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Cheap Kindle Books 1.4.16

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A little searching and I found a bunch. Enjoy!

Cheap Kindle Books 11.17.15

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Cheap Kindle Books 11.2.15

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Cheap Kindle Books 6.23.15

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Some supercheap gems...

NAC Studies in NT Theology

Also...

The Mission is for the Unimpressive

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This book is for you--the normal, unimpressive, everyday person, young or old, male or female--because Jesus means to carry out his mission of filling the world with his presence through you. You are meant to do this.

The mission of Jesus is yours to participate in. It has always been God's intention to choose normal, everyday people, and to show his amazing power and glory through them. He's not looking for the most impressive person because he already is that person.

Jeff Vanderstelt in Saturate (or Kindle), pgs 14-15.

Giveaway: The Happy Christian by David Murray

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“Don’t carry one miserable sin for one miserable second.” David Murray, The Happy Christian, p 56

I've been given the opportunity to give away a copy of David Murray's new book, The Happy Christian: Ten Ways to be a Joyful Believer in a Gloomy World. David is professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor of the Free Reformed Church in Grand Rapids. I've reviewed his excellent book, Jesus on Every Page. A book that may not be on your radar but should be is Murray's Christians Get Depressed Too. I appreciate Dr. Murray giving us the flip side book to the topic of depression, The Happy Christian. An important topic and a helpful resource for the many Christians around you who need encouragement. 

GIVEAWAY --> I'll keep this simple. To enter to win... 

  1. Tweet and/or share on Facebook -->  Tell folks about this giveaway so I can get the word out on this great book and use this link, please: http://bit.ly/gethappybook 
  2. Comment below (be sure to input your real name and email so I can notify a winner) with your guess as to how many brands of pencils I have on my desk. I'll send out of secondary gift to the closest guess and I'll post a picture to show the correct answer visually. I'm a pencil geek so it isn't only a few. I'll use random.org to choose a winner from the comments below on Monday.

BONUS --> If you order The Happy Christian before February 24, you'll receive over $100 of free books and videos. More information on the resources at happychristian.net. Giveaway includes ebooks, study guide, and films. You don't have to buy it anywhere special to get these free items. Just send your online or bookstore invoice to: TheHappyChristianBook@gmail.com.

“Happy is a cheap word nowadays, hardly strong enough to describe the realistic, joyful, triumphant Christian life into which David Murray labors to lead us. His book overflows with earthy, deep-rooted biblical wisdom that many miss but all of us need.”

-J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College

Cheap Kindle Books 10.28.14

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The Consequences of Eternity Amnesia

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My current sermon series is about being an eternity junkie and seeking hard after forever, with eternity set in our hearts. We can't be satisfied in anything else. I'm preaching it because we need it, and because I need it. I need to grasp for and long after eternity. 

From Forever (or Amazon | Kindle) by Paul David Tripp (pg 24-26). For explanations of each point, check out the book. Here are Tripp's "consequences of eternity amnesia"...

  1. Living with unrealistic expectations
  2. Focusing too much on self
  3. Asking too much of people
  4. Being controlling or fearful
  5. Questioning the goodness of God
  6. Living more disappointed than thankful
  7. Lacking motivation and hope
  8. Living as if life doesn't have consequences

Cheap Kindle Books 5.23.14

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Cheap Kindle Books 3.20.14

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Several on sale in the "Perspectives" series ($3.49 each)

Cheap Kindle Books 2.17.14

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Preaching the Word Series ($2.99 each)

Book Review: In Search of Deep Faith

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The Gospel Coalition published my review of In Search of Deep Faith (Amazon|Kindle) by Jim Belcher. It's one of the best books I've read in some time, mostly because it wasn't just trying to tell me something. It took me somewhere. My family and I have started to read it aloud together and it's changing the way we think about God and what He is doing with us. Here's a couple of paragraphs from the opening of my review. Please go read the whole review. I encourage you to pick up this book. 

After reviewing Jim Belcher’s first book in 2009, Deep Church, I was eager to get my hands on In Search of Deep Faith. I’m thankful for the opportunity to offer a review, as this book deserves a wide audience.

I’ve been a pastor for the past 10 years and have a wife and four children. Belcher founded and pastored Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California, until he stepped out of ministry in 2010. He pastored there for 10 years. Jim is also married with four kids. There are obvious reasons for me to resonate with his story. Like this:

What I really needed was spiritual rest. I needed to take stock of my life, rediscover where I came from and where I may be going. I wanted to take a year to walk in the steps of my heroes, read their books again and marinate in their lives—go deeper into their stories and learn from them all over again. It was going to be like a pilgrimage, a time to spiritually and experientially connect with the places and people that had most influenced me. And, most importantly, to reconnect to God. (13)

This is the backdrop for a book about the Belcher family’s pilgrimage to some important places where faithful disciples who have gone before us have lived and served. Some of them suffered, and all of them died with deep faith in God. You don’t need to be a pastor or have young kids to resonate with this pilgrimage. You just have to be a disciple in search of the same deep faith.

