Casey Blackbird > Recent Status Updates

Pretty meh so far… I cannot believe I’ve only read 30 pages, and I have a sense that not much has been said. Questionable reading of SK, but I think the emphasis on SK as a Socratic figure is right on the money.

The second half of the chapter on worship feels a lot like it was written around 2000, which it was so you can’t blame him. It’s always fascinating to me that there was genuinely a time when the idea of doing “blended” music styles was controversial.

I was able to get most of these for a deal on Logos and am thoroughly enjoying them. Having read Ryle’s volume, and now Spurgeon’s, I’m reminded that we have much to learn from the Victorian Evangelicals.

Honestly, reading a book on people skills every few months is just a helpful refresher and this has been the best so far.

Gotta love Crossway taking a tract that was converted into a book chapter and turning it into a tract. Very good, though. Sometimes the language of Christian life as conflict is either blown out of proportion or written off. As someone who erred into writing it off, Ryle was a helpful corrective!

I'm lacking words to express how well David Brooks writes. I don't want to put him down, but his writing inspires me to the point that I have to set the book down and try the life that he portrays.

Not as bad as Mabel, but pretty bad. The new edition is rife with typos and formatting issues. George has some theologically suspect stuff here, based on suspect interpretation. Outright error in places. Some factual errors, too. He occasionally offered some glimmers of benefit, but to get to them was so arduous that it’s not worth the effort. If you want something older and rich, read Ryle.

It feels a little disjointed because of the dual-authorship, but this little guy is probably my favorite book on the “leadership” side of ministry so far. And that’s coming from someone who has been force-fed many, many leadership books. This one has the rare quality of being tuned to rich pastoral theology.

Guys.

Yeah this is really good.

This is an excellent book. The treatment of the Ego, however, left much to be desired. Kapic didn’t discuss the Ego so much as he emphasized that the Ego must be located within the broader body. Which is important, but insufficient. There is individuality within the body—we are personally gifted, Paul wrestles with a personal thorn, etc. Kapic misses the trees for the forest in this one chapter.

I cannot express how enthusiastic I am at the idea of being done with books assigned for ordination.

This book is not easy (though more readable than other volumes in the series). This book is worth the time and effort of a careful reading. Every time I pick it up, my knowledge is deepened, and that knowledge expands my love (Phil. 1:9).

I'm reminded again that if pastors and those who dub themselves "Christian teachers" were to imitate Kapic, reading widely, generously, and across history, we'd be in a far better place.

“Between heaven and earth there is only one road: to follow Christ. In time and eternity there is only one choice, one single choice: to choose this road. There is only one eternal hope on this earth: to follow Christ into heaven. There is one blessed joy in this life: to follow Christ; and in death there is one final blessed joy—to follow Christ to life!”

In classic Stackpole fashion, the third act totally redeemed itself.

Picked the ol’ boy back up and, boy, he’s kicking butt. If you want to read Kierkegaard, this is a good place to start. But, read the three discourses in reverse order. Start with Gospel of Suffering, then Birds of the Air, and then On the Occasion.

This book has been giving me the side-eye from the shelf these past 18 months saying, "I can help. Take me up." And I'm profoundly grateful that I picked this up when I have.