Reading Update

One of the two books I finished reading recently is entitled The Heart of a Great Pastor, written by H.B. London and Neil Wiseman. Long associated with the Focus on the Family ministry, H.B. London is a mentor and encourager to pastors, so I purchased the book sometime ago, eagerly awaiting the time to dive into it. Since returning to the ministry of a local church pastor, I have be reunited with the love of caring, leading, and serving a congregation in the pastor/shepherd role. As I began to read this book, I was hopeful that it would offer plenty of good encouragement and challenging thoughts to help me as pastor, but I was somewhat disappointed. Although the writing was sound and the encouragement was plenty, the subject matter chosen by the authors did nothing more than just scratch the surface, and it seemed to be targeted for younger pastors who have just begun their pastoral ministry. H.B. London has been a great champion for pastors over the years, so I am hesitant to grade his book poorly, but I honestly was not inspired and excited by it. The more I read, the less excited I became. Don’t misunderstand me—his stories, emphases, and content were all on target—but the book didn’t resonate with me. The final chapters were the best, so I am glad I stayed with it even though I considered giving up several times. The closing of the book focused on the importance of a pastor’s personal spiritual growth, the need for moral purity, and the necessity of integrity and credibility in ministry. These topics are both timeless and timely, so the final few chapters provided some good information and instruction. My recommendation to pastors in the same life stage as myself is to skip the first two-thirds of the book, and just read the last section. There’s good stuff in there, but only at the end.

Another book I finished was the action thriller by Steve Berry, entitled The Venetian Betrayal. The story describes the international adventures of a man named Cotton Malone, a former government agent turned rare-book dealer. He and several others are chasing down clues as to the secret burial place of Alexander the Great, because a supposedly powerful medicine—capable of curing AIDS—is also buried with the former conqueror. In a novel of this sort, there is plenty of globe trotting action, and the plot jumps from Scandinavia, to Asia, to northern Africa, and to Venice, Italy. I was mostly interested in the book because of my visit last year with my family to Venice, and the title seemed to indicate that this Italian city played a prominent role in the story. Some of the story takes place inside St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, and it was nice to retrace my own steps inside that cathedral as the action unfolded. The book was an enjoyment to read, providing a little escapism and fun along the way. If you like adventure stories that have the character traveling to various parts of the world, then this book might be for you. Berry weaves a little history into the story, so it is a chance to learn a few things as well as you follow the story from one location to another.