Book Recommendation: Heaven by Randy Alcorn

It's funny. I've always wondered what heaven is going to be like. There are so many questions that I have. Yet, I've never taken the time to really study what the Bible has to say about heaven. Well, that's about to change. Last week, I picked up a copy of Randy Alcorn's classic simply titled, Heaven.

Dr. Randy Alcorn devoted 25 years of his life to extensively and exhaustively study the biblical topic of heaven. His findings may surprise some of you. "If you've always thought of heaven as a realm of disembodied spirits, clouds, and eternal harp strumming, you're in for a wonderful surprise."

In Heaven, Mr. Alcorn answers dozens of questions about our eternal home such as:

• What will the resurrected earth be like?
• What will our lives be like? What will our bodies be like? Will we eat and drink?
  
• What will our relationships be like? Will there be marriage, families, & friendships?
  
• What about animals? What about our pets?
  
• What will we do in heaven? Will there be arts, entertainment, & sports?

I cannot wait to read this book. Though it's over 500 pages, I know I will be well served after reading this excellent book on heaven. If you are interested, you can check out the Table of Contents or read an excerpt.

Buy it here

Book Recommendation: If God Is Good by Randy Alcorn

These next few set of posts are explicitly book recommendations from me to you. More specifically, these books are new ones that have either just come out or are coming out soon.

I think that one of the most commonly asked questions by Christians and non-Christians alike is the following: "How can a good and loving God allow evil and suffering in the world?" It's a legitimate question to ask by hurting people, and at times, it can be hard to reconcile God's goodness with the evil that permeates the world around us.

Randy Alcorn provided us all with a balanced and biblical answer to this question, all the while offering a way to have "faith in the midst of suffering and evil" in his newest book, If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil. I have not read it yet, but plan on it ASAP. It comes highly recommended by numerous pastors and theologians whom I admire.

For more information on the book, you can read the table of contents and a few excerpts from the book here, read a couple of book reviews on it by Tim Challies and Tony Reinke, and even read an interview that Andy Naselli did with Mr. Alcorn himself.

If you struggle with the answer to this question, I can't recommend you read this book highly enough.

Buy it here.

Take Charge of the Television

I have another confession to make. I struggle with watching too much TV. When Misha and I first got married, we decided that we would watch as little TV as possible. We even started off our marriage without a television. Needless to say, I have not stepped in as spiritual leader and taken charge of the TV. It's so much easier to sit in front of the television after a long days work than to sit around the dinner table and care for and serve my wife by given her quality time. Thankfully, Randy Alcorn has posted a helpful article on how to take control of the TV. By the grace of God, I hope to employ some of his strategies to fight this common temptation. Here are 14 suggestions that Randy has for fellow TV-aholics.

1. Keep track of how much time you spend watching.
2. Decide in advance how much TV to watch per week.
3. Use a schedule to choose programs for the week.
4. Keep your TV unplugged, store it in a closet, and/or put it in a remote part of the house.
5. Periodically "fast" from television for a week or a month.
6. Choose programs that uplift rather than undermine biblical values.
7. Use the "off" switch freely.
8. Use the channel changer frequently.
9. Watch and discuss programs together as a family.
10. Don't allow young children to choose their own programs.
11. Don't use the television as a babysitter.
12. Spend an hour reading Scripture, a Christian book or magazine, or doing a ministry for each hