Today I would like to share with you a few books that you might consider reading during some of the down time created by the closure of so many of the places we often frequent in our culture, with a brief word about a few resources that will come online later this week from LifePoint.
With this in mind, here are a few of my recent favorites you might consider if you have not read them yet:
The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Alan Jacobs – I have read many books by C.S. Lewis, and many about C.S. Lewis. This may be my favorite biography of his life. Excellent research and writing by Alan Jacobs, an accomplished writer and thinker himself. You might also consider another of Jacobs’ well-written books while you’re at it, entitled The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction.
The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson - Bryson is one of my favorite living writers. His wit and winsomeness is unmatched, reminding me much of Mark Twain. Bryson is not a believer, but this is a fascinating journey into the human body that God created. A warning here, Bryson can be a bit crass at times.
Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History by Andrew Roberts – This is an excellent book of mini-biographies of some of the greatest leaders in wartime – both good guys and bad guys. Each biography is short and to the point, but all are extremely well written.
West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express by Jim DeFelice – Wow, loved this great read. Wonderful history not only of the Pony Express, but in many ways, of western expansion and both the glorious and inglorious days of the Old West. Like the Pony Express itself, it’s a fast read.
Spectrums: Our Mind-boggling Universe from Infinitesimal to Infinity by David Blatner – This is a fascinating read that deals with all the extremes in our world, from heat and cold, light and dark, space and time, to numbers and sizes, and much more. Written by a Physicist who can speak normal English. Short, fun, easy to read, and as its title promises – mind-boggling.
A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin – Many, when they hear the name John Calvin, think of a cold-hearted preacher bellowing on about harsh decrees concerning predestination and eternal damnation. Nothing could be further from the truth. Calvin was a mild, gentle man who was deeply in love with Christ. Like all of us, he was imperfect as well. This very short book is an excerpt from his much larger work entitled The Institutes of the Christian Religion. An excellent little summary of what it means to be a Christ-follower.
If you have children at home, now is a perfect time to get them reading (or reading to them) Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia or Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children. If you’ve already tackled those, Helen L. Taylor’s rendition of Bunyan’s classic entitled Little Pilgrim’s Progress is lots of fun, and promotes great questions about our faith. So does Mrs. O.F. Walton’s Christie’s Old Organ. In fact, I have a few copies of this one in my office if anyone would like to borrow it. For very young readers, R.C. Sproul has written The Donkey Who Carried a King and The Lightlings, both delightful books for young minds. Our church library will be open for checking books out as long as we are able to keep the office open during the week.
This week you can expect video teaching from Mary Veal for your children, my message from Genesis 3:20-24, a worship set from Pastor David and some of our worship leaders, and a walk-through of Exodus 14-19 (Plan & Promise tract) from Pastors Nate Gast and Nate Meece. We are exploring the possibility of a uploading some short devotionals from our pastors as well. Just trying to provide some good resources for you all as we wait out this quarantine period in our country.
Grace and peace to you all this week!
Pastor Jym