Jeff's August Review
 "A Quest for Godliness"
Reviewed by Jeff Mills
J.I. Packer, Crossway
My Favorite Quote
“California’s Redwoods make me think of England’s Puritans, another breed of giants who in our time have begun to be newly appreciated. Between 1550-1700 they too lived unfrilled lives in which, speaking spiritually, strong growth and resistance to fire and storm were what counted. As Redwoods attract the eye, because they overtop other trees, so the mature holiness and seasoned fortitude of the great Puritans shine before us as a kind of beacon of light, overtopping the stature of the majority of Christians in most eras, and certainly so in this age of crushing urban collectivism, when Western Christians sometimes feel and often look like ants in an anthill and puppets on a string. Behind the Iron Curtain and in starving war-torn lands of Africa the story may well have been different, but in Britain and America the parts of the world that I know best, affluence seems for the past generation to have been making dwarfs and deadheads of us all. In this situation the teaching and example of the Puritan giants have much to say to us…And their knowledge was no mere rhetorical orthodoxy. The Puritans sought to ‘reduce to practice’ all that God taught them. They yoked their consciences to his word, disciplining themselves to bring all activities under the scrutiny of the Scriptures, and to demand a theological, as distinct form a merely pragmatic, justification for everything that they did. They applied their understanding of the mind of God to every branch of life, seeing the church, the family, the state, the arts and sciences, the world of commerce and industry, no less than the devotion of the individual, as so many spheres in which God must be served and honored. They saw life whole, for they saw its Creator as Lord of each department of it, and their purpose was that ‘holiness of the Lord’ might be written over it in its entirety.”
My Thoughts
I have read many good books over the last twenty years. J.I. Packer in this book called A Quest for Godliness has done a tremendous service to the church in giving us what I would call “the greatest hits of the Puritans”. The Puritans were prolific in their writing and J.I. Packer masterfully condenses volumes of Puritan writing and brings us, in this book, some of the very best of their thinking on Christian living. Though these men lived back in the 1500 and 1700’s the Biblical principles which they sought to understand and to live are timeless. I would have to rank this as one of the best Christian books I’ve ever read. I only wish I would have read it thirty years ago and then continued to re-read it on a regular basis. This book has had a profound impact on my life like few others. The Puritan Richard Baxter said that the key is not reading a lot of books but reading a few books well. J.I. Packer’s A Quest for Godliness is clearly a book that every serious believer should read well and re-read well.
Final Rating
Mickey's August Review
 "A Christian Guide To Leadership For The Whole Church"
Reviewed by Mickey Aquilino
Derek Prime, Evangelical Press
My Favorite Quote
"There are many kinds of leadership, although they all have much in common. Christian leadership, however, has two important distinctives:….the Christian leader is always and completely subject to he Lord Jesus Christ [who] exercises [his] leadership primarily through his Word, the scriptures…[and] those who lead in the church must accept the authority of that Word and be …wholehearted in their obedience to it."
My Thoughts
Derek Prime, who was the Pastor of Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh, has written a most practical and helpful book on Leadership for the Church.
Mr. Prime is nothing if not biblical in his approach to the topic. Unlike most recent American authors on church leadership, he does more than just underpin his views with a few scriptures His easy to read style masks the profundity of his content, for he has the mental acumen and the pastoral experience to cut a line through the scriptures that is biblical in its hermeneutic and helpful in its application. It is a skill all too lacking in Christian literature today.
Final Rating
Ron's August Review
 "Depression"- A Stubborn Darkness
Reviewed by Ron Klein
Dr. Edward T. Welch, Punch Press
My Favorite Quote
“The idea of heading out on a trek is not a pleasing thought when you are depressed, but at least you are in good company, which should offer some comfort. Beginning with Abraham, God has called people to leave a familiar place, set out in a new direction, put the past behind, face the unknown hazards, get to a point of desperation, call out to God for help, and look forward to something (or someone) better. On this side of heaven we walk by faith and don't have all the answers we would like. But there is reason to believe God that you will find certain hopes fulfilled even on this side of paradise.”
My Thoughts
This book is written for people suffering from depression and for those who desire to help those who struggle with depression. Ed Welch provides caring engagement with current psychological and scientific conversation coupled with the wisdom that comes from deep compassion and relevant gospel/biblical truth. His lengthy counseling experience is a good anti-depressant prescription. The scripture index is also helpful. Concerns about "chemical imbalance" is also a plus!
Final Rating
Scott's August Review
"Free of Charge"
Reviewed by Scott Kennedy
Miroslav Volf, Zondervan
My Favorite Quote
“The heart of forgiveness is a generous release of a genuine debt.”
My Thoughts
A thought provoking treatment of God’s forgiveness and generosity in a culture that is “stripped of grace”. The layout is straightforward (God’s forgiveness and generosity followed by our responsibility) but is theologically packed. The perspective of Miroslav’s Croatian roots, personal pain of infertility, and the tragic loss of his older brother Daniel made me want to keep reading. Two cautions: watch out for the high brow illustrations (Tolstoy references didn’t help me), be ready to really think through how you forgive those who have hurt you.
Final Rating
Dan's November Review
“Pride and Prejudice”
Reviewed by Dan Larison
Jane Austen
My Favorite Quote
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." This is the opening line and forms the basis for the context of the book.
My Thoughts
While everyone else was reading the classics of literature in high school and college I was perfecting the art of skimming and saying nothing in essay format. So, I decided I needed to read them. This one is arguably the classic love story. I was intrigued to learn about upper class living in 19th century England but what I enjoyed most about Austen’s writing is her ability to communicate passion and humor with such delicate understatement. And although I’m not a chick-flick kind of guy this was truly romantic. I think every man should read it or at least have it on his bookshelf…for obvious reasons.
Final Rating
(a bit verbose at times…but maybe I’m not romantic enough)
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