This page will show what books Pastor Green has recently read and a comment about the book.
In The Beginning
The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture
Wondering through a gift shop at Plymouth Rock, I noticed a book laying their with the title above written by Alister McGrath. With instant intrigue, I wondered why this book would be here. I bought it and began immediately to read its pages. The King James Bible is of course my Sword!
I believe in the Divine Inspiration of the Word of God and Divine Preservation of the Bible for the English-speaking world in the King James Bible. The author of In The Beginning makes it clear several times that he does not. On page 310 he states, “Our culture has been enriched by both aspects of the King James Bible. Sadly, we shall never see its equal-or even its like-again.”
This book accomplished exactly what it set out to do. It connected the dots of history that brought about the King James Bible. I do appreciate all the historicity of the book. However, I do not agree with the author’s premiss that it is just a unique and quality translation. The King James Bible is the Word of God foe the English-speaking world. If you are looking for a good historical background surrounding the King James Bible, this is your book. As with everything we read, we should read with this promise in mind. Psalms 12:6-7 ”The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” This is God’s promise for preservation. Happy Birthday to the King James Bible!
Depression, A Stubborn Darkness-Light For The Path
As a pastor, I am often asked about the subject of depression. Most who do not suffer from it do not understand it. After searching for a book on the subject that I could recommend to people, I came across this book written by Edward T.Welch. Up front, I do not agree with everything in the book. However, after reading, my eyes were opened to the darkness of depression. I appreciated the fact that the author continued to return to the Bible for the answers. He never lets the reader off the hook. Most depression has to do with our view of God. I would recommend anyone suffering with depression to read this book first before seeking any help. I do not recommend reading it all at once. You will want to mediate on it and take inventory of the life God has given you. Take your time when you read it.
George Washington
First In War, First In Peace
James A. Crutchfield, the author, gives insight into the life of George Washington in this book. After reading this 227 page paper-back, I came to appreciate the man George Washington. It is very clear as to why his contemporaries sought him out to be the first president of the United States. I was a little disappointed in the fact that the author only alluded to the president’s faith a few times in the whole book. With this in mind, I would recommend everyone to read more about our founding fathers in order to gain a greater appreciation for their sacrifices. You will learn in this book several facts about his life that will challenge you to appreciate his life and legacy.
Marrying the Right One
Important Questions to ask Yourself About Choosing a Spouse
Published by the Sword of the Lord, author Dr. Don Woodard gives a challenge to all those interested in marriage. He suggests that at least 23 questions should be asked before marrying. These questions are both exhaustive and challenging. Dr. Woodard inserted a list that Cathy Rice, widow of Dr. Bill Rice shared in her book The Right Romance in Marriage. Though the list was written in 1933, every teen girl should read it. Every teen boy should attempt to live up to the list as well. I will be recommending this book to every young person in our ministry. Short, with only 63 pages, it packs a powerful punch in the face of the worldly philosophy so prevalent in the movies and entertainment that our teens are being bombarded with.
Rut, Rot or Revival
A.W. Tozer was put his finger on the need of the hour. His 178 page book explains the reason for so much of the degradation in our churches today. Many have become complacent and gotten used to being a Christian. This book was recommended to me by a friend in church that read it a long time ago. Anyone interested in revival should read this book. Although Tozer was not a Baptist, you will glean from his wealth of insight. Perhaps one of the powerful statements in the book was found on page 98. “For 100 years Moravians never stopped praying. They staffed a prayer tower as a factory staffs its machines. In eight-hour shifts the Moravians continued their prayer vigil for 100 years.” Can you imagine what could be done if we really got serious about prayer? Lord, send a revival and let it begin in me!
Uncommon
Tony Dungy gives a lot of good advice to those who read this book. I am thankful for his stand for the Lord and his personal character. You will find interesting stories throughout this book about his life and career. I do not agree with everything stated in the book, however I am sure it has and will help many people who read it. Tony Dungy has been given a platform from which to speak about the Lord from because of his character. Uncommon challenges us not to be ordinary or like the crowd, but to be true in integrity and personal convictions.
Homiletics from the Heart
Dr. John Goetsch, in this 173 page book, gives great insight into preaching with a fresh touch. I am always looking to improve as a student and preacher of the Word of God. This book certainly challenged me in both areas. As Dr. Goetsch points out, so many times preachers are trying to develop a message, while God is developing the man. He quotes Dr. James Stalker from 1891 stating, “The outer must be preceded by the inner; public life for God must be preceded by private life with God; unless God has first spoken to man, it is vain for a man to attempt to speak for God…Before he begins to make God known, he should first himself know God.”
I appreciated the section on the Holy Spirit. He reiterates the fact that we need His power to accomplish what God has for us. I would recommend this book to any preacher and teacher of the Word of God. You will be glad you invested time reading this one!
A Glorious Church
Mike Gass takes you on a journey through history exploring the Baptist people and their beliefs. As you read this book, you will find that (especially in the second half) your heart will be stirred as you read about so many of our Baptist (though not always called Baptists) brothers and sisters in Christ were martyred for believing the doctrines of the Bible. You will learn when the Christian world became corrupt. You will learn how Constantine revolutionized Christianity by bringing the church and state together. You will read the testimonies of historians that are not Baptist admit that the Baptist people existed long before the Catholic “Church.” You will learn that Christ started His church with His disciples. I recommend that every person seriously desiring to learn where “all these other churches” came from and what is the history of the Baptist read this book. This book should be read by every pastor, preacher, missionary, staff member, deacon & evangelist. I gave a copy to my pastoral staff and deacons! You will use it as a reference tool from time to time.
To Seek and To Save
Paul Chappell writes about how to win and build committed followers of Christ in the volume. I was blessed and challenged as I read this book concerning soul winning. There are practical “nuts and bolts” in this book that would help any soul-winnning church. I was reminded in the core of the book of things that I was taught years ago in Bible college. He will challenge you to move beyond the 4 walls of the church by witnessing. He defines soul-winning as “personally sharing the Good News with another in the power of the Holy Spirit and then seeing that individual bow his head to confess his need for a Saviour and receive Jesus Christ into his heart. Every christian should read this book and take up the challenge of being a better witness for the Lord. The truths found in this book should be taught in every Bible preaching church!
How To Boost Your Church Attendance
I was given this book by someone several years ago. I do no remember the details. As I rediscovered this book on my shelf at the office, I decided it was time to read it. Even though it was from 1976, there were some fresh reminders of the excitement Brother Hyles had about church growth through the Sunday School. I took notes and plan on using several of the ideas. Brother Hyles shared from the beginning of the book his philosophy about church growth. He stated on page 12, “Do not use your people to build a great work, but use your work to build great people. Some have the idea that it is the job of the preacher to build churches. This is not true. It is the job of the preacher to build people to be great Christians.”
I took from it some great ideas about special days and VBS as well. I would recommend every pastor and those that still believe in Sunday School get a copy of this book and read it. Thank God for Brother Hyles and the influence he is still having through his books and recorded sermons!
The Blessings And Pitfalls Of Social Networking
Paul Chappell addresses a subject that every pastor faces. The internet has opened up many opportunities to minister to people. However, it has also become a playground for the devil. Nearly every person I know has been affected by Social Networking. It is something that is not going away. I appreciate the biblical principles that the author gives to guide our behaviour on the Social Network sights. There are certain sites that no Christian should have any business on nor should they ever attempt to defend-myspace. God plan to give this booklet to every family that attends Bible Baptist Church so they can be equiped for themselves and their loved ones. Please get this booklet from strivingtogether.com and pass it to everyone you know.
Glen Beck’s Common Sense
It can be frightening to think about how much debt our country is handing to the next generation. In his book, Glen Beck’s Common Sense, he contends that the government is robbing is blind while changing its values and virtues. He exposes corruption at a level unprecedented. He reminds the reader of the congress bouncing checks and the $11 trillion national debt. The monthly interest alone is $26 billion.
He takes his idea from Thomas Paine’s Common Sence written before the revolutionary war. Thomas Paine’s book insighted much contempt against the “mother land” and was one of the coals that helped flame the desire for independence among the colonies. It was big government then that caused the revolution and it is big government now that is causing so much trouble.
