What Pastor Blair Has Been Reading (April 2024 through June 2024)

Brooks, Richard. The Name High over All: A Commentary on Hebrews. Evangelical Press: Leyland, 2016.

This is a volume within the Welwyn Commentary Series. They are usually collected expositional sermons from someone’s series on a particular book of the Bible. However, Brooks seems to have taken that extra step to make this a true commentary (If his sermons are like what he has written, his congregation must have exhaustive patience as his messages would have to be over two hours long). But the author has done a remarkable job of catching the true spirit of Hebrews. It has depth without being over a general reader’s head. I enjoyed this commentary immensely and highly recommend it for a personal study through Hebrews.

DeMars, Sean. Rebel to Your Will: A Story of Abuse, Father Hunger and Gospel Hope. Christian Focus: Fearn, Scotland, 2024.

To be transparent, I consider Sean a good friend. He let me read an initial copy of this manuscript and it still hits me in the same way. Sean has had an incredible past full of abuse, drugs, rebellion, and overall sin. He tells his story through snap shots of what he remembered without being too graphic. And sandwiched between these brief chapters are snap shots of where his life is now as a father, husband, and pastor. What you have is a story of marvelous reclamation and redemption by the Gospel of Christ. It is beautiful to read. I highly recommend it.

Gibson, Jackie. You Are Still a Mother: Hope for Women Grieving a Stillbirth or Miscarriage. New Growth Press: Greensboro, 2023.

I have longed to have a resource to put into the hands of grieving parents when they are suffering the loss of a child in infancy. Jackie Gibson can relate. She and her husband, Jonathan, lost a child at stillbirth in her second pregnancy. She is extremely transparent in her descriptions of this tragedy (note to those who might be ‘triggered’ by reading it). But she can explain in terms as only one who has gone before in such an experience can. It is written in brief chapters, which I found helpful as it was emotionally charged. And she gently points the reader back to Jesus. This is a great resource. I would not place it in the hands of a person who is undergoing this trial immediately. But it would benefit them in the months ahead as they search for answers.

Hambrick, Brad. Self-Centered Spouse: Help for Chronically Broken Marriages. P&R Publishing: Phillipsburg, NJ, 2014.

This is a short book within the Gospel for Real Life series. It is written as a tool used by Biblical counselors dealing with a spouse married to a narcissist. I have both a criticism and a praise for this booklet. First the praise, I think it provides wonderful explanations for the behavior of the narcistic spouse. It gives clear talking points and expectations for repentance when one struggles to stay in a marriage with a difficult self-centered partner. The practical side is wonderful. However, I did struggle with the opening of the book where Hambrick exposited Matthew 7:1-6. This is the wonderful ‘remove the log from your own eye’ teaching from Jesus. It is when he gets to verse six about casting your pearls before swine that I struggle to apply this to marriages. The way Hambrick explains it, and taken to the furthest extreme of his interpretation, one could tap out of a marriage and quit trying. I don’t think he means that, but it is the way it reads. I would want to use the material in this booklet, but I certainly would want to qualify that introduction.

Johnson, Dennis. The ESV Expository Commentary: Hebrews. Crossway: Wheaton, 2018.

I am usually a big fan of this series. In fact, it has replaced the Expositor’s Bible Commentary as my ‘go-to’ set for general overview. But I was not as impressed with Johnson’s work on Hebrews as I have been with the other books in the series. There is only one reason for this. He communicates poorly in his writing. His content (once I sifted through it) was good. It just came across muddled and unclear. However, I will say that Johnson is spot on with his outline of revelation, reconciliation, and rest. For the first time I feel comfortable with an outline on Hebrews (One I am likely to ‘borrow’ when I preach through it). To that end, the book was a worthy read.

Kriegel, Mark. Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich. Free Press: New York, 2007.

I had seen documentaries and movies about ‘Pistol Pete.’ I came across this New York Times Best Seller in a used bookstore and thought I would give it a shot (pun intended). I am glad I did. The book starts slowly as it details the upbringing of Maravich’s father, Press. But this was necessary. It explains why his father pushed his son to excel at the game. The Pistol was no saint. He struggled with alcoholism and depression for most of his career trying to achieve expectations that were unreachable within the environments he was placed. Pat Conroy, who reviewed the book, said it best. ‘He should have been the greatest basketball player to play the game. This book explains why he was not.’ That is spot on. But as an Evangelical Christian, the best part of the book was when Pete found Christ late in his life. The change that came over him was astounding. The biographer, clearly, was not a Christian. But even his description of Maravich’s latter years defies explanation apart from Jesus. I loved this book. It is one of the best biographies I have read recently.

Liu, Esther. Shame: Being Known and Loved. P&R Publishing: Philipsburg, NJ, 2022.

