en-US Wed, 07 Aug 2024 13:02:01 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 754713 242 Arthur Conan Doyle 0755334434 Ben 0 to-read 4.26 1917
author: Arthur Conan Doyle
name: Ben
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1917
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/07
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]]> 24728478 John Grisham has a new hero . . . and she’s full of surprises

The year is 2008 and Samantha Kofer’s career at a huge Wall Street law firm is on the fast track—until the recession hits and she gets downsized, furloughed, escorted out of the building. Samantha, though, is one of the “lucky�� associates. She’s offered an opportunity to work at a legal aid clinic for one year without pay, after which there would be a slim chance that she’d get her old job back.

In a matter of days Samantha moves from Manhattan to Brady, Virginia, population 2,200, in the heart of Appalachia, a part of the world she has only read about. Mattie Wyatt, lifelong Brady resident and head of the town’s legal aid clinic, is there to teach her how to “help real people with real problems.�� For the first time in her career, Samantha prepares a lawsuit, sees the inside of an actual courtroom, gets scolded by a judge, and receives threats from locals who aren’t so thrilled to have a big-city lawyer in town. And she learns that Brady, like most small towns, harbors some big secrets.

Her new job takes Samantha into the murky and dangerous world of coal mining, where laws are often broken, rules are ignored, regulations are flouted, communities are divided, and the land itself is under attack from Big Coal. Violence is always just around the corner, and within weeks Samantha finds herself engulfed in litigation that turns deadly.]]> 480 John Grisham 1101910763 Ben 5
I agree that she was initially, but I felt that she had a realistic depth of development through the story. One reviewer suggested that her elite upbringing (two type A lawyers more faithfully married to and mothering to their jobs than to each other and to their own daughter respectively) could have no other result than what is seen of Samantha’s character at the onset of the work.

Far too often Hollywood teaches us incorrectly to believe in the 2-hour complete redemption and reversal of a character’s entire life. While this type of massive upheaval does happen sometimes, it is an outlier and a poor representation of an average life change.

I enjoyed some “laugh out loud�� moments, such as when Donovan and a coal company brass are spying on each other and exchange an out-of-place wave. Many heart-wrenching, emotionally charged scenes and interactions gave real meaning to mere statistics and words.

Though many of the below reviewers found the ending abrupt and weak, I liked it. The reality is that a book has to stop somewhere and the litigation that Samantha could expect to see from the goals which she had chosen would literally drag on for years; that could constitute several more books. This was a good stopping point in my opinion.

As I read it, the point of this work was not as much to tout the power of the “little guy�� triumphing in huge cases over the corrupt coal companies but more that the “little guy�� has to fight that corruption as a moral obligation. We see this throughout the book with the repeated failures and stalemates in the midst of the occasional successes. Maddie herself states bluntly that they very frequently fail to help their clients as much the clients need.

There are so many more things to be said but I’ve already gone on far too long. One frustration for me was the depressing, almost graphically so, nature of the book. Even as I finished and felt the swell of hope that Samantha had finally chosen the “right thing�� to do, I still felt down. I suspect this was intentional to spur action from readers on this very real issue and others, but it felt perhaps somewhat overdone. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book.]]> 3.43 2014
author: John Grisham
name: Ben
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2018/05/22
date added: 2018/05/22
shelves:
review:
I enjoyed the audio version of the book very much. It started a little slow, which I’ve seen before in the author’s work. Street Lawyer immediately jumps to mind. Reading other reviews criticizing the protagonist, Samantha, was interesting to me. Many found her a bore, childish, snobbish, shallow, wishy washy, etc.

I agree that she was initially, but I felt that she had a realistic depth of development through the story. One reviewer suggested that her elite upbringing (two type A lawyers more faithfully married to and mothering to their jobs than to each other and to their own daughter respectively) could have no other result than what is seen of Samantha’s character at the onset of the work.

Far too often Hollywood teaches us incorrectly to believe in the 2-hour complete redemption and reversal of a character’s entire life. While this type of massive upheaval does happen sometimes, it is an outlier and a poor representation of an average life change.

I enjoyed some “laugh out loud�� moments, such as when Donovan and a coal company brass are spying on each other and exchange an out-of-place wave. Many heart-wrenching, emotionally charged scenes and interactions gave real meaning to mere statistics and words.

Though many of the below reviewers found the ending abrupt and weak, I liked it. The reality is that a book has to stop somewhere and the litigation that Samantha could expect to see from the goals which she had chosen would literally drag on for years; that could constitute several more books. This was a good stopping point in my opinion.

As I read it, the point of this work was not as much to tout the power of the “little guy�� triumphing in huge cases over the corrupt coal companies but more that the “little guy�� has to fight that corruption as a moral obligation. We see this throughout the book with the repeated failures and stalemates in the midst of the occasional successes. Maddie herself states bluntly that they very frequently fail to help their clients as much the clients need.

There are so many more things to be said but I’ve already gone on far too long. One frustration for me was the depressing, almost graphically so, nature of the book. Even as I finished and felt the swell of hope that Samantha had finally chosen the “right thing�� to do, I still felt down. I suspect this was intentional to spur action from readers on this very real issue and others, but it felt perhaps somewhat overdone. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed the book.
]]> 49221
Written in longhand in notebooks that Lewis found in his home, A Grief Observed probes the "mad midnight moments" of Lewis's mourning and loss, moments in which he questioned what he had previously believed about life and death, marriage, and even God. Indecision and self-pity assailed Lewis. "We are under the harrow and can't escape," he writes. "I know that the thing I want is exactly the thing I can never get. The old life, the jokes, the drinks, the arguments, the lovemaking, the tiny, heartbreaking commonplace." Writing A Grief Observed as "a defense against total collapse, a safety valve," he came to recognize that "bereavement is a universal and integral part of our experience of love."

Lewis writes his statement of faith with precision, humor, and grace. Yet neither is Lewis reluctant to confess his continuing doubts and his awareness of his own human frailty. This is precisely the quality which suggests that A Grief Observed may become "among the great devotional books of our age."]]> 76 C.S. Lewis 0060652381 Ben 5 4.18 1961
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1961
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 1846 224 John Eldredge 0785268839 Ben 4 3.91 2001
author: John Eldredge
name: Ben
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2001
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 17309 Ephesians 6:12

Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a prayerful, hardworking pastor begin to investigate mysterious events, they suddenly find themselves caught up in a hideous New Age plot to enslave the townspeople, and eventually the entire human race. The physical world meets the spiritual realm as the battle rages between forces of good and evil.

This Present Darkness is a gripping story that brings keen insight into spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer. Since its original publication more than 2.7 million copies have been sold. The companion volume, Piercing the Darkness, continues the story of the battle between spiritual forces.]]> 376 Frank E. Peretti 1581345283 Ben 4 4.24 1986
author: Frank E. Peretti
name: Ben
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1986
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 145644 Be Transformed by Christ’s Example

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.�� ��1 Peter 5:5

A battle rages within every one of us every day. It’s the clash between our sense of stubborn self-sufficiency and God’s call to recognize that we’re really nothing without Him. It’s pride versus humility. And it’s a fight we can’t win without looking repeatedly to Christ and the cross. C. J. Mahaney raises a battle cry to daily, diligently, and deliberately weaken our greatest enemy (pride) and cultivate our greatest friend (humility). His examination clarifies misconceptions, revealing the truth about why God detests pride and turns His active attention to the humble. Because pride is never passive, defeating it demands an intentional attack. The blessing that follows is God’s abundant favor.

“This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit.��
—Isaiah 66:2, ESV

God clearly states that He is drawn to the humble. He’s also clear that He opposes the proud. These two, humility and pride, cannot coexist. Where one is fostered, the other is defeated.

