The Return

Review: The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus; An Evangelical Exposition of John 14-17 D. A. Carson Baker Books 1980 What am I doing reviewing a nearly 40-year-old book from DA Carson?   Baker has repackaged it and now it’s back on the shelf.   There’s no new forward or other additions to the front matter, so I assume this is the 1980 version which according to the preface was intended for the “church at large” (9).   I took that to mean persons other than the academic or the serious student.   I have to say things have changed greatly if this is an example of the reading the laity undertook all those years ago.   This book in my opinion is still for the serious student of Scripture.   It is not the strictly academic material that Carson produced though, so for those of you who want to work a bit at reading this I think you will be rewarded for your efforts.   Carson’s reputation and other work vouch for his abi...

Review: Lullaby Road: A Novel James Anderson Crown 2018 I’d read The Never-Open Desert Diner from this author, and when I found this book I knew I had to read it too.   This author has a way of constructing his stories that really works for me.   Easy reading narrative, simple narrative, belies its power.   I have not read any other I like better in quite a while.   He can weave so many colors and patterns without losing a thread or the reader along the way.    Ben, a single, amiable, independent trucker with a bit of a past who lives in a Utah desert town, lets himself be talked into babysitting for a neighbor girl who is OK with him taking the baby with him while he makes his deliveries.   She was desperate, and Ben couldn’t say no.   Sounds a bit unusual, but they have the history that makes it work.   Within a few minutes he also has gained two more passengers for the run, an abandoned child and a dog. ...

Review: Talking About God: Honest Conversations about Spirituality Steve & Cheri Saccone Navpress 2018 Love the back-cover comment.   “Evangelism is intimidating. But talking is natural…A vital part of every meaningful relationship you’ve ever had.”   That’s what this book is about.   Talking with someone and in the process evangelism sort of just happens.   Well, not quite that simple, but it does open the way.    Each chapter of this book illustrates how that can be so.   It’s the art of conversation, and each conversation recorded in this book shows how that can happen.   This is not a set of case studies with discussion questions to follow.   The authors opted for the conversational approach in their story telling with the reader.   The flow is so natural you’ll think your reading a good fiction work.   You aren’t though and there’s lots to be learned here.   When to pursue a particular direction, whe...