Books

Pastors: What Should We Do About Fear?

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9781433535826mPaul David Tripp in Dangerous Calling (Kindle version), which may be the best book of 2012 (certainly the most important book of 2012 for me and my wife), writes in chapter 9, "There are times when fear causes all of us to do things we should not do or keeps us from doing what we have been called to do. So it is vital to ask, What in the world should we do about fear? Let me suggest four things." I'll give you the list, but go read the book for Tripp's explanation of each...

  1. Humbly own your fears
  2. Confess those places where fear has produced bad decisions and wrong responses
  3. Pay attention to your meditation
  4. Preach the Gospel to yourself

Choosing What To Meditate On

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From Paul David Tripp's excellent book, Dangerous Calling (or Kindle)...

For many people in ministry, waiting becomes a chronicle of ever-weakening faith because meditating on the circumstances will leave you in awe of the circumstances. They will appear to grow larger, you will feel smaller, and your vision of God will be clouded. But if you meditate on the Lord, you will be in greater awe of his presence, power, faithfulness, and grace. The situation will seem smaller, and you will live with greater confidence even though nothing has changed.

Pick up a copy of Dangerous Calling for 48% off at WTS.

How the Holy Spirit Makes Us Wise

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Tim Chester points to this excellent quote from Tim Keller in Every Good Endeavor. I wanted to share it with you. You should also read Chester's blog. Regularly gives you gems like this...

Here then is how the Spirit makes us wise. On the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples that he would send the Holy spirit and ‘when he, the Spirit of truth, come … he will glorify me …’ (John 16:13-14). The Spirit does not make us wise in some magical kind of way, giving us little nudges and insider tips to help us always choose the best stock to invest in. Rather, he makes Jesus Christ a living, bright reality, transforming our character, giving us new inner poise, clarity, humility, boldness, contentment, and courage. All of this leads to increasing wisdom as the years go by, and to better and better professional and personal decisions.

Go get Every Good Endeavor.

The Reader Speaks | Best Books of 2012

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2012 Books

I don't usually post my favorite books of the year as a list, probably because I feel like compared to music it's less complete. I tend to spend the most time reading things that are of interest, that's for review, or that's scratching an itch as a pastor or disciple, etc. It's not a hobby as with music that I can do when also doing other things. Much of it is work or based on need. So it's just different for me.

But we all have books that have significantly affected us during the year. I figured a "The Reader Speaks" list would be a great place for getting a variety of books listed that we could all benefit from. So share your #1 book, a few faves, a Top 5 or 10, faves according to genre, or whatever works for what you consider to be the best books of 2012. ALSO (per Jared Wilson's comment), feel free to list books not published in 2012 but that you read in 2012. If you have an affiliate account somewhere and you know how to link your books in the comments with html, feel free. For other readers, if you see a book you like, use the affiliate links. It blesses those in ministry around you. 

Keller | "How Faith Affects Our Work"

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In his new blog post about his book, Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller discusses four ways Christian faith influences and shapes our work. It is what he says is the meaning of his book in a nutshell. Here they are listed for you. Go read Dr. Keller's post, "How Faith Affects Our Work" for more explanation of these four points. And pick up a copy of Every Good Endeavor.

  1. The Christian faith gives us a moral compass, an inner GPS giving us ethical guidance that takes us beyond merely the legal aspects or requirements in any situation. 
  2. Your Christian faith gives you a new spiritual power, an inner gyroscope, that keeps you from being overthrown by either success, failure, or boredom.
  3. The Christian faith gives us a new conception of work as the means by which God loves and cares for his world through us.
  4. The Christian faith gives us a new world-and-life view that shapes the character of our work.

Cheap Kindle Books 12.4.12

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Some great books are super-cheap for Kindle right now. If you don't have a Kindle, go get one. Or get a free Kindle app for your computer, tablet, phone. I'm loving my Kindle Paperwhite.

The Two Movements of the Gospel

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The power of the gospel comes in two movements. It first says, “I am more sinful and flawed than I ever dared believe,” but then quickly follows with, “I am more accepted and loved than I ever dared hope.” The former outflanks antinomianism, while the latter staves off legalism. One of the greatest challenges is to be vigilant in both directions at once. Whenever we find ourselves fighting against one of these errors, it is extraordinarily easy to combat it by slipping into the other. Here’s a test: if you think one of these errors is much more dangerous than the other, you are probably partially participating in the one you fear less.

Tim Keller in Center Church, page 48 (Kindle)

Tim Keller | The Skeptical Student

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Dr. Timothy Keller continues to add to his library helpful books, now in a new format. Check this announcement from the publisher, Dutton...

On December 4th, Dutton will release the first essay in a new e-book series by renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller. The series, entitled ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS (December 4, 2012; $1.99), will feature ten installments, launching with The Skeptical Student.