This is another volume in the 31-Day Devotionals for Life series. Esther Liu is on staff with CCEF. And it is clear from her writing that she is someone who has had a life-long struggle with shame. She is of Asian descent which adds another layer coming from an honor and shame culture. I found her devotions to be sympathetic to those in the struggle. And the overall solution of the book is to look to Christ (both His person and what He has done) rather than yourself. But I do have some critiques. There are times when scripture is appropriated outside of its context. It happens often enough to take notice of it. While the work overall is not bad (nor in any way heretical), I would want to be selective about which days I shared with someone I counseled. I would rather point others towards Ed Welch’s book on the same topic.

Strickland, Darby. Trauma: Caring for Survivors. P&R Publishing: Philipsburg, NJ, 2023.

The Resources for Changing Lives is a wonderful series of short books to assist either the reader or counselor with specific problems. They are created to be read in one sitting. There is no better writer on the subject of trauma than Darby Strickland. Not only is she the author of Is It Abuse? but she has spent countless number of hours helping people through their personal trauma whether it came from abuse, natural disasters, accidents, war, or other traumatic events. Probably the key insight this book will give the reader is that victims of trauma need patience and wisdom from those who desire to help them. While primarily addressing those who have been abused, there is no doubt the sufferer needs space and time to process such difficult events from their past. For those who know someone who has experienced a traumatic event, and want to know HOW to help, this is the best place to start.

Strickland, Darby & Carlotta Notaro. Something Scary Happened: Comfort for Children in Hard Times. New Growth Press: Greensboro, 2023.

I am delighted to see more resources available to help children. This is a children’s book written to help the child who has struggled with a traumatic event. Using the story of ‘Miles the Sheep,’ it helps the child understand why they might have symptoms from the trauma such as an upset stomach, lack of sleep, and uncontrollable emotions. And with the example of Miles, who ‘saw something scary’ (which is never described), the little lamb is lead to the good shepherd. I was nearly brought to tears as the author described the safety and care of Jesus to Miles the Lamb. This is a wonderful tool to dialogue with children in their pain. My daughters were in a horrific car accident when they were little. I wish I had a book like this to help them work through their fears and feelings. I will be taking this one to the children’s wing at the church in case a parent would like to borrow it.

Williams, Peter J. The Surprising Genuis of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher. Crossway: Wheaton, 2023.

Peter is the principal of Tyndale House in Cambridge. This book builds upon his previous work, Can We Trust the Gospels? In this volume Williams builds upon the work of Kenneth Bailey demonstrating that many of the parables of Christ allude to Old Testament narratives and passages. His main teaching point is showing how much the Jacob narrative is related to the prodigal son. I confess, at first, I found it far-fetched. But now after reading his material, I can see how a Palestinian Jew would have picked up on these nuances, especially a scribe who was tasked with copying the Torah. He also demonstrates that the parables in all the gospels have a commonality that can only be attributed to a first century rabbi and not the individual writers of the gospel. This is a wonderful apologetic work and reveals the brilliance of our Savior in communicating his message.

Williamson, Geoffrey. The Ingenious Gainsborough. St. Martin’s Press: New York, 1972.

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) is considered the most prolific British artist of the 18^th century. He was known for making his figures and landscapes almost life-like. He was even commissioned to make portraits of the royal family. At one time, Gainsborough lived and worked in Bath. And when I lived there, I became fascinated with his work. I probably should have started with a recent biography, but I found this one in a thrift shop. Williamson writes like an amateur British historian. He is very wordy telling you little tidbits he has discovered rather than keeping the reader on the main story. While it has illustrations, none of them are in color. And few are of Gainsborough’s most renowned works (with the exception of ‘Blue Boy’). That might be attributed to the time at which it was written and licensing rights. Such weakness can be made up with a smart phone that can pull up the images in seconds. I enjoyed reading about Gainsborough’s life (sadly, I don’t think we will meet in heaven). However, if I were to do it again, I would likely choose a different biography.

Wynalda, Rob. The 17:18 Series: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews. Reformation Heritage: Grand Rapids, 2009.

I have been using the 17:18 series for several years now. It is based off Deuteronomy 17:18 where the king of Israel is instructed to write out his own copy of the law. Here, the reader/writer writes out the entire book of the Bible and answers questions to guide the student’s thoughts. To date, I have written out Genesis, Matthew, and Proverbs. And since I am about to preach Hebrews in 2025, I have written that book out as well. (Please note I am only addressing the portion that deals with Hebrews.) It is always a profitable exercise and helps the student to slow down and think! I did not find the questions as thought provoking as previous books, but that might be due to the book’s brevity. This is a discipline I commend to all Christians.