First, a word about reading habits. I have learned it is best to read no more than two books at a time. No matter how much we love to read or think we are productive by having a stack of books before us, we only have so much time and attention span. Two at a time seems a good rule to maintain—maybe one work of fiction and one nonfiction. With that, here are a few recommended titles for the summer months.

The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History. John M. Barry.

 We may be out of the flu season but this book holds its value as a tale of advances in American medicine and the men who were in place at a critical period to help stem the massive outbreak of influenza in 1918. More people were killed in a shorter period by this flu than those who have died by AIDS. World health experts tell us we are overdue for another such tragedy. Barry has a masterful way of telling the story and weaving in the many characters. If you want to understand modern medicine, this is a place to start.

Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations. Martin Goodman.

I have just begun reading this book. It ties in with a class I teach on Early Church History and my interest in the city of Jerusalem. The author relies on the Jewish historian Josephus for a lot of background. It focuses on the important period of the first century and the relations between the Jews of Christ's time and the Roman Empire, the fourth beast of Daniel's prophetic vision. What better story could one who loves history and prophecy find?

Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church. N.T. Wright.

For some of you, my recommending a book by a prominent Anglican theologian may seem unusual. But I am a firm believer in keeping up with current religious thought. Wright's book breaks with traditional belief that heaven is the reward of the saved. He discusses the biblical teaching of the resurrection and shows a rudimentary understanding of the Kingdom of God being on this earth. He even sees, in part, that the righteous will be involved in some kind of work here rather than in a heavenly paradise. Wright describes a change in Catholic theology about the teaching of purgatory. Even the current Pope Benedict XVI no longer holds the traditional Catholic view on this subject.

Reading this book will not make me an Anglican convert, but it does give insight into the shifting views of a major world religion. It is important to understand these streams of thought.

Chronicles of the Kings. Lynn Austin.

This is actually a series of five books based on the period of the kings of ancient Judah, beginning with Ahaz and ending with Manasseh. Austin invents characters and dialogue around the biblical narrative to make this time come alive. I have never read through a series of books so fast to see how the story ends—and I already knew the story and the ending!

Austin remains faithful to history and the Bible in fleshing out the story. Along the way you will learn about Assyria, the temple and priesthood, the geography of Jerusalem and many other details from the books of Chronicles and Kings. Passages from Isaiah and the Psalms are woven into the story to show how they fit the times. Many lessons and spiritual principles will be brought to life as you read these books.

I have given many sermons on this period of Bible history. Reading this series has increased my perception of the story and its relevance for today. I highly recommend these books for many pleasurable hours of summer reading and study.

I'll end this list for now and pick it up in my next letter. There are still more to come. Don't let the summer go by without reading one of these or another book of your choice.

Keep watching…and reading.