Which will you pursue?]]> 176 C.J. Mahaney 1590523261 Ben 0 to-read 4.16 2005
author: C.J. Mahaney
name: Ben
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 672493
Here is a masterly study of the inner life by a heart thirsting after God. Here is a book for every child of God, pastor, missionary, and Christian. It deals with the deep things of God and the riches of His grace.

In The Pursuit of God, Tozer sheds light on the path to a closer walk with God.]]> 128 A.W. Tozer 0875093663 Ben 5 4.36 1948
author: A.W. Tozer
name: Ben
average rating: 4.36
book published: 1948
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 851393 242 Thomas a Kempis 0375700188 Ben 5 4.18 1427
author: Thomas a Kempis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1427
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 26435
The greatest Christian thinker of our time sets out to disentangle this knotty issue. With his signature wealth of compassion and insight, C. S. Lewis offers answers to these crucial questions and shares his hope and wisdom to help heal a world hungry for a true understanding of human nature.]]> 176 C.S. Lewis 0006280935 Ben 5 4.08 1940
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1940
rating: 5
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]]> 17303 John 1:5 (ESV)

It all begins in Bacon's Corner, a tiny farming community far from the interstate . . . An attempted murder, a case of mistaken-or is it covered up?-identity, and a ruthless lawsuit against a struggling Christian school. Sally Beth Roe, a young loner, a burnout, a kind of "leftover hippie,"finds herself caught in the middle of these bizarre events, fleeing for her life while trying to recall her dark past.

Across a vast panorama of heart-stopping action, Sally Roe's journey is a penetrating portrayal of our times, a reflection of our wanderings, and a vivid reminder of the redemptive power of the Cross. A companion volume to This Present Darkness, readers have purchased over two million copies of Piercing the Darkness since its publication in 1989.]]> 448 Frank E. Peretti 1581345275 Ben 4 4.33 1989
author: Frank E. Peretti
name: Ben
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1989
rating: 4
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]]> 27523 470 Tim LaHaye 0842342702 Ben 5 3.86 1995
author: Tim LaHaye
name: Ben
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1995
rating: 5
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]]> 29797 Along a road filled with monsters and spiritual terrors, Christian confronts such emblematic characters as Worldly Wiseman, Giant Despair, Talkative, Ignorance, and the demons of the Valley of the Shadow of Death. But he is also joined by Hopeful and Faithful.
An enormously influential 17th-century classic, universally known for its simplicity, vigor, and beauty of language, The Pilgrim's Progress remains one of the most widely read books in the English language.]]> 324 John Bunyan Ben 5 4.05 1678
author: John Bunyan
name: Ben
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1678
rating: 5
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]]> 148337 320 Alistair MacLean 1560254556 Ben 5 4.14 1967
author: Alistair MacLean
name: Ben
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1967
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 295961
As the deadly duo executes Hitler’s harrowing plot, only the quiet town of Studley Constable stands in their way. Its residents are the lone souls aware of the impending Nazi plan, and they must become the most unlikely of heroes as the fate of the war hangs in the balance.]]> 352 Jack Higgins 0140273344 Ben 5 4.17 1975
author: Jack Higgins
name: Ben
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1975
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 19691 Somewhere under the Atlantic, a Soviet sub commander has just made a fateful decision. The Red October is heading west. The Americans want her. The Russians want her back. And the most incredible chase in history is on...

]]> 432 Tom Clancy 0425172902 Ben 4 4.11 1984
author: Tom Clancy
name: Ben
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1984
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 16331 288 Agatha Christie 1579126251 Ben 4 4.07 1930
author: Agatha Christie
name: Ben
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1930
rating: 4
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 16343
A refugee of the Great War, Poirot has settled in England near Styles Court, the country estate of his wealthy benefactor, the elderly Emily Inglethorp. When Emily is poisoned and the authorities are baffled, Poirot puts his prodigious sleuthing skills to work. Suspects are plentiful, including the victim’s much younger husband, her resentful stepsons, her longtime hired companion, a young family friend working as a nurse, and a London specialist on poisons who just happens to be visiting the nearby village.