The Skeptical Student is based on a series of talks Keller gave in Oxford, England to a campus group – most of them skeptics – earlier this year. During these talks, Keller explored the inspiring story of Nathaniel’s life-changing encounter in the Gospel of John. It has lessons for those who are skeptical themselves about Christianity and also for Christians who encounter skepticism from those who do not believe.

Timothy Keller is the pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and the author of The Reason for God and the recently published Every Good Endeavor. The other titles in the ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS series include:

  • The Insider and the Outcast
  • The Grieving Sisters
  • The Wedding Party
  • The First Christian

I doubt I'm the only one excited about this project. I've just received the first installment look forward to the rest. It should be a valuable resource for pastors, apologists & evangelists, and probably most of all to the everyday witness to Christ...those who love their neighbors.

Kindle Books on Sale 11.26.12

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Don't miss these Kindle books on sale right now. I think I heard some may not be on sale after today, so if you're going to pull the trigger on these, do it now. And if you don't have the Kindle Paperwhite, I highly recommend it. It was difficult for me to start reading consistently on a Kindle, and I still buy hard copies of all books I consider worthy of reading more than once and/or using for reference, but the Paperwhite is a game-changer for me because of the screen, nighttime reading, ease of use, etc. Grab a 3G or Wifi Kindle Paperwhite. 

UPDATE - Now also on sale...

How We Appeal To Unbelievers To Believe The Gospel

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Tim Keller discusses biblical contextualization in his book Center Church (Kindle version). In one section he talks about how to persuade unbelievers, and specifically that you can't only persuade in one way only since "people of different temperaments and from different cultures reason differently." (p 114) We can't take one biblical story and draw out a one-size-fits-all appeal to believe the Gospel. Here's Keller's list of the different ways we appeal to unbelievers to believe the Gospel. He explains them further in the book with Scripture, so please go read more on pages 114-115.

  1. Sometimes the appeal is to come to God out of fear of judgment and death.
  2. Sometimes the appeal is to come to God out of a desire for release from the burdens of guilt and shame.
  3. Sometimes the appeal is to come to God out of appreciation for the “attractiveness of truth.”
  4. Sometimes the appeal is to come to God to satisfy unfulfilled existential longings.
  5. Sometimes the appeal is to come to God for help with a problem.
  6. Lastly, the appeal is to come to God simply out of a desire to be loved.

Keeping Pastors From Isolation

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Another helpful list from Paul David Tripp's tremendous book, Dangerous Calling. We haven't had a day pass without at least one significant conversation between me and my wife, Molly, since we started reading this book. We talked about a few things from this list today (from pages 79-82 in the printed edition). This is for pastors and those who care for them, and it's about a better, more healthy way to keep Pastors from isolation.

  1. Require your Pastor to attend a small group he doesn't lead
  2. Pastor, seek out a spiritually mature person to mentor you at all times
  3. Establish a Pastor's wives' small group
  4. Pastor, be committed to appropriate self-disclosure in your preaching
  5. Be sure that your Pastor and his family are regularly invited into the homes of families in your church
  6. Make sure there is someone who is regularly mentoring your Pastor's wife
  7. Make sure your Pastor and his wife have the means to be regularly out of the house and away for weekends with one another
  8. Make sure counseling help is always available to the Pastor, his wife, and their family

A lot of helpful explanation of these points are in the book, so you should get it and read it. My wife read it in 1 1/2 days (she has her own copy) and God is using it mightily in our marriage. I can't recommend Dangerous Calling (Kindle) enough. 

GIVEAWAY! | Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller

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WINNER: Kevin Chen. Congrats! His guess of what water I was drinking was Costco brand, Kirkland. That was wrong. But Todd Gragg & Nate Downey were correct with "Nestle Pure Life." Good work guys! Thanks for your participation all! Hope you pick up the book. My copy came in the mail today and I ordered two more today to give away.

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UPDATE: WTS has Every Good Endeavor listed for 70% off today!

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TODAY ONLY, I'm giving away one copy of Every Good Endeavor by Tim Keller. It's brand new, out today! From Dr. Keller's website...

In a work world that is increasingly competitive and insecure, people often have nagging questions: Why am I doing this work? Why is it so hard? And is there anything I can do about it? 



Tim Keller, pastor of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church and New York Times bestselling author of The Reason for God, has taught and counseled students, young professionals, and senior leaders on the subject of work and calling for more than twenty years. Now he puts his insights into a book for readers everywhere, giving biblical perspectives on such pressing questions as:


• What is the purpose of work?

• How can I find meaning and serve customers in a cutthroat, bottom-line-oriented workplace?

• How can I use my skills in a vocation that has meaning and purpose?

• Can I stay true to my values and still advance in my field?

• How do I make the difficult choices that must be made in the course of a successful career?



