Billy Graham's Nearing Home: Life, Faith, and Finishing Well

I have recently had the opportunity to read Billy Graham’s book Nearing Home: Life Faith and Finishing Well. This book struck me as outside of the box because it comes from the position of one who is understanding that they are at the end of their journey in life. Within this dark understanding of one’s plight Graham is able to bring about joyful hope and inspiration that even though one’s old age is beseeching upon one’s abilities one is still able to forge ahead in the kingdom of God. Graham develops ideas about how one might use the benefits of their old age, wisdom, knowledge, and experience in order to bless the lives of the people around them. I think this book is a must read for anyone at any age because it can motivate any person into spiritual action. A book that keeps the end in mind is very useful in today’s times and Billy Graham in Nearing Home has the knack of bringing everyone into his mind and perspective. Which shows that even though humanity may be weak and physically frail; God is strong and able to use us. I would highly recommend this book for anyone seriously thinking about working with elderly people or those who have no hope of being used by God.

Max Lucado's "Max on Life"

Max Lucado’s work Max on Life is a delicate stroll through the plethora of questions asked of any pastor since the dawn of the church. Questions on how to live in response to a certain problem or issue and how to see God in light of certain circumstances are a prevailing notion that is brought about throughout the book. It is interesting to see how Lucado uses his life experience to bring about insight, which causes true life change. His ability to converse with his readers gives the book a level of grace which would provide peace for anyone going through almost any conceivable circumstance. On a whole, I enjoyed the structure of the book because it allowed for a series of short reads while seeing each individual question answered as part of a cohesive section and book. I would have liked to see a better exegetical presentation of the scriptures he quoted for each of his answers but it is difficult to do such things and provide such nurturing pastoral advice. I would recommend this book for any pastor for their personal use or to make available to their ministry workers within the church because of the great practical resources it provides for daily spiritual growth. It would be nice if Max Lucado would create a reading plan or study guide to go along with this book in order to implement it in one’s study program.

Doing Virtuous Business: The Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise by Theodore Malloch

Doing Virtuous Business: The Remarkable Success of Spiritual Enterprise by Theodore Malloch is a great tool for anyone interested in not only increasing their ability as a business person but also as a pursuer of God. The book investigates this concept of how capitalism within our social constructs creates a an atmosphere for progress in the business world. Malloch expresses how one’s “spiritual enterprise” causes effects one how one conducts business because of the changes in one’s ethics and character. If one builds a spiritual enterprise where good morals and virtue are expressed one’s actions will reflect their moral strength. For example, if one builds forgiveness and honesty as part of their “spiritual enterprise” they are more likely to provide forgiveness for those who transgress them. This book is a very practical tool for all people because it shows how one’s spiritual condition is able to affect their daily life. Also, it inspires one to fine tune their “spiritual enterprise” so that they will be able to conduct better business. The only thing that Malloch infers which was hard to cope with was how he expected the spiritual values to appear in modern culture. This is hard to unify with a world of no absolutes in which people are all inherently evil.

Slave by John MacArthur

John MacArthur’s new book Slave describes the true meaning of what it means to be  follower of Christ. MacArthur’s argument surrounds around the meaning of the Greek word “doulos” which implies slavery rather than servanthood. He then goes on to break down our position as slaves of Christ which includes our sonship and citizenship. Using much history and reputable sources, John MacArthur shows our responsibility to Christ as his slaves but loved slaves. This book helped me to get a better grasp on what it means to follow Jesus because it is not by choice but rather by compulsion through love that one acts for Christ. MacArthur does a great job to use the original image of a first century slave which was used by the scriptures to help readers understand the relationship between Jesus and his followers. He creates a sense of deep reverence for God and an attitude of humble service, which Christians should emulate. Being a slave to anything is a hard pill to swallow because of our modern day worldview, but MacArthur uses reasoning and logic to make readers understand that we are being taken from slavery to sin to slavery to Christ and heirs with him. Overall, I thought the book was very life altering and informational, but it may be difficult for a new believer to grasp all of the theology he added in the final chapters. For one who has a greater knowledge of the scriptures and theology this is a great ministry tool.