Book Recommendations

These are books that I have read that have made an impact in my life in one way or another. I have tried to include some books from different categories. Some of them are books that I think every believer should read. If you are looking for something to read I hope this can give you some helpful direction in something to choose.

These are in no particular order:

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (Amazon)
This is a classic that I have used over and over again.


Knowing God by J.I. Packer (Amazon)
This is another classic book. This is about the Biblical theology of knowing and being known by God. Every believer should be familiar with this book. (IMO)


Gospel: Recovering The Power That Made Christianity by J.D. Greear (Amazon)
Greear is a youngish pastor and this book is a great book on what the gospel is and the place it should be in our life. (hint: the center)


Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream (Amazon)
This is a great book that identifies some common misconceptions about the gospel. We must look at the gospel from the pages of scripture and not through the lens of our western, american culture or we will distort that gospel.


To The Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson (Amazon)
This is my favorite missionary biography. If you have never heard of Adoniram Judson you should read this book. It always challenges me and encourages me to courageously engage in the great commission of Christ.


George Mueller of Bristol: His Life of Prayer and Faith by A.T. Pierson (Amazon)
This is another one of my favorite missionaries. Mueller's life and story inspires me to strengthen my faith and be a man of prayer.


The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected by Nik Ripken (Amazon)
I read Ripken's book last summer and couldn't put it down. Some of the stories in this book are absolutely stunning and evidence of the work of God among persecuted people groups. I challenge to read this book.


Can Man Live Without God by Ravi Zacharias (Amazon)
I love Ravi Zacharias. He does Christian apologetics. He will make you think. I love to read apologetics but not because it helps me witness to atheists. It does that, but I like to read them because it makes me think deeply about my faith and strengthens it along the way.


Stealing From God: Why Atheists Need God To Make Their Case by Frank Turek (Amazon)
This is another book on apologetics. I started reading it last summer and couldn't put it down either.


Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (Amazon)
I know this came out as a hit movie last year. If you have seen the movie, you need to read the book. There is so much more to the story. It is thrilling and has a great message about the power of the gospel that the movie leaves out.


That is probably enough to get you started. If you finish these, let me know and I can recommend some others.

Gospel Precision

In the tenure of my life in the ministry I have grown accustomed to people being inaccurate in their understanding and articulation of the gospel, and biblical doctrines. Correcting people is the difficult part. The difficulty is not in identifying what's wrong, but the manner in which correction takes place.

So, is precision necessary and if so when?

The gospel is simple. I've sinned, Jesus died and rose again, salvation comes by faith in Christ alone. That is the gospel in a nutshell, and it is fairly simple. It is simple enough for a child to hear, understand and respond. It is not necessary for someone to be able to articulate justification, propitiation, substitutionary atonement and other key related doctrines in order to receive salvation. They don't need to be able to articulate them, but they do need to understand those concepts as part of a sound, evangelistic, gospel presentation.

But, that does not mean understanding those terms and being able to articulate them is not important. I think that it is a vital part of growing as a disciple to learn, and be taught, not only the meaning of those biblical truths, but also how to articulate them. That is where precision is necessary.

It is also necessary in evangelism. This is especially true in the Bible belt. Churched people, who are still lost, have been inoculated to an imprecise version of the gospel, that probably isn't the true gospel. It is disturbing to me to run across people who have a church background and when asked about their relationship with the Lord give a works based answer to describe it. That happens to me all the time! That is where I have to be precise in my evangelistic efforts. This does not mean that I use big words, but that I am precise with the concepts those big words contain.

How do you accomplish that precision and still communicate effectively? That takes effort and work. One of the best ways to hone your precision is to explain the gospel, precisely, to younger people. Practice explaining justification to your kids. They need to hear it, and you need to practice communicating it.

An Example To Follow - Dr. Jack MacGorman

Today was the first day of my last year of course work for my DMIN program at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. At the beginning of each semester a guest is brought in to address the entire program. Today it was Dr. Jack MacGorman.

I had Dr. MacGorman for a class on 2 Corinthians when I was working on my masters in 1998. Today, he gave some incredible insights and a fantastic example for me to follow.

Dr. MacGorman is 89 years old. Here are some of the highlights that stuck out to me from today.

Here is a quote from Dr. Mac about his age, "Anyone indebted to God for his mercy and forgiveness as I am needs a long life to say, 'thank You'". Wow! What an incredible perspective and truth.

His testimony is something like this. He was born in Nova Scotia in 1920. In his early 20's he desired to go to a prestigious college and get an advanced degree in Liberal Arts. But, he contracted a serious illness and became severely ill. He was in a hospital for months in excruciating pain. While in that hospital he realized that his greatest need was not for a baccalaureate degree from an esteemed university but a Savior to rescue him from his sins.

As he recounted his salvation story he was visibly moved with a sincere gratitude and joy. It seemed like the initial joy of salvation had never diminished in over 65 years!

As I sat there listening to this 89 year old saint testify to the scriptures, the faithfulness of God, with sincere humility it was striking. I have seen lots of elderly people who seem to check out on their faith and desire to work and serve the Lord. Dr. Mac was truly grateful that the Lord had seen fit to give him life, and he was not going to waste that opportunity. He was going to use it to glorify His Lord. I pray that I can follow that same type of example.

He taught on the difference between law and grace from Galatians and it was powerful. Maybe I'll share some more in a later post

Relax, It's Summer

Not hardly! There is always something going on, and I think I like it that way.

Here's a taste of what has been going on:

The other day I walked into the living room to find all of my ladies with an open Bible diligently reading, studying and answering questions in a bible study workbook. I love to see things like that! This summer Michelle has two outreach, discipleship bible studies going on at our house, one for each age group of our girls. It takes a lot of effort, organization, patience, and prayer to disciple and reach out to these girls. I am amazed at her faithfulness to the great commission. My daughters have a great example of what a woman of faith looks like.

I am busy with church and with preparing for my two weeks of seminary study. This summer we are intensivley studying the parables. There is a lot of work that goes into my seminary class. Some of it is more enjoyable than other parts. But, what I thoroughly enjoy is being pushed and challenged to dig deep into God's Word and learn from it and learn how to apply it in my life and ministry. I will be slammed and exhausted at the end of the my summer class, but I am sure that I will have grown and benefited greatly.

Other things: the girls are staying busy this summer doing volleyball stuff, and diving team, violin, piano,lots of reading, and even some math work. We do have a short vacation planned before school starts and I cherish those family times.

It is important for us to make sure that we have appropriate balance in all of these things. Sometimes that is hard to achieve, but I feel like we are on the right track.

I praise God that the life of a Christ follower is never dull!

Teach Me To Do Your Will

The word disciple means learner or student. What are you a student of?
I love to learn. I love to learn new things. I hope to be a student for the rest of my life. When it comes to following Christ, we are to be continually learning of Him.

Look at Psalm 143:10
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!" (Psalm 143:10, ESV)

First of all it is a prayer for help. It is recognition of the fact that doing God’s will is not something we are ingrained to do. We need help. We need someone to teach us. Not just anyone, but the Lord.

There is a twofold trap that we can fall into:
1. That I can do it.
2. That it will just happen.

I am not so good at doing my own will, much less God’s. I need some serious help. And the amazing thing is that God provides it. He has the power to sufficiently manage my life, if I will surrender it to Him.

As for number 2: learning does not normally just happen. You don’t just learn by osmosis. We do have a responsibility as students to seek learning. If you just think that your faith is going to grow, without actually having to apply yourself, it’s not very likely.

What about the subject matter of this learning? It is God’s Will. There is no subject greater to learn than the subject of God and His Will. It is a pursuit that is worthy of the utmost attention, devotion, and dedication.

Most people are too overconsumed with their own will. If we showed as much desire for God’s will, as we did for our own, I think our lives, churches, and the world would be different as a result.

what to do when you don't WANT to do what you know you SHOULD do

"I don't feel like it." "I don't want to." "I'd rather do something else." If these quotes were about eating a yucky vegetable it would be no big deal. But, what if those quotes express how you feel about prayer, bible study, fellowship with God, evangelism, obedience.

This article by John Piper has helped me, maybe it can help you.

