A review from Amazon: The only thing more timeless than this masterful book is the subject of which George Ladd writes. I have read this book three times and hope to read it again soon. Ladd's writing is effortless to read and difficult to stop once started. When I read Ladd's book it is as if I have a snow globe in the palms of my hands. I am inquisitively peering through the glass into the sphere of another realm. As I read I take notice of his eloquence, examining the details within the sphere. Soon I am no longer peering into this globe, instead, I find myself in the wondrous midst of experiencing the "now and not yet" eschatology of Professor Ladd.

He piques my interest with virtually every word, whetting my appetite with every turn of a page, urging me to know this Jesus more intimately, more profoundly, desiring to live and experience fully the genuine power of the Holy Spirit in this present age.

Ladd writes, "There are a number of explicit statements in the New Testament, as well as the basic structure of New Testament theology as a whole, which compel us to conclude that the blessings of The Age to Come remain no longer exclusively in the future but have become objects of present experience in this age. Hebrews 6:5 speaks of those who tasted... the powers of the age to come.  

The age to come is still future, but we may taste the powers of that Age. Something has happened by virtue of which that which belongs to the future has become present. The powers of The Age to Come have penetrated this age."

The Apostle to the Gentiles wrote, For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. You will not want the book to end and it will leave you wanting more. More of Ladd's writing, more Jesus, more of the Holy Spirit, and more of the Kingdom of God in this evil age.

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George Eldon Ladd (1911-1982) was a Baptist minister and professor of New Testament exegesis and theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Ladd was ordained in 1933 and pastored in New England from 1936 to 1945. He served as an instructor at Gordon College of Theology and Missions (now Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary), Wenham, Massachusetts from 1942-45. He was an associate professor of New Testament and Greek from 1946-50, and head of the department of New Testament from 1946-49. In 1950-52 he was an associate professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, Calif, becoming professor of biblical theology in 1952. Ladd was a notable, modern proponent of Historic Pre-millennialism, and often criticized dispensationalist views. His writings regarding the Kingdom of God have become a cornerstone of Kingdom theology.

Charles Dickens - The Old Curiosity Shop (1841)

The archetypal Victorian melodrama, as heartfelt and moving today as when it was first published, Charles Dickens's The Old Curiosity Shop is edited with notes and an introduction by Norman Page in the Penguin Classics edition.

Little Nell Trent lives in the quiet gloom of the old curiosity shop with her ailing grandfather, for whom she cares with selfless devotion. But when they are unable to pay their debts to the stunted, lecherous and demonic money-lender Daniel Quilp, the shop is seized and they are forced to flee, thrown into a shadowy world in which there seems to be no safe haven. Dickens's portrayal of the innocent, tragic Nell made The Old Curiosity Shop an instant bestseller that captured the hearts of the nation, even as it was criticized for its sentimentality by figures such as Oscar Wilde. Yet alongside the story's pathos are some of Dickens's greatest comic and grotesque creations: the ne'er-do-well Dick Swiveller, the mannish lawyer Sally Brass, the half-starved 'Marchioness' and the lustful, loathsome Quilp himself. 

Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language, whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers, have been adapted for stage and screen and read by millions. 

If you enjoy The Old Curiosity Shop, you might also like Dickens's Hard Times.

What does it mean to follow Jesus? And how should we help others become more like him? Once upon a time, being a Christian seemed clear. Say these words, pray these prayers, do these things. But out in the real world, following Jesus feels more nebulous. What's the point? That's Stephen's struggle in these pages as he wonders if he has missed his calling. In this compelling narrative, James Choung explores what it means to follow Jesus in the real world. Is Christianity something you just believe in, or can it be something you actually live out

Engineer Stephen wants to encourage his younger colleague Jared in his spiritual journey, but both feel at a loss. Stephen's friend Bridget offers insights on how Boomers, Xers, Millennials and younger generations approach spiritual questions, with implications for discipleship, community and service. Together they walk through deepening stages of faith as they discern how God is calling them to live. Join Stephen, Bridget and Jared on their journey of following Jesus, as they discover what it means to move from skeptic to world-changer. And find new pathways for Christian discipleship and disciplemaking in a world yearning for hope.

John Bright - The Kingdom of God (1953)

An astonishingly readable melding of Biblical scholarship and theological insight, dedicated to William Foxwell Albright and bolstered by historical and archeological understanding.This book traces the concept of The Kingdom of God throughout both the Old and New Testaments. It looks at the history of that concept and suggests its contemporary relevance. Bright states, "To grasp what is meant by the Kingdom of God is to come very close to the heart of the Bible's gospel of salvation."

Review on Goodreads: I have often thought that our western mode of thinking leads us to lift up the idea of individual salvation above all other concepts. A country in which individual rights are the prime value is going to tend to lean in the direction of theology that reflects that individualistic bent.

And while the "Kingdom of God" as a primary emphasis does not diminish the value of Christ's sacrifice–in fact, it hinges on that very same sacrificial act– it does diminish the idea that Christ's main goal was perhaps not my salvation (the individualistic theology). Not that He does not want me with Him, but that His wanting me has less to do with my value to Him and more to do with God's Kingdom, a kingdom for which the people of God have always truly longed since 

the first covenant where He called His children to be His children and He promised He would be their God.

In beautiful, haunting, moving, and compelling prose, John Bright, constrained only by the occasional anachronistic reference to Marxist Russia, presents a timeless argument that His Story is not just about saving me, but about building His Kingdom. This is how my story becomes worth anything, to submit this life, as trivial, frail, and sinful as it is, to the lordship of His Kingdom, the one that is at hand, that is already and not yet, that is forever and ever. 

E. F. Schumacher - Small Is Beautiful (1975)

Hailed as an "eco-bible" by Time magazine, E.F. Schumacher's riveting, richly researched statement on sustainability has become more relevant and vital with each year since its initial groundbreaking publication during the 1973 energy crisis. A landmark statement against "bigger is better" industrialism, Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful paved the way for twenty-first century books on environmentalism and economics, like Jeffrey Sachs's The End of Poverty, Paul Hawken's Natural Capitalism, Mohammad Yunis's Banker to the Poor, and Bill McKibben's Deep Economy. 

This timely reissue offers a crucial message for the modern world struggling to balance economic growth with the human costs of globalization.

Caroline Fraser - Prairie Fires (2017)

Millions of readers of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls--the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true saga of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser--the editor of the Library of America edition of the Little House series?masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder’s biography. Revealing the grown-up story behind the most influential childhood epic of pioneer life, she also chronicles Wilder's tumultuous relationship with her journalist daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, setting the record straight regarding charges of ghostwriting that have swirled around the books.

The Little House books, for all the hardships they describe, are paeans to the pioneer spirit, portraying it as triumphant against all odds. But Wilder’s real life was harder and grittier than that, a story of relentless struggle, rootlessness, and poverty.

Spanning nearly a century of epochal change, from the Indian Wars to the Dust Bowl, Wilder’s dramatic life provides a unique perspective on American history and our national mythology of self-reliance. With fresh insights and new discoveries, Prairie Fires reveals the complex woman whose classic stories grip us to this day.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD AND ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR