Helpful Reading

When the wise men, following a star, traveled hundreds of miles to find the long awaited Christ child, they stopped in Jerusalem to ask questions and get further directions.

The Jewish religious leaders there searched their ancient scriptures and were able to tell the inquiring pilgrims that the predicted location for the baby's birth was nearby Bethlehem.

The reading of those helpful materials provided crucial information for these journeying seekers and gave them the inspiration they needed to continue their quest.

Perhaps during the hectic rush of this holiday season you're searching for some good books to nourish your spirit. Maybe with the shorter days and longer nights of this time of year you'd like to devote a little more attention to reading. Or it could be that you'd like to purchase some quality, soul-refreshing writings to give as gifts to friends or family at Christmas. The right kinds of books can make a real difference in our lives.

Allow me to recommend some works that have enriched me personally.

Timothy Keller's Counterfeit Gods(Dutton, 2009) is all about the idols we make of money, sex, and power and how they can never really satisfy the hungry soul. Keller's last offering, The Prodigal God(Dutton, 2008) is also a worthwhile read that will spiritually encourage you.

Looking for some counsel on distressing personal issues? Two books by well-known people-helper June Hunt blend biblical teachings with psychological insights to provide wise advice. Her Counseling Through The Bible Handbook(Harvest House, 2008) and How To Handle Your Emotions(Harvest House, 2008) both deal with concerns like depression, fear, anger, grief, and loneliness. Eating disorders, dysfunctional family styles, sexual problems and a variety of other topics get discussed, too. Healing The Scars Of Emotional Abuse(Revell, 2009) by Dr. Gregory Jantz skillfully outlines how to recover from the various types of abuse we may have experienced in the past and how to handle the negative stuff we sometimes get from other people in the present.

Anything by Philip Yancey is always thought-provoking. His newest book, Grace Notes(Zondervan, 2009) is a compilation of some of his writings over the years placed in a daily devotional kind of format and touching on a wide range of soul concerns.

If you want a work with some intellectual muscle try The End Of Christianity(B&H Publishers, 2009) by Christian philosopher William Dembski. It grapples with the problem of evil in light of the Christian conviction that God is good, and traces evil back to the Fall with some scholarly reasonings. This book, like those by Lee Strobel and Ravi Zacharias, is a good apologetic tool to assist the believer in defending the faith.

Hunting for a new Bible for yourself or someone else this Christmas? I'd suggest buying a study edition since you'd not only get the text but hundreds of helpful explanatory notes as well. My favorite is the ESV Study Bible(Crossway, 2008). It's packed with very illuminating information. It's thick, and a little expensive, but a fabulous investment.

My top recommendation this time around is Randy Alcorn's If God Is Good(Multnomah, 2009). It is a rich, full, warm examination from a biblical perspective of the pain, evil, and suffering in our world. Alcorn looks at it from a wide variety of angles. He uses a lot of illustrations and presents dozens and dozens of encouraging principles. If you can only read one book this year, it probably ought to be this one! It will greatly expand your vision.

You may recognize Alcorn's name since he also wrote the bestselling work Heaven(Multnomah, 2004). That book is still available and is the best offering on that subject I've ever seen. He answers, from scripture and from sanctified imagination, tons of questions about the Christian's eternal home. His basic premise is that Heaven will be a place of meaningful activity and fulfilment, not an everlasting retirement village where we sit on clouds and strum harps! James L. Garlow and Keith Wall present a very similar picture in their Heaven And The Afterlife(Bethany House, 2009). In this shorter work they take up a lot of inquiries about Heaven, Hell, angels, demons, and death.

For the lover of biographies, there's John Piper's new book, Filling Up The Afflictions Of Christ(Crossway, 2009). This brief but interesting volume tells the story of three great Christians, William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson, and John Paton, and how they endured much and suffered greatly for their faith.

Do something good for yourself. Imitate the wise men of Matthew's Gospel this Christmas by not being afraid to stop and ask questions. You may find the answers to those questions on the pages of a good book!