All posts in November 2024

This book is a nail-biter. All of these Red Rising books have been excellent so far. I’d thoroughly recommend them. Pierce Brown is onto something here.

I just finished this excellent book on the church office of Deacon. Smethurst’s heart is to serve the local church and it comes out in this book. It is biblically faithful, detailed, and thoroughly helpful. I’d recommend it to anyone needing a quick read on the office of Deacon.

After waiting several weeks in line on the Libby app, this one finally came available. Morning Star is the third book in the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. It’s a combination of Ender’s Game and Hunger Games. From Goodreads:

Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.

Finally, the time has come.

But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender.

I continued reading Deacons this week and have been challenged and encouraged by it. Matt Smethurst has done a service to local churches all over the world by writing this book. From the Goodreads summary:

In this short book, Matt Smethurst makes the case that deacons are model servants called to meet tangible needs, organize and mobilize acts of service, preserve the unity of the flock, and support the ministry of the elders. Clearing away common misconceptions, Smethurst offers practical guidance for deploying deacons and helping churches to flourish.