Bryan Chapell Discussion with Tim Keller

Tim Keller was at Covenant Seminary and had a discussion with his friend and Covenant President Bryan Chapell (podcasted in December of 2010). Bryan Chapell led a two part discussion with him followed by a two part question & answer time.

The heart of the conversation was Counterfeit Gods, but tons of other rich, helpful stuff. We get stuff from Keller's prayer life, to the three year revival at Redeemer (according to Jonathan Edwards' standards), to the difficulties and blessings of 9/11 at Redeemer, to his thoughts on how getting "fame" as a pastor late in life has impacted Redeemer and their future and the push for leadership development, to how he prepares sermons, and bunches more. So good.

MP3's are below (original source). Or do as I did: go subscribe to Living Christ Today podcast and find the episodes from December. Tons of other great stuff there from Chapell and others. 

Click to listen, right click to download...

Discussion 1 | Discussion 2 || Q&A 1 | Q&A 2

Tim Keller | King's Cross -- out today!

King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus by Tim Keller is officially out today. Go get it. It's only $12.99 on Kindle.

Other helpful links...

• Tim Keller Resources
• Generous Justice
• The Prodigal God
• Counterfeit Gods
• The Reason for God
• Ministries of Mercy
• Gospel in Life Study

The Great Benefit of Open-Air Preaching

The great benefit of open-air preaching is that we get so many newcomers to hear the gospel who otherwise would never hear it. The gospel command is, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," but it is so little obeyed that one would imagine that it ran thus, "Go into your own place of worship and preach the gospel to the few creatures who will come inside."

Lectures to My Students, p 255 | Charles Spurgeon

Faces Set Like Flints

It was as blessed day when Methodists and others began to proclaim Jesus in the open air; then were the gates of hell shaken, and the captives of the devil set free by hundreds and by thousands.

Once recommenced, the fruitful agency of field-preaching was not allowed to cease. Amid jeering crowds and showers of rotten eggs and filth, the immediate followers of the two great Methodists [Whitefield & Wesley] continued to storm village after village and town after town. Very varied were their adventures, but their success was generally great. One smiles often when reading incidents in their labours. A string of packhorses is so driven as to break up a congregation, and a fire-engine is brought out and played over the throng to achieve the same purpose. Hand-bells, old kettles, marrow-bones and cleavers, trumpets, drums, and entire bands of music were engaged to drown the preachers' voices. In one case the parish bull was let loose, and in others dogs were set to fight. The preachers needed to have faces set like flints, and so indeed they had. John Furz says: "As soon as I began to preach, a man came straight forward, and presented a gun at my face; swearing that he would blow my brains out, if I spake another word. However, I continued speaking, and he continued swearing, sometimes putting the muzzle of the gun to my mouth, sometimes against my ear. While we were singing the last hymn, he got behind me, fired the gun, and burn off part of my hair." After this, my brethren, we ought never to speak of petty interruptions and annoyances. The proximity of a blunderbuss in the hands of a son of Belial is not very conducive to collected through and clear utterance, but the experience of Furz was probably no worse than that of John Nelson, who coolly says, "But when I was in the middle of my discourse, one at the outside of the congregation threw a stone, which cut me on the head : however, that made the people give greater attention, especially when they saw the blood running down my face; so that all was quiet till I had done, and was singing a hymn."

Lectures to My Students | Charles Spurgeon

GIVEAWAY: Tim Keller | King's Cross

I've been given the chance, thanks to the fine folks at Dutton Books (@DuttonBooks) to GIVEAWAY TWO COPIES of Dr. Timothy Keller's newest book, King's Cross: The Story of the World in the Life of Jesus (Kindle | audio). It will be released on February 22nd. This is also the first book to have the Redeemer imprint, for books about faith and ministry in global culture. Pretty exciting stuff at full price, but you get the chance to WIN A FREE COPY!

Here's how it works...

STEP 1: Copy & share the following without the quote marks on Twitter (if you aren't on Twitter, use Facebook, or do BOTH!): "Want a FREE copy of King's Cross by Tim Keller? RT this & comment at Reformissionary to enter! http://bit.ly/g9eGgh "

STEP 2: Leave a comment below (so I can verify you did step 1). Include your full name and real email address (kept private) so I can contact the winners. For fun, guess the number of books (from my library) sitting on my desk right now. It's between 1-100.

I will randomly choose 2 winners in the late afternoon/early evening on Friday (18th).

