Books I've listened to or read from April-June 2026 (contains Amazon Affiliate Links)
I've been busier than expected but I still worked through a lot of books, none were really ground breaking, but sometimes that's okay. I've been mainly reading from my local library, but that has introduced me to books and authors I wouldn't have looked at elsewhere; it's also limited me from reading some of my favorite authors. I'm going to start with the worst book because it was arguably the most important concept and one that is destroying Christianity as I write this.
Book that wasn't very good but made me think:
Total Forgiveness by R.T. Kendall - This one is tough because it honestly contains a lot of great things about the power of forgiveness, but it has one FATAL and DISASTROUS flaw. It may have been the pre-runner of Chris Brauns' wicked Unpacking Forgiveness or Vee Chandler's bitterness inducing Biblical Boundaries of Forgiveness. Honestly, most of Kendall's book is wonderful and focusing on God's amazing grace in total forgiveness. But where it fails is when talking about judging and withholding forgiveness. Kendall forgets that there is a Matthew 25:23-35 in the Bible and so he requires consequences instead of forgiveness; in Kendall's version of that story the servants (both of them) would have to be punished because there was a chance they would go out and defraud others. The problem with requiring repentance before forgiveness, besides it destroying the unforgiver with bitterness, that the Bible commands it (Colossians 3:13), and that Jesus forgave before repentance (Luke 22:32, Luke 23:34), is that it sets up an arbitrary measurement of repentance that no perpetrator can ever attain. Vee Chandler gives an example of a circumstance where a perpetrator goes public about their sin, quits their job, and leaves the state, and only then the victim would forgive them. Can you imagine Jesus requiring that of those he forgives? If you leave the measurement of repentance in the victim's hands, then you will make them twice the sons of hell as yourself. I hate to be so harsh on this book, because a good bit of it was really good and helpful, but there is a scourge in Christianity destroying relationships and souls and locking people into bitterness, and Total Forgiveness helps to condemn people by not not encouraging Total Forgiveness. The Bible is exceedingly clear on forgiveness, and what Kendall, Brauns, Chandler and others (Teasi Cannon will soon contribute a book to this newer heresy) are peddling is not it.
Books that were okay and made me think:
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov - As the world gets closer to being inundated by A (There is no I in Artificial Intelligence), it was interesting to be part of a book club that was reading this book published in 1950. Asimov saw many of the challenges coming, such as people falling in love with robots, abandoning human relationships, and robots having competing and broken constraints. I'm leaving it in this sections instead of higher because Asimov's interaction with deity and conscience were almost non-existent (except as jokes or plot filler), which is honestly the most important part of the future of A. More than anything else, this book helped me to become disillusioned with the failure that is A and to hope to publish more articles and works in the futures on the Christian response to A.
Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West One Meal at a Time by Stephen Fried - Having grown up seeing Fred Harvey busses all over my hometown, I realized I had no idea what the name meant. I actually know where there is a scrapped Fred Harvey bus still visible to the public. In reading this book I hoped to learn more about Fred Harvey, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn many other things about the Southwest from this book. Fried traces the rise and fall of Fred Harvey the brand, starting with Fred Harvey the man. The research is impeccable and the storytelling is for the most part good. Fried took this opportunity to provide smaller biographies and vignettes throughout the book, some interesting, and some wearisome. I'm listing it as just "ok" as there is no real moral to the story; maybe Fried wanted us to find our own moral in it, and it was clear to me that building a brand is no way to build a legacy. Fried also spent a bit of time glorifying criminals, malcontents, and prostitutes that wasn't super helpful to the forward movement of the story. My favorite part was the debate over building a hotel on the edge of the Grand Canyon and how it almost was a massive eye-sore until cooler heads and a president intervened; that hotel, the El Tovar, to this day is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.
Books that were good and made me think:
He Chose the Nails by Max Lucado - Lucado focuses on the sovereignty of God in the death of Jesus. The title is better than the book, but the book is good enough. The absolute best part of the book was the point that when Jesus nailed to the cross, he could look and see a lot of things, the nails, the cross, the Romans, the crowd, but he could also see the hand of God nailed to that cross. Lucado also mentions the sovereignty of when Pontius Pilate nailed a sign above Jesus head which likely contributed to the salvation of the thief to Christ's right.
Leading Character by Dan B. Allender - Allender focuses on the most important thing in any leadership role being character, not ability. It was a great reminder to serve the Lord Christ rather than men, to not be afraid of "public sanctification", and the fact that every person has unique giftings and failings and that God is working in both.
The Elephant and the Dragon by Robyn Meredith - Similarly to how I was hoping to understand Artificial Intelligence better, I was also wondering about the meteoric rise of China out of the 1990s to where they are today. An older book, The Elephant and the Dragon examines the growth of China and India up until 2008 (when it was published), and while I focused more on China, it was interesting to learn about India's similar growth. With many good insights, the primary take-away is that China has grown to where they are by modifying their socialism into a form of authoritative capitalism, and Meredith introduced me to the idea that helped China out of Maoism: If you come to a fork in the road with Communism to the left and Capitalism to the right, signal left and turn right. I was shocked by the inflation under Mao where many provinces were required to pay more in taxes than they even made, all because of overinflated reporting to try to impress Mao and others. My favorite part about the book was that it made me see Indians and Chinese as people attempting to thrive in life, not as nameless foreigners or enemies or competitors, and it would be a good idea for Christians to read this book so that we can see them as people in desperate need of a Saviour.
The Kill Chain by Christian Brose - I read this for work and it was helpful from a chaplain standpoint that everyone in a military or a society or an organization or a church is in a valuable place to contribute. Brose focuses on the many moving pieces that are required to complete a "Kill Chain" where the mission is accomplished. Take a moment to consider which is more important? The pilot who flies the plane or the person who fixes it? The person who fires the ammunition or the person who ensures the ammunition is reliable? The army or the people who feed the army? The person sending the email or the people who make sure the network delivers emails? Brose helped me to see a concept I already knew about, but now I understand more clearly, every single piece of an organization is vital to its success, and we can't imagine ourselves as individual heroes, but as a body that is able to accomplish a mission if and only if we're working together.
The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey - Yancey helped me understand that the battle for the Old Testament has been raging for far longer than the lifetime of my ministry. I love how Yancey frames the message that Jesus wouldn't have read the New Testament, because it hadn't been written yet. The little vignettes of Job, Deuteronomy, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Prophets were short but helpful. Christian, if you're not reading the Old Testament, you're not reading the very Bible the Jesus read.
The End of Reason by Ravi Zacharias - A little dated now, this book looks at the arguments of famous atheists of about twenty years ago. Many of their arguments have fizzled and died, as expected, but Zacharias has a wonderful way of pointing his answers to eternal truths, and so it is still an encouraging book, though you're unlikely to find a Sam Harris follower or Christopher Hitchens groupie to try these arguments out on.
Books that were great and made me think:
What's So Amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey - I said I'd read it again, and I did. I've sung the song, I've read the book, I've seen grace be amazing in a million ways, and yet I continually need that reminder. The real life examples Yancey gives are miraculous and wonderful, and it brings immense joy to my heart that there are billions of other stories just like them, some of them actively happening in my life. Christian, if you don't know how amazing grace is, or you need a reminder, this book will rock your world and motivate you to take Christ to a lost and dying world!
The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias - Zacharias takes the imagery of master clothing weavers in India making masterpieces while their young sons work behind the scenes and don't see the progress. He ties it together that God is working all things for good to those who love him and are called according to his purpose. The worst thing that might be happening to a believer may be the best thing that could be happening, they just don't see it yet, or how it is playing together in God's grand design. The ultimate call is to trust God's wisdom, power, and plan, and this book brought me a lot of comfort.
Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray - I read this book at the recommendation of a friend and I was greatly blessed. We don't realize how many things we're holding onto while feigning submission to God, and Murray helps to release our entire lives, fortunes, and eternities to the one who loved us so much as to surrender his own will to save a people who he then calls to surrender their wills. I hope to read this book again in the near future with friends or family.
Humility by Andrew Murray - I'm sure I read this classic many years ago, but it was a blessing to reread it and be reminded that Christ must increase and I must decrease. I've linked to a different copy than I read because my version had all of the Bible verses switched over to the NIV, so they didn't match Murray's thoughts, and it had quotes at the beginning of every chapter, some good, and some from mystical heretics with highly questionable beliefs. I won't detract from Murray for this, because he didn't do it, some other publisher thought tampering with it was a good idea. My favorite and most impactful part was that the true test of your humility is how you treat and serve others.
Repentance: What it Means to Repent and Why We Must Do So by J.C. Ryle - Ryle has been one of my favorite authors for a good long while, so it was to my shame that I've never read this book. An old friend recommended it and I actually read it twice (it's quite short). Ryle points out that repentance is absolutely necessary as "Heaven is a prepared place, and those who go to heaven must be a prepared people." He encourages believers to know what sin is, sorrow over it, confess it, forsake it, and hate it. His examples of King David and the thief on the cross drive home the thought. And I found a quote I'd been looking for for a long time about repentance at the last moment, or as Ryle calls it, "Late repentance": "One thief was saved that no man might despair, but only one, that no man might presume." The kingdom of heaven is at hand, the time is fulfilled, let us repent of our sins and trust in Christ!
Book that I wrote that I think is pretty good:
Seeking the Cure, Finding the Christ by Canyon Shearer - I wrote this book after I was greatly encouraged preaching through the story of Naaman and the seven people who helped him find God, and greatly discouraged by the tragedy of Gehazi's greed. I also wanted, like Yancey's The Bible Jesus Read, to help believers see the depth and beauty of the Old Testament and to lay a firm foundation for the joy that is revealed in the promised Messiah who is able to wash away our sin and shame. I released this entire book on this blog if you're interested, start at chapter 1: Irredeemable.
