What Pastor Blair Has Been Reading (July 2025 through September 2025)

Allberry, Sam & Ray Ortlund. You’re Not Crazy: Gospel Sanity for Weary Churches. Crossway: Wheaton, 2023.

I don’t listen to very many podcasts. But it is my understanding that the chapters of this book are developed from a podcast conducted by the authors. Each are well known pastors serving in the Nashville area. They seek to encourage pastors and ministry leaders (along with church members) by reminding the reader that our work is difficult. But it is also rewarding. And we must not lose focus on what is important by being lured away by the latest trends in churches. We must keep the gospel message central. They demonstrate how we should be inviting others to the gospel from the opening of our services, practicing the gospel in the community of the church, and preaching the message of the gospel regularly. In terms of doctrine, there was nothing in this book I had not heard before. But I was encouraged by hearing from other pastors in how they were living out the gospel. This was a refreshing read. I recommend it for ministry leaders serving within this decade of divisiveness.

Appleby, John. I Can Plod: William Carey and the Early Years of the First Baptist Missionary Society. Grace Publications Trust: London, 2007.

I am preparing a series of historical lectures for my next trip to the Philippines. One will be on the missionary zeal of William Carey (1761-1834). Until I came across this book in a used bookstore, I did not know it existed. And it began as merely a casual glance at the table of contents before throwing it into my basket. In starting this research, I discovered this is excellent. The British author (1925-2011) served as missionary to India through Grace Baptist Mission. He had firsthand experience with the area where Carey worked, along with the same theology and nationality, and it added to the history of the book. I think the writer has presented the reader with a well-rounded account of Carey’s ministry. He covers the time of Carey as a pastor in England to his calling to India through his death. He captures just how immense the work of translation, preaching, cultural preservation, and activism of the Serampore Three was. Because the subject is so personal to the author, there are appendices that are irrelevant to Carey’s history. But they are not that distracting and can be easily overlooked.

Cary, Phillip. The Nicene Creed: An Introduction. Lexham Press, Bellingham, 2023.

This is another resource that I used to prepare for our upcoming conference on Baptists and the Nicene Creed. The author provides a line-by-line exposition of the Creed from a distinctly protestant point of view. He breaks it down into the three sections of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reminding the reader that most likely each was confessed during baptism (by three immersive acts no less!). He does offer some historical data when there were different interpretations of the creed between East and West. And in terms of the modern controversies, he does state ‘there is no such thing in the eternal begetting of the Son of God’, as he has always been the Son everlasting, just as the Father is everlasting. This is especially important in the Arian controversy when they said of the Son ‘there was once when he was not’. Unlike the DeYoung book (reviewed below), the is a much more detailed, yet still a concise, explanation of the entire Nicene Creed. For those wishing to study it, this is great place to start. 

DeYoung, Kevin. The Nicene Creed. Crossway: Wheaton, 2025.

This year we are celebrating the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. It was first composed by a group of bishops in the city of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and later amended in 381 A.D. in Constantinople. It is the classic confession of orthodoxy in the broader church and is still used by all churches that claim historic Christianity to this day (including we Baptists). The Creed defines our understanding of the Trinity and the relationship between the three persons. One must hold to these truths, or they are not Christian. This is a brief book (only 85 pages) that gives readers a broad overview of the Nicene Creed. DeYoung provides a brief history explaining what the church fathers were defending as they were careful and precise with their words. This is a great primer if one wants to understand the Creed. The book is clear and easy to read. And it will inspire one to grow theologically and pursue other resources. While we would disagree with the writer’s stance on baptism (he is a pedobaptist), DeYoung is very charitable toward us which makes the book broadly accessible. This fall we will be having a Church historian speak on Baptists and the Creed. We will be offering this book as a resource for study.

DeYoung, Kevin. The Not-So-Secret Secret to Reaching the Next Generation. Crossway: Wheaton, 2024.

This is a short book (26 pages) about how to reach the next generation. Joel Blevins purchased several of these to distribute to our student leaders to show them what their ministries should look like. The advice in this book is solid. We don’t win them with programs and entertainment. It is the same methodology for every generation: grab them with passion, win them with love, hold them with holiness, challenge them with the truth, amaze them with God. This is a wonderful book that will allow student leaders to keep the main thing the main thing. Kudos to our youth minister for giving this out!

