Ministry Musings: 2023

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Best Reads of 2022 - Ministry and Faith

Whew! It is the first week of February and I have finally found time to finish the last of my yearly book blogs. Sadly, this is the first year since I have kept track of my reading that I did not reach my ministry book reading goals. I usually aim for 20 ministry-oriented books every year, but fell one short in 2022 with 19. Unfortunately, I am not on track to meet that goal this year either – I have yet to find time to read a single chapter in a ministry-oriented book in 2023. Sigh…

Here are the best ministry and faith books I read this year:

Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane Ortlund. Dane Ortlund blessed the body of Christ with his book Gently and Lowly a few years ago. You could say Deeper is the follow-up to that book. It addresses the topic of sanctification – how do we grow in our relationship with the Jesus whose is gentle and lowly in spirit, and whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light? I thought the chapters on the Bible and the work of the Spirit were especially good.

Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution by Carl R. Trueman. This is a shortened version of Trueman’s book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. Trueman asks the question – who do people think and see themselves so differently now than 20 or 30 years ago? He chalks it up to the acceptance of what he calls “expressive individualism” which is summed up in the assumption that a person’s heart desires are the most important and for them to be genuine they must follow where their heart desires lead. It is, I believe, a powerfully accurate diagnosis of what we see today in modern society.

In the Lord I Take Refuge: 150 Daily Devotions through the Psalms by Dane Ortlund. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it difficult to find a good devotional book that has meaty content and thought-provoking ideas. Ortlund’s journey through each of the Psalms is one of those. There is a short devotional for each of the psalms in which he highlights a theme or a portion of the psalm and frequently looks at it through a gospel lens. I enjoyed it so much, it provided the impetus to create a sermon series on the Psalms, which I am currently preaching through.

Rejoice and Tremble: The Surprising Good News about the Fear of the Lord by Michael Reeves. I have yet to read a disappointing Michael Reeves book. Christians today do not talk enough about the fear of God. In this inviting yet challenging book. Reeves talks about what it does and does not mean to fear God and how that fear, properly understood and applied, should change our walk with Jesus.

Is Atheism Dead? by Eric Metaxas. Metaxas asks the question – does the evidence of science, archeology and history point to the fact that atheism is dying? The book takes us on three journeys. First, Metaxas unpacks the myriad of scientific evidence that the universe was created by a designer. Second, speaks to the many different ways archeology has proven the Bible to be an accurate ancient record. And finally, he addresses the historical track record of atheist regimes, showing that atheism has never produced any kind of free society. As a caveat, Metaxas is not a young earth creationist, but much of his information is not dependent on whether you agree with him or not.

The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers. Chalmers was a Scottish pastor who lived from 1780 to 1847. I was first exposed to his ministry a few years ago. This past year, I was able to pick up a copy of his most famous sermon – The Expulsive Power of a New Affection. Chalmers speaks about how it is our growing affection for Christ that has the power to bring true, lasting victory over the sin in our lives. At only 72 pages, this is a little booklet well worth your time.

God’s Kingdom through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology by Peter J. Gentry and Stephen J. Wellum. Christians are frequently divided in their understanding of the Bible between two poles – dispensationalism and covenant theology. Or, how I like to explain it, discontinuity and continuity. I struggle with aspects of both viewpoints, and have good friends that share both viewpoints. Gentry and Wellum’s perspective, called progressive covenantalism, seeks to find a middle ground between these two camps. Time will tell if they have succeeded. It was a very interesting read. I liked a lot of what I read here, but I found I could not agree with everything. Thus, my quest continues….

Friday, January 20, 2023

Best Reads of 2022 - Fiction

This is part 2 of my annual review of the best books I read in 2022. This is the collection of fiction books for the year. As you will see, 2022 was a heavy science fiction year. Not sure if I have any reason for that….but here goes.

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey. This is the first in a series of books that provide the foundation of the Amazon Prime series The Expanse. After watching The Expanse, I decided to read some of the series. Leviathan Wakes is excellent and I almost wish I had read it before watching the TV show because there are departures from the show that I had to adjust to. I am looking forward to reading a few more volumes of the series in 2023.

Chaos Rising by Timothy Zahn. I usually don’t read books that are spin offs from popular movies or shows like Star Trek or Star Wars. But way back in college, I remember reading a set of books by Zahn set in the Star Wars universe featuring Admiral Thrawn, who is a mix between a brilliant detective and a masterful tactician and general. Imagine my surprise to find that there were other Thrawn books. This is the first of a prequel series that was just excellent.

The Disappearance of Winter’s Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan. This is the fourth of a series entitled the Riyria Chronicles and features Sullivan’s wonderful characters, Royce and Hadrian. The chemistry between the two characters is as delightful as always and the plot races right along, keeping the reader on their seat until it comes to a satisfying ending.

Into the Narrowdark by Tad Williams. This is book 3 in one of the best continuing fantasy series today, The Last King of Osten Ard. Set decades after his original trilogy (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn), the story builds from the first two books with more twists and turns leading to a cliff-hanger ending that leaves one waiting until book #4 is published.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Weir is best known as the author of The Martian, which was made into a movie staring Matt Damon. In this book, Weir tells the story of an expedition sent deep in space to try to stop the deterioration of our sun and the ultimate destruction of life on earth. The premise is intriguing, the storyline keeps you reading and the plot has more than a few surprises.

The Lost Metal by Brandon Sanderson. It is always a good year when there is a new Brandon Sanderson book to read. This novel concludes his second Mistborn series again featuring Wax, Wayne and their cohorts. While this series is a mix of steampunk and fantasy, it is more light-hearted than some of his other series and once again leads the reader on a breath-taking ride to a powerful conclusion.

Other excellent fiction titles I read this year:

Beyond the Shadows by Brent Weeks

The Starless Crown by James Rollins

Greater Good by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn Ascendency, #2)

Crooked River by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Thrawn by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #1)

Thrawn: Alliances by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #2)

Thrawn: Treason by Timothy Zahn (Thrawn, #3)

Kesrith by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #1)

Shon’Jir by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #2)

Kutath by C. J. Cherryh (Faded Sun, #3)

Brothers of the Wind by Tad Williams

Monday, January 16, 2023

Best Reads of 2022 - History/Biography

It is the middle of January and I have finally found time to start writing my annual summary of the best books from the past year. As in past years, I have read a lot of good books this year. I plan to divide these posts into three groups again – history/biography books, ministry-oriented books and fiction books.

Here is my description of the best history/biography books I read this year, followed by a list of the others I finished during 2022.

Stalin’s War: A New History of World War II by Sean McMeekin. This is a truly
remarkable, eye-opening book. McMeekin’s argument is that Stalin, not Hitler, was the prime driver behind World War 2. The author details how Stalin manipulated Hitler to bring about war, and then when Hitler turned on him, how he made himself the darling of the West. McMeekin details the necessity and excesses of the Lend Lease program and the extent to which the US went to continue to supply the Russians with raw materials and manufactured goods which enabled them to get a jump on the Cold War.

Island Infernos: The US Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944 by John C. McManus. This is McManus’ second book in a three-part series on the US Army in the Pacific during World War 2. Like the previous book, it is amazingly well written and researched. McManus unpacks the Army’s role in places like Saipan, Guam, New Guinea and Leyte Island in the Philippines and he does not shy away from addressing the Marine Corps’ bias against the Army by some of its leadership.

Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky by Paul Johnson. Another absolutely fascinating book. Johnson details the life of intellectual after intellectual who each made absolute claims about how society should operate and how others should live. But when their own lives are examined, they are exposed for the hypocrites that they truly were. One wonders who would star in such a book if it was written about today’s intellectual class.

A War of Empires: Japan, India, Burma & Britain, 1941-45 by Robert Lyman. The CBI or China-Burma-India theater of World War 2 is often overlooked. But the fact is, Allied troops fought the Japanese longer there than any other place in the Pacific War. Lyman focuses our attention on this theater and especially on the struggles and subsequent triumphs of the Indian Army soldiers which made up the bulk of the troops.

Victory at Sea: Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War 2 by Paul Kennedy. Kennedy’s book is a high-level study of the navies of World War 2. He focuses on the changes in the global world order as some navies who entered the war eroded or were destroyed, while others like the US Navy displayed remarkable growth. It is a fascinating synthesis made better by some great naval art by artist Ian Marshall.

July 1914: Countdown to War by Sean McMeekin. You might start noticing a theme here. This is a Sean McMeekin year. After reading Stalin’s War, I sought out other McMeekin books. This volume is about the political and diplomatic machinations that brought about World War 1. Blunders and miscommunication abound everywhere, and while blaming Austria as well as Germany, McMeekin brings the pivotal roles of Russian, France and Britain to the fore as well. Bottom line – no one comes out looking good here.

The Russian Revolution: A New History by Sean McMeekin. One more McMeekin book. This is a very readable account of how the Russian revelation came about. He brings out how fragile and risky Lenin’s position really was at the beginning. The book is rather grim in spots, and McMeekin does not shy away from the horror of Communist rule or the guilt belonging to other nations in allowing the revolution to begin and continue to its end.