Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Category Archives: Book Reviews and News


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Banana Ball: The Unbelievably True Story of the Savannah Bananas by Jesse Cole, with Don Yaeger.  Dutton. 269 pages. 2023
***

This book is about the Savanah Bananas and what they call “Banana Ball”. The slogan for the Bananas is “Fans First. Entertain Always”. In the beginning, Jesse Cole had the persistent belief that if he could somehow get people to their ballpark in Savannah, they would have more fun than they had ever dreamed possible.
wWell, it’s working. The Bananas are selling out major league baseball and college football stadiums. A few weeks ago, they drew 102,000 fans at Kyle Field (the Texas A&M football stadium in College Station, Texas). The tickets are by lottery, and hard to get. I know this as we tried in vain to get tickets to the two August games at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
Cole is the front man for the Bananas. His belief is that major league baseball had become too slow and boring (Note: this was before the pitch clock and other major league baseball rule changes). Baseball was no longer the game he grew up loving and playing.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of Everyday Hallelujah: Unlocking Deep Joy Through Everyday Acts of Worship by Phil Wickham with Matt Litton
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World?  The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

BOOK REVIEW:
Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Matt Smethurst. Crossway. 347 pages. 2025 
****

Matt Smethurst writes that this book is not a biography of Tim Keller. He tells us that his aim is more modest – it is to synthesize and distill Tim Keller’s best teaching on the Christian life. The book seeks to show more than tell, to let Keller’s own voice feature most prominently and ring with coherent clarity.
Smethurst tells us that the book focuses on practical Christian discipleship—rather than Keller’s thoughts on more controversial theological or political matters. The target is Keller’s contribution to timeless, bread-and-butter aspects of everyday Christian living.
Smethurst writes that his aim in the book is to synthesize the master synthesizer. Drawing from nearly fifty years of sermons, conference messages, interviews, articles, books, and more, he works to draw out the best of Keller’s teaching where it shines brightest—biblical wisdom for everyday life.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World? The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

J is for Jesus: Enjoying Who Jesus Is from A to Z by Alistair Begg. The Good Book Company. 64 pages. 2026
****

This book is the follow-up to respected pastor and author Alistair Begg’s children’s book C is for Christian: An A-Z Treasury of Who We Are in Christ. He writes that in this book he is going to tell the reader about the most remarkable person – Jesus –  who ever lived, and he is going to use 26 words to do it. While 26 words are nowhere near enough to describe Him – there could never be enough words to sum up His greatness – hopefully the 26 words Begg has chosen will help the reader see how amazing He is and how exciting it is to know Him.
Each of the words start with a different letter of the alphabet, beginning with “Advocate”. Begg offers a one-page reflection that explains in more detail how Jesus fulfills each word. He also offers a Bible verse, a colorful illustration by Emma Skerrat (who also illustrated the first book) to aid learning and memory, thoughtful discussion questions, and a prayer—making this book both engaging and spiritually formative for children and families.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World?  The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

BOOK REVIEW:
Thirty Second Theology: Questions and Answers to Build Your Faith by Sinclair Ferguson. Christian Focus. 164 pages. 2026
*** ½

Sinclair Ferguson is a respected Reformed theologian. He has written books at a level for seminary students, lay persons, and some for children. Some years back, he wrote a book similar to this one for children, titled The Big Book of Questions and Answers. He writes that Thirty Second Theology is a more grown-up version of those questions and answers, geared not for children but for teenagers. Although each question and answer will take only about thirty seconds to read, you can certainly think on the answers for much longer. Each question also includes a short verse to memorize, along with related readings from the Bible.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World? The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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My Approach to Reading

I’ve always enjoyed reading, most likely getting my love of reading from my parents, both of whom loved books, though neither my brother nor sister are big readers. My wife Tammy enjoys reading, so on a nice summer evening in Illinois, with the sun going down, mosquitoes biting, birds at the feeder, and crickets chirping, you might just find us out on the patio with the glow from our Kindle and iPad screens illuminating our faces.
I expect to read about 50 books this year. How many books you might read will depend on a number of factors, such as your love for reading and the amount of time you have available for reading.
Here are 6 thoughts on my approach to reading: Continue reading →


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Announcing the Release of Our Book Use Us Up, Lord! Finishing Well for Our Good and His Glory

We are excited to announce that our new book Use Us Up, Lord!  Finishing Well for Our Good and His Glory is now available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions!

Here’s a description of the book:
We all want to finish well in life. But what does finishing well actually look like? Is it measured by external things like wealth, status, power, prestige, leisure and comfort?  Or is it more like stewardship, sacrifice, serving others and living flat out for God?
Consider this book to be your companion on your journey towards completing a life well-lived. At times the journey will be pleasant, and at other times very hard, but we will walk beside you along the path.
The book will take you from retirement to glory, and what you may encounter along the way. We address subjects such as retirement, stewardship, relationships, calling, learning, being “used up” for the Lord, care for the body, looking back on our lives, loss, suffering, aging, legacy, end-of-life decisions, dying in faith, and more.
At the end of each chapter are helpful “Questions for Reflection” for you to go deeper with the material in that chapter.

Here are a few excerpts from the book’s endorsements:
Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Romans 1-7 For You (God’s Word For You) by Tim Keller. The Good Book Company. 217 pages. 2014
****

The Men’s and Women’s Bible Studies at our church are both studying Paul’s epistle to the Romans, and both groups are using this book by Tim Keller from the excellent God’s Word for You series from The Good Book Company. I have used a number of books from this series and always found them helpful. This volume covers chapters 1-7 from Romans, and an accompanying volume covers chapters 8-16.

The books in the God’s Word For You series are accessible (easy to understand, not technical) commentaries. They are designed to be read devotionally or to help with teaching or preaching a passage. Each commentary walks through a book of the Bible, paying careful attention to the text, and giving the original historical, cultural, and biblical context while offering clear and grounded application for the Christian today.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World?  The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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My Interview With Kirk Billiter, author of “Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others”

We recently had a chance to visit with Kirk Billiter, author of the new book Strike the Flag: The Significance of Surrender in Leading and Serving Others, and a long-time friend.

 CD: Writing a book is a significant undertaking. What led you to write this book?

KB: My short answer is: I had stories—many of them, lived, remembered, and redeemed by God. I began gathering them years ago, writing about God’s redemptive hand in my life and the quiet, steady ways He has proven faithful through both ordinary days and seasons marked by deep struggle and change.
The second thing my wife Rebecca and I did in 2021 that led me to write this book was join our friend, Eric Elder’s on-line writer’s cohort. We learned so much from him and others in the cohort. In 2022, the whole writer’s cohort went up to Starved Rock to meet for a weekend of writing and training.  That jump started me to begin gathering the ideas for writing this book. Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Things Unseen: One Year of Reflections on the Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson. Ligonier Ministries. 570 pages. 2024
****

This book is based on the popular Things Unseen daily devotional podcast that respected theologian Sinclair Ferguson produced with Ligonier in 2023 (and is still available today). The book contains all 260 episodes edited from the spoken to the written form. The book has 52 topics, one for every week of the year, and follows each theme through from Monday to Friday. Each of the short readings can be completed in just a few minutes each weekday. I used this book as a part of my daily devotional readings in 2025.
Here are 30 helpful quotes from the book:

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World?  The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Rory: The Heartache and Triumph of Golf’s Most Human Superstar by Alan Snipnuck. Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster. 320 pages. 2026
***

The author describes Rory McIlroy one of the dozen greatest golfers of all time. He tells us that the goal for the book is to provide an unvarnished answer to an old question as McIlroy enters the final act of a highly eventful career: What’s he really like?
McIlroy was barely a year old when his father gave him a set of toy golf clubs. His mother states that he was holding a golf club before he could walk. McIlroy’s parents sacrificed greatly – working multiple jobs, and sparing no expense – because their son was a prodigy.

Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review and a review of What If I Don’t Like My Church’s Music? (Church Questions) by Matthew Boswell
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~What Is Wrong with the World?  The Surprising, Hopeful Answer to the Question We Cannot Avoid by Tim Keller
I’M CURRENTLY READING…. Continue reading →