Pocket History of the United States by Henry Steele CommagerMy rating: 3 of 5 starsWriting a pocket history of any nation is a tremendous task I’m sure, but I think a better title would involve “brick” and not “pocket.” The only pocket thing about this book is the surface area of the front and backContinueContinue reading “A Pockey History of the United States: A Book Review”
Author Archives: JoeCassada
In the Shadow of the Broad Brim: A Book Review
In the Shadow of the Broad Brim by Richard Ellsworth Day My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a well-written, light biography and therefore a good introduction to the life of Spurgeon. If Spurgeon’s own autobiography seems too large, I recommend Day’s work. I appreciate how the author divides the book into aspects ofContinueContinue reading “In the Shadow of the Broad Brim: A Book Review”
Escape from Doubting Castle
A few quotes I liked from today’s reading:From Cottage Lectures (an anonymously written exposition of The Pilgrim’s Progress), regarding Christian and Hopeful’s escape from Doubting Castle:”Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw.””And sometimes, in the most unexpected way, our humble petitions will be abundantly answered. Before, however, this answer can beContinueContinue reading “Escape from Doubting Castle”
On Metaphors and Mindset
Taylor Pearsonraises an interesting point in his essay titled “How to ImproveYour Mindset.” Taking inspiration from George Lakoff and Mark Johnson’s book Metaphors We Live By, Pearson points out that our mindset is how we approach a topic – and our mindsets (or mini-worldviews as I call them) can be changed. Our view of somethingContinueContinue reading “On Metaphors and Mindset”
On Reading and Listening to Audio Books
A brief rant:In my perusal of productivity content, I continually come across writers who give tips on “how to read more books.” It is not uncommon to discover that one of the tips or practices of these voracious consumers of the written word is listening to audio books.Listening to audio books is not reading booksContinueContinue reading “On Reading and Listening to Audio Books”
On Bad Habits and Nervous Ticks in the Pulpit
Recently I began uploading my sermons to the beautifully designed Sermon Audio website (sermonaudio.com). Since I am the audio/video guy at my church, I pull double-duty as both sermon giver and sermon audio editor. So I get to listen to myself preach every week, which isn’t always fun and exciting. Sometimes it’s embarrassing – butContinueContinue reading “On Bad Habits and Nervous Ticks in the Pulpit”
On Sermon Length
Question: How long should a sermon be? Answer: A sermon should be long enough to impress the truth on the people’s hearts, and no longer. Let me explain:Most sermons could be distilled down to a paragraph or shorter, but if a sermon consisted of 45 seconds of reading an explanatory sentence, then the people would notContinueContinue reading “On Sermon Length”
On Writing – Book Review
Yes, that’s a real wildcat. It’s actually stuffed roadkill. I am not a fan of horror books or films, so I admit that I have never read one of Stephen King’s novels. In fact, I would probably fit into the group of prudes that he affectionately terms “The Legion of Decency.” Guilty. Although IContinueContinue reading “On Writing – Book Review”
New Charles Spurgeon Mugs and T-Shirts
Here’s a few new designs for Spurgeon gear over at my print on demand shop. Check them out: Spurgeon Coffee Mug: Spurgeon Mug – Man of Prayer (Minimalist Design) by Joe_Cassada PREACH – Spurgeon Tee (Grayscale) by Joe_Cassada Here’s more Spurgeon goodness: Charles Spurgeon Quotes by Joe_Cassada
My System for Choosing Books to Read
Not really how my library looks, but close.As a book lover, one challenge I do not face is the lack of reading material; rather, the lack of time to read everything I want is my constant affliction. How can I read more books? If finding more time isn’t possible, then I must learn to separateContinueContinue reading “My System for Choosing Books to Read”
Joe Cassada 