Firth, David G. ‘Habakkuk’ in (Duguid, Hamilton, Sklar, ed.) The ESV Expository Commentary: Vol. VII- Daniel-Malachi. Crossway: Wheaton, 2018.

This was surprisingly thorough overview of the book of Habakkuk. It is brief but packs a punch.  The author deals with the major issues in Habakkuk (such as the prophetic dialogue and the final prayer/psalm) and makes very convincing arguments for the traditional interpretation of the book. I think he rightly explains the most famous verse in the book (2:4) as faith in the justice of God despite the Lord using means like the Babylonians to exercise it. Once again, the ESV Expository Commentary has proven to be a valuable resource. I can’t say all the books of the Bible are addressed as thoroughly as this one, but they this series is a good place to begin one’s bible study. I am grateful for the recommended resources at the end.

Holmes, Jonathan. The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship. Cruciform Press: Minneapolis, 2014.

What is a ‘true’ friend? What are proper expectations among Christian friends? And what does the Bible have to say about the topic? Biblical Counselor Jonathan Holmes seeks to tackle these questions in this small volume. I think Holmes rightly defines Biblical friendships as those that seek truly to point one another towards Christ. Most friendships are formed around common interests (for example my friend Clive and I both love soccer). But Biblical friendship is deepened when we move beyond the commonality and we are seeking Jesus side-by-side: not afraid to challenge, not afraid to rebuke, not afraid to be vulnerable in desiring this goal. Not everyone is called to provide this type of friendship. Few people have more than three to four people that fall into such a category. The strength of this book is that Holmes focuses on the purpose of friendship; it displays our weakness and the power of the church as we seek loving supernatural unity as the Father, Son, and Spirit share. It is a noble goal. I highly recommend this book, especially if you struggle with unrealistic expectations of friends. 

Kapic, Kelly M. You’re Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News. Brazos Press: grand Rapids, 2022.

Kelly Kapic teaches theology at Covenant College in Chattanooga. I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a CCEF conference on the topic of rest. I had waited a while to read this book (it is dense) but I wish I had not. Kapic presents a wonderful Christian anthropology. We are created beings who were made to be dependent upon our Creator. Too often, we see that as a weakness, but we forget at creation, dependency was declared good. We should embrace it and understand its purpose in our lives. I think Kapic has presented an excellent Biblical argument on why we were created this way and how to make use of it in our lives. His chapters on ‘Humility’ and ‘Time’ are worth the price of the book. I reread them twice. I did feel the final application chapter was a little lacking. But it did stimulate my thinking. The only weakness is the blocking and the type setting of the text (typical of Brazos). It makes a 350-page book into a 228-page book. It will fatigue your eyes. However, if I ever teach a class on anthropology, this will definitely be on my reading list. 

Knox, Wilfred Lawrence. St Paul and the Church of Jerusalem. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, 1925.

This is not a book I would normally put on my reading list. Wilfred Knox was a brilliant scholar but had many eccentricities of his time. His father was an evangelical Anglican priest, and Knox followed in his footsteps to be a priest yet later came to embrace Anglo-Catholicism. He even went as far as taking a vow of celibacy, becoming a member of the Oratory of the Good Shepherd. He also was a socialist. So why read Knox? Because he was also a very good Hellenist scholar and had some fascinating historical insights into Christian History. He wrote several books of history and for the most part there is little to complain about other than his insistence to refer to historical Christian beatified figures with the designation ‘Saint’ or ‘S.’ before their names. He also had a tendency to portray Paul as being more pragmatic in his motives than Spirit inspired when writing his letters. That being said, Knox was one of the first English historians to notice the tension between the church in Jerusalem and the church at Antioch. In that regard, he picks up on the need for Paul to bring unity between the two parties under the gospel. Although at times I found myself disagreeing with the author, I found Knox to be very thought-provoking, which forced me to think carefully upon my own interpretations. This is not a book I would recommend to anyone outside of the most discerning readers.

Koessler, John. True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus. Moody Publishers: Chicago, 2003.

