2025 TOP TEN FICTION AND TOP TEN NON-FICTION

Promoting a book I enjoyed by a favorite author, as well as promoting one of my favorite bands.

Yes, I usually like posting my favorite lists BEFORE the new year, and I did manage to get my favorite songs list done Monday. Better late than never, in this January 3rd blog I'll be looking at my 20 favorite books, 10 each between fiction and non-fiction. Unlike yesterday, I'll be starting with #1 instead of counting down. And why am I doing both today? Just because I have other blogs for this week.

For those who want to read my review of 19 of these books, I'll be including them on the title. I'm a little behind and still have some reviews to write, including one of the fiction books.

So let me start with the fiction: 

1. "Gazing Into Darkness" (Queen City Heroes Book 1) by Heidi Glick.
2. "Colorado Conspiracy Ambush" by Jodie Bailey.
3. "Rhats Free!" (Muto Chronicles Book 4) by Kerry Nietz.
4. "Double Protection Duty" (Dakota K-9 Unit Book 7) by Sharon Dunn.
5. "Standing Watch" (Dakota K-9 Unit Book 3) by Terri Reed.
6. "Texas Smoke Screen" (Quantico Profilers Book 3) by Jessica Patch.
7. "Big Bluff" (Katy Russell Mystery Book 2) by Jackie Zack. NOTE - I also read books 3 and 4 in this four part series this year. Often, if I have read more than one book in a single author series, I'll just count those books as one. However, while I think all three are good, "Big Bluff" stood out as a favorite. 
8. "Hidden In The Canyon" by Jodie Bailey.
9. "K-9 Ranch Protection" by Darlene L. Turner. 
10. "Tracing Killer Evidence" (Dakota K-9 Unit Book 5) by Jodie Bailey. 

Now, let me leap to non-fiction. Again, I'll update this with links. So here we go.

1. "A Year of Prayer: Appoaching God With an Open Heart Week After Week" by John MacArthur.
2. "Simplify Your Spiritual Life: Spritual Disciplines for the Overwhelmed" by Donald Whitney. Second time I read this book.
3. "Killing Calvinism: How To Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside" by Greg Dutcher. And for those who see this title for the first time, it's not anti-Calvinist, but written by a Calvinist for Calvinists.
4. "Faithfully Different: Regaining Biblical Clarity in a Secular Culture" and "When Culture Hates You: Persevering for the Common Good as Christians in a Hostile Public Sqare" by Natasha Crain. I read both books this year, but I thought they were close enogugh to each other I'm including both. The first focuses on being a distinct light to the world by our beliefs, our thinking, and our living. The latter gives advice on dealing with those opposing us on worldview issues. I highly recommend both.
5. "The Indomitable Mr. O" by Norman Rohrer: the biography of Jessie Overholtzer, founder of Child Evangelism Fellowship. It also tells how CEF is fulfilling the vision since Overholzer's death.
6. "Transforming The Culture With Truth" by Les Munsil (President of Arizona Christian University, which is my alma mater).
7.  "Fritz and the Midnight Meet-up" by Megan Hill. Yes, this is a children's story book, but I'm including it because it tells a true story. Hill also has written a non-fiction book on the same subject (praying together).
8.  "A Clear and Present Word: The Clarity of Scripture" by Mark Thompson.
9.  "Jacob Arminius: The Man From Oudewater" by Rustin E. Brian. This is one I've read a second time.
10.  "Ask, Seek, Knock," a devotional by Josh Stone. Yes, devotionals make the top and bottom of the non-fiction list.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON 2025, AND HYMNS TO SING ON NEW YEAR'S DAY

From the 1st annual Missions Fair at Northside Baptist Church

Yes, I'm doing my look back at '25 on the first day of '26. Sorry. My original goal was to have my list of favorite books posted on Tuesday, Dec. 30th, this blog done yesterday, and part one of a two part look at '26. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough computer time to keep up with the plan. So the look back is today, the look ahead is now one part and will be tomorrow, and the favorite book lists will be on January 3rd.

