“Deeper Places,” Matthew Jacoby

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dp.inddThe Psalms reflect the authors relationship with God. Accordingly, they are a tremendous example in demonstrating how we can communicate with Him.

Matthew Jacoby has a deep understanding of the Psalms as he has spent a great deal of the past 15 years immersed in them. He is a founding member of the Psalms-worship band Sons of Korah and accordingly has been singing them for many years.

This is one of those books that you need to take time over and mediate on both Scripture and Jacoby’s words of explanation. The book is structured around explaining the various types of psalm (eg, lamentation, praise, etc) and outlining how we can use the words to better aid our own communication with the Lord.

As one of the endorsers states: “Deeper Places is about knowing God, not knowing about God.” I want to know God more intimately and this wonderful book has opened my eyes to better understand how I can do that.

If your desire is to know God, then I’d encourage you to get your hands on this marvellous book.

“The Counselor: A Screenplay”, Cormac McCarthy

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It’s been a few years since I read a screenplay. It’s obvious from the first page this was written for the screen.

The Counselor is classic McCarthy with his magnificent spartan use of language and ability to take his reader into the heart of every scene.

While I enjoyed reading McCarthy’s narrative and frugal but a times brutal dialogue, the story didn’t grab me. I think I’ll enjoy the story more when I see the visual representation of it on the screen. The story moves at great pace skipping from one scene to another then to another very quickly which I believe will be better portrayed on screen. There’s a wonderful cast assembled for the movie making it even more appealing. How the director captures the fear and tension that pervades the screenplay will be particularly interesting.

As with many McCarthy works there are some severe violent episodes that I actually found a little distracting but I expect is necessary to demonstrate the destructive essence of the drug trade.

This is one that is perhaps better to watch than to read.

“Soul’s Gate”, Jim Rubart

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Jim Rubart’s novels simply get better and better. This is top notch and I’d encourage every Christian to read it.

From the first page Jim’s writing took me on a spiritual journey that had me pressing into the Lord as I explored the ideas in the novel in my own prayer life. Jesus brings freedom, it’s a fundamental aspect of the gospel and Soul’s Gate explores this truth by introducing four characters who are still struggling with their own particular issues. They are called to firstly tackle their own captivity before being able to help others to do the same which I take will be the main thrust behind the second in the series, Memory’s Door.

However, the enemy doesn’t just sit back and allow us as individuals to surrender our brokenness to the Lord. Rubart demonstrates this by using the allegory of people entering another’s soul to help that person to both recognise their struggles and then helping free them. However, frequently the enemy will turn up in an attempt to thwart the crusaders efforts. In essence, I see this as how the Holy SPirit works in our lives. He enables us to identify the roadblocks to our freedom and provides us with the ammunition to blast them away. And once again, Satan and his cronies fight hard to stop the roadblocks from budging.

We can all help others in their individual battles by way of prayer which again is a big theme that runs through Soul’s Gate. Prayer is powerful and it does work to prevent the enemy in its efforts.

I enjoyed each of the four characters, all very different and believable. I look forward to their development in the next edition. The scenery both physically and supernaturally is fantastic making the novel a great joy to read. Rubart does a magnificent job visually taking the reader into each of the scenes.

I’ll be recommending this to everyone. It’s a must read and the best novel I’ve read in 2013.

Congratulations Jim on a novel that I hope will stand the test of time not unlike some of those of a certain hero of yours, Mr CS Lewis.

“Intimacy with the Almighty”, Charles Swindoll

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Chuck Swindoll wrote this short book during a period where he was on sabbatical to his pastoral responsibilities. It was only in that down time that he sensed his yearning for greater intimacy with the Lord. Sometimes it’s only when we slow down and be still in the Lord’s presence are we able to hear our heart’s cry.

The book is centred around 4 decisions that need to be made daily and the required discipline for enabling greater intimacy with the Lord:

1. To reorder one’s private world -> Simplicity
2. To be still -> Silence
3. To cultivate serenity -> Solitude
4. To trust the Lord completely -> Surrender

I liked this structure particularly the inclusion of simplicity. In this frequently manic world we live in it is very easy to become overwhelmed not just by physical things but our minds can be overtaken by a barrage of unrelenting communications.

This is an easy book to read, only taking an hour, but it’s important to allow the teachings and soundbites time to linger in our hearts so we can start to put the concepts into practice.

Highly recommended.

“Spirit Hunger”, Gari Meacham

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9780310309000I thoroughly enjoyed Gari’s book. Too often we can walk through life as mere bystander going about our little quiet life in our own little way. Gari’s book reminds us that God calls us to participate and we can do this by listening to the grumblings in our heart and allowing the Spirit to satisfy our hunger for more.

The book is broken into 3 sections: The heart that longs, the heart that seeks and the heart that moves and illustrates her perspectives with sound Biblical teaching and stories from her own life.

I particularly appreciated the chapters on prayer especially Chapter 9 on the postures for effective hearing from God. Too often prayer can become a monologue of requests, however, God wants to communicate and share what’s on His heart so we need to establish the correct postures to listen.

Filled with practical teaching that challenges and is written with such infectious passion for encouraging all readers to set sail allowing the Spirit to take charge of our hearts.

Highly recommended.

“The In-Between”, Jeff Goins

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The-In-Between-211x300The ordinary moments brim with wonder

I read this book smiling. It is so delightful and comes with a strong message that there is wonder to be found in the moments of waiting.

Too often we are focused on the next, whatever that is: job, baby, year, holiday, or even what we’ll be doing when we get home. There is nothing wrong with that except if we ignore the present. Jeff encourages us to be expectant in the wait, in the pause. In doing so we can realise the unique preciousness that only comes in that particular moment.

Jeff recounts stories from his life where he’s been forced to slow down or wait. Whether it was the train journey home for Christmas, the nine months till his first son was born, or the wonder of time spent with the elderly, Jeff encourages us to cherish the in-between moments. I particularly enjoyed the story of his wedding proposal and the actual day. Both are magical with old-fashioned romance.

Jeff writes beautifully and the power of these stories lies in their ordinariness. We all experience the run of the mill moments of life. But Jeff reminds us that everyday is precious and even when nothing much happens there’s still joy to be found.

Highly recommended.

“Galatians for You,” Tim Keller

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I studied Galatians at college not so long ago so I thought I had a pretty good understanding of it. However, this excellent study opened my eyes to far more. I can’t speak highly enough about it.

This is practical expository teaching, taking each verse of the epistle and unpacking it so we can both understand but also use it.

Keller uses excellent layman’s language and the conversational style reads like he is sitting alongside guiding you through the epistle. Then after each section of teaching there are three challenging questions for self or group reflection that assist in personalising the message.

Galatians is all about the gospel of grace. As Keller writes in the last paragraph: “The gospel of grace is what the Galatians need to know , and love, in “your spirit.”” As do we.

If you are soon to study Galatians then grab a copy of this book.

“The Way Back,” Tom Pawlik

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This is different to Tom Pawlik’s first two novels that I enjoyed immensely. Pawlik describes it himself as a ‘coming-of-age’ sort of novel which it is, but one filled with gripping suspense that kept me turning (well flicking, is that what it’s called on a Kindle?) the pages.

Pawlik is masterful in how he describes his settings. In particular, the way he describes Jake and Buck’s boat trip through a creepy swamp had me feeling like I was a third passenger on it. The suspense he creates when danger is at hand is riveting. His scenes with a certain large crocodilian creature reminded me a lot of Peter Benchley’s Jaws.

But it was his character, Abe Garner, an elderly man, misunderstood and rejected by his small community, that grabbed my heart. It is his story that lingers in my mind on finishing the novel. His story is such a beautiful one of grace in action, of forgiveness and not allowing one’s mistreatment to malign one’s life with bitterness, mistrust and hatred.

Read this so you can meet Abe Garner. Oh, and one very large water-dwelling reptile.

“The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald

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I found this both charming and terribly sad.

Fitzgerald’s elegant craftsmanship with attention to detail using such economy of words was extraordinary. It was such a delight to drift off into another time as he captured the soul of Gatsby’s world in the 20s. It was an interesting use of the 1st person as Nick Carraway narrated the story.

But there was such sadness with the apparent meaningless of these characters lives. All fluff and bubble without any soul. I found I felt sorry for Gatsby, unlucky in love and seemingly wealthy from dubious commercial activities that never got fully explained. Daisy, I felt nothing for, as she came across as the most callous selfish individual, blessed with beauty and good upbringing.

I can understand why the novel is held in such esteem by the literary world. In less than 200 pages, Fitzgerald was able to describe the folly of the hedonistic life that has even greatest prevalence today, making the novel very relatable to a modern readership.

“Jesus is ______”, Judah Smith

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In our mixed up world it’s very easy for us to lose sight of “the way, the truth and the life” whether we are a believer or not. We have this maddening way of taking charge ourselves or basing our opinions of faith on the church or other believers.

What this wonderful book does is bring us back to the heart of the gospel. A person. Jesus.

I love how Smith sums it up near the end of the book: “He just wants to love us. He wants to be loved by us.” We should wake each day and welcome Jesus to it. He’s here anyway, why not walk through our days in relationship with Him. And if we do we will truly discover who we are and can be.

Written in easily understandable language with much humour (some funny, some not so) plus plenty of anecdotes and Scripture, this is a beautiful reminder of what Christianity is all about. A person. Jesus.

We need more of this message and I look forward to Pastor Smith’s next book. Highly recommended.