Stopping to Think

  Doubtless: Because Faith Is Hard by Shelby Abbott My rating: 4 of 5 stars Helpful little book. It's aimed at students, but that only comes through explicitly at a few points, and I would feel comfortable handing it to someone of any age struggling with doubts over the truth of Christianity. The main point he makes it that doubt, in and of itself, is not the enemy. Lingering over those doubts in a morbid way, being a lazy doubter who won't bother to actually seek answers, or we might say being the wrong kind of doubter, is the issue. Doubts used as motivation to lean into our search for truth, doubts used to push us further into the arms of the loving Father, these can actually become His tools for our joy. View all my reviews

  "We do not rise up to God; he descends to us." Michael Horton, Pilgrim Theology, pg 31

  Poirot and Me by David Suchet My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book. But I don't think I'll go passing it around to random people. As someone who grew up watching the Poirot movies, hearing Suchet go through almost every single episode brought back all kinds of memories for me and provided a fascinating glimpse inside the life of a character and stage actor. That said, it made for a rather tedious pace, and if you didn't come already interested in hearing all of this stuff, it wasn't necessarily written in a way that would pull you in. Honestly, I would probably give this book two stars, except I listened to the audio book, which is read by Suchet, and if phone books still exited it would be worth listening to him read one. One of the best voices in the business. View all my reviews

  "The final purpose of God's communicative action is to form a people for his treasured possession: not simply a group of holy individuals but a 'holy nation' (1 Peter 2:9)." Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Hearers & Doers, pg 138

I previously posted some interaction with a particular part of this commentary here.  The Gospel According to John by D.A. Carson My rating: 5 of 5 stars DA Carson has been my go-to for the past two years of studying John's gospel. The combination of wise and scholarly interaction with commentators both contemporary and historical, the rich exegetical insights, and the commitment to applying the text as the word of God to the people of God set this commentary apart from the others that I used. View all my reviews

  "Baptism is not necessary for salvation, but it is necessary for obedience." Sam Allberry, Why bother with church? , pg 51

John- Moody Gospel Commentary by J. Carl L. Laney My rating: 3 of 5 stars Useful cultural and background data; exegesis was pretty thin. Homiletical helps at the end of each chapter were of varying helpfulness. I didn't dislike it, but I probably wouldn't pass it around to friends looking to preach from John's gospel. View all my reviews

  The use of images in worship "begin to corrupt the devotion they trigger." J.I. Packer, Knowing God, pg 51