Spectacular Sins

I just started another one of the books that I received for Christmas.  This one is titled Spectacular Sins and it is also by John Piper.

I didn't know what to expect when I started the book.  The full title should have clued me in... "Spectacular Sins and their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ", but I still wasn't sure what this book was going to be about.  Joni Eareckson Tada wrote this about the book (from the back of the book):

"When it comes to holocausts and other horrors, most of us assume God has his hands tied and his back to the wall.  But John Piper paints a different picture from the pages of Scripture that will strengthen your heart, bolster your faith, and deepen your understanding of the 'largeness' of God's sovereignty."

I have finished the first three chapters of this book, and I am having a hard time keeping myself from blogging the entire thing.  I believe it is an important book in what it is saying.  I believe that it will have an impact in my life and ministry as it is unfolding the powerful words of God into my mind and my heart.  As John Piper says in this book,

"Paul's antidote for wimpy Christians is weighty doctrine.  In Paul's mind, the most massive truths are meant for producing radical lives of obedience.  That's why I say the main point of this book is not information for your head, but application to your life."

That is what I am experiencing in this book, weighty truths.  They are being preached to me through scripture by a pastor... a pastor who feels he has a job to do.

"As a pastor, I do not think it is my job to entertain you during the last days.  It is not my calling to help you have chipper feelings while the whole creation groans.  My job is to put the kind of ballast in the belly of your boat so that when these waves crash against your life, you will not capsize but make it to the harbor of heaven -- battered and wounded, but full of faith and joy."

I agree, but most of the Christians that I know... many times including myself... are mostly interested in being comfortable.  So much so we want to be comfortable that we will do most anything to achieve that comfort.  And I am not just talking about building comfortable environments for ourselves, including big TVs and comfortable chairs and couches and finding new ways to entertain ourselves... NO, I am talking about Christians who will do anything... ANYTHING to avoid hardship, tragedy, suffering, heartache, etc.

Christians ordering their lives around avoidance of these difficulties.  Christians that will determine who and how they will serve to keep even the thought of sickness and death away from their doorstep.  Christians that have come to believe that God can be manipulated; that if they do and say the right things, God will not allow suffering in their lives.

I know I run the risk of over-quoting, but I want to include one more quote:

"I am writing this book to build a vision of God into our lives that will not let us down in the worst of times.  I mean really bad times.  Horrific times.  Who is prepared to meet the Agony that is coming?

"Our worship services and our preaching too often pamper us.  They coddle.  I am not opposed to friends helping us with the daily frustrations that make us unhappy.  There is plenty of proverbial wisdom in the Bible to warrant this.  It is good.  Love does this.  I need this help.  I want it.  There is a time for everything under heaven, even pampering.  But surely the preaching of God's word must aim for more than this."

I believe that hard times are coming for me and ... I hate to say it ... for you too.

At least one person just screamed and ran away from the computer.  "No, no, I can't think that.  IF I think it, God will hear me and realize that I am now prepared for suffering.  Since God won't allow me to endure anything that I can't handle, I must now convince God that I can't handle ___________ !"

I am forcing myself to stop quoting this book.  It is good.  Get it.

The Gadarene

Image from DesiringGod.org

I just finished my first Christmas book.  It is called The Gadarene and it is a graphic novel based on an original poem by John Piper.

It was a really interesting book.  It is obviously fictional, but based on the encounter between the demon possessed man and Jesus.  This is the story that is found in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke (clink this link to read all three gospel accounts).

I enjoyed the writing style and the artwork of this book.  I would recommend this to all interested.  I would also recommend this to teens and pre-teens.  Piper adds in a back-story that fills in the gaps of how a person might have ended up in a situation like this which adds an element of currentness (is that a word?) and made the idea of a demon-possessed man more understandable.

Here is a trailer for the book if you care to know a little more about it:

Star Wars Christmas Special

[HT: 22 words]

The House of Mourning

"It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,"

 (Ecclesiastes 7:2 ESV)

In the last two weeks I have come across this passage of scripture without intending to.  The first time was during a movie called, The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry.  It is a Christian movie that my wife found on Netflix.  Here is a bit about it from the movie's website:

Best buddies Dustin (Jansen Panettiere), Albert (Frankie Ryan Manriquez), and Mark (Allen Isaacson) are twelve year old boys looking forward to a summer of fun in 1970.  When Dustin mows the lawn of seventy-five year old Jonathan Sperry (Gavin MacLeod), a man he has seen at church, a unique friendship develops.

