Tag Archives: books

Matthew Henry on the Bookshelf

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I do most of my Bible study and sermon prep online. I also have a large collection of actual books. I use and promote the Bible Gateway website but have also reviewed physical copies of books for Bible Gateway. Since I have several good resources on the shelf and access to many others online, it’s unlikely that I would have invested in a set of Matthew Henry’s commentary. But when a widow lady offered me this set that belonged to her husband, I said “absolutely.”

Jack Miller was the head of the deacon board when I was called by Unity Baptist in 2014. He was a Gideon, a Mason, and had served many years on the county board of education. His wife had retired from teaching school and volunteered at the reception desk at the hospital. I remember discussing something with Jack during my first year as pastor and then stated that was my idea and asked what he thought. He was taken aback for a second or two and said “You’re the boss.” No, I am not the boss but that must surely be the best group of deacons any pastor has ever served with.

All six volumes of this set have Jack W Miller’s name imprinted on the cover. And that is fine by me. If anyone asks who that is I can continue telling that “You’re the boss” story for years to come.

iMonk Radio Podcast #99

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Michael self-identifies as i-Monk in the intro; When you hear Ravi Zacharias, keep in mind this podcast was new in 2008; Walter Brueggemann, Prayers for a Privileged People; Daniel Berrigan, The Kings and Their Gods: The Pathology of Power; poetry by Wendell Berry; longer discussion of Robert Capon. Here is a post featuring Capon quotes via Jesus Shaped Spirituality.

That Book I Mentioned

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I am preaching through the 1st Epistle of Peter at Unity Baptist. On Sunday morning our text included the verse most often used as the basis for Christian Apologetics: “but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15. To emphasize the significance of apologetics I pointed out that our Sunday school curriculum will have a unit on the subject in December. I also pulled a couple of books from the shelf in my office and mentioned that the concept could probably be found in many other books even without the word apologetics in the title. One of the two books I held up as examples was The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, edited by Ed Hinson and Ergun Caner. Continue reading →

“Self Published” is No Longer a Dirty Word

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bookSelf publishing used to be problematic for many reasons. The quality of self-published works would immediately be suspect. If the manuscript was any good, why did all traditional publishing houses pass on it? Sometimes the quality of the physical book itself left something to be desired, from the materials used to the manufacturing process, not to mention the lack of quality graphics on the cover and potentially poor self-editing.

What if the manuscript was fantastic but no traditional publisher wanted to take a change on it? If a writer believed in his work he might pay out of pocket to have a few thousand copies printed, but then what? Continue reading →

This Just In…

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There are two things I never do; one is over react in a restaurant if my order isn’t right.  I rarely send anything back, and when I do it’s with a lot of respect for the kitchen staff and multiple apologies.  You should never act like a jerk to the people who are spitting in preparing your food.  The other thing I don’t do is complain about the postal service.  No matter how bad it gets, keep your mouth shut if you ever want to see your mail again.  It’s not like they have competition.

Becky Garrison’s new book Jesus Died for This? went on sale in August.  A batch of our local mail was misdirected, and just discovered this morning.  The postmark on what would have been my advanced copy was July 21.  I’m not bitter, I just bring it up to say this: I’m reading it now, and will post a review as soon as I’m able.  Keep in mind that Garrison is a satirist, not a theologian.  Her books combine hard-hitting journalism and good common sense with frequent LOL’s.  Read more about the book and author here, and perhaps purchase a copy for $14.99.  There is also an audio download and e-book available as well.  My review will be up in a few days.

I was introduced to Becky Garrison when I reviewed The New Atheist Crusaders and Their Unholy Grail for the Internet Monk.  You can read that review here.

New Year’s Resolutions?

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new-yearsI no longer make resolutions, per se.  There are of course a thing or two I would like to change, and in the spirit of turning over a new leaf, it’s hard not to be caught up in the moment.

In the last few weeks, I’ve started several different books and haven’t finished any.  I think at this exact moment I’m in the middle of 4.  Three are theology, one is the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Motorcycling.  So without making a resolution (most last an average of 2 weeks) I would like to say I plan to finish those volumes before I start any others.  I also have a brand new ESV Study Bible that I read about, blogged about, doted over; then read very little of. 

So that’s it.  I plan, intend, commit to do these things; no promises.  And you?