GO! (And check out my page filled with other Tim Keller Resources)

Pujols: More Than The Game

All the buzz this week has been about Albert Pujols and whether or not he will get a contract worth signing from the Cardinals before Spring Training. His set deadline for noon today is almost upon us and sources say talks are over, apparently meaning there will be no new contract and Pujols may play elsewhere next season (or move elsewhere this season? Can you say Cubs? C'mon!). 

Whatever happens, with Pujols all over the news, this may be the perfect time to pick up Pujols: More Than The Game from my friends Scott Lamb and Tim Ellsworth. It gets beyond the money and stats to the man and his faith. Also check out the website, and follow @PujolsBio on Twitter.

Family Worship & Bible Reading

I'm learning & growing to be the pastor of my family I've been called to be, and I'm enjoying leading them better in family worship and Bible reading. The recent Desiring God Pastor's Conference message by Joel Beeke on family worship was convicting and encouraging. You should check it out.

Right now we have five main resouces for family worship &/or Bible reading (singing resources aren't listed). For the most part our kids read Scripture in the morning and we use the other resouces at night. Let me know what resources you have found helpful in the comments below.

1. The Bible | Each of our kids has their own ESV Bible (compact Bible for my boys, my daughter has a prettier one). They are reading James every day in the mornings, sometimes on their own and sometimes with me and/or Molly.

2. ESV Study Bible | Same text with notes that help the family when we need a few interpretive helps on a passage. We have a copy permanently stationed in our living room for the kids to open if they need to check notes on their own. They don't do this much yet, but will get the hang of it.

3. The Story of God for Kids | Created by the good folks at Soma Communities in Tacoma, Washington. My family LOVES this. Well written and helpful notes for using it well, good questions to help it sink in. I have been reading it off my Kindle to them. Last night Elijah was peppering me with questions as he is piecing together the larger "Story of God" from the lessons blending together. Wonderful resource. Check out their other resources for adults and small groups.

4. Operation World: A Prayer Guide to the Nations | Eye-opening for our kids as they learn about the world and the needs of the world from a missionary perspective. They love to thumb through the pages and learn about a new country. We are putting little biographies of missionaries in their hands and they want to learn about those countries today. We want to teach them to pray BIG prayers to our BIG God for our BIG world. UPDATE: Commenter reminded me of Window on the World, an Operation World of sorts for younger kids. We have that and the kids like it a lot.

5. Four Holy Gospels | Just got this in the mail yesterday. It's the most beautiful Bible I've ever seen, with artwork by NYC artist Makoto Fujimura. Our family was able to meet Mako and attend the Crossway Books release event for the project. We now plan on using the Bible at least once a week (Sundays) to take turns reading aloud from a Gospel together before we leave the house to gather with our local church. It's nice to add a substantial piece like this into our family worship & Bible reading that will last through the years as a family treasure.

Puritan Reformed Journal

If you haven't checked out the Puritan Reformed Journal (from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) before, I suggest you grab a subscription. The seminary gave me the two most recent copies at the Desiring God Pastors Conference and so far it's outstanding...

1. It's book size rather than magazine size. Great for shelving and referencing rather than sticking it in a magazine file. And it deserves book space.

2. It covers more categories than most theological journals.

• Biblical Studies
• Systematic & Historical Theology
• Experiential Theology
• Pastoral Theology & Missions
• Contemporary & Cultural Issues
• Book Reviews
• Joel Beeke's Book Endorsements

The issues I have contain at least 3 articles in each category, often 4 or 5, at times even more. So that's 20+ articles plus reviews & endorsements. And because of the wide variety of articles and categories, this isn't just a journal for scholars. From Reformation 21: "I have increasingly been finding theological journals rather esoteric, philosophical and generally unhelfpul (with some exceptions, of course), but PRJ is a fine blend of confessional, experiential and practical theology." 

3. The articles I've read so far are really strong.

For example, Joel Beeke's "The Age of the Spirit and Revival" was a big help for my current sermons on revival. Joe Thorn read and recommended to me for my studies "Preparationism as Taught by the Puritans" by Cor Harinck and "An Uncommon Union: Understanding Jonathan Edward's Experimental Calvinism" by William M. Schweitzer. I've yet to read "Samuel Davies: On of America's Greatest Revival Preachers" by John E. Skidmore or "Jonathan Edwards and A Divine and Supernatural Light" by Kevin C. Carr. Tons of great stuff just for my current series.