What happens the rest of this summer is something Dustin and his friends will never forget!

The movie is not being released on DVD until May 4th.  It was a really good movie, but I am only mentioning it because one of the characters, Mr. Sperry, uses this passage in a teaching moment with the neighborhood boys.

The second time I encountered this verse was on Tuesday.  I had dedicated myself to trying to read some of Spurgeon's sermons over Christmas break.  The next sermon on the list was using this passage.  Spurgeon asks the question though, is it really possible to say that the house of mourning is better than the house of feasting?  Sure, there are those sinful houses of feasting that leave a person empty and the house of mourning would be better than that.  But what about those good houses of feasting?  Those joy-filled family feasts that my mind rests so easily upon around this time of the year.  Or those times when my soul is feasting upon the joy that comes from the felt presence of the Lord.  Is the house of mourning really better than those?

The Preacher, referring to King Solomon, tells us why this house of mourning is better:

"...for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart."

 (Ecclesiastes 7:2 ESV)

Do you see his reasons?  This is the end of all mankind, and if the living will really take it to heart, there will be a much greater benefit than you might find in even the best of the houses of feasting.

I am reminded of this again today as my brother-in-law and his family head out to the funeral services of his grandmother.  From all accounts she was a woman of great faith.  We are praying today that God will use this house of mourning in the lives of the family.  Maybe they will take it to heart.

Christmas Movie 2010

My wife loves to start traditions.  In 2004 she came up with the idea of going to the theater each Christmas season to watch a movie.  This tradition stuck, so each year we plan a Christmas Movie Day; complete with eating out, getting snacks, picking the perfect movie, and going to said movie.  Here is a list of the Christmas Movie Days we have had as a family each year since 2004.

• 2004: Polar Express
• 2005: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
• 2006: Happy Feet
• 2007: Bee Movie
• 2008: The Tale of Despereaux (which is also a great book)
• 2009: Up!

This year the movie that we are picking out is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawntreader.  As a child, this was my favorite of the Narnia books.  I loved the different little islands that they traveled to and the imaginative nature (thanks to C.S. Lewis) of the residents of each of these islands.  I have read a few decent reviews of this particular movie, so I am already looking forward to it.

I mention all of this because TODAY is Christmas Movie Day 2010!

Scandalous: Review

Scandalous is a book by one of my favorite authors and speakers, D.A. Carson.  I own this book in print and I also just finished listening to it via Christian Audio.

I really enjoyed this book.  I feel that D.A. Carson always brings to essential elements to the table that work together at drawing me into the topics that he is discussing.  The first element is his deeper understanding of scripture.  Now, I want you to know that I use the word "deeper" purposely.  You see, it isn't that he has a deep understanding of scripture, it is that he has an understanding of scripture that is always a step deeper than where I am at, and it is always driving me deeper into the Word.

The book itself is about the truly scandalous nature of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus.  The two chapters that had the most impact on me were the first chapter, dealing with the deep ironies of the cross as told in the book of Matthew.  The other chapter that I really enjoyed was the chapter dealing with the scandalous actions of Christ in association with the death and resurrection of Lazarus.

It was an excellent book and I really enjoyed the audio version.  The voice talent even reminded me a little of D.A. Carson's speaking style.   Swing on by Christian Audio to check out this book.

Chrome OS

About a week ago I applied for the Chrome OS Pilot Program.  This is the program where they send you their new Chrome Laptop... the Cr-48... and you have to agree to use it and send them feedback.

This sounded like my kind of thing.  Get a free laptop.  Agree to get on the web.  Tell people what you think.

Well.  Guess What?  I GOT ONE!

It came in the mail today.  They didn't even send me an e-mail telling me that I had been selected!  I just got a free laptop!  And it is Google's!  This is what I am using right now to blog!

If anyone wants to know about the Chrome OS laptop... Send your questions here and I will tell you.  So far it is really cool.

The King Raven Trilogy: Review

I am two thirds of the way through the King Raven Trilogy. This is a series by one of my favorite modern authors, Stephen R. Lawhead. In this trilogy, Lawhead tells the story of Robin Hood, but he doesn't tell this story the way one would expect.

Though there are many familiar names in this series, such as Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Little John, and Merrian, there are other names that are slightly different, such as the lead character, who is named, Rhi Bran y Hud. The location has also been moved to Wales instead of the familiar Sherwood Forest and Nottingham.


In the epilogue of the first book, titled Hood, Lawhead does an excellent job of explaining his reasons for these changes. It seems to me that his goal, as with the Pendragon Cycle, is to tell the story with such historical accuracy that the reader walks away believing that IF the story were true... this is the way it surely would have happened. This also means that I walk away with a better understanding of history. Especially in books like Patrick, Son of Ireland and Byzantium.


One of the main reasons that I enjoy Lawhead's books is that he writes with a Biblical Worldview. Though I don't think that I would entirely agree with his theology... in his stories there is a God. Jesus is the Christ. God is active in this world and in the affairs of men. Sin has consequences, even in the lives of the heroes. And the heroes are not self-reliant, they call upon Christ in times of trouble, and they learn to wait on Him. These are good things to include in a story.

Sexual Detox

I finished listening to Christian Audio's release of Sexual Detox by Tim Challies a couple of weeks ago, so I would like to take a moment to recommend this book to everyone that comes by this blog.

The subtitle to the book is "A Guide for Guys Who Are Sick of Porn".  So one might think that this book will only be beneficial to someone who is or has struggled with porn, but I want to recommend it, not just to those guys, but like I said, to everyone who comes by this review.  I really believe that this book would also be beneficial to the wives, friends, parents, pastors, etc. of those who have struggled.  I say this for two reasons:  One, this book offers a very accurate view of one who is struggling with porn and everything else that might go along with it.  Two, the "detox" part is also a detoxification of all of the sexual philosophies that are taught in the media today, the scope of which includes much more than porn.

In the book Tim Challies does an excellent job of reorienting the reader to a Biblical view of sex. God created sex.  It was His idea!  He has also given restrictions and guidelines, but these are for our good and ultimately for our highest enjoyment of sex!  (I never thought I would type that phrase in a book review...)

This book was read by the author, which I always feel adds an extra element to the reading of the book.  I love audio books, mostly because it gives me something valuable and useful to do during my morning commute, but I really love it when the author read the book.  It makes it feel more like someone is sitting there with you, sharing something that God has laid on their heart.

Go by Christian Audio and download a copy of this book.

Black Friday marks opening of new resale shop

image via the Commercial News

Black Friday marks opening of new resale shop

That's one of the headlines on today's edition of Danville's Commercial News (Newspaper).  Which resale shop is that?  Why would I be mentioning it?  Because it is talking about my wife's parents!

The Commercial News article starts like this:

COVINGTON, Ind. — Duane and Donna Lathrop have turned their hobby into a business with their new venture — Double D Resale — which opens on Black Friday.

The resale shop is outfitted with furniture, appliances, home collectibles and other “what-nots” the couple has been accumulating through shopping trips to estate sales and auctions the past few months.

“Our date night is at the auction,” Duane Lathrop said.

(Read the rest by clicking here.)

I've been on those "auction date nights" and I have to say, they can be fun.

Bright Empires Author Trailer

Sesame Street on my feet!

One of these things is not like the others, 

One of these things just doesn't belong, 

Can you tell which thing is not like the others 

By the time I finish my song? 

Did you guess which thing was not like the others? 

Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong? 

If you guessed this one is not like the others, 

Then you're absolutely...right!

The Word of Grace on their Ears

"It is sad to think how many go away from sermons with the word of grace in their ears, but not the work of grace in their hearts."

~Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry's Commentary, pg. 1271

Wrestle with Doubts

Reading The Reason for God by Timothy Keller and found a good quote already.

Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts -- not only their own but their friends' and neighbors'.  It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them.  Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive.

C.S. Lewis reviewing Tolkien

Read this quote over at Tolle Lege:

“Not content to create his own story, he creates, with an almost insolent prodigality, the whole world in which it is to move, with its own theology, myths, geography, history, palaeography, languages, and orders of beings– a world full of strange creatures beyond count.

The names alone are a feast, whether redolent of quiet countryside (Michel Delving, South Farthing), tall and kingly (Boramir, Faramir, Elendil), loathsome like Smeagol, who is also Gollum, or frowning in the evil strength of Barad Dur or Gorgoroth; yet best of all (Lothlorien, Gilthoniel, Galadriel) when they embody that piercing, high elvish beauty of which no other prose writer has captured so much.

Such a book has of course its predestined readers, even now more numerous and more critical than is always realised. To them a review need say little, except that here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart. They will know that this is good news, good beyond hope.”

–C.S. Lewis, “Review of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings”

What excellent words from one friend to another.  His description of the names and the aspects of the "other world" that Tolkien created are so true as well.

What is the Gospel?

I just finished listening to the Christian Audio Version of What is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert.

It is an excellent little book that adequately deals with the question in the title... Which, I might add, is a question that needs to be asked. The book begins by showing the various responses that the author has encountered when asking the same question. To have clarity on this subject is essential.

After enlightening us to our need to ask the question, Greg Gilbert does a great job of laying out the basic elements of the gospel message, while helping his readers do the same thing. He answers the question by looking to the scriptures and then shows the various examples of that same gospel message. Without sounding too deeply theological, he then goes through each element of the Gospel message and brings additional clarity to the subject.

Although I had already read through this book, the audio version of this book was excellently performed bringing an even better understanding of the book and highlighting aspects that had gone unnoticed the first time.

As a Pastor I saw this book as an essential for each of the members of my church because we are to be about the Gospel! I highly recommend this book.

New Book - The Reason for God

I just got my new book, The Reason for God by Timothy Keller.  Even though I have heard lots of good things about this book and I have read several great reviews, the biggest draw to this book wasn't what I was hearing about the book from other readers.  Sure, everything that I was hearing about the book was like the icing on the cake of my desire to have the book, but it wasn't the cake itself.  The sponge of my "want" was the premise of the book, which can be found in the subtitle: Belief in an age of Skepticism.

You see, I am a Geometry teacher. I have been committed to this occupation long enough that it has finally become a part of me.  It factors into how I think and specifically, how I reason.  That is what much of Geometry is dedicated to, the study of reason.  It is taking those mathematical and algebraic principles (which should have been learned) from the first several years of schooling and putting them into practice in a three-dimensional world.

I am rabbit-trailing though...

Here is a synopsis of the book from his website:

Why does God allow suffering in the world?

How could a loving God send people to Hell?

Why isn’t Christianity more inclusive?

How can one religion be “right” and the others “wrong”?

Why have so many wars been fought in the name of God?

These are just a few of the questions and doubts even ardent believers wrestle with today. As the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, Timothy Keller has compiled a list of the most frequently voiced “doubts” skeptics bring to his church as well as the most important reasons for faith. And in the New York Times bestselling The Reason for God, he addresses each doubt and explains each reason.

Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth.

When I read that, I was immediately intrigued.  I had several other books on my shelf that needed dealing with, so I waited, but I finally decided to get it.  While I was at it, I also purchased the Reason for God DVD, which contains 6 real conversations with real people and their doubts. Here are those 6 sessions on the DVD:

Session Titles and Descriptions:

1. Isn’t the Bible a Myth? 
2. How Can You Say There Is Only One Way to God? 
3. What Gives You the Right to Tell Me How to Live My Life? 
4. Why Does God Allow Suffering? 
5. Why Is the Church Responsible for So Much Injustice? 
6. How Can God Be Full of Love and Wrath at the Same Time?

Here is a trailer for the DVD:


The Reason for God Trailer from Redeemer City to City on Vimeo.

I also purchased the Study Guide and I am going to be showing this series at my church.  If you are a Danville reader and would be interested in joining us, I will have two different times that I will be showing this DVD.  I will start it during my Sunday School class, and then I will also pick a night during the week.  Let me know if you are interested.

Excellent Point

This reminds me that it is OK to preach on certain topics...

Osteen

John MacArthur does some decent exposure to the reality of the false teaching done by Joel Osteen.

If I ever have an office that I actually use...

I think that I will need this furniture set...

From Dedon Collections

Cool Star Wars pics...

I wish I could remember which blog had these photos, couldn't find that blog, but re-found the pictures here.  They are behind the scenes shots from the making of The Empire Strikes Back.

And my personal favorite...

Africa Comparison

I found this picture to be seriously interesting.  It increases my understanding for the great need of missionaries in Africa.

[HT: 22 words]

“The work of the Holy Spirit” by Martin Luther

The work of the Holy Spirit [from Tolle Lege]

“This is the office and work of the Holy Spirit: to reveal through the Gospel what great and glorious things God has done for us through Christ, namely, that He has redeemed us from sin, death, and the devil’s power; that He has taken us into His grace and protection; and that He has given Himself utterly and entirely for us.”

–Martin Luther

People are stupid!

[HT: Challies.com]

What Does 1 Trillion Dollars Look Like?

[Pictures and idea from this site.]

To get a good mental concept of 1 Trillion Dollars, let's start with 1 Hundred Dollars.

Now if we stack up 100 of those bills, we get Ten Thousand Dollars.

Not a bad sum of money, but lets get stack of those going and make our way up to One Million dollars.

Not as big as you thought it would look?  That is how big 100 stacks of those $10,000 bundles would look like.  Now, let's jump up to $100 Million dollars.

But now I want to go ahead and jump up to One Billion dollars... are you ready for it?

That isn't anything though, compared with our national debt.  We are now up in the trillions... would you like to see what One Trillion Dollars looks like?

Here you go...

Preach Christ or Go Home—And Other Spurgeon Quotes on Christless Preaching – Justin Taylor

[I stole this post from Justin Taylor: Between Two Worlds.  Please visit his blog! Always Great Stuff!]

Guest Post by Tony Reinke

The very idea of a “Christless sermon” appalled Charles Spurgeon. It was a plague he confronted repeatedly (and vividly) in his own sermons. Although sometimes overstated to make his point, his words are a healthy challenge today over 100 years after his death. Here’s a small collection of colorful quips:

“The motto of all true servants of God must be, ‘We preach Christ; and him crucified.’ A sermon without Christ in it is like a loaf of bread without any flour in it. No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.” [7/9/1876; sermon #2899]

“Leave Christ out? O my brethren, better leave the pulpit out altogether. If a man can preach one sermon without mentioning Christ’s name in it, it ought to be his last, certainly the last that any Christian ought to go to hear him preach.”[undated; sermon #768]

“Leave Christ out of the preaching and you shall do nothing. Only advertise it all over London, Mr. Baker, that you are making bread without flour; put it in every paper, ‘Bread without flour’ and you may soon shut up your shop, for your customers will hurry off to other tradesmen. … A sermon without Christ as its beginning, middle, and end is a mistake in conception and a crime in execution. However grand the language it will be merely much-ado-about-nothing if Christ be not there. And I mean by Christ not merely his example and the ethical precepts of his teaching, but his atoning blood, his wondrous satisfaction made for human sin, and the grand doctrine of ‘believe and live.’” [10/23/1881; sermon #1625]

“I know one who said I was always on the old string, and he would come and hear me no more; but if I preached a sermon without Christ in it, he would come. Ah, he will never come while this tongue moves, for a sermon without Christ in it—a Christless sermon! A brook without water; a cloud without rain; a well which mocks the traveler; a tree twice dead, plucked up by the root; a sky without a sun; a night without a star. It were a realm of death—a place of mourning for angels and laughter for devils. O Christian, we must have Christ! Do see to it that every day when you wake you give a fresh savor of Christ upon you by contemplating his person. Live all the day, trying as much as lieth in you, to season your hearts with him, and then at night, lie down with him upon your tongue.” [3/6/1864; sermon #558]

“Sooner by far would I go to a bare table, and eat from a wooden porringer something that would appease my appetite, than I would go to a well-spread table on which there was nothing to eat. Yes, it is Christ, Christ, Christ whom we have to preach; and if we leave him out, we leave out the very soul of the gospel. Christless sermons make merriment for hell. Christless preachers, Christless Sunday school teachers, Christless class leaders, Christless tract distributors—what are all these doing? They are simply setting the mill to grind without putting any grist into the hopper. All their labor is in vain. If you leave Jesus Christ out, you are simply beating the air, or going to war without any weapon with which you can smite the foe.” [2/11/1866; sermon #3288]

“The Spirit of God bears no witness to Christless sermons. Leave Jesus out of your preaching, and the Holy Spirit will never come upon you. Why should he? Has he not come on purpose that he may testify of Christ? Did not Jesus say, ‘He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you’? Yes, the subject was Christ, and nothing but Christ, and such is the teaching which the Spirit of God will own. Be it ours never to wander from this central point: may we determine to know nothing among men but Christ and his cross.” [5/30/1880; sermon #1540]

“Where there is nothing of Christ, brethren, there is nothing of unction, nothing of savor, and a man is quite right not to attend such a ministry as that. Leave Christ out of your preaching, and you have taken the milk from the children, you have taken the strong meat from the men; but if your object as a teacher or preacher is to glorify Christ, and to lead men to love him and trust him, why, that is the very work upon which the heart of God himself is set. The Lord and you are pulling together.” [4/17/1887; sermon #2409]

“Christ not only supplies the necessities of his people, but he gives them abundant and superabundant joy in the luxuries of his grace. You do not really preach the gospel if you leave Christ out; if he be omitted, it is not the gospel. You may invite men to listen to your message, but you are only inviting them to gaze upon an empty table unless Christ is the very center and substance of all that you set before them.” [6/16/1878; sermon #2787]

Cool Weird Disconcerting

North Korea's military parade in slow motion.

North Korea's Military parade in Slow Motion from Dan Chung on Vimeo.

[HT: Free Tech 4 Teachers]

Train Wreck

Just read an amazing blog post over at the Ligonier Ministries blog. I didn't realize this, but R.C. Sproul was in a train wreck several years ago. The excerpt on the blog comes from Sproul's book, The Invisible Hand.

Train Wreck by R.C. Sproul | Ligonier Ministries Blog

Chilean Miners' T-shirts

On the Front of the Chilean Miners' T-Shirts:

'Gracias Senor' - which means – 'Thank you Lord.'

On the back of the Chilean Miners' T-Shirts:

Psalm 95:4, which says, "In His hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to Him."

You can read more of the story on the CNN website: The story behind the Chilean miners' Jesus T-Shirts – CNN Belief Blog

The Impossibility of Invisible Disciples

From Justin Taylor's Blog:

"Discipleship is as visible as light in the night, as a mountain in the flatlands. To flee into invisibility is to deny the call. Any community of Jesus which wants to be invisible is no longer a community that follows him."

~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Infinitely Perfect Righteousness

"We can begin each day with the deeply encouraging realization, I'm accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ."

-John Owen

Don't Waste Your Life (Review)

I just reviewed the book, Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper, over at the Christian Audio site. (I love that site!)

Here is the review:

Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper was an absolutely amazing book.

He begins the book with a little bit of a personal back story to the topic of the book. He goes into detail about one particular event from his childhood regarding the conversion of an older man and the tears that man shed as ye cried, "I've wasted it, I've wasted it!"

Though there is great joy in the salvation of any soul, and in many ways the soul that is in its last days on this earth, there is still that sorrow from a wasted life.

The reality of a wasted life leads to the question of, "What is a wasted life?" and "How can I keep from wasting my life?" These questions became important to John Piper, they are important to me, and they should be important to you.

I highly recommend this book as it shares Pastor Piper's unraveling of these questions in his own life and his compassionate explanations for the sake of the reader's life.

My reviews are never as long as I want them to be... but that doesn't mean that I don't really love this book.  Please consider getting this book.  It may save you from a wasted life.

What do I think about the prosperity gospel?

I think I agree with John Piper.

I enjoyed this quote...

I couldn't find the original posting of this to verify its authenticity, but if this really is him, it makes me like him even more.

“I loved being your president. But frankly, I’m having the time of my life not being your president. I do not miss the limelight. I have zero desire to be in the press. I have zero desire to be on your TV screens. Eight years is enough of that.”

~ George W. Bush

[HT: Reepicheep]

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe

Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe was a completely enjoyable book. After I finished listening to this book, I ordered a hard copy of the book so I could go back through it taking better notes. [Audio Version available here]

It is exactly what it sounds like: a book on Christian Doctrine. It is different than most theology books that I have read. Specifically regarding the format of the book and the breakdown of the topics. Everything is from the perspective of what God is doing. I loved this approach because it gives way for the bigger scope of the Bible.

Though there were a few points and conclusions that I did not agree with, most of those disagreements were left on the sidelines so I could enjoy the great agreements on the big-picture topics!

I highly recommend this book both in hardback and in audio! The Christian Audio version left me feeling like I had just sat down to listen to a direct personal interview with Driscoll and Breshears.