I have been on a Spurgeon kick again. I read one of Tom Nettles’ books on Spurgeon this week. It was, like Nettles’ other books, meticulously researched and biblical. Its title: The Child Is Father of the Man: C.H. Spurgeon. Highly recommended.

But I was blessed to stumble upon Eswine’s book on Spurgeon’s struggles with depression, too. It was so beautifully written and so pastoral in its compassion for the inimitable preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, I cannot sing its praises sufficiently.

As I read it, I thought so often of men I have looked up to, men in Christian ministry, but who wrestled with demons of darkness, or with spiritual heaviness, that they dared not share publicly. Or maybe this struggle is personal with you, too, as with some dear ones I have in mind.

Perhaps you, or someone you know, could benefit from this short book. Short, I say; you can read it in an hour or so, if you will not distract yourself. And Eswine’s writing, his deftness with language, summons you to read and savor his well-chosen words. Wow, what a precise, pastoral, powerful book.