A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards (audio)

This book has been designed to address situations that happen too often in local churches. Maybe the church leader is a bit of an authoritarian. Perhaps a church member thinks he should have more authority than he currently does. Perhaps the church leader is taking the church in the wrong direction. Gene Edwards takes the biblical accounts of Saul, David and Absalom to see how we should react.

The book is written in a dramatic way, which really draws the reader in. It’s not a detailed exposition of Scripture but some quite detailed Bible knowledge is required to understand what’s going on. The language is fluid, dynamic, and personal. It jumps from storytelling to dialogue to direct engagement with the reader. I loved the style.

In terms of content I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like it. Edwards is unashamed to directly address local church issues; if you are in a church and your senior pastor  is doing things you disapprove of, how should you react? What if he starts to personally attack you? And what if you are the leader and you have someone in your congregation who is looking to split the church? Gene Edwards is not scared to tackle real issues, and he’s not scared to radically pursue biblical standards.

Audio is a great medium for this book. The narrator is perfect for it, and the style of the book lends itself very well to an audio version.

I’d recommend this book to every church leader, and anyone who’s a Christian and involved in leadership to any extent. This book is excellent and will highlight areas for improvement in your character, together with appropriate responses.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Living by God's Promises by Joel R. Beeke & James A. LaBelle (audio)

This book is a modernised compilation of the works of three Puritans, Andrew Gray, Edward Leigh, and William Spurstowe, all looking at the promises of God, and how to then live life in light of them.

Firstly, let’s just point out that when I say that this is a ‘modernised’ compilation, that doesn’t mean that the content has been ‘dumbed down’. The Puritans often wrote phenomenally heavy, content-rich works, and this is an attempt to communicate that same level of truth but for a modern-day audience. This is still one of those books where every word of every sentence has justified its existence, and that means that in reading it it’s likely you’re being bombarded with challenging truths.

I’m not convinced, therefore, that audio is the best format for this book. On several occasions I heard a sentence and had to skip back to actually listen to it! At some points it felt like every sentence had a new challenge in it, and I would have probably preferred to have this written down instead so I could have paused, and meditated on a particular biblical idea.

That said, this is still an outstanding book. Every chapter looks at a different aspect of God’s promises (such as God’s promises in prayer, in suffering, in temptation), and each time I found myself drawn to seeing things in a new light. It’s worth setting some time aside to focus on the book, because the writing style is hardly one for casual reading, but I’d recommend this in a flash to anyone, Christian or non.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

The Shelter of God's Promises by Sheila Walsh (audio)

There are some books which are just so filled with grace that they remind you how it felt to have just been born again: this is one of those books. By looking at ten of God’s promises, Sheila Walsh digs deep into the overwhelming love and protection that God has for us.

Walsh picks apart every point, addressing every question that might come up. The book is not massively intellectual and is one of those books that you can simply listen to while doing something else. I particularly admired the way she references the original Greek text to pull out meanings that are not instantly apparent in the English Bible text, without making you feel uneducated. Perhaps on one or two occasions I wasn’t sure this added much, but on the whole I’d encourage this to Christians, especially ladies and especially those who have experienced tough times.

Each point is thoroughly Bible-based, and makes great use of stories – at times I felt myself wanting to both laugh and cry, and it’s not often that you find a book like that. What’s particularly good about this audio version is that it’s narrated by Sheila Walsh herself – if you can get past the American/Scottish accent, this really adds that personal, genuine touch.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Handel's Messiah by Calvin R. Stapert

This book takes Handel’s theology, biography and musicalality, and combines the three to tell a wonderful historically accurate story to show the birth of this famous piece of music. Of particular interest, Stapert goes on to develop an investigation into whether Handel’s Messiah was originally intended to be for the church, or the theatre.

The most important thing about reviewing this book, I think, is to bear in mind its primary audience. If you have no interest in history or music, I’m pretty certain this will bore you to tears. That said, if you have any glimmer of interest in either or both, I’d be surprised if you didn’t love every minute of this book. The story is interesting, and if you are going to listen to Handel’s Messiah at any point soon I’m sure this will serve you very well and enrich your experience.

There are times at which the sheer level of historical and musical knowledge that is being thrown at you becomes a bit overwhelming but providing you’re ready for this, and aren’t treating it as casual reading, I think you’ll do very well.

For someone with enough motivation to want to apply this to their life I think that there are valuable lessons for Christians to learn here in terms of how a piece of artwork can be appealing to a secular culture and remain high quality while retaining the truth of the gospel, but again, if you’re looking specifically for this, I don’t think you’ll get it here without some follow-up brainstorms.

In terms of the audio experience, this is up there as perhaps the best audiobook I’ve listened to. The narrator’s voice is excellent (as well as being British), and you are treated to hearing the oratorio as well, highlighting this as a particularly good buy.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons (audio)

This book presents a picture to the present-day church in America of the next generation of Christians which is emerging in post-modern culture. It’s clearly intended for the American market but any westerner could easily apply the main concepts. Lyons looks at the perception non-Christians have of Christians, and presents strategies which are currently emerging, suggesting that we’re in a time of significant change in the church along the lines of the reformation.

The main ideas presented in this book are excellent. The challenges not to be judgmental, to actively seek to see people saved and added to the kingdom, to engage with culture without succumbing to temptation and to resist withdrawing into a ‘holy huddle’ are all good ones. That said, I had a bit of difficulty relating to some of Lyons’ suggestions and examples. So I’m not sure that it was the best idea to use Muslims and Mormons as good examples of living counter-culturally to win unbelievers into the kingdom, because firstly those practices aren’t that attractive, and secondly I fundamentally disagree with their beliefs – I’m sure Gabe Lyons does too, but I think these and others could have been a little more developed.

Gabe’s picture of the next Christians being Restorers of society is a timely challenge to the western church, and he does a good job of painting a realistic yet motivational picture of what the next Christians can, and should, look like.

The audio version I listened to was narrated by the author – he speaks clearly and communicates his ideas well, so it’s a good buy.

On the whole I’d recommend this to most Christians and all Christian leaders. If we’re going to engage with the post-modern culture, and we must, then it’s books like this which will help.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com as part of their reviewers programme. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Scandalous by D.A. Carson (audio)

This short book addresses five key Bible passages, meditating on the most scandalous aspects of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Don Carson’s writing is clear, easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow, and fundamentally biblical. The themes he picks up are controversial because they are so orthodox, but there’s nothing old-fashioned or boring here.

There’s probably relatively little in here which will be brand new to the more spiritually mature Christian, but there’s certainly not nothing, and the depth to which Carson goes is outstanding.

For that reason I’d recommend this book to absolutely any Christian out there. If you’ve never collapsed in awe of God’s mercy and power displayed on the cross, this book would be as good a place to start as any.

The audio version I listened to was enjoyable and clear. Thoroughly recommended.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship by Alan and Debra Hirsch (audio)

The title well describes this book. It presents a form of discipleship which is intentionally missional, and decidedly not ‘tame’.

I can’t make my mind up about this book. On the whole it is thoroughly biblical, and gives a healthy challenge to the western church, but there are some questionable parts.

At one point, for example, the authors say that there shouldn’t be any representation of God (including e.g. paintings of Jesus). I don’t agree with that. They also recommend a version of the Bible I’m not a fan of, The Voice. At one point they even suggest you should interpret the Bible in a different way to get yourself thinking, by losing the deity of the Holy Spirit (although not in so many words!). There are others as well.

The overall message is good, however, but I’m not sure who I’d recommend it to. Because of the odd parts I wouldn’t want to recommend this to a brand new or undiscerning Christian but at the same time I’m not sure a more mature Christian would be genuinely challenged by it.

The audio version of this book is presented nicely, but there are some weaknesses. The foreword, by Rick Warren, is read by the same narrator – I’d have preferred another – and the same is true of parts of the book written only from the point of Debra, which confused me sometimes. There are conversation starters for small groups at the end of each chapter which don’t work very well in an audio version.

But I want to finish by saying that the themes in this book are good, and important. If you’re a Christian and won’t read another book, read this one with discernment.

I got this book for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (audio)

There are some books you relish the thought of reviewing, and this has to be one of them. Mere Christianity is one of the books that has impacted me more than any other, and this audio version is excellent – I particularly rate that it’s read by a Brit – thank you!

This is effectively the edited transcript of a series of radio sessions C.S. Lewis gave on his journey through faith, and it reads very naturally. Some of the language is a bit dated now but it’s certainly not difficult to understand, and at the end of the day everything he says is just as relevant now as it was when he first spoke it. If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time there’s a good chance you’ve heard this book quoted on more than one occasion.

C.S. Lewis is profoundly logical. His analogies are absolutely spot-on, and I can’t imagine coming to the end of a chapter with him and thinking ‘I just don’t get how he’s come to that conclusion’. One or two parts of his thinking may come across as a bit ‘traditional’ to some modern readers/listeners, but if I were you I’d hold my tongue, take a swift dose of humility, and let C.S. Lewis do the speaking.

I really would recommend this to anyone. New Christians, non-Christians, people who have been Christians for decades – this book will encourage and challenge you.

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper (audio)

I greatly respect John Piper’s ministry, and one of his key mottos which has impacted me has been ‘Don’t waste your life’. The idea that I could sit on my deathbed and regret my time here is a thought that plagues me, and I think Piper’s theology hits the nail squarely on the head. Through a variety of carefully picked chapters John Piper puts forward the idea that we will be most fulfilled, and most satisfied, when we are living every ounce of our lives to the glory of God.

The writing style is extremely logical, but includes many well-told stories so to my mind anyone would enjoy reading this book, and the audio presentation is also good. I have heard many tell me before that their lives have been radically changed through reading this book, and I have to say I join those ranks.

My only concern with this book would be that a reader/listener could take the message ‘too far’, so I’d thoroughly recommend this book with a ‘chill out’ warning. That said, Piper is well aware of this tendency so a careful read of this would be a good thing for absolutely anyone.

In short, I’d recommend this to every Christian regardless of spiritual maturity, and every seeker. In particular I think this would be invaluable to someone whose faith had started to become stale. If you’re not sure, check out the free version of this available online for download: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/online-books/dont-waste-your-life

I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.

What Did You Expect? by Paul David Tripp (audio)

Expectations for marriage, particularly among Christians, are often way off the truth. They’ve led to unhappy marriages, many separations and divorces, and family break-ups. This book tackles pretty much every false expectation head-on.

It’s longer than the typical audiobook, but that’s because it’s so thorough. Tripp looks at everything at the base level – family background and culture, respect, love, sex, character differences – he draws on many scarily real stories and suggests practical ways forward.

This really is very good at pinpointing problems couples face, getting to the root of it, and putting in place biblical solutions. I can honestly say that this is the best holistic guidebook for marriage I’ve read.

That said, the formula for each chapter is so well-formed that it runs the risk of becoming repetitive, and the structure is quite formal so if you’d rather read a more conversational book I don’t think I’d recommend this one.

The audio version is excellent – the narrator is spot on and the text has been updated specifically for it. It’s probably the best audio transition I’ve heard.

I’d recommend this book to any married couple who faces even minor challenges (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) – your marriage will be strengthened I’m sure. I’d also recommend it to engaged couples – it will help to correct your expectations and prepare for the biggest challenge of your life!

I got this audiobook for free from the christianaudio.com reviewer programme. I’m not required to give a positive review.