Desiring God Blog Review

It seems as though I have been on a little John Piper kick lately and it has done me well. I think that it can be tiresome to read the same author over and over again even if the books are different. Piper is not this way. In Desiring God Piper makes this as the claim as the highest thing a believer must grasp and that is: God is most glorified in us when we are satisfied in Him. Many people will argue as to whether or not that statement is true, but Piper does an excellent job in this book of explaining his position and why he personally holds to it. Piper is not holding to a position just because he was told to hold it by a professor or a pastor or another type of teacher. In the book Piper makes it clear how he came to this clear understanding of God. Piper also does an excellent job of explaining different aspects of God's character and why we can trust that God is who he says he is. Piper is not shy in his book either by presenting his beliefs boldly. I truly was challenged by this book and here are a few things that I was challenged by:

If God is sovereign and can do anything He pleases, then none of His purposes can be frustrated.

God has been supremely and eternally happy in the fellowship of the Trinity.

We have accustomed ourselves to such meager, short-lived pleasures that our capacity for joy has shriveled.

If we do not carry Scripture in our heads, we cannot savor it in our hearts or wield it in the Spirit. If you go out without the kindling of Christian Hedonism, the fire of Christian happiness will be quenched before mid-morning.

Personally this book was deeply moving. I know that if you listen to many well-known leaders in Christian circles they will state how much Desiring God has had an effect on them. This writer resounds with a loud amen to that point. If you are looking for a book that is going to push you into a deeper relationship with God this would be a great place to start. This book challenged me and I know that I will reread it before too long. Take the time to pour over this book with your Bible and I promise that it will move you into a better relationship with God.

Soul Print Book Review

In Soulprint we find Batterson using King David as our point of connection. He uses key events throughout David's life to connect to you and me, the readers, to the truth within the pages.

Batterson relates the idea of the soulprint to a fingerprint. He explains how just as there are no two fingerprints alike there are no two soulprints alike. God has created each one of us as individuals with a divine plan. The author establishes David as the example for our individual uniqueness. Sharing about David facing Goliath and how King Saul put his own armor on David, and since it could not fit he could not use it. Much like Saul's armor we cannot put other people's lives on like they are our own. Here are some interesting themes I saw in the book.

David may have been a shepherd boy... but God saw more.

David may have been a soldier on the run from his king... but God saw more.

David may have been a king you killed a man to have his wife... but God saw more.

God saw David's soulprint. David pursued God through the high-times and the low. However, he always hung onto God.

Batterson wants the readers to walk away knowing that it is not too late to start living out the divine plan that God has for you. In fact all believers should be trying to find that plan so that they can live in a way that brings the most glory to God as possible.

A complimentary copy of Soulprint by Mark Batterson was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Brothers We Are Not Professionals Book Review

When it comes to reminding us of what ministry is and what ministry is not John Piper is one of the best. A constant thinker Piper takes pastors or ministry leaders on a journey to remember that what we do is not just a profession like any other. What is amazing is that he uses 30 different small chapters to remind us of what we are called to do. Some of these chapters were sweet reminders of things that I know that I have taken for granted. Piper reminds us of the importance of prayer, of reading the Bible, reading Christian biographies and so much more. I think one of the chapters that really hit home with me was when Piper reminded me that God inspired hard texts within Scripture and that we need to make sure that we are faithfully preaching them. Another chapter that moved me was one in which Piper reminded the reader that we need to teach people that the essence of worship is more important than the form. I needed to be reminded that God is looking at the heart of my worship and not how I am doing it. I could go on and on about different chapters that moved me, but instead I want to share some lines from the book that moved me.

So the goal of spiritual leadership is to muster people to join God in living for God's glory.

The essence of the Christian ministry is that success is not within our reach.

When it comes to reading the Bible slow down. Query. Ponder. Chew.

When the heart no longer feels the truth of hell, the gospel passes from good news to simply news. The intensity of joy is blunted and the heart spring of love is dried up.

The problem is not with earning a lot the problem is the constant accumulation of luxuries that are soon felt to be needs. If you want to be a conduit for God's grace, you don't have to be lined with gold. Copper will do.

I don't know where you are today. You may be on the verge of ministry burnout. You could be in the middle of seminary and needing a refreshing reminder of why we do what we do. You could be a lay person who needs to be reminded of what ministry should be about. Whatever your situation is or wherever you are this book can encourage you in your walk with God. I know it impacted my life and my prayer is that it will impact you.