With deep insight and often surprising advice, Keller shows readers that biblical wisdom is immensely relevant to our questions about our work. In fact, the Christian view of work—that we work to serve others, not ourselves—can provide the foundation of a thriving professional and balanced personal life. Keller shows how excellence, integrity, discipline, creativity, and passion in the workplace can help others and even be considered acts of worship—not just of self-interest.

Another great resource from Tim Keller. Glad I have a copy (thanks to the good folks at Dutton) to give away to one of my readers here at Reformissionary. Here's how to enter for your chance to win.

1. Tweet (or post to Facebook if you aren't on Twitter, or do both!) without the quote marks: " GIVEAWAY of Tim Keller's new book, Every Good Endeavor. RT & comment at Reformissionary to enter: http://bit.ly/egeTK "

2. Comment below (so I can confirm you did step 1) with your real name and real email (kept private) and For Fun guess what brand of bottled water I just consumed before bed last night.

*I'll use random.org to pick the ONE winner sometime after 5pm today. I'll announce the winner on the blog & send out an email. May the odds be ever in your favor! And whether you win or not, this will be a great book to give away in our churches as our congregation needs gospel words on our work. So get a couple copies (Amazon | Kindle). I will be.

Dangerous Calling | Signs of a Pastor Losing His Way

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In Paul David Tripp's new, and excellent, and devastating, and grace-giving book, Dangerous Calling, the author lists 9 signs of a pastor losing his way. They are based on one particular pastor he talked to (which is why they are listed as referring to one person), but they are listed in order to help all pastors. Tripp goes into great detail to explain each in chapter 2, and I urge you to not only get this book, but read it carefully and prayerfully as a pastor (or maybe to better understand your pastor). These were hard to read for me personally, and will make for painful yet fruitful conversation with my wife later today. I'll list the 9 signs concerning Tripp's assessment of one pastor, but please go read more about them in Dangerous Calling with the authors application to us all. Also check out the DVD's.

  1. He ignored the clear evidence of problems
  2. He was blind to the issue of his own heart
  3. His ministry lacked devotion
  4. He wasn't preaching the gospel to himself
  5. He wasn't listening to the people closest to him
  6. His ministry became burdensome
  7. He began to live in silence
  8. He began to question his calling
  9. He gave way to fantasies of another life

Pastors: Where Is Your Identity?

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Another quote from Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp. This one on pastors and our identity, where it might be and should be...

Blind to what was going on in my heart, I was proud, unapproachable, defensive, and all too comfortable. I was a pastor; I didn’t need what other people need. Now, I want to say again that at the conceptual, theological level, I would have argued that all of this was bunk. Being a pastor was my calling, not my identity. Child of the Most High God was my cross-purchased identity. Member of the body of Christ was my identity. Man in the middle of his own sanctification was my identity. Sinner and still in need of rescuing, transforming, empowering, and delivering grace was my identity. I didn’t realize that I looked horizontally for what I had already been given in Christ and that it was producing a harvest of bad fruit in my heart, in my ministry, and in my relationships. I had let my ministry become something that it should never be (my identity); I looked to it to give me what it never could (my inner sense of well-being).

Paul David Tripp in Dangerous Calling (p. 25)

Pastors: Find A Deeper Hope in the Gospel

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Here's a good reason for pastors to buy and read Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp. I'd also recommend church members read this. It will open your eyes to what your pastor is going through, much of it you don't know.

This is a diagnostic book. It is written to help you take an honest look at yourself in the heart- and life-exposing mirror of the Word of God—to see things that are wrong and need correcting and to help you place yourself once again under the healing and transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Of the books that I have written, I found this one the hardest to write, not because of the writing process itself but because its pages expose the ugliness of my own heart and display how desperate my need for grace continues to be. It is not an exaggeration to say that I wept my way through writing some of the chapters. There were moments when I would go upstairs to share what I had written with Luella, the tears of conviction would come, and I would be unable to continue. But as I did my writing, it did not leave me feeling discouraged or hopeless but, rather, with a deeper hope in the gospel and a greater joy in ministry than I think I have ever known.

Paul David Tripp in Dangerous Calling  (p. 11) - still 80% with coupon code: PASTORS

On Freshness in Preaching

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I have a copyright 1898 edition of John Broadus' On the Preparation & Delivery of Sermons. The first edition was printed in 1870. Broadus was professor of homiletics at SBTS in Louisville, KY and died in 1895. Here he lists and explains "helps" concerning freshness in preaching (pgs 146-149). "The basis of preaching and the truth preached must ever be the same. Yet there is a freshness in the treatment of old truths, and in discoursing on the unchangeable basis of God's Word, that is eminently desirable and should be maintained though life."

