Stopping to Think

The Little House Collection by Laura Ingalls Wilder My rating: 5 of 5 stars My wife read these books aloud to our family this past Summer, and these will certainly be books we return to. Some people are disappointed to find how much of the books are fictionalized material, but they are absolutely delightful stories. And while obviously not history per se, they do introduce young minds to a world of covered wagons, washboards, and hard survival which might otherwise be hard for iPad toting toddlers to imagine. View all my reviews

I loved all three of the space trilogy books, but this one took the cake. Part of that is simply due to the longer, more complex, nature of the story. But the themes he dealt with in terms of scientism and anti-supernaturalism leading to an anti-nature philosophy seem so stinking prescient as I concurrently read news stories about transgenderism, surrogate parenting, and false wombs.  Lewis lays bare the false gods of our modern age, and reminds us that the True Lord of all will have the final say. Buy it here.

Jerry Baker's Great Green Book of Garden Secrets by Jerry Baker My rating: 2 of 5 stars There were a few helpful tips and ideas in this book (although I'm not sure if coke on my plants did a whole lot...), but much of it was redundant. This book could have been fit into about 100 pages and contained just as much information, had there simply been a useful index added in the back. Instead, recipes and suggestions were repeated ad nauseam. My copy will probably be making the trek to Goodwill. View all my reviews

Shattered Dreams: God's Unexpected Pathway to Joy by Larry Crabb My rating: 4 of 5 stars Larry Crabb is never an author I would have picked up if it weren't for being required to read one of his books (The Burden's Off) in a counseling class. I struggled to read that book and did with this as well. His writing style grates on me. That said, this book is well worth reading, because Crabb has hard words for our comfort-seeking, pain-avoiding, dream-chasing, pseudo Christianity. What ought we to most desire? God. But we waste our time chasing lesser things. View all my reviews

Sounds like a Pastor book Yeah, it sort of does. And it sort of is. It was written by Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman (and blogger at The Gospel Coalition and The Front Porch ). So, the first thing I want to do in approaching Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), is answer the following question: Why should you, who are probably not a pastor, read a book about finding faithful elders and deacons? This is a totally legitimate question. But the answer is pretty simple. In this book Thabiti Anyabwile walks us through the characteristics and qualities required of a man called to the offices of elder and deacon. These are qualities to which all Christian men should aspire (perhaps excepting the aptitude to teach). And while you may not be a man in the position of making decisions on these matters, or a man actively desiring a position in the eldership or deaconate, or a man at all, this is information w...

A quitter is something I have always been afraid of being. I want to be steadfast; I want to be someone who people could count on. If there is ever a time I swear to my own hurt, I want to be the guy who follows through on it anyway. So in light of that, I didn’t originally have much interest in Jon Acuff’s book titled “ Quitter: Closing the gap between your day job &your dream job ” (Brentwood, TN: Lampo Press, 2011). Who wants to be a quitter? But alas, my dear wife had heard this book plugged on Dave Ramsey’s show a number of times, and was convinced I needed it. And so on my birthday, I received this book (along with one I had asked for!). This would be one case where I totally misjudged the book based on its cover…er, uh, title. This is a very good, exceptionally readable, practical, and helpful book. What’s it about? The first dose of practicality comes in the title of chapter one- “Don’t Quit Your Day Job.” You pick up a book about pursuing your dreams,...