Something Different

Here is a quick recap of the books I read in February.

Why We Love The Church by DeYoung and Kluck

This was a less than memorable read. DeYoung and Kluck set out to tell why they love the institutional church in four different sections. I love the idea but I don’t think they accomplished their task. The undertones of what they are against read louder than the words of what they were for.

In Pursuit of Elegance by Matthew May

This was a great read that unpacked the art of elegance. Broken into four sections May unpacked his findings of what makes something elegant. Symmetry,  Seduction, Subtraction, and Sustainability. This information was very useful for me as a communicator in that I could quickly apply the art of symmetry and seduction. Subtraction was my favorite read and May used a fascinating example of a European city that removed all traffic signals and actually saw their car accidents decrease. The idea being that people were forced to pay more close attention. Great book.

The Life Giving Church by Ted Haggard

I had never read anything by Ted Haggard and this book looked intriguing to me. Especially in light of his public stumble. The book had numerous practical insights and ideas. There was one chapter that unpacked some findings from Harvard that were quite helpful. The rest of the book is opinion and really limiting to only being workable in certain contexts.

Culture Making by Andy Crouch

This book will probably make the top 5 of the year. Crouch did an amazing job assessing how the church has dealt with culture and where the solutions of this dance can be found. The goal is for us to become artists and gardeners. Absolutely brilliant thoughts about condemning, critiquing, copying, and consuming culture and why all of that rarely works. I would love to dialogue with someone who has read this book.

Commentaries

I also read 4 commentaries on 1 Thessalonians.

Communicators Commentary by Gary Demarest

This is my favorite commentary series and I hope to acquire more of them. I borrowed this book and I haven’t been able to find it online (thus the picture of genesis).

Paul for Everyone by NT Wright

A close second in my favorite commentaries. Wright has an amazing ability to make each portion of scripture accessible. If you are a side reader and just wanted to read a commentary I would suggest something by Wright.

NIV Application Commentary

There were a few things that jumped in my reading of this commentary but not enough for me to comment further.

1 & 2 Thessalonians by John McArthur

At times I am frustrated by what I read and other times I marvel. I am thankful for his work in that it sharpens me and at the same time I find myself shaking my head often.

Link to January Reviews