Pure Pleasure
by Gary Thomas

I am quite certain that most, if not all of us have come across the term “guilty pleasure.” The way we perceive acceptable levels of pleasure differs from one individual to another as it depends on our upbringing and understanding of the concept of biblical stewardship.

Some of us might not give a second thought about spending $10 on a cup of coffee while catching up with our friends; others might feel that the money could have been better used to further the work in mission fields. Many Christians tend to either regard anything that resembles “earthly pleasure” as something to be embraced freely or avoided altogether.

In this book, Thomas defends neither views but instead pleads with Christians who have tipped too far in either direction. He presents them with a God who is portrayed by the Bible as delighting and sharing in the pleasure that His people enjoy when they approach life with thanksgiving.

He encourages the readers to embrace pleasure with sophistication as it is a gift from God and argues that we have been designed to receive pleasure in many different ways and are in fact, being prepared for an eternity of pleasure with Him.

He cautions us to always remember that our first and foremost pleasure should be to delight in Christ and warns that if we are to allow anything other than delighting God first, it would end up competing against our love for God.

Personally, I have always been cautious about books and materials which defend only a certain aspect of the Christian life while ignoring everything else. However, Thomas paid special effort to provide, in my view, the most balanced perspective on what is the proper role of pleasure in a Christian’s life. If you have never thought that enjoying “earthly pleasures” could be positive in your life, I would highly recommend that you read this book and allow Thomas to show you what it takes to live a balanced Christian life.

Joke Books Volume 13-32
by George Ong

Most Christian joke books usually comprise stale jokes about “talking bushes.” However, these joke books by Rev George Ong are nothing like that.

Rev Ong has extensive experience ministering across denominations and has preached in over 150 churches in Singapore to date. As a firm believer of creative presentation, this former army officer has been using jokes and humorous illustrations to help drive home his points as he feels that humor, like cosmetics, can turn something plain into something phenomenal.
It is through this vast ministry that has enabled him to compile various quotations and jokes. These not only brought out a smile when I read them; they were also a form of instruction for me as he paid special attention to deliberately inject either a teaching or a moral value after each segment.

Having these teachings (which are often conveyed in an overly serious manner) makes the jokes and illustrations more meaningful and helps the lessons which he has cleverly concealed, to sink in even deeper after I have read them.

Having just released another series of twenty joke books to add to his collection of 12, Volume 32 is the last book in this series and it touches on the issues that married couples face. The other issues in this series cover a variety of topics from romance to classroom humor.

Terrence Quah manages the marketing and communications at SKS Books but spends most of his time helping churches develop their Bible study curriculum. He spends his free time playing basketball and reading anything he can get his hands on and would love the chance to see the aurora borealis one day.