A Book Review for Discerning Readers (the website, as well as the people)

Way back, a thousand loads of laundry ago, I agreed to review two books for Discerning Reader.  I don’t know what I was thinking, as I have approximately eight dozen too many things to do at any given time, but I did.  Book-greed overtook me and so, I offer this extremely tardy and apologetic review of two really terrific books.

C.H. Spurgeon on Spiritual Leadership and D. L. Moody on Spiritual Leadership were both penned by Steve Miller.  (The back of the book informs me that Steve “has worked in Christian publishing for twenty years as an editor and writer.”  He lives in Oregon with his wife. 

A letter that accompanied his books (provided to me free of charge, just so you know) says that his “goal in writing these books was to help ‘inspire by example’ through the lives and words of these two great leaders.  These books are not academic studies; rather, they let the words of these two men speak for themselves in regard to the character qualities God desires in a spiritual leader.”

I have to say, Steve accomplished that goal.  I read the first book while hanging out at a game arcade waiting while my son attended a birthday party.  (It was a long party.)  I felt that I had glimpsed into the life and heart of Spurgeon who was a well-known minister in the 1800s.  (“Everywhere he traveled, crowds of 10,000 to 20,000 would gather to hear him.”) 

Now, if you didn’t attend Bible College (as I did), you might be unfamiliar with Spurgeon.  But he is a legendary minister who organized and ran a college, an orphanage, an “Old Ladies Home” (no political correctedness in those days!), and more.  He wrote books that sold millions of copies, including seventy volumes of sermons.

Really, this kind of man makes me despair about my own feeble efforts to follow Christ, but this easy-to-read book offers insight into the key qualities that stood out in his life.  The book is intended to “encourage you and give you ideas you can put into practice as you fulfill your leadership responsibilities.”  Owning this book is kind of like having a portable mentor at your fingertips.

The second book, on the spiritual leadership of D.L. Moody, is equally inspiring.  Steve Miller did an admirable job of weaving together quotations and narrative to illustrate the leadership of this nineteenth century preacher.  (Moody also founded Moody Bible Institute.) 

Now, although I graduated from Bible College and sat through more than my fair share of theology classes (and even one semester of Greek), I tend to shy away from “spiritual” books.  I know.  I feel a great deal of guilt over this glaring shortcoming–after all, I’m a pastor’s wife!  I should love theology and its relatives!

I make that confession to say that I liked these books.  I really did.  I hope that one day soon, my boys will read them and be inspired by these men of God who devoted their lives to serving God by serving people. 

(And Steve Miller is an eminently readable writer.  I hope he has more of these books on spiritual leadership up his sleeve.)