This year had several things going on. I judged NCFCA speech and debate contests on-line and at a live location in Fishers, IN, and the year ended judging the first of three on-line tournaments in the '25-'26 cycle. I celebrated my 25th anniversary at MACL/Quest in March. I won the women's Final Four pool by having a perfect final four (meaning I correctly picked the four final teams, the two semi-final, and UConn winning it all). I got to attend my 3rd Kingdom Come Festival. I helped with the 1st Annual Missions Fair at Northside Baptist Church in September.

There are five people who went home to be with the Lord that saddened me. These were Author/Pastor/Lightning Rod John MacArthur, Chuck Girard of Love Song, Author/Pastor Voddie Baucham, Political Activist Charlie Kirk, and novelist Jackie Zack. Of course, Kirk got the most attention. Three weeks after his death, there were a trio of musicial tributes on my Spotify Release Radar. Jackie was the only one I had any interaction with, and in this case it was in on-line writing groups. 

But now, let's move to this year. Or more technically, let's move on to New Year's Day 2026. Becky and I have been singing hymns together since '98, and today, she suggested that we sing "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" every New Year's Day. I agreed that was a great choice, and suggested my all-time favorite hymn to join it: "I am Resolved." Becky agreed with me. After all, one is looking at great resolutions for any year and the other is looking at Christ's coming.

But what about what lies ahead? Well, I'll save that for tomorrow. Then, I'll have my book reviews on January 3rd.

 

BLESSED IN HIS SIGHT IS THE DEATH OF HIS SAINTS - A TRIBUTE TO JOHN MACARTHUR

Courtesy of IslandsEdge, posted on Wikipedia

 Becky and I have been talking about going out west sometime and visit friends in California and Arizona, and one thing Becky wanted to do was to hear John MacArthur preach at Grace Community Church.  That plan got scrapped when MacArthur was called to his heavenly home, July 14, 2025, at age 86 (the same age my Dad was when he passed in 2019).

My first introduction to him was at Bible College. In '79, Professor David Nicholas gave the Charismatic movement as a term paper subject in Hermeneutics (Biblical Interpretation) class, but said that anyone who did that subject (I did) needed to get MacArthur's book "The Charismatics" (I did). At that same time, a series based on the book was published in Moody Monthly.

Even though I moved back to Southern California after that for a short period time, I didn't follow him much, but when I pastored a church in Nebraska, a friend mentioned his tape ministry. Then, when I moved to Nashville, TN a year later, I listened to him occasionally on radio.

In '90, I got a copy of "The Gospel According To Jesus" from a friend. I didn't start reading it till four years later, but that book impacted my life. So did "Ashamed of the Gospel," which focused on pragmatism in the church.

As you may know, MacArthur didn't shy away from controversy, but one underlying thing is he stood solidly on the authority of Scripture and on expository preaching, and these items had a connection to his stand on those disputes. Two of those debates have been alluded to above. I had a friend at church who said he had a problem with MacArthur, because of their differing stands on the Charismatic movement. The funny thing is when I gave a quote from the MacArthur Study Bible (which I referred to as the Big Mac - if you saw a copy, you could see why), that friend usually admitted he agreed with MacArthur on that point. The other was with "The Gospel According To Jesus," which basically said that if a person is born again, there will be changes in his life.

Two recent things that MacArthur did which I agree. One was how he handled COVID. Some of the church felt the Biblical command to assemble together (Hebrews 10:24-25) was more important than keeping California Governor Newsom's lockdown. The church was fined by the government, but MacArthur was ready to go to court about it, and asked the state to give proof the lockdown measures worked. The state dropped the case, agreeing to drop the fines, pay the court fees and to not file any subsequent charges. The other was his support of the Legacy Standard Bible, which was consistent in transliterating Yahweh instead of using "The Lord" or "God" in all caps. 

After his death a couple of weeks ago, I've read some posts and a couple of videos about his death. All of which were mostly positive, pointing out his solid stand on the Bible and expository preaching though one of the videos brought out the differences between MacArthur and his friend/fellow minister John Piper in a way that was definitely unnecessarily overdramatic. The article from Daniel Silliman in Christianity did balance the positive with some questions on the issues mentioned above and his views on women in the church (particularly Beth Moore). I did find it interesting it seemed to overlook the COVID issue.

Like J. Vernon McGee, MacArthur is in heaven but will continue to minister on earth. Grace to You has stated they will continue airing MacArthur's sermons. I'm glad. 

'25 SUMMER READING LIST, #8 - "THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS" BY JOHN MACARTHUR

I received the original edition of this book for my birthday, along with a copy of his then latest project "Heartland" from Christian musician Rob Frazier. Both were an impact on my life, 

I heard a speaker once say that if you don't sound like Christians can do anything they want and still be saved, they're not preaching grace. I disagree, and this book points in that direction.

MacArthur is associated with "Lordship Salvation" which many Christians have a problem because they think it's works salvation and sinless perfection to believe that Christ isn't your savior if He's not Lord. That is NOT what I've picked up. Rather, MacArthur pointed out there's time he's disobedient to His Lord. But I believe Biblically that there will be evidence in our lives if we're saved. Perfect obedience and sanctification? No, but definitely not an absence of obedience and sanctification.

BOOK REVIEW - "A YEAR OF PRAYER: APPROACHING GOD WITH AN OPEN HEART WEEK AFTER WEEK" BY JOHN MACARTHUR

I will confess: I have not finished reading John MacArthur's "A Year of Prayer: Approaching God With an Open Heart Week After Week" yet. In fact, I'm not even a sixth of the way through it (I'm at week 8 of 52 at the time of writing). But this is a kind of book that you can make a fair assumption what the book is like early on and whether it's one to recommend or not.

I highly recommend this book. My wife and I are going through a section a week. It consists of a passage of Scripture (not just a verse as many devotionals do) followed by a Biblically based prayer for you to pray. 

There are books designed for a whole year that I treat as if it is for a period of days. This one can fall into that category, and finish it in 52 days, because the sections are short. But my wife and I don't want to rush through this volume and give it time to make an impact.

BOOK(LET) REVIEW - "GODLY CITIZENS UNDER GODLESS KINGS" BY JOHN MACARTHUR

 

Election day is just a week away, and we get to choose between a candidate some consider evil and an opponent belonging to a party that promotes what many (myself included) consider evil. How are we to live in days of an ungodly government?

If the lines for voting are long, "Godly Citizens Under Godless Kings" by Rev. John MacArthur might be good and appropriate reading, especially since it is only 34 pages long. But if you've already voted early, this still is an insightful and thought provoking book.

MacArthur starts off in Romans 13 stating what the role of government is, and then deals with Satan's influence on the state. He points out, "No matter where persecution breaks out, the arch-persecutor of the church is always going to be the government. We know this because the government alone can fine, jail, and even execute people with impunity." He speaks about civil disobedience in Scripture and today, and closes with a guideline on "How to live under a pagan government."

I have three comments I'd like to add in closing.

1. While I am convinced that neither the Democrat, the Republican, or the Libertarian Party are committed to a Biblical leadership, I do think MacArthur is overreaching when he says the government will always be part of the persecution - some of today's persecution is from other sources like the Columbian drug lords and the terrorist group Boka Haran. This is technical - I can see the U.S. government persecuting Christians.
2. MacArthur mentions being fined during the COVID lockdowns by the California government. He doesn't mention the church's standing firm and eventually getting the fines erased. I think that should have been included, even if this was a pamphlet.
3. I read this shortly after listing to the Reformed Libertarian podcast, where both hosts are anarchist (meaning they don't believe we need government). I've read some that say Christians are obligated to stand against ungodly nations to the point of taking up arms, as in the Revolutionary War. MacArthur doesn't deal with the Revolution, but he definitely believes government is necessary and placed by God. Am I sure which side I take on that issue?

REFORMATION DAY SERIES PART 1 - REPEAT BOOK REVIEW: CHRIST'S CALL TO REFORM THE CHURCH BY JOHN MACARTHUR

 Today is one week from Reformation Day. Forget the other thing people celebrate on this day. But I'm going to make the theme a focus on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus a pair of Reformation themed Sunday blogs. How long? I'm not sure yet. But it will be a while. And maybe I'll save some for next year! 

I'm starting off with a repeat of a book review which was actually the first book review I shared this year.

Does the church need a Reformation? If Jesus was speaking to the church, what would He say? Would it be similar to what He had the Apostle John write to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3)?

John MacArthur has been a solid voice encouraging believers to return to the sound teaching of Scripture and speaking out against modern trends that do not have Biblical grounding. This book is written to encourage today's church to do what Jesus commanded of the seven churches of Asia Minor: Repent!

This book starts off with how unpopular reforming the church is for the status quo. Chapters 2-9 are basically a commentary on Revelation 1-3, reading like a print version of a sermon series. 

The final chapter is titled "The Need for a New Reformation," and looks at the five solas of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone), and Sola Christus (Christ Alone). MacArthur points out most lists end with Sola Deo Gloria, but he chose to end his book with what he focused on: Christ and the Church.

To be honest, I was hoping MacArthur to talk about how today's church mirrors the issues of the seven churches and specific steps the church can take to reform. Maybe I should write a book about that. But this book is Biblically sound and challenges us to be the Chruch God called us to be. I recommend this book. This is a much needed reminder (and for some a rebuke) to a church that needs to regain their first love and to repent.

 

BOOK REVIEW - CHRIST'S CALL TO REFORM THE CHURCH: TIMELESS DEMANDS FROM THE LORD TO HIS PEOPLE BY JOHN MACARTHUR

 Does the church need a Reformation? If Jesus was speaking to the church, what would He say? Would it be similar to what He had the Apostle John write to the seven churches of Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3)?

John MacArthur has been a solid voice encouraging believers to return to the sound teaching of Scripture and speaking out against modern trends that do not have Biblical grounding. This book is written to encourage today's church to do what Jesus commanded of the seven churches of Asia Minor: Repent!

This book starts off with how unpopular reforming the church is for the status quo. Chapters 2-9 are basically a commentary on Revelation 1-3, reading like a print version of a sermon series. 

The final chapter is titled "The Need for a New Reformation," and looks at the five solas of the Reformation: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone), and Sola Christus (Christ Alone). MacArthur points out most lists end with Sola Deo Gloria, but he chose to end his book with what he focused on: Christ and the Church.

To be honest, I was hoping MacArthur to talk about how today's church mirrors the issues of the seven churches and specific steps the church can take to reform. Maybe I should write a book about that. But this book is Biblically sound and challenges us to be the Chruch God called us to be. I recommend this book. This is a much needed reminder (and for some a rebuke) to a church that needs to regain their first love and to repent.

I will admit that I was hoping for something different.

TIPTOE-ING THROUGH (AND AROUND AND ON RARE OCCASSIONS ON) THE TULIPS, PART 2 OF 3 - BECOMING A "NOTA"

 

"Wesley/Watts Concert, Oct. 4, 1738" On that day, pastors/hymn writers Calvinist Isaac Watts and Arminians Charles and John Wesley conversed for an hour, then walked, sang, and conversed for another hour.

 

One unforgettable moment on-line was when on one post in a group one person stated, "Free will is a false gospel!" and another responded, "The Five Points of Calvinism are a false gospel!" So what did I do? I stood up to both bullies, because those two bozos were attacking my brothers and sisters in Christ, some of which are Calvinists, some are Arminians, and some don't identify as either, such as...

Actually, that leads me back to the student apartment I was in with Tom Cousins (in those days, my alma mater's men's dorm was one bedroom apartments with four occupants each). I told you he handed me the list of the five points of Arminianism and Calvinism, but I never told where I stood. (Review - the Arminian points were written first, and both sets following the death of John Calvin and Jacob Arminius.)

At that moment, I considered myself a 2.5 point Calvinist. I agreed completely with points 1 and 5 (respectively Total Depravity and Perseverance of the Saints). Like most of the faculty of the school, which I'm guessing were 4 point Calvinists, I did not agree with point 3 (Limited Atonement). However, I considered point 4 (Irresistible Grace) to be saying the same thing in different ways. Point 2 (Unconditional Election) was one I struggled with. I agreed with the concept of election: after all, that is clearly in Scripture. But the wording of that view made me uncomfortable, and I couldn't articulate why. 