The Pastor as Scholar and The Scholar as Pastor

The Pastor as Scholar and the Scholar as Pastor is a must read for all Pastors and Seminary students. D.A. Carson and John Piper do an excellent job relating their personal experiences into how and why a pastor and a scholar should not have to choose one over the other but rather be both.

Piper begins the trip into the role of the pastor/scholar by telling about his journey from scholar into the role of pastor and explaining how he got there. He explains about the highs and lows of his educational experience and his journey into the classroom. He also tells the reader about God leading him out of the classroom and into the pastorate. Piper goes on to explain how the pastor/scholar role is not a competition between the two roles but should be a beautiful harmony of the roles together. Here are a few things that he said that struck me:

"Truth and Beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern."

"Don't try to manipulate people. Don't try to coerce people and make them do things. It has to come from inside, from their hearts. And that means they need knowledge that awakens love. People's affections are changed by what they know. Knowledge itself is, of course, not sufficient, as we have seen (the Devil has plenty). But it is necessary. The Holy Spirit uses it to awaken new desires and new wonders and joys. That is how God is exalted in changed behaviors."

Carson begins the trip into the role of the scholar/pastor by telling about his journey through school pastoring as he went and ultimately landing into the scholar role at Trinity in Deerfield, IL. I think one of the things that burdened me while reading through this book is that both men realize that God has placed them in these positions and that they are going to serve faithfully in them until God moves them. Carson shows how much he cares for and loves the pastorate and loves training them at the seminary level. He truly loves and respects both roles as being a gift from God. Carson also stresses how the pastor and the scholar role should not be at odds but rather should be something that works together to serve either position to the fullest extent. Here are a few things that he said that struck me:

"Unless you are actively involved in pastoral ministry in some sens or other, you will become distant from the frontlines and therefore far less useful than you might be."

"The aim is never become a master of the Word, but to be mastered by it." 

"I dare never forget that students do not learn everything I try to teach them but primarily what I am excited about."

Personally, I think this is a book that all pastors, seminary students, and professors should read. It is a short read (a mere 111 pages) and well worth the time. It is time for these roles to not be at odds but rather to be working together to produce the best pastors and scholars that God would have us.

The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards Review

I never met Jonathan Edwards but he has made an enormous impact on my life. Edwards was a profound scholar and theologian and preacher. He was only nineteen when he wrote his 70 resolutions for how he would live his life. Most people have not even thought of 70 ways that they wanted to live their life by the time they are 70. Edwards was committed to one thing: bringing glory to God. To bring glory to God was the highest achievement that Edwards thought was possible. In this book Steven J. Lawson takes the reader through an amazing look at those resolutions and how they impacted Edwards life.

Dr. Lawson does an excellent job of grouping the resolutions so that the reader may easily follow what resolutions impacted a particular aspect of Edwards life and ministry. The reader will be challenged to live a life like that of Edwards in regards to glorifying God. Here are a few things that challenged me from the book:
Edwards was fully committed to honoring the Lord in every area of his life, and to doing so with an unwavering resolve.
“Resolutions” were neither pious hopes, romantic dreams, nor legalistic rules. Instead they were intensely positive and practical, comprising instructions for life, maxims to be followed in all respects.
Edwards’ Resolutions constituted personal vows to himself, pledges to pursue holiness.
For Edwards, the advancement of the glory of God in Christ was everything.
Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if  I can avoid it.

I could continue with at least thirty more lines from this book that I was challenged on. This book will cause you to look introspectively on your heart. Dr. Lawson along with Edwards will challenge you to live a life that is more glorifying to God. I know I read this book and will read it again so that I am reminded of how I can better glorify God in what I do. This book is a must read for all believers!

The Supremacy of God in Preaching Review

Preaching is no small task. It requires hard work and hours of study. It also requires God. In a society that is becoming less focused on proclaiming God and the Scriptures the book The Supremacy of God in Preaching is a necessary read. John Piper does an excellent job of showing the importance and the necessity of why God must be proclaimed and why we need to lift up God in our preaching. Dr. Piper breaks the book down into two parts. The first part is the Why God Should Be Supreme in Preaching and the second part is How to Make God Supreme in Preaching: Guidance from the ministry of Jonathan Edwards. By looking at each of these sections the reader receives large doses of information as to what is necessary when it comes to preaching.

