Two Early Summer Reads
Filed under {!-- ra:0000000006a4994e0000000068b1c961 --}{if 'Two Early Summer Reads' == '52home' && category_name == '52home'} Resource Recommendations {if:else} Resource Recommendations {/if}With warmer weather on the way I start anticipating one of my favorite outdoor activities—reading. On summer evenings, Steve and I love to sit in our old and uncomfortable deck chairs on our little back porch and read together for an hour or so while the sun sets. I can hardly wait for those days to come and I’m already thinking about what books I want to read this summer. Here are two new books that I highly recommend you put on your summer reading list, from two great friends and outstanding authors:
Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God by Bobby Jamieson
I have already read most of this book and love it! Easy to read, insightful, and just plain helpful. Not only does Jamieson help us think rightly about doctrine but shows us how it works out in the life of our local church.
“Scripture is for sound doctrine, sound doctrine is for real life, and real life is for real church growth. So says Jamieson, and he hits the nail on the head brilliantly every time.”
—J. I. Packer, Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology, Regent College
“Think doctrine is at least impractical—at worst, loveless? Give this author a few minutes to help you reconsider this. Well-written, precise, provocative, and practical—Jamieson has produced a jewel.”
—Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington DC; President, 9Marks
Not by Sight: A Fresh Look at Old Stories of Walking by Faith by Jon Bloom
No one I’ve ever read brings biblical stories to life with such beauty and accuracy. I love to read what Jon Bloom writes each Friday at Desiring God and I save and reread his articles often. Eager to slowly make my way through this book.
“Forgetfulness and familiarity. Faith is often plagued by these twin faults. We easily forget what we know about who God is and what he’s done for us in Jesus Christ. When we turn to Scripture for help, our familiarity dulls the wonder in the splendid story of God’s mercy to mere men. We need to be reminded of the old stories of Scripture, that they might irrigate our parched souls and ignite our faith. In Not By Sight, my friend Jon Bloom shatters our familiarity with the Bible by helping us see afresh how the drama of Scripture unfolds in the gritty reality of human experience and how those stores are infused with grace as they fit into the greatest story: God’s plan to save sinners by his Son. Do you need to be reminded of what you already know? Do you need to be shaken from your familiarity? Jon’s fresh tellings of the old tales will help you recover surprise and delight in the stories of Scripture.”
—C.J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville