My Recommended Book from 2020 (and we’re giving it away!)

by Pastor Victor Chen

At a pastors conference in 2020 weeks before the stay-at-home order, we all received various books as conference gifts.

Little did I know that one book would help carry me through that tumultuous year at home. 

“Gentle and Lowly” by Dane Ortlund is a profound and powerful book centered on Matthew 11:28-30:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

I found myself coming back to these words of Jesus as I tried to grapple with the events swirling in the world, in my home and in my soul. This book would bring me back to this invitation by Jesus time and time again. 

Here are three reasons why I recommend this book:

It feeds you the Word

As Christians, we know we’re supposed to go to the Lord first and feed on His Word rather than social media. However in times of crises, it’s easy to fall down that online rabbit hole of trying to figure out what is going on, whether things are getting better and when it will all end. I needed to have a guide to lead me back to God’s Word. This book was that guide for me.

The book is not meant to be read in one sitting. It provides profound meditations in short chapters on the heart of Jesus through the Word that force you to pause, ponder and reflect. This is exactly what I needed.

It explores the heart of Jesus

Many Christian books may claim to bring you to Jesus. This book is one of the few that seriously explores the heart of our gentle Savior. Ortlund revisits the Puritan meditations on the heart of Christ and in a time when trust is lost among leaders, this couldn’t be more timely. Many times I found myself captured by the heart of Jesus and marveled, “Wow. What a Savior.”

It invites you to come to Jesus

This book is not trying to promote the author or push a certain agenda. This book is trying to invite us to come to Jesus and find rest for our souls from the One who is gentle and lowly in heart. 

That’s it.

That’s just what we need right now.

Due to the generous donation of Crossway publishers, our church received 208 free copies of the book, “Gentle and Lowly”. Please contact me at vchen@evergreensgv.org to arrange a time to pick up your free copy!