All of them have secrets they are desperate to keep, but none can outwit Poirot as he navigates the ingenious red herrings and plot twists that contribute to Agatha Christie's well-deserved reputation as the queen of mystery.

Librarian's note: the first fifteen novels in the Hercule Poirot series are 1) The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920; 2) The Murder on the Links, 1923; 3) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926; 4) The Big Four, 1927; 5) The Mystery of the Blue Train, 1928; 6) Peril at End House, 1932; 7) Lord Edgware Dies, 1933; 8) Murder on the Orient Express, 1934; 9) Three Act Tragedy, 1935; 10) Death in the Clouds, 1935; 11) The A.B.C. Murders, 1936; 12) Murder in Mesopotamia, 1936; 13) Cards on the Table, 1936; 14) Dumb Witness, 1937; and 15) Death on the Nile, 1937. Poirot also appears, in this period, in a play, Black Coffee, 1930, and two collections of short stories, Poirot Investigates, 1924, and Murder in the Mews, 1937. Each novel and short story has its own entry on ŷ������.]]> 121 Agatha Christie 0646418432 Ben 5 3.99 1920
author: Agatha Christie
name: Ben
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1920
rating: 5
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]]> 93575 501 Dorothy L. Sayers 0061043494 Ben 0 to-read 4.20 1935
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Ben
average rating: 4.20
book published: 1935
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 16299
"Ten little boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine. Nine little boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were eight. Eight little boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there then there were seven. Seven little boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in half and then there were six. Six little boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were five. Five little boys going in for law; One got in Chancery and then there were four. Four little boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were three. Three little boys walking in the zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were two. Two little boys sitting in the sun; One got frizzled up and then there was one. One little boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

When they realize that murders are occurring as described in the rhyme, terror mounts. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.]]> 264 Agatha Christie 0312330871 Ben 5 4.28 1939
author: Agatha Christie
name: Ben
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1939
rating: 5
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]]> 13496
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.]]> 835 George R.R. Martin 0553588486 Ben 0 to-read 4.44 1996
author: George R.R. Martin
name: Ben
average rating: 4.44
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 3 309 J.K. Rowling 0439554934 Ben 5 4.47 1997
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Ben
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
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]]> 17157681
Whisked from his comfortable hobbit-hole by Gandalf the wizard and a band of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.]]> 230 J.R.R. Tolkien 0007926669 Ben 5 4.31 1937
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: Ben
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1937
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 24781 253 Lloyd Alexander 080508052X Ben 5 4.24 1968
author: Lloyd Alexander
name: Ben
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1968
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 100915
Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first her brothers and sister don't believe her when she tells of her visit to the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund, then Peter and Susan step through the wardrobe themselves. In Narnia they find a country buried under the evil enchantment of the White Witch. When they meet the Lion Aslan, they realize they've been called to a great adventure and bravely join the battle to free Narnia from the Witch's sinister spell.]]> 206 C.S. Lewis Ben 5 4.24 1950
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1950
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 64023 228 Richard J. Foster 0060628391 Ben 0 to-read 4.19 1978
author: Richard J. Foster
name: Ben
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1978
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 3116205 Newsweek called renowned minister Timothy Keller "a C. S. Lewis for the twenty-first century" in a feature on his first book, The Reason for God. In that book, he offered a rational explanation of why we should believe in God. Now, in The Prodigal God, he uses one of the best-known Christian parables to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.

Taking his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity, Keller uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable. Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.

Look out for Timothy Keller's latest book, The Songs of Jesus, coming from Viking on November 10, 2015.]]> 139 Timothy J. Keller 0525950796 Ben 0 to-read 4.41 2008
author: Timothy J. Keller
name: Ben
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2008
rating: 0
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]]> 174845 122 Dietrich Bonhoeffer 0060608528 Ben 0 to-read 4.27 1939
author: Dietrich Bonhoeffer
name: Ben
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1939
rating: 0
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]]> 17383917 The Screwtape Letters is the most engaging and humorous account of temptation—and triumph over it—ever written.