Here are highlights from the first section Why God Should Be Supreme in Preaching:
“Neither the great aims of preaching nor the worthy place of psychology is honored in this loss of theological nerve.”
“No gladness in the subject, no glory in the King.”
“If the goal of preaching is to glorify God, it must aim at glad submission to his kingdom, not raw submission.”
“The goal of preaching is the glory of God reflected in the glad submission of the human heart.”
“Without the cross, preaching aims to glorify a righteous God in the gladness of sinful man has no validity.”
“The Word! All Christian preaching should be the exposition and application of biblical texts.”
“The really effective preachers have been ever-growing in the Word of God.”

Highlights from part two: How to Make God Supreme in Preaching: Guidance from the Ministry of Jonathan Edwards:
” Good preaching aims to stir up “holy affections” – such emotions as hatred for sin, delight in God, hope in His promises, gratitude for his mercy, desire for holiness, and tender compassion.”
“Good preaching comes from a spirit of brokenness and tenderness.”
“Lack of intensity in preaching can only communicate that the preacher does not believer or has never been seriously gripped by the reality of which he speaks- or that the subject matter is insignificant.”

I strongly recommend picking up this book. There is the first edition which is pictured above but there is also a revised addition that has been published. I read the older version and it ministered to my soul in a way that is hard to describe. When reading this book your heart will be stirred to preach more fervently but also convicted in areas where God has not been supreme in your life. I strongly recommend picking this book up if you are someone who proclaims the Word of God. May the Supremacy of God resonate strongly and passionately in our preaching!

A Gospel Primer Review

A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent is a book that is only 97 pages but has the depth and impact of a volume four or five times its size. This book takes a look at the Gospel from different view points. The book looks at the reason to review the Gospel daily, a narrative view of the Gospel, a prose view of the Gospel, and the surprise of the Gospel. In each of these four chapters the reader is challenged immensely in regards to the Gospel.  The reader will be blown away when reading this book as they are challenged in regards to how we respond to the Gospel. When I read this book there was so much energy from the challenging content caused me to get out of my chair and pace when I read. This book is so challenging and here are some things that challenged me as I read the book.

The glory of God is the most powerful agent of transformation available to mankind.

When controlling my thoughts as described above, the gospel cures me of my suspicion of God, thereby disposing me to walk more trustingly on the path of obedience to His commands.

The mere fact that God tells me to stay inside the Gospel at all times must mean that He intends to supply all of my needs as long as I am abiding in that place of luxury.

The gospel assures me that the love of God is infinitely superior to any love that I could ever give myself.

The gospel reveals to me the breathtaking glory and loveliness of God, and in doing so, it lures my heart away from love of self and leaves me enthralled by Him instead.

The gospel reminds me daily of the spiritual poverty into which I was born and also of the staggering generosity of Christ towards me.

I could continue with quote after quote from this book that has challenged me on so many levels. This book is a must read for every believer. It will bring you back to the good news of the Gospel! It will remind you of the glory of God in the Gospel. This book changed my life and I hope that it will bless you as much as it has blessed me!

Erasing Hell Review

Writing a book on a doctrine is a very large and weighty task. There will always be someone looking to critique every word and tell you how you are wrong when it comes to doctrine. In the evangelical world the scope when it comes to doctrine is incredibly large and to try to pacify all the people in that group is nearly impossible.  Understanding this is something that is helpful before we read any book on doctrine and before we make quick rash decisions on a person or on a book. The task that Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle take on here is enormous considering the doctrine they are covering: Hell. Yes, hell, one of the most hotly debated topics in the evangelical world thanks to Rob Bell and Love Wins. If you have been around Christianity at all you have heard the countless “Love Wins” jokes. Unfortunately, I have been a part of those jokes and I have recognized that those jokes are not profitable. The doctrine of hell is a big deal. You see if Hell does not exist than we have been teaching incorrectly for years whereas, if it is true then Rob Bell is pointing all kinds of people there. In Erasing Hell that question is the question at hand and Chan and Sprinkle do their best to answer the question.