Please go and finish reading my review. I'm very thankful for this book.

Lots-o-Links 2.12.14

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New Phantogram, Voices, is really compelling. Stream the whole thing FREE right now.

It's poppy, dark, electric, fun, grindy, and more. If you had any love for Chvrches, you just might love this one too. Make sure you make it at least through the third song, "Fall In Love." Trust me.

Race, Religion, Puritans: An Interview With Richard Bailey | Richard is a good friend and author of Race and Redemption in Puritan New England (Kindle). A sample...

Moore: It is not well known that Jonathan Edwards owned slaves.  How should we think of Edwards in light of this reality?

Bailey: I am not 100% certain how to answer this question, David. I am glad that this fact about Edwards is becoming more commonly known and I am glad that my book can have something to do with that fact.

But how to think of Edwards? Well, Jonathan Edwards is certainly more than simply a slave owner. He is an important figure in the development of American evangelicalism and the modern missions movement. He is one of America’s most prominent philosophers and theologians. He certainly ought to be remembered for those sorts of legacies. But he also was a purchaser of human flesh. He actively defended and participated in the slave trade. And I’d argue he must be remembered for that, as well. I think that is what it means to take on the virtual amnesias of our pasts.

The one way I would encourage people NOT to think of Jonathan Edwards is as “a man of his time.” That sort of phrase doesn’t really mean anything; rather, it is a way of not thinking about Edwards. And I hope people will continue to think about him, relying of the historical work of George Marsden in Jonathan Edwards: A Life (Yale University Press, 2003) or the recent novel by Susan Stinson, Spider in a Tree (Small Beer Press, 2013) to get a more complete picture not only of the man, but also of the society and culture of which he was a part.

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The Seven Benefits of Keeping a Daily Journal by Michael Hyatt | I don't do this but this makes me want to do something like this. Here are his points, but he elaborates on each and offers a lot more context on his website. Be sure to read the whole thing.

  1. Process previous events. 
  2. Clarify my thinking. 
  3. Understand the context. 
  4. Notice my feelings. 
  5. Connect with my heart.
  6. Record significant lessons.
  7. Ask important questions. 

Alt-J had my #2 album of 2012 with An Awesome Wave. Their coolest song among an album of quirky coolness is "Fitzpleasure." This is an amazing acapella version...by what appears to be a group of UK schoolboys? 

Mohler: The Conviction to Lead

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I was around Dr. Albert Mohler as a student not too long after he lead a massive turnaround at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. What he accomplished and the stories I heard from his lips and the stories I've heard for many others ring in my ears on the days I need to remember that things can change, that God can change things, and that He calls us to lead change. Because of that, I want to recommend to you his book The Conviction to Lead. It's $4.99 for Kindle right now. 

Jared Wilson, #DGPasCon, & Storytelling God

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It looks like Jared Wilson is beside himself as he speaks at the Desiring God Pastors' Conference because he realizes they stole his new book cover for their backdrop and branding!

Ok, he probably loves it. I do! Jared's speaking at a conference about The Vine and the Branches and he wrote a book about the parables, The Storytelling God, which comes out later this month. 

Pre-order it: Amazon | Kindle. More at Crossway.

Cheap Kindle Books 1.15.14

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I encourage you to pick up a Kindle for yourself. Since I got mine I've gotten to the place where I'm using it most days. My recommendation is the Kindle Paperwhite or the Paperwhite 3G (which I have), but they are all great. You can even get one for $69 now.

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Aim for Specific Obedience in Specific Instances

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Bridges holiness

In Jerry Bridges' beloved little book, The Pursuit of Holiness (Kindle), he describes in his chapter on the place of personal discipline three questions to ask as you read, study, or meditate on the Scriptures and then explains why being specific is so important.

  1. What does this passage teach concerning God's will for a holy life?
  2. How does my life measure up to that Scripture; specifically where and how do I fall short? (Be specific; don't generalize.)
  3. What definite steps of action do I need to take to obey?

The most important part of this process is the specific application of the Scripture to specific life situations. We are prone to vagueness at this point because commitment to specific actions makes us uncomfortable. But we must avoid general commitments to obedience and instead aim for specific obedience in specific instances. We deceive our souls when we grown in knowledge of the truth without specifically responding to it (James 1:22). 

The Pursuit of Holiness (1978) by Jerry Bridges, pg 104. Bold is mine.

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