Yet revival only covers a small bit of the articles. There are articles on specific Scripture passages, comparing confessions of faith, concerning Jeremiah Burroughs on worship, considering the relevance of John Bunyan for today, on raising a spiritual family with Jonathan Edwards, on theological writing, and tons more.

*****

There is no theological journal I've seen that I've been this excited about. Themelios is another one I enjoy, it's free and has some great content. But I feel compelled to plug PRJ for putting together an outstanding offering to the church out of a rich, reformed, Puritan heritage. A subscription is $20 a year.

Prayer For Revival Should Never Be Parochial

...Asahel Nettleton in America knew the importance of communities praying for each other. At Milton he urged the Christians to pray for revival but then added ' Whether you do or not, it is possible there may be one, for Christians in other places have agreed to pray for you'! This is a reminder than in our praying for revival we should never be parochial and long for the touch of God only for ourselves; we must pray for those churches that do not pray for themselves, as well as for those that do.

Brian Edwards, Revival: A People Saturated With God, p84

Check out the other books on revival I'm using for my current sermon series.

The Fountain-head of Influence

Prayer therefore is one half of our Ministry and it gives to the other half all its power and success. It is the appointed medium of receiving spiritual communications for the instruction of our people. Those who walk most closely with God are most spiritually intelligent in "the secret of his covenant." Many can set their seal to Luther's testimony, that he often obtained more knowledge in a short time by prayer than by many hours of laborious and accurate study. It will also strengthen our habitual devotedness to our work as well as our natural capacities for it. Living near to the fountain-head of influence, we shall be in the constant receipt of fresh supplies of light support and consolation to assist us in our duties to enable us for our difficulties and to assure us of present acceptance and a suitable measure of ultimate success.

Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry - at least part of the quote by Joel Beeke, DG Pastors Conference 2011 -- the words that got me are in bold.

Reclaiming Adoption - Contest Winners...

And the winners of Reclaiming Adoption are (by comment number)...

#20 - Bryan Lopez
#6 - Kevin Fiske
#29 - Brian Thornton
#36 - John Alexander
#2 - Jonathan Griffiths

Someone will get in contact with you through email soon. Congratulations! I think you will be greatly blessed by Reclaiming Adoption (or Kindle). If you didn't win, I do hope you'll pick up a copy.

And, by the way, according to the 5 winners, the Packers are a sure thing.

Giveaway: Reclaiming Adoption

BOOK GIVEAWAY

I recently read and endorsed Reclaiming Adoption: Missional Living Through Rediscovery of Abba Father (Kindle version only $5.99). Check out my endorsement & many others. Love this book by Dan Cruver, also with John Piper, Richard D. Phillips, Scotty Smith, and Jason Kovacs. There's a PDF study guide and sample of the book available.

By the way, Dan Cruver is also leading a breakout session at the Desiring God Pastor's Conference at 3:15-4:15pm this coming Tuesday. 

*****

So, to the point. I've been given the chance to host a GIVEAWAY of 5 COPIES of Reclaiming Adoption. Here's your chance to pick up one of the best books I've read in the last year.

Do this...

STEP 1: Copy & share the following without the quote marks on Twitter (if you aren't on Twitter, use Facebook, or do BOTH!): "Get a FREE copy of Reclaiming Adoption! RT this & comment at Reformissionary to win: http://bit.ly/ih1LeK "

STEP 2: Leave a comment below (so I can verify you did step 1). Include your full name and real email address (kept private) so I can contact the winners. For fun, also comment on your Super Bowl winner & score. 

I will randomly choose 5 winners in the late afternoon/early evening on Friday (28th).

GO!

Four Holy Gospels & Makoto Fujimura

I was invited to Crossway Books in Wheaton for the release of the Four Holy Gospels project featuring the ESV version of the four Gospels in a giant book format illuminated through the artwork of Makoto Fujimura.

The whole family got to attend and I really enjoyed it. Upon arrival the crowd was abuzz, the sugar water was flowing, appetizers were being served, and within a few minutes my wife and four kids found and "cornered" Mako. I was busy talking with Collin Hansen who introduced me to Stan Guthrie, an editor at large at Christianity Today. Then I noticed Molly talking to Mako and looking for me. That's a good woman. So I ditched Collin and Stan, who (I think) understood my abrupt departure, and went to talk to Mako.

He was kind and humble. We talked about his church, Redeemer in NYC, and his time at Resurrection Presbyterian during their time as a plant. I mentioned how much I have enjoyed his book, Refractions, which really is a great book on faith, art, and culture. So glad I got a chance to interact with one of my favorite artists of any stripe. Then the presentation got formal as Mako and others spoke.

The Four Holy Gospels really is beautiful. I'd love a copy, but can't afford one just now. It's $130 (cloth) through Crossway (or $350 leather, wow), but you can get cloth on Amazon for $73.40. I can imagine sitting down with my family every night and reading through the Gospels illuminated by this great artwork. 

Crossway's post after the event explains the art...

The Four Holy Gospels incorporates five large-scale paintings, including the frontispiece, “Charis-Kairos (The Tears of Christ)” and four opening plates (one for each of the Gospels); plus eighty-nine initial letters (each painted, and many adorned with gold flecks and foil) specifically created for each chapter opening; as well as more than seventy individually-painted reflections and embellishments complementing the Gospels.

I do hope many will take advantage of the opportunity to own this unique piece of art. I'm grateful to Crossway for the invite, and grateful for the chance to look through this beautiful book and meet Makoto Fujimura. Visit Mako's website, read some of his writings, and follow him on Twitter @iamfujimura.

The Spirit's Genial Breath

The Spirit is blowing upon our churches now with His genial breath, but it is as a soft evening gale. Oh, that there would come a rushing mighty wind, that should carry everything before it!

C.H. Spurgeon | Revival Year Sermons | p. 9

Lots-o-Links 1.21.2011

I'm reading Joe Thorn's new book, Note To Self, right now. Go pre-order it. I'm really liking it. Helpful for my soul.

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: III/IV is $3.99 today. (21 tracks)

My family is headed tonight to the Crossway Books premier book reception and art exhibition for the publication of the FOUR HOLY GOSPELS (leather or cloth), featuring paintings by the renowned artist Makoto Fujimura. Check out some of it. More in a mini-documentary...

Makoto Fujimura - The Art of "The Four Holy Gospels" from Crossway on Vimeo

Before visiting the exhibition we are eating at the new Wheaton Chick fil-A and perusing books at Richard Owen Roberts Booksellers. We are leaving early as I'm going to try to meet with Mr. Roberts for a bit. He is a well-known speaker, writer, and editor specifically on the issue of revival, which is what I'm preaching on. He was also interim pastor of the church I currently pastor and I have received good advice during sit-downs with him before. So I'm going to look for books on revival and speak to an expert on the subject. It's going to be a great night!

Oh, and if you haven't seen my post on John MacArthur's uncharitable response to Darrin Patrick's excellent book, Church Planter, you should go check it out.

John MacArthur on Darrin Patrick's Book

UPDATE 1.25.2011 | Darrin Patrick responds to John MacArthur -- Not Radical Individualism: A Reply to John MacArthur - They are good words, gracious words.

----------

I've learned a lot from John MacArthur since becoming a Christian. He was a "go to" preacher early on for me. I met him at SBTS somewhere in the early 2000's it was a great pleasure for me.

He was interviewed on Sunday night by Phil Johnson - Theology & Ministry: An Interview with John MacArthur. Go forward until there's about 27 minutes remaining and start listening (for context). With a little more than 25 minutes to go you get John MacArthur saying this...

You know, there's a new book on church planting written by a guy named Darrin Patrick and it says if you want to be an effective church planter, develop your own theology.

You know when I read that I just almost fell off the chair. What? I mean, can you think of anything worse than to have some guy develop his own theology? This is ultimate niche marketing. Develop your own style, your own wardrobe, and then your own theology.

Anyone care to rip this apart? MacArthur should be embarrassed.

UPDATE: And you should buy and read Darrin Patrick's Church Planter, endorsed by Al Mohler, Ed Stetzer, Matt Chandler, Tim Keller, Mark Dever, and others who see things a little different than John MacArthur.

A Dead Calm Is Our Enemy

The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, that Paul preached, is the truth that I must preach to-day, or else be false to my conscience and my God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox's gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again.

A dead calm is our enemy, a storm may prove our helper. Controversy may arouse thought, and through thought may come the Divine change. 

- C.H. Spurgeon, from Revival Year Sermons

Books on Revival

Here's a list of books I own on revival that I'll be using in one way or another for my current sermon series Revival: Longing for a Surprising Work of God.