As a Bible believe Christian, I know what is happening. Soon there will be a rapture, where all the saved will meet the Lord in the air, then there will be a one world government. It is coming. I am not frightened. I know the truth. Therefore I can rest in the Lord.
Quiet Strength
I have been a Colts fan since Peyton Manning became their quarterback. I have always admired what Tony Dungy did in Tampa with the Bucs. Therefore it was easy for me to read Quiet Strength. I was encouraged by the way he dealt with things as a Christian man. It was a blessing to read about the influence of his mom and dad through his life. I was reminded in his book about the loss of his son Jamie. I remembered praying for him back then. I would recommend every young person planning to go into sports to read this book. Tony is a Christian gentleman and though he would not dot the eye or cross the t of an independent Baptist, I believe the Lord is using to reach folks that we perhaps could never reach. He has a heart for people! This is proven in the way he has counseled folks through their trials.
Serving in your Church Nursery
It has been a long time since I was in the nursery. This book was helpful to me to remind me importance of an organized God-honoring nursery. There are several helpful ideas that will be implemented into our nursery soon. I also appreciated the reminders of the simple things that if ignored can hinder the work of the nursery. This little 94 page book published by Zondervan should be read by every pastor and nursery worker that is serious about improving their nursery. One of the greatest statements in the book is, “Don’t be a Lone Ranger.” It’s easy for those of us in the ministry to have this attitude, but it is disheartening after a while. Christ even taught us the importance of working with others when He sent them out by twos.
Fusion
Turning First-Time Guests into Fully-Engaged Members of Your Church
Nelson Searcy has put together a follow-up program that is extensive and helpful. Some of the ideas were helpful and thought provoking. He not only follows through with a letter to the first time visitors, but the second timers as well. I believe that there are ideas in this book that will help you with follow up. Simple things that are overlooked each week can tell a visitor that we are not interested in them. I could not agree with everything in this book, but I am going to fine tune some things in our follow up program. Each person is an eternal soul that Christ died for. His will is for them to be saved and to be assimilated into a Bible believing, Bible preaching church.
How To Welcome Church Visitors
Christopher Walker of www.evangelismcoach.org writes that 71% of all visitors that come to your church say that friendliness is extremely important. He then goes on to give some good ideas about keeping the grounds and property nice, training ushers and greeters and preparing gifts for visitors. This small book of 64 pages has several good thoughts to remind us of the importance of making every visitor feel special. I appreciated this emphasis. I do not recommend everything in this book, but it should be read and thought about by every pastor and church member.
Church Still Works
Paul Chappell and Clayton Reed give the results of a survey that was conducted on independent Baptist Churches. They spell out 7 practices of healthy churches. The survey found that our churches are growing and new churches are being planted, but we are not keeping up with the population growth in America. According to the book, America is the 4th largest unchurched population. Yet 63% of all Americans that do not attend church are open to an invitation. The survey indicated that we are doing more for missions with less churches then any Baptist denomination. I would recommend this book to any pastor or leader in a church. I plan on buying a copy for the leaders at Bible Baptist Church. Please purchase this book from strivingtogether.com today. It will encourage you and challenge your thinking. It took several great things from this book. Truly, I was helped by this book.
How To Be A Team Player And Enjoy It!
Matt Williams, associate pastor of Tri-City Ministries in Blue Springs, Missouri, gives some helpful insight into the life and work of the church staff member. He presents helpful ideas (nuts and bolts) to organize and save time as a staff members. He does a good job presenting the right philosophy of following the pastor and staying under his authority and yet working freely within the perimeters. I will be using several ideas from this book to help train my staff concerning time management, interaction of staff, and policy procedures. I would recommend every staff member read this book. In fact, my staff will be assigned this book to read.
The Coming Destruction of the Baptist People
James Bellertakes us back to our roots as Baptists. He carefully details the mistake of pastors, churches, christian curriculum, and christian schools of not teaching our Baptist heritage. The reformers have tried to educate people about the christian influence on America in its infancy, but with their own agenda. He quotes from several sources how that they want to America to be a theocracy. One of the problems that he addresses about this issue is that we are not Israel of the Old Testament.
He also addresses the importance of teaching that our “national treasure”, the Declaration of Independence, though written by Thomas Jefferson, was uniquely influenced by the teachings of Roger Williams and John Clarke. Roger Williams made known to the world the plea for liberty from an anonymous prisoner at Newgate in a work entitled, The Bloudy Tenet of Persecution (1644). This one document pierced the darkness of religious tyranny and brought the light of liberty to the hearts and minds of our founding fathers years later.
I would recommend every Baptist read this book. You will be enlightened and informed about our Baptist heritage.
Men of Purpose
Peter Masters, pastor of the world famous-Metropolitan Tabernacle (Spurgeon’s) presents to us 11 men who were highly influential in the world and gives their testimony of salvation through Christ. You will enjoy reading fascinating facts concerning men like Daniel Defoe and Henry Heinz. This book will challenge your faith and remind you that God has a big family. The history books will leave out the fact that these men were saved, but their own testimonies tell otherwise. I would recommend that every man read this book. I may not agree with every word, but I was encouraged and blessed to read about the faith of these men.
The Last Christian Generation
I was asked by a pastor friend in Lexington , KY to read this book. I started reading it several months ago and got busy and put it down. After coming back to it, I decided that is was best to finish what I started. The beginning of the book has some staggering statistics concerning the religious youth of America. Most of the statistics were based on George Barna and his research. I appreciated the info concerning the reality of church attendance. For instance, 70% of young people leave the church after their teen years (when their parents make them go) and never plan to return. That is astounding. I trust this will not be the case at Bible Baptist Church. If fact, the young people that leave us we pray are leaving for Bible College. I encourage at least 1 year of Bible College for every young person.
It seemed that the Author, Josh McDowell had an agenda to sell more material to the reader in order to get the help he said we need. As I read the book, I could not help but think, “All he wants is to sell me more stuff.”
Also the title, The Last Christian Generation, was not without concern. My first thought was, Christ is the church builder, not us. He will not allow Christianity to dissolve. If you know anything about the world, Cuba has seen a tremendous revival, the Philippines and other places as well. We are not the only Christians in the world and Christianity does not depend on us. If you can use the statistics in the front of the book, well. After that, there is probably not much you will use.
What Every Sunday School Teacher Should Know
Elmer Towns gives 24 secrets that can help you change lives in this book. I found that some of the suggestions were wonderful and some would not be usable. I would recommend that a prospective Sunday School teacher read this book after they have sat under a good Sunday School teacher. Though I would not agree with every word in this book, there is very helpful insight and proven tools that will aid your efforts in teaching the Bible. The last chapters that deal with a clean and inviting room and encouraging your students to invite others to class were particularly helpful. You will want to take notes as you read this book.
The Antioch Effect
This book written by Ken Hemphillis a great reminder that though a church needs programs and organization, we must have the power of God. The 8 characteristics of highly effective churches takes us from the need for God’s supernatural power to how to implement principles that God has already established. Though I do not necessarily agree with every word in this book, it is a good book to remind us to be much in prayer for our ministries.
The Spiritual Leader
Paul Chappell wrote an invaluable book on leadership for Pastors and Christian Leaders. This one is worth every penny! After reading several chapters, I immediately changed my schedule for the better. I am thrilled that an independent Baptist wrote such a book that gives insight to that which can easily be neglected in the ministry. Just about every aspect of the ministry is mentioned in this book. I may not agree with every word in this book, but I would recommend every pastor and Christian worker read this book immediately. You will benefit from this book!
What Every Pastor Should Know About Sunday School
Elmer Towns and Stan Toler give 18 secrets to bring new life and growth to a church. This book will help remind you of the importance of Sunday School and the systematic, creative teaching of the Bible every week. There are tips that you will want to implement as a teacher. Quite frankly there are tips that you will want to run from in this book. It is a good reminder to pastors of the importance of Sunday School evangelism and church growth through the Sunday School. I recommend that pastors read this book understanding that some suggestions may not be helpful. You will benefit from this book.
