Sharpening The Ax

How about a good book?

Reading is a great way to stretch mentally and deepen spiritually. The Apostle Paul understood that. Even when at the end of his ministry, in jail and near death, he was requesting stuff to read, according to 2 Timothy 4:13. He wanted to stay sharp and fresh, intellectually alert and vocationally visionary and spiritually focused.

We could benefit, too, from using some of our time during these winter days to recharge with the aid of wise writers. Allow me to pass on some suggestions of helpful works that are blessing me personally just now.

Anything that John Ortberg pens is insightful and creative. His latest offering is The Me I Want To Be(Zondervan, 2010). He discusses individual growth and maturity in a variety of areas, and uses very helpful illustrations. Chip Ingram's new book, Living On The Edge(Howard Books, 2009) also deals with deepening our spirituality, and he develops, in a very practical way, the applications that come from Romans 12.

You'll find John Piper's most recent work, though brief, to be rich and pointed. It is A Sweet And Bitter Providence(Crossway, 2010). He works through the Old Testament book of Ruth, drawing out crucial themes that impact our lives today. He highlights sex, race, and the sovereignty of God as well as the comforting truth that the Lord is always at work in our situations to bring about our good and His glory. Pure Pleasure(Zondervan, 2009) by Gary Thomas would refresh you. He ponders why Christians feel so bad about feeling good. He offers a practical theology about delighting in the everyday pleasures that God created for us to enjoy while warning about the misuse of those joys.

Want something a little deeper? Try the weighty academic study by Andreas Kostenberger, A Theology Of John's Gospel And Letters(Zondervan, 2009). It thoroughly probes the historical and literary features of these New Testament writings and digs out in detail the critical themes. This work provides fodder for a long, satisfying investigation of these portions of scripture. Sermons galore could be birthed out of these pages, and Sunday School preparation enhanced.

For some scintillating reflections on marriage, check out Love And War(Doubleday, 2009) by John and Stasi Eldredge. This couple blends scriptural thoughts with experiences out of their own relationship and those of people they counsel to serve up some beneficial advice on marital issues. Their transparency is refreshing and their wisdom enriching. If you need to brush up on your leadership skills, you might find Axiom(Zondervan, 2008) by Bill Hybels to be of assistance. This noted megachurch pastor shares a wealth of insights in short, incisive chapters on matters like vision, strategy, communication, teamwork, assessment, and integrity. It's almost like a "book of Proverbs" on leadership issues.

Dr. Larry Crabb does an interesting thing in his new book, 66 Love Letters(Thomas Nelson, 2009). He devotes a chapter to each book in the Bible and"converses with God" about what He is trying to communicate in each particular portion of scripture in terms of personal concern. This comes off like a daily journal kind of reading experience and is packed with rich thoughts on all kinds of spiritual and emotional matters in light of what God gave us in His Word centuries ago. This book offers a different kind of devotional way to work through the Bible over a year.

So...see ya at the bookstore.