1. Study the Scriptures. Earnest and continued study both of the Bible in general, and of each text in particular, will greatly enhance and sustain a preacher's freshness. Let him...seek not mere novelties and fancies in interpretation, but the exact meaning of the inspired Word. No matter how often he has studied the book or the text before, let him keep on, and new thoughts will be suggested. A man cannot fail to keep fresh in his preaching who continues through life really and properly to study the Word of God.

2. Study Theology. Keep in touch with the great books, both general treatises and special discussions, on Systematic Theology. Doctrine -- real doctrine -- is needed as a novelty in much of the preaching of our times. By all means should a man reflect profoundly upon the commonplaces of religious truth. Vinet well said that the basis of eloquence is commonplace; and another has remarked that the pulpit often "makes the mistake of giving us common thoughts about deep things, when what we need would be deep thoughts about common things." We get these deep thoughts about common things only by penetrating and persevering reflection.

3. Study occasions. Here, again, we should not be directly seeking freshness in itself, but the reality of things. The best freshness is found by simply seeking real adaptation to the real occasion. Study the general condition of the congregation; reflect upon the special occurrences of religious interest, and upon any of secular interest that may furnish illustration or call for passing application or remark. Whenever you repeat a sermon on a new occasion adjust it in your study beforehand to the new conditions. A sermon that suits equally well all occasions does not thoroughly suit any one of them. This adaptation to circumstances often depends upon apparently slight matters.

4. Study individual cases. Physicians and lawyers may set us here a valuable lesson. The wise preacher will know people individually, and how to apply the truth to their special needs. He may thus have the advantage of the Romish confessional without its grave objections. Sometimes a hint in conversation will be a rich germ of suggestion. No man can keep fresh in the pulpit without keeping up both spiritual and social contact with people.

5. Study the age in which we live. Let the preacher strive to understand the strength and the weakness of the age -- its healthy tendencies and its diseases --  its illusions and its well-founded hopes. Particularly should he endeavor to discover and proclaim the true relations of Christianity to the age -- what it needs from Christianity, and what Christianity needs from it. Its currents of thought and sentiment, religious and irreligious -- its difficulties and yearnings -- its movements and changes -- demand the thoughtful attention of the gospel preacher. Yet he should let the fruits of his study and reflection appear not so much in formal discussions through set discourses, as in apt allusion and application here and there in his ordinary sermons. Thus he may be constantly showing how truly Christianity meets all real human wants; and thus he may restrain and fortify his hearers without perplexing them with plausible errors. Excellence in preaching, like the truly excellent in literature and art, must either take hold of things present, even transient things, and penetrate though them to permanent eternal principles; or, if it begins with general principles, it must always bring them to bear upon living characters and actual wants.  

6. Study yourself. A man should continue through life to learn from his mistakes. Certainly the young preacher should do this, and even more imperatively the elder. Never fall into stereotyped methods of treating your subjects; cherish and cultivate a restless longing to preach better, and try frequent experiments in preaching differently. There is among preachers a deal of latent power which never gets itself developed. By all means should the inventive faculty be kept healthy and active. Some one has said, "Attention is the mother of invention." Fasten the mind on your subject by resolute effort of the will, and compel yourself to the task of analysis and association of ideas, which are the principal parts of invention. This may also be greatly stimulated by reading and conversation. And let us remember that our very best, our richest invention, is not achieved in preparing next Sunday's sermons, but in general reading, conversation, reflection, when the mind is quiet, throws off its accustomed burdens, and springs up elastic. All the labor and thought thus bestowed in cultivating and maintaining freshness will be richly repaid many times over in sustained power and usefulness in the pulpit.

Trusting God in Natural Disasters

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God Himself accepts the responsibility, so to speak, of disasters. He actually does more than accept the responsibility; He actually claims it. In effect, God says, "I, and I alone, have the power and authority to bring about both prosperity and disaster, both weal and woe, both good and bad."

This is a difficult truth to accept as you watch people sift through the rubble of their homes or more to the point if you are the one sifting through the rubble of your home. But as the late Dr. Edward J. Young commented on Isaiah 45:7, "We gain nothing by seeking to minimize the force of the present verse." We must allow the Bible to say what it says, not what we think it ought to say.

We obviously do not understand why God creates disaster, or why He brings it to one town and not to another. We recognize, too, that just as God sends His sun and rain on both the righteous and the unrighteous, so He also sends the tornado, or the hurricane, or the earthquake on both. I have friends, fellow staff members of The Navigators, who were in the middle of the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City. God's sovereignty over nature does not mean that Christians never encounter the tragedies of natural disasters. Experience and observation clearly teach otherwise.

God's sovereignty over nature does mean that, whatever we experience at the hand of the weather or other forces of nature (such as plant diseases or insect infestation of our crops), all circumstances are under the watchful eye and sovereign control of our God.

Jerry Bridges in Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts