What books are you reading?

I'm an avid reader, I love books on revival. I love to read about transformed lives most of all. A lot of tedious theology bores me, and I'm not big on fiction. Right now I'm reading C.T. Studd's biography by Norman Grubb. Here is an excerpt:

"What a difference love makes. The Saviour knew it and commanded it. Can't we all love out here? Must we deny our Lord by unworthy suspicion out here? Suspicions subtract, faith adds, but love multiplies; it blesses twice, him who gets and him who gives. Oh, how I long for love to dominate every soul-when each loves everyone else but himself, and seeks everyone's good, while he goes, like Paul, collecting all other people's sufferings and sorrows to bear them himself. Let this be the rule of H.A.M. (Heart of Africa Mission), then there will be no rules, for the rule of love keeps automatically all good rules. His ministers He has made ' a flame of fire'~not flames, but 'a flame', for there is and must be a blessed unity, else the Lord cannot bless as he would."

That's powerful! One of the best books I have ever read.

So I'm curious as to what everyone is reading, and if you have any recommendations.

Thanks, I will check out those books. I have a few other books to read before I can get around to those. One is I Saw The Welsh Revival by David Matthews and America Is Too Young To Die by Ravenhill.

Another highly recommended book is The Unlisted Legion by Jock Purves.

Also anything by Nicky Cruz.

I just recently finished,

"The New Christian Zionism: Fresh Perspectives on Israel and the Land." By Craig Blaising, Darrell Brock, David Rudolph, Joel Willitts and others. A review is below.

Can a theological case be made from Scripture that Israel still has a claim to the Promised Land? Christian Zionism is often seen as the offspring of premillennial dispensationalism. But the historical roots of Christian Zionism came long before the rise of the Plymouth Brethren and John Nelson Darby. In fact, the authors of The New Christian Zionism contend that the biblical and theological connections between covenant and land are nearly as close in the New Testament as in the Old. Written with academic rigor by experts in the field, this book proposes that Zionism can be defended historically, theologically, politically and morally. While this does not sanctify every policy and practice of the current Israeli government, the authors include recommendations for how twenty-first-century Christian theology should rethink its understanding of both ancient and contemporary Israel, the Bible and Christian theology more broadly. This provocative volume proposes a place for Christian Zionism in an integrated biblical vision.

Doc: It was a good read of over 250 pages. Very sound and thorough research and exegesis went into the book and its chapters. It underscored again for me how any belief in a prophetically forecast return of a Jewish presence to the land is many times automatically seen as dispensationalism when this is far from the truth. It ably demonstrated that a belief in a Jewish return to the land never really died out in church history and began to gain increased momentum again around the 1600s. And people such as Balfour etc. were just not wacky Zionists captured by the demands of secular Zionists wanting a homeland but were men steeped in Biblical knowledge and insight. This present return is a against all odds miracle that essentially defies natural explanations. Christian Zionists need not hang their heads because of the many deragatory lables that have been heaped upon them. Chapters are devoted to Israel and international law and justice and fair play while a strong spiritual and theological case is made that Isarel and the land are still relevant to the highest degree in God's thinking and plan. I recommend it as a scripturally thought provoking read.

Wow, my reading is fluffy light, I'm reading a book called Imagine Heaven, it's about near-death experiences & God's promises. It's very interesting if you like that sort of reading!!

God bless

It would be more interesting to have a study of a book in the Bible and everyone who wants to chime in on their take of what it spoke to them. Just a thought.

/It would be more interesting to have a study of a book in the Bible and everyone who wants to chime in on their take of what it spoke to them. Just a thought/

Not a bad idea at all.

Thank David and Lisa. My list of books to read is certainly growing!

Manners Customs of the Bible, Freeman//OT Bible History Edersheim// and The life of Christ in Stereo Cheney

Currently reading;

The Fourfold Gospel by A.B. Simpson
The Walk That Pleases God by Evan Henry Hopkins

Been especially blessed by Evan Hopkins' writings recently, he was associated with the early Keswick days, his books The Law of Liberty in the Spiritual Life and Thoughts on Life and Godliness are very good, would like to find more from him.

In Christ,

Currently reading:
Sodom Had No Bible by Leonard Ravenhill

That's a good one, I have it. Can't go wrong with Ravenhill.

Greetings beloved Brethren.

I haven’t posted here before but I do love to read although I must say I don’t get as much private reading time because we have little children.

