What have you been reading recently?

I get asked about book recommendations a lot. I hesitate to give out “recommendations” because I always want to qualify my suggestion. Instead, I’ll just offer some thoughts on some of my recent reads in case someone is looking for something on these topics––

Tim Gombis‘ The Drama of Ephesians: Participating in the Triumph of God

This is a short but well written narrative reading of Ephesians from an expert on the book. It’s not a commentary but in many ways, it’s better than one because of the way it frames the study. Whether you agree with him or not about the details, it should stimulate thinking about the significance of Ephesians. You can check out his blog here.

Judith and Sherwood Lingenfelter’s Teaching Cross-Culturally: An Incarnational Model for Learning and Teaching

This is good for stimulating your mind about teaching ideas. I wouldn’t say this book is loaded with a 101 “How-to” ideas for teaching in any context, but it does make you reflect on what issues to be thinking about.

John Milton Gregory’s The Seven Laws of Teaching.

There’s a reason this thing is a classic, even though it was written in 1885. He really gets what it means to teach. A must read for anyone wanting to clarify in their mind the basic components of teaching. In some sense, it has nothing “novel” in it, but its strength is in helping one see the components of teaching with greater clarity.