Law and Grace by Alva J. McClain

The Christian life is, among other things, one of tension. For example, we’ve been saved but await salvation. We look back, anchored in past provision, while hoping forward, aching for what’s promised. We’re saved not by works, but for works.

Similarly, Christians often struggle to rightly understand where they fit between the Law of Scripture and the grace of God. How do those two things go together? What does it mean for believers living in the current age? McClain (also the author of one of the best treatments of the kingdom of God available) offers a clear, short (80 pages!), easily-understood, and very biblical answer to navigating this tension.

Biblical Discipleship: The Path for Helping People Follow Jesus by Daniel Goepfrich

Jesus, during his earthly ministry, invited people to “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). Ascending back to the Father, he left those who had followed with these instructions: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). Thus, there are few topics more important for Christians to consider than that of discipleship.

While there are many resources available on the subject, I appreciated this book for its brevity, clarity, and fidelity to Scripture. Goepfrich strove to say what the Bible says and not say what it doesn’t. This is a readable work on an crucial topic—for disciples and disciplers alike—and will bless all readers. (Dr. Goepfrich spoke with us about this book on our podcast, Word Processing, in late 2020.)

What’s Your Worldview?: An Interactive Approach to Life’s Big Questions by James N. Anderson

Do you remember the old series of books, “Choose Your Own Adventure“? If not, you missed out! They were stories in which the reader participated, making decisions for main characters along the way and, thus, dictating its outcome.

In this work, Anderson takes the fun of CYOA and skillfully marries it with the importance of worldview identification and discussion. “Highly creative and interactive, this apologetics resource helps readers identify and evaluate 21 different worldviews through engaging yes-or-no questions and easy-to-understand descriptions. Appendices include answers to common questions and suggestions for further reading.” This would be a great gift for teenagers and young adults but, in actuality, all Christians will benefit from the time taken to engage this content.

Developing a Healthy Prayer Life: 31 Meditations on Communing with God by James W. Beeke and Joel R. Beeke

Over the course of the past year I have read a handful of books on prayer. I suppose the COVID-quarantine has made me both hyper-aware of the parts of my pastoral duties I’m unable to do at the moment in the ways I’m accustomed (e.g., hospitality, in-person discipleship, hospital visitation) and re-focused me on the parts I can and must be doing (e.g., study, prayer). And, for that and other reasons, I praise God.

Developing a Healthy Prayer Life is one of the best treatments of the subject of prayer I’ve read to date. It’s insightful and practical, challenging and comforting, deep and pithy. If, as I suggested above, the topic of discipleship is an important one for every Christian to consider, perhaps even more so is that of prayer. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this quick-read. You won’t regret it.

(Earlier this year I offered a summary and short review of this work. It can be found here.)