Chan and Sprinkle take the reader through what I would call a mild technical look of the passages describing hell. When I say a mild technical look it means that the authors are showing and explaining the Greek text of a passage but at a level that is very easy to understand.  The authors walk at a reasonable pace so that a wide range of readers can walk through the book and not feel overwhelmed. In walking through the book they hit on six issues when it comes to hell in order to cover again a wide path. This book is only 150 pages and that includes pages of footnotes after the end of each chapter. This means the book is not terribly long and will not bore you.

As far as my opinion is concerned, I would tell all my readers that are in love with Francis Chan to hold on and realize that this is just my opinion. I like Francis Chan as a speaker and he has an unmistakable gift to communicate the Word of God. When it comes to reading I feel like someone who watched the first movie in a trilogy only to find out that two and three are not what we hoped for. I liked Chan’s first book Crazy Love.  I thought that book was well written and held the attention of the reader. Forgotten God kept my attention and I thought it was okay. As far as Erasing Hell is concerned it was least favorite of the three. The doctrine of hell is big issue and I thought that the authors were okay in describing and walking through the passages. The hard thing for me to swallow is that the authors clearly state in the book: “No passage in the Bible says that there will be a second chance after death to turn to Jesus.” This is in my opinion a strong statement that I would definitely agree with concerning life after death. After that stance the authors did not seem to want to take a stance on anything. They repeatedly admitted that they were not sure where they stood on an issue. This is an acceptable response to a question but a poor way of communicating in a book. In my opinion if you are not sure why even bother writing the book. All in all the book is well worth reading and definitely dispels many of the myths that Rob Bell has put out. All I am asking for is a firm stance when we are talking about a doctrine that concerns life after death.

The Pursuit of Holiness Book Review

The pursuit of holiness is an amazing book on spiritual transformation by Jerry Bridges.  This book challenges the reader to take their walk with Christ to a new level through the pursuit of holiness. This book is based on the the verse that says “Be holy, for I am holy.” What this book does is challenge the reader in the area of their own personal holiness. This book has seventeen chapters and is relatively short, yet in those seventeen chapters it is amazing to see what one is challenged with simply because as Christians we do not always desire holiness the way that we should. This book will challenge you on areas in your own life where more holiness is needed.

Here are just some of the the quotes that I took away from the book:
“Holiness is nothing less that conformity to the charachter of God.”

“If God is perfectly holy, then we can be confident that His actions toward us are always perfect and just.”

“When we are holding on to some sin, we are not pursuing holiness and we cannot have fellowship with God.”

“There is absolutely no shortcut to holiness that bypasses or gives little priority to a consistent intake of the Bible.”

Personally in my life I know there has been a lack of holiness. By reading this book you will not become holy but what I can tell you that this book will do is push you towards holiness. As Christians we need to remember the call to holiness that God has placed on our lives and this book does this. Jerry Bridges covers seventeen different aspects of holiness in this book and I guarantee when you read it you will see that in every seventeen areas there is definitely a need for some sort of personal holiness. This book challenged me in ways that I will never forget. This book is a must for any believer whether they are young or old, or wherever they are in their walk with God. Christians you must pick this book up!

In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day Review

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is a book that challenges us to be great “lion chasers” for God. Based off of 2 Samuel chapter 23 Mark Batterson takes the reader on an exciting rider of what it can be like to be a modern day “lion chaser”. A “lion chaser” is like Benaiah in 2 Samuel chapter 23. You see Benaiah is who this book is named after. He is the one who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. Mark takes the reader through different stories of what people in his church have been through and how they have been “lion chasers”.

What is so cool about this book is that Mark gives the reader lots of new information that can help them understand a different “lion chasing” technique. Mark would share how the brain learns something or different ways that business leaders challenge themselves to stay chasing after the lions in their lives. One story that was inspiring to me was one that Mark told of a lawyer that was in his church that stepped away from his practice to film a movie about slave trafficking in Uganda. Another inspiring story was about a executive from Microsoft who walked away from stock options to plant a church.

This books is an exciting page turner that will keep you reading and make it hard for you to put it down. Not only is this book exciting but it will challenge you spiritually. You will walk away inspired to be a “lion chaser” for God. One quote that stood out to me as I read this book was: “I’m concerned that the church has turned into a bunker where we seek shelter when we’re actually called to storm the gates of hell.” This book has challenged me immensely as to how I view my walk with God. I hope that you will take the time to pick it up and let it challenge you.

“I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.