This past quarter I taught a class on discipleship during the Sunday School hour. It was time to dust off this resource and read it in its entirety for the class. I am glad I did. Technology changes, but not truth, nor discipleship. Koessler has written a series of essays on the subject back when he was an instructor at Moody Bible Institute. Each chapter is easy to digest as it covers some topic of discipleship. The illustrations might be a little dated, but the content is still quality. Three great takeaways in this book: first, discipleship should never just be a solo endeavor. The person being discipled must come into contact with the church body and its gifts for a fully orbed transformation. Second, sometimes Paul had failures in his discipleship (think Demas). It doesn’t mean Paul was not faithful. And third, if the person we disciple is saved, then we must move them into the practice of ministry. Don’t just provide the head knowledge but show them. This isn’t necessarily the best book on discipleship. But it is a great resource on the topic. I would include it in my top ten. 

Smith, Esther. A Still Quiet Mind: Twelve Strategies for Changing Unwanted Thoughts. P&R Publishing: Phillipsburg, NJ, 2022.

I have discovered in ministry that many struggle with constant thoughts that plague us. Some ruminate about events of the past replaying them over and over again in constant analysis. Others overthink about what they have to get done in the future. And some deal with both. But there does come a time when such thinking disrupts our rest and threatens our communion with God. Biblical counselor Esther Smith provides twelve ways to deal with our thinking when we become overly anxious. She gleans her strategies from the Bible. But she also brings alongside the latest research on neuroscience in the way our bodies are designed by our Creator. She does caution the reader that those who suffer from traumatic events and those who struggle with obsessive compulsive disorders will need additional counsel from someone trained in those areas. I found her ‘strategies’ to be helpful for an ‘overthinker’ like me. 

Thomas, Henry W. Walter Johnson: Baseball’s Big Train. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, 1995.

I love stories about vintage baseball. Walter Johnson was one of the first five men inducted into Baseball’s Hall of Fame. He and Christy Mathewson (also in that first class) were considered the most dominant pitchers of their era. They were both also noted for their character, sportsmanship, and integrity. For example, Johnson, knowing the speed of his fastball, would be visibly upset if he hit a batter. However, unlike Matthewson, Johnson was a loyal player for the Washington Senators who rarely saw success in the standings (they did win one world series late in his career). Yet despite playing with inferior teammates, he was a brilliant athlete and tireless work horse. Over a 21-year career he started 802 games (and had an additional 136 relief appearances) won 417 games (lost 279) and maintained a 2.17 ERA! The man was friends with senators and presidents and had the admiration of the nation due to his outstanding character. I had hoped to discover that it was due to faith, but sadly it doesn’t appear that Johnson put any priority on religion. The biography was written by his grandson. And that might be the flaw of the book as the author included meticulous details that were irrelevant and wore the reader out. The content is thorough, but I would probably pick a different version if I was going to read about Johnson’s life.

Welch, Edward. A Small Book About a Big Problem: Mediations on Anger, Patience, and Peace. New Growth Press: Greensboro, 2017.

I’ve had this devotional sitting on my shelf for a couple of years. As I had found myself short-tempered lately, I decided now would be an excellent time to work through it. I found it to be very helpful. This is fifty days of three-page devotions that help you to think deeply about anger, contentment, and patience- all of which I can find myself short of. The key to the book is making yourself stop- meditate- and think about the root causes of anger. And once discovered, learning what do we do about it. How do we bring this under the will of Christ? Welch guides the reader. My only critique is that more questions at the end of each would be helpful to create the mindfulness needed to address the subject. But that is minor to the overall benefit of the book. I highly recommend this for those who struggle with allowing anger to get the best of you. I can see myself revisiting this book again. 

Wright, N.T. Broken Signposts: How Christianity Makes Sense of the World. Harper One: New York, 2020.

I had a dear friend give me this book and asked for my thoughts on it. He said he was provoked in his thinking (in a good way that is) and wondered if I would be as well. And yes, after reading the book, I found it stimulating reading. Wright is providing a unique way of offering a cultural apologetic. He points to seven concepts in society that appear to be broken: Justice, Love, Spirituality, Beauty, Freedom, Truth, and Power. He asserts rightly that though these things are broken, our hearts have a strong sense that they should be operating properly in a different way. But who defines that? (think Romans 2:14-15 here) Wright identifies these as signposts pointing us back to Jesus who is the one who defines and restores these attributes. At the conclusion of each chapter, he guides the reader through passages of the gospel of John, proving his thesis within the gospel text. While I cannot wholeheartedly endorse N.T. Wright’s corpus of literature, I found this a delight to read.