If you are in Christian ministry and are looking for a refreshing (yet convicting and challenging) book—and especially if you are a senior pastor—I suggest Replenish by Lance Witt.

When I read this book on my kindle recently, I had eighty-two highlights that filled over eight pages. There were so many truths the Lord used from it to speak to my soul.

We’re all prone to the myth that the best measure of a ministry is the size. But I think as Baptists we are better learning to measure a ministry by its healthinstead. A healthy church will grow, while a growing church may wither and die if it does not have healthy roots.

In a similar way, we need to measure our own lives, not by our productivity (even our spiritual productivity) but by the health of our souls—our walk with God, our relationships with others, our capacity to witness, serve, and love from the heart. Replenish is a book that encourages you to pay attention to the gauges of your soul so you have continued fuel for a lifetime of Christ-exalting ministry. (more…)

A post-Christian culture questions everything related to Scripture, and the church certainly hasn’t escaped its scrutiny—or its dismissal.

Some claim that the church was man’s idea. Others suggest that it has deviated so far from the first century that it is no longer effective or worthwhile. Some ignore it altogether.

But Jesus believed that the church was precious—so precious that He purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:18).

This fall, I wrote an adult Sunday school curriculum titled Real Church: Discover God’s Pattern for the Local Church

In these thirteen lessons, students take a close look at authentic church life. From the newly birthed first century churches in the New Testament, students learn basic doctrine concerning the local church as well as how God intended for us to function in the church body. From relationships, to prayer, to witness, to giving, this curriculum explores what the church is really all about. (more…)

Everyone faces pain, fear, and worry; but it seems that Satan especially aims these fiery darts at Christians who are committed to moving forward for God.

This three-in-one volume of John Haggai’s books Winning over Pain, Winning over Fear, and Winning over Worry, was a particular help to me last year.

Full of Scripture and with many personal illustrations, this book shares vital principles for living and serving with the calming, guarding, and sustaining peace of God.

Winning over Pain reminds us of God’s promise to bring good from our pain.

Winning over Fear centers on God’s three-fold antidote for fear found in 2 Timothy 1:7—power, love, and a sound mind.

Winning over Worry, which was the most helpful of the three to me, focuses on the commands in Philippians 4:6–8 to rejoice in the Lord and stay our hearts on Him. (more…)

In the past year and a half I have read two excellent books by Dr. Richard Swenson—Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives and In Search of Balance: Keys to a Stable Life.

As Swenson defines margin, it “the space between our load and our limits.” Sometimes I tend to make that space non-existent, but I’m learning to value it, and the book Margin helped me in this area tremendously.

I first read this book in early 2011 when I took some medical rest and leave. It was obvious to me at that time that something in my schedule had to give, and Margin helped me gain understanding of why and how I had reached such depletion.

In Margin, Dr. Swenson points to overload and productivity idolatry as the culprit for our chronically exhausted pace of life. He explains that we have emotional, physical, financial, and time limits—and unless we know where those limits are and respect them, we will be in a constant deficit. A deficit which cannot be sustained indefinitely.

Throughout the book, and particularly in the middle section, the author shares practical, helpful “prescriptions” for overcoming overload and rebuilding margin into your life.

Because Margin had been such a help to me, I was eager to read Dr. Swenson’s next book, In Search of Balance. I read it through just a couple of weeks ago while waiting at the airport for a delayed flight.

I wasn’t disappointed. Balance was every much as helpful as Margin had been several months previous. It was both helpful and convicting! I particularly appreciated the thoughts in Balance on how to best use margin. Margin is not an end it itself, but a means to a life of greater usefulness for the Lord.

I especially liked this quote in Balance as it discussed the relationship of margin and balance: ”Margin, rightly conceived, is not about laziness, mediocrity, and noninvolvement. It is about focus, discipline, and self-control. But mostly it is a prioritizing space where we concentrate on the things that matter most.”

Both of these books would be valuable to any Christian who is surrendered to Christ and who desires to live to fulfill God’s purpose for their life!

I not only reread The Promise, but I highlighted it heavily both times through. This encouraging book illuminates one of the most often quoted promises in the Bible—Romans 8:28.

Author Robert Morgan has divided this book into two parts. Beginning with a word-by-word study of Romans 8:28, he makes profound applications for our lives—and especially for our trials.

In the second part of the book, the author pulls from parallel passages and the lives of biblical characters to show how this incredible promise is echoed throughout the pages of Scripture. You will find God’s promise to work all for your good and His glory underscored all throughout your Bible.

Below are a few of my highlights from this book: (more…)