#14. Read a new book every month, including one that Tom recommends. (Oct. 2013)

My book of choice for this month was Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias. I started reading it for my previous 99 list, but didn't finish it in time to count it toward that.

For those who aren't familiar with Mr. Zacharias, he is a Christian apologist (apologist="a person who defends or supports something [such as a religion, cause, or organization] that is being criticized or attacked by other people"). He travels all over the world, teaching Christian apologetics, and he's also written several books on this topic. I think he's pretty brilliant...and yes, I would still like him even if one of us wasn't Indian...at least, I'd like to think so. I really appreciate his ability to communicate the truth of the Gospel as it corresponds to reality, and in a way that is engaging and easy to understand.

I've been a longtime listener of Zacharias's weekly radio program, Let My People Think, and last year, I even drove from Louisville to St. Louis by myself to hear him speak at a church there. But I never read any of his books until a few months ago, when I started reading Jesus Among Other Gods. In this book, he compares Christianity with other world religions (mainly Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism) and identifies six key questions which Jesus answered in a way that no other god would have.

I don't want to give away any details, but I will say that Jesus is truly like no other, and my faith in that has been immensely encouraged by this book. The motto of Ravi Zacharias's ministry is "Helping the thinker believe. Helping the believer think." I think Jesus Among Other Gods does just that. It serves as both a wake-up call to those who might have dismissed Christianity altogether (or consider it to be just like any other religion), and a help and encouragement to those who claim Jesus as Lord.

You may notice that my copy is actually one of two books in the same volume. Perhaps Deliver Us from Evil will be one of the next books I read...