adult scenes and I don't believe any obscene language. Too many novels today are just chock full of that garbage.

Crichton does an excellent job developing the characters, and the plot is very easy to follow. Most of the characters you didn't like don't make it to the end, while most of the ones you do like do survive.

It also would appear that Crichton did his homework in researching for this novel. Too many times in books you read about something that you do know a little about, and it becomes obvious to you that the author knows very little. My pet peeve is when it comes to computers, as that's one area that I know a decent amount in. But Crichton was prepared and learned the technical jargon and how to appropriately use the language. Concepts that most people wouldn't understand were explained enough so that you could understand what was going on, and at the same time not sounding like an encyclopedia.

I would probably give this book an 8/10, and would probably even read it again someday.
I have just finished the sequel, The Lost World, and I will write a review on that shortly.

New Blog

2008-05-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a new blog for just Book Reviews. I considered just posting them on the old blog, but I decided to create a whole new blog for it.

I intend to review every book I read from now on. So the blog will also serve to work as a record of my reading habits, and hopefully get me to read more. I also intend to include Audio Books as well.

If anyone has any good recommendations of books. please post a comment.