When the "Want To" and the "Ought To" Don't Match

By John Piper October 29, 1998

If your "want to" does not conform to God's "ought to," what can you do to have peace? I see at least five possible strategies.
You can avoid thinking about the "ought to." This is the most common strategy in the world. Most people simply do not devote energy to pondering what they should be doing that they are not doing. It's easier to just keep the radio on.
You can reinterpret the "ought to" so that it sounds just like your "want to." This is a little more sophisticated and so not as common. It usually takes a college education to do this with credibility, and a seminary degree to do it with finesse.
You can muster the willpower to do a form of the "ought to" even though you don't have the heart of the "want to." This generally looks pretty good, and is often mistaken as virtue, even by those who do it. In fact, there is a whole worldview that says doing "ought to's" without "want to" is the essence of virtue. The problem with this is that Paul said, "God loves a cheerful giver," which puts the merely "ought-to givers" in a precarious position.
You can feel proper remorse that the "want to" is very small and weak - like a mustard seed - and then, if it lies within you, do the "ought to" by the exertion of will, while repenting that the "want to" is weak, and praying that the "want to" will soon be restored. Perhaps it will even be restored in doing the "ought to." This is not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy hides one of the two contradictory impulses. Virtue confesses them both in the hope of grace.
You can seek, by the means of grace, to have God give the "want to" so that when the time comes to do the "ought to," you will "want to." Ultimately, the "want to" is a gift of God. "The mind of the flesh is hostile to God . . . it is not able to submit to the law of God" (Romans 8:7). "The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God . . . because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Corinthians 2:14). "Perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25).
The Biblical doctrine of original sin boils down to this (to borrow from St. Augustine): We are free to do what we like, but we are not free to like what we ought to like. "Through the one man's disobedience [Adam] the many were made sinners" (Romans 5:19). This is who we are. And yet we know from our own soul and from the Bible that we are accountable for the corruption of our bad "want to's." Indeed, the better you become, the more you feel ashamed of being bad and not just doing bad. As N.P. Williams said, "The ordinary man may feel ashamed of doing wrong: but the saint, endowed with a superior refinement of moral sensibility, and keener powers of introspection, is ashamed of being the kind of man who is liable to do wrong" (First Things, #87, Nov. 1998, p. 24).
God's free and sovereign heart-changing work is our only hope. Therefore we must pray for a new heart. We must pray for the "want to" - "Incline my heart to Your testimonies" (Psalm 119:36). He has promised to do it: "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is the new covenant bought by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 8:8-13; 9:15).
Looking to Jesus, my life,
Pastor John
© Desiring God
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PS: I have a love-dislike relationship with John Piper. I love some of what he writes and preaches, and I dislike and disagree with some of what he says. This article is one I like.

When the "Want To" and the "Ought To" Don't Match

Paul writes in Romans 7:14-20
"14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. "

This is a very familiar struggle for me. I find comfort that such a man as Paul struggles with some of the same things I do. I know the things I ought to do in Christ, but I don't want to. I want to want to(do you follow that?)

I found this great article on this subject by John Piper that is below. Now, I don't agree with all that Piper believes and says on many subjects, but this article is good.


When the "Want To" and the "Ought To" Don't Match
By John Piper October 29, 1998

If your "want to" does not conform to God's "ought to," what can you do to have peace? I see at least five possible strategies.
1. You can avoid thinking about the "ought to." This is the most common strategy in the world. Most people simply do not devote energy to pondering what they should be doing that they are not doing. It's easier to just keep the radio on.

2. You can reinterpret the "ought to" so that it sounds just like your "want to." This is a little more sophisticated and so not as common. It usually takes a college education to do this with credibility, and a seminary degree to do it with finesse.

3. You can muster the willpower to do a form of the "ought to" even though you don't have the heart of the "want to." This generally looks pretty good, and is often mistaken as virtue, even by those who do it. In fact, there is a whole worldview that says doing "ought to's" without "want to" is the essence of virtue. The problem with this is that Paul said, "God loves a cheerful giver," which puts the merely "ought-to givers" in a precarious position.

4. You can feel proper remorse that the "want to" is very small and weak - like a mustard seed - and then, if it lies within you, do the "ought to" by the exertion of will, while repenting that the "want to" is weak, and praying that the "want to" will soon be restored. Perhaps it will even be restored in doing the "ought to." This is not hypocrisy. Hypocrisy hides one of the two contradictory impulses. Virtue confesses them both in the hope of grace.

5. You can seek, by the means of grace, to have God give the "want to" so that when the time comes to do the "ought to," you will "want to." Ultimately, the "want to" is a gift of God. "The mind of the flesh is hostile to God . . . it is not able to submit to the law of God" (Romans 8:7). "The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God . . . because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Corinthians 2:14). "Perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Timothy 2:25).

The Biblical doctrine of original sin boils down to this (to borrow from St. Augustine): We are free to do what we like, but we are not free to like what we ought to like. "Through the one man's disobedience [Adam] the many were made sinners" (Romans 5:19). This is who we are. And yet we know from our own soul and from the Bible that we are accountable for the corruption of our bad "want to's." Indeed, the better you become, the more you feel ashamed of being bad and not just doing bad. As N.P. Williams said, "The ordinary man may feel ashamed of doing wrong: but the saint, endowed with a superior refinement of moral sensibility, and keener powers of introspection, is ashamed of being the kind of man who is liable to do wrong" (First Things, #87, Nov. 1998, p. 24). God's free and sovereign heart-changing work is our only hope. Therefore we must pray for a new heart. We must pray for the "want to" - "Incline my heart to Your testimonies" (Psalm 119:36). He has promised to do it: "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes" (Ezekiel 36:27). This is the new covenant bought by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 8:8-13; 9:15).
Looking to Jesus, my life,
Pastor John




Oh Lord, give me the want to, the desire and the passion to seek and love you with all of my heart, soul, strength and mind.

Scott