Now, for the first time, The Screwtape Letters is presented with its full text alongside helpful annotations provided by Lewis enthusiast and dramatist Paul McCusker. The notes include literary, theological, and biographical information to enhance Lewis's core themes and demystify complex ideas. McCusker also guides readers to concepts and references from the beloved author's other treasured volumes to deepen and enrich this timeless classic. The annotated edition is the ultimate guide for understanding the heavenly truths buried in these epistles from below.]]> 223 C.S. Lewis 0062023179 Ben 5 4.25 1942
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1942
rating: 5
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]]> 232467 1822 John Calvin Ben 0 to-read 4.08 1536
author: John Calvin
name: Ben
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1536
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 14778 187 R.C. Sproul 0842313354 Ben 0 to-read 4.32 1986
author: R.C. Sproul
name: Ben
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1986
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 73188 380 John R.W. Stott 083083320X Ben 0 to-read 4.27 1986
author: John R.W. Stott
name: Ben
average rating: 4.27
book published: 1986
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 145645 What Really Matters
Have the extremities taken over and left the core of your faith forgotten? Do you get confused by what you feel versus what is real? Let dynamic pastor C. J. Mahaney strip away the nonessentials and bring you back to the simplest, most fundamental reason for your faith: Jesus Christ. Chapters include "Breaking the Rules of Legalism," "The Cross Centered Day," and "Assurance and Joy."

His Gift, Your Hope
Do you desire more passion for Jesus Christ? Return to the very essence of your faith--the cross of Christ. Here, the deepest truths of Calvary will stir your passion for Him into an unquenchable fire.]]> 166 C.J. Mahaney 1590525787 Ben 0 to-read 4.17 2002
author: C.J. Mahaney
name: Ben
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2002
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 45366 This book helps readers discover the key to overcoming sin and living a life that honors God. John Piper encourages believers to look ahead to the grace God provides for us on a day-by-day, moment-by-moment basis.

]]> 448 John Piper 1590521919 Ben 0 to-read 4.18 1995
author: John Piper
name: Ben
average rating: 4.18
book published: 1995
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]> 139855 Christianity Today voted this title one of the top 50 books that have shaped evangelicals. This edition is updated with Americanized language and spelling and a new preface by the author.

Stemming from Packer's profound theological knowledge, Knowing God brings together two important facets of the Christian faith:
1. Knowing about God and
2. Knowing God through the context of a close relationship with the person of Jesus Christ.

Written in an engaging and practical tone, this thought-provoking work seeks to transform and enrich the Christian understanding of God. Explaining both who God is and how we can relate to him, Packer divides his book into three sections: The first directs our attention to how and why we know God, the second to the attributes of God and the third to the benefits enjoyed by a those who know him intimately. This guide leads readers into a greater understanding of God while providing advice to gaining a closer relationship with him as a result.]]> 286 J.I. Packer Ben 5 4.32 1973
author: J.I. Packer
name: Ben
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1973
rating: 5
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]]> 666758 The Knowledge of the Holy by popular evangelical author and Christian mystic A.W. Tozer illuminates God’s attributes—from wisdom, to grace, to mercy—and in doing so, attempts to restore the majesty and wonder of God in the hearts and minds of all Christians. A modern classic of Christian testimony and devotion, The Knowledge of the Holy shows us how we can rejuvenate our prayer life, meditate more reverently, understand God more deeply, and experience God’s presence in our daily lives. ]]> 117 A.W. Tozer 0060684127 Ben 0 to-read 4.38 1961
author: A.W. Tozer
name: Ben
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1961
rating: 0
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date added: 2018/01/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> 11138 191 C.S. Lewis 0684823780 Ben 5 4.32 1952
author: C.S. Lewis
name: Ben
average rating: 4.32
book published: 1952
rating: 5
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date added: 2018/01/01
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]]>