Some of my favourites are;

‘We Would See Jesus’ ”“ Roy Hession, also ‘Calvary Road’ mentioned in the OP above.
‘The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit’ ”“ R A Torrey
‘The Life of God in the Soul of Man ‘”“ Henry Scougal
‘Path to prayer’ and ‘Way to Pentecost’ by Samuel Chadwick
‘Power through prayer’ by E M Bounds.
I’ve just read ‘The gifts and Ministries of the Holy Spirit by Lester Sumrall’ and currently ploughing through;
‘Christian in Complete Armour’ ”“W. Gurnall

I've recently been given 'Why Revival Tarries' Ravenhill however I'm as yet to read it.

Currently:
- Evangelism & Prayer (Jennie Penn-Lewis)
- How saved are we (Michael L Brown)

I have just read:
- Chasing the dragon (Jackie Pullinger)
- Joy of the Lord (Bakht Singh)

I read max 1 chapter a day, to really think about what I have read. Before I read many books a week, but I forgot everything and it was not really beneficial.

I picked up a great book last year from a second hand charity shop. I occasionally have a look at the book section and very rarely I find something worth while.

However this day I saw a book on the shelf called 'The Life and Epistles of St Paul' by Conybeare and Howson. I had never heard of it of the authors, but had a good feeling about it and bought it for one pound. Boy, what a find! This probably ranks as one of my all time best books I have ever read!

It was written in 1890s, and there have been some re-prints some years ago, which is what I picked up and there are I think limited available if you search the web.

The book is basically a biography of Paul and "it's purpose is to give a living picture of St Paul himself and the circumstances by which he was surrounded". It is a thoroughly biblical book and draws on the book of Acts and the Epistles as the foundation for all information and supplements that with the history and geography of the time to give a very great understanding of Paul, his missionary life and the early church. Although some of the geopolitical information is a bit dated (1890s), it does not take anything away from the study.

I would thoroughly recommend it. Although some of the geographical and political information is quite hard going at times it rewards you with such a rich understanding when you get into the related biblical accounts of Paul and his endeavours.

I now have an original 1892 copy I purchased from the internet as I have lent my other one out.

HeyDave,

I was interested after reading your post, I found the 2nd Vol on books.google.com. The 1856 edition. I couldn't find the 1st Volume

The life and epistles of st. Paul,
by W.J. Conybeare and J.S. Howson, Volume 2
https://books.google.com/books?id=s7QCAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=%27The
+Life+and+Epistles+of+St+Paul%27+by+Conybeare+and+Howson&hl=en&sa=X&ved=
0ahUKEwi7wd7_qJXSAhXollQKHU3WAVwQ6AEIMDAD#v=onepage&q=%27The%20Life
%20and%20Epistles%20of%20St%20Paul%27%20by%20Conybeare%20and%20
Howson&f=false

(Copy the link and take out the "returns")

God bless

Yes that looks like the second half of the book. Don't know why it is in two volumes on here as it is one book. Maybe they had to split it to get it into an ebook. You really could do with the first half, as you may mis some facts previously given, but it will give you a a good read and a flavour of the whole.

I too read quite a bit and have been fortunate to discover some great books that seem to have been somewhat overlooked by many people I interact with. You mentioned that tedious theology bores you so I limited myself to non-theology titles, but I have read about 20 different books on identity in Christ which for me are anything but tedious, so if you're interested I'd be happy to suggest a couple of my favorites.
I love testimonies, and my favorite is "An Apprenticeship of Faith" by J. Edwin Orr.
My favorite biography is "Against the Tide" by Angus Kinnear, a biography of Watchman Nee.
I have benefited from several books that are good as devotionals, but one of my favorites is "The Seeking Heart" by Francois Fenelon.
Finally, my current read is a great book on faith called "16" by Joe Giuffrida, who also happens to be a personal friend. It is an interesting and insightful examination of the 16 Old Testament characters listed in "the hall of faith" from Hebrews 11.
Thanks for starting this thread, now I have more books to put on my list to read!

Agreed.

I no longer read theological works/books - been bit one too many times. I learn to appreciate a writer then later I hear he went off the rails. Anyhow, all these writers do/did is what I personally should be doing and that is doing an in-depth study of the WORD. Currently I am studying Revelation, again. Am loving it. Beats reading the news any day.

Sandra

I just finished

The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges

I just started

Humility by Andrew Murray

I'm halfway through

Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow to Hope (Preaching the Word) by Philip Graham Ryken

and

Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches by Russell Moore