I tried to list them in the order of how much I expect to use (or depend on) each one for this series. I'm referencing a number of other things as well (articles, audio, websites) but this list is for books alone.

UPDATE 2.8.11: I added some new books at the bottom, and a few comments in parentheses where I have something to say, so far.

• Revival | Martyn Lloyd-Jones (classic)
• A God-Sized Vision | Collin Hansen & John Woodbridge (so good, fun read)
• Revival Year Sermons | C.H. Spurgeon (great, moving)
• Lectures on Revival | WB Sprague (helpful)
• The Power of Prayer: The New York Revival of 1858 | Samuel Prime
• The Works of Jonathan Edwards (2 Vols)
• The Puritans: Their Origins & Successors | D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
• Puritan Papers (first 3 vols) | J.I. Packer & M. Lloyd Jones
• Revival & Revivalism | Iain Murray
• Pentecost Today? | Iain Murray (really helpful & corrective on revival mistakes)
• Preparing Your Church for Revival | TM Moore
• Praying for Revival | Eric Hayden (just ok, like a Bible devotional on revival)
• Thoughts on Religious Experience | Archibald Alexander
• Salvation In Full Color | Richard Owen Roberts
• Repentance | Richard Owen Roberts
• Give Him No Rest | Erroll Hulse (lots of great stuff, inspiring truths, quotes)
• Jonathan Edwards: A Life | George Marsden
• A God Entranced Vision of All Things | John Piper & Justin Taylor
• Jonathan Edwards | Stephen J. Nichols
• Revival Praying & Revival God's Way | Leonard Ravenhill
• Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire | Jim Cymbala
• Come Down, Lord! | Roger Ellsworth (I finally located it today!)

Additions as of 1/20/2011...

• The Puritan Hope: Revival & the Interpretation of Prophecy | Iain Murray
• The Revived Puritan: The Spirituality of George Whitefield | Ed. Michael Haykin

Additions as of 2/8/2011...

• Revival | Brian Edwards (highly recommended by others, amazing so far, fav so far)
• Lectures on Revival. By Ministers of the Church of Scotland | Richard Owen Roberts, ed
• Scotland Saw His Glory | Richard Owen Roberts
• The Turn of the Tide | W. Vernon Higham

I'd love to hear your suggestions for other books on revivals or about revival. I also assume as I peruse my personal library I could add a few to this list that I overlooked.

Primer on Reformed Theology

An Arminian pastor who is doubting his theology asked me what would be a good primer on Reformed Theology. So I asked my Twitter followers for recommendations. Here's what I got...

• The Bethlehem Institute - Lectures on TULIP | John Piper (free online video)
• Chosen by God & What Is Reformed Theology? & Grace Unknown | RC Sproul
• Putting Amazing Back Into Grace | Michael Horton
• What we believe about the five points of Calvinism | Bethlehem Baptist Church
• The Doctrines of Grace | Boice & Ryken
• "A Defense of Calvinism" | Chuck Spurgeon
• Evangelism & The Sovereignty of God | Jimmy Packer
• Salvation Belongs to the Lord | John Frame
• Confessions of a Reformission Rev | Mark Driscoll
• What's So Great About the Doctrines of Grace | Richard D. Phillips

Anyone read these two? No one mentioned them, but they look promising...

James K.A. Smith | Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition

W. Robert Godfrey | An Unexpected Journey: Discovering Reformed Christianity

Additions since the post went up...

• Death By Love | Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears
• The Sovereign Grace of God | James White
• Living For God's Glory | Joel Beeke
• Easy Chairs, Hard Words | Douglas Wilson
• Welcome to a Reformed Church | Daniel R. Hyde
• Redemption Accomplished & Applied | John Murray
• Sermon on Jonah 2:9 | Tim Keller (looking for exact link)
• Romans

Ligonier Ministries $5 Friday | 1.14.11

$5 Friday deals at Ligonier this week...

Books: Living by God's Promises by Joel Beeke | Five Things Every Christian Needs to Grow by RC Sproul

Teaching Series: Truth (CD) | Classic Collection (download, 10 best known messages) | Oaths & Vows (download)

DVD: War on the Word (2002 Natl Conf)

Audio: Scenes from the Life of Christ by Tom Howard (CD w/ narrations by Begg, Mohler, Piper, Sproul, several others)

Check out all the books & resources at Ligonier.org and the Ligonier Store.