As I stated in the previous installment, that was not a major part of my Christian life for years, until I moved into Indianapolis. True, I dealt with the related subject of the security of the believer, but the issue of how free-will and God's Sovereignty relate. However, since moving to the home of the 500, I've had several things influence my thinking. Here is a list of books and radio programs that caught my attention:

1. Listening to Grace To You (John MacArthur) and Renewing Your Mind (R.C. Sproul. I was familiar with MacArthur, though not in soteriology (doctrine of salvation), and had read some of his books. I had never heard of Sproul before. While these did not make a major impact, it got my mind thinking on the subject.
   
2. God's Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism by Bruce Ware. Open Theism is a belief that denies true omni-science on God's part. While the main topic is theology, Ware introduced me to two concepts in the spectrum of soteriology: compatible free-will and Molina's middle knowledge. Again, this is more mind-expanding than mind-changing.
3. C. S. Lewis & Francis Schaeffer: Lessons for a New Century from the Most Influential Apologists of Our Time by Scott R. Burson and Jerry L. Walls. This book compared the theology and apologetics of Arminian Lewis and Schaeffer. Both authors lectured on Lewis and seemed to be more in agreement with him, and yet this book made me more of a Schaeffer fan. (Note - I had the honor of hearing Schaeffer speak.)
4. Four Views On Eternal Security (Zondervan's Counterpoint series). This book had four authors represent different views on eternal security - identified as Classic Calvinism (Michael Horton), Moderate Calvinism (Norman Geisler), Reformed Arminianism (Stephen Ashby) and Wesleyan Arminianism (J. Steven Harper) - with the proponents presenting the view and the other three responding. Before reading this book, I considered the views to fit neatly in a line with the two ends being the extremes of Calvinism and Arminianism and everything else being in between. This one-dimensional view was shattered - I see the debate now in a plain, not a line.
   
5. What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God by David Hunt. Hunt wrote this book when people mentioned Sunday School teachers who tried to convince everybody Calvinism was the true gospel. I told you that I had thought the second point was Unmerited Favor; this book corrected that mistake. Now, I do not consider this book to say Calvinism is a false gospel like the person I mentioned above. He mentioned he had Calvinist  While I would not call myself Arminian, this book moved me to temporarily considering myself a non-Calvinist rather than a 2.5 pointer.
6. On-line Pages and groups "Reformed Thug Life", "Depraved Wretch", and "Arminian Memes Daily." I discovered and was blessed by the former two groups, but I realized I was getting just one side of theology, so I joined the third. I learned it would have better been called "Anti-Calvinist Memes Daily." Not what I needed. 
7. Arminian Theology: Realities and Myths by Roger Olsen. At this point, most of my knowledge of what Arminianism was came from Calvinists. So I decided to try to learn how Arminians describe themselves. This book was a big help. It seems he wrote it not to convert Calvinists into being Arminian, but rather to show that Arminianism belongs in the sphere of orthodox Christian thought as Calvinists do. He considered the views of Charles Finney and the latter Remonstrants not to be the classic Arminianism of Arminius, Wesley, and the early Remonstrants but more semi-Pelagianism. Olsen states classic Arminianism agreed with Calvinists on Total Depravity and that originally there was no definite position on security of the believer (meaning you can be a pro-eternal security Arminian). Finally, he also stated that while both Calvinists and Arminians are believers, they are different enough in belief that you can't be a hybrid (e.g. a Calminian); he allowed for a "neither" or not knowing what you are.
8. Jacob Arminius: The Man From Oudewater by Rustin Brian. A continuation of knowing what Arminianism really is. Did you know that Arminius lost his father early in life and a friend mentored him and sent him to school under Theodore Beza? How about that while he was at school Oudewater declared itself a Protestant town and thus Catholic mercenaries attacked, raping and killing the inhabitants (including Arminius' mother and siblings)? Was that evil carnage predestined by God or the depraved free will of evil men? That was the foundation of Arminianism.

So where does that leave me? Well, I never identified as an Arminian, though there was a time my theology would have made me Arminian. I'm probably still a 2.5 pointer. But I do feel God's Sovereignty is an important issue.

Another fact is that I believe most Calvinists and most Arminians are men who love God, believe the Bible is His Word, search the Scriptures, but still see through a glass dimly and as imperfect people this side of heaven are not perfect in theology. Same with any other debate between Christians. 

So now I consider myself a NOTA - None Of The Above. That absolves me of having to figure it all out - God never asked me to. Psalm 131 says, "Neither do I concern myself with great matters Nor with things to profound for me;" the free will/predestination debate falls into that category. In addition, it leaves me free to defend my fellow believers who are attacked, as mentioned above.

This does not prevent me from having thoughts on the subject. So there will be a part 3 of this series.

 

A BLOG FOR THE DAY BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS AND ELECTION DAY

From Christians United Church, Indianapolis

Anybody besides me aware that the first Sunday of November is International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP)? I  hope so! But here's the next question that just hit me this week: How many people realize that 6 out of 7 years IDOP takes place two days before Election Day? That's right. Unless Election Day falls on November 2nd (due to it being the Tuesday following the first Monday of the month), it's a pair of days following IDOP.

Coincidence? Is there a message to the timing? Maybe it is coincidental and unplanned, but still something to think about?

I have a friend who tried to convince me that if I voted for Trump, our freedoms and way of life are at risk. He was right. I voted for Trump, and our freedoms and way of life are at risk. 

Okay, am I overstating it? True, I'm not sure our country can survive a Biden Presidency. I also had my doubts of our freedom lasting eight years of Obama, and sixteen years before that, it was Clinton that terrified me. And even if those fears were/are justified, isn't that worry a lack of faith?

But, returning to the theme of IDOP, we have no guarantees we won't face persecution in this country. After all, Russia was a major center of Christianity before the Communist takeover. We also need to realize that Persecution doesn't usually surprise everybody and appear at full strength unannounced. Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says there are three steps: Disinformation, Discrimination, and then Persecution. Kyle Idleman of Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY) had a similar list, with five steps.

Let's look at the VOM list. Is there disinformation going on concerning Christianity? You notice how often there are negative portrayals of Christians in television and movies? I saw a lousy movie where one of the characters was a clergyman. At the end where they revealed who the villain was - a motorcycle riding serial killer with the visor down -  it was ... you guessed it. 

I hear some claiming there's already discrimination. Some may be people with a persecution process. But John MacArthur pointed out that during COVID, many businesses including bars and gentlemen's clubs were essential but churches were not and were told they could not meet or sing. Is this a form of discrimination?

A week ago I reviewed Caesar and the Church by Anthony Forsyth, which dealt with the problem of Statism. Libertarians have focused on that for years. Do I trust our two-party system to fight Statism? You kidding? My impression is that the Democrat Party has an agenda it wants to force on the country, while the Republican Party's goal is to keep the Dems from achieving their agenda without having one of their own.  

The Church, as usual, is facing a three prong human attack (not counting the Spiritual War that's behind the scenes on all three fronts). They are from:

1. From aliens/outsiders. No, we don't need to fear Martians or Darth Vader or little green men in flying saucers. I'm talking about outside the country. Should we feel we are safe from Russia or Iran or NoKo or China from attacking us, either directly or via a new killer virus (some consider COVID19 to be a test) or frying our grid by exploding a nuclear weapon in the atmosphere. 
2. From unbelievers in our own country/family. This includes government. This includes special interest groups. This includes the Media (both news and entertainment). This includes the re-education system. 
3. From wolves in the fold. Yes, a lot of the opposition of true faith is in the church itself. There are those who reject the inspiration of Scripture and have a belief that doesn't challenge the philosophy of the world. There are cults and -isms that oppose solid Biblical teaching such as salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and the Deity of Christ. There are those who are comfortable in the world and feel threatened by Christians who make following Christ their focus.