January Reading Summary

Here are the books I read in January along with some thoughts regarding each:

Portrait of Integrity: The Life of Ray C. Stedman by Mark S. Mitchell - In this short bio, Mark Mitchell covers the basics of Stedman’s background and life of ministry. Verdict: so-so.

Johann Sebastian Bach by Rick Marschall (e-book) -  Rick Marschall presents Bach as a true believer who dedicated his immense musical genius to the glory of God. Caution: A little bit heavy on musical terms; although I’m no longer a musician, I have a background of musical training and still struggled with a lot of the musical jargon. Verdict: pretty good.

Every Bush is Burning by Brandon Clements (e-book) – Interesting novel; Clements breaks the barrier between author and reader with the writer speaking directly to the reader throughout the story…the theology behind this novel is clearly young, restless, and reformed. Verdict: pretty good.

A Habitual Sight of Him: The Christ-Centered Piety of Thomas Goodwin, edited by Joel W. Beeke and Mark Jones) - I’ve been hoping to increase my reading of the Puritans and this short book looked like a good devotional tool as well. There were some great insights, but over all it was surprisingly dull and hum drum. Verdict: disappointing.

Family Worship by Joel R. Beeke - This little volume packs a powerful punch of conviction regarding the neglected practice of family-based worship. I finished it with a new resolve to do better, by God’s grace. Beeke backs up his ideas and assertions with explicit and implicit teaching of Scripture. Verdict: very good.

Developing a Healthy Prayer Life by James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke – I used this devotionally after my daily Bible reading. The 31 meditations are about 3 pages each and were warm, instructive, challenging, and comforting. Perhaps the best compliment is that at the close of each chapter I usually went straight to prayer. I hope to read through this little gem again someday in the same fashion. Verdict: great.

Summary of month of January…Maybe this year is the year I finally reach my annual goal of reading 52 books! I’m off to a great start. Part of it is that I’ve read some small books (around 100-150 pages). Three of the books I read this past month were affiliated with Joel R. Beeke (1 he wrote, 1 he he co-wrote, and 1 he co-edited). I had never read anything by him prior. Except for the Goodwin book he co-edited, I am impressed. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. In fact, I have another of his books waiting in the queue.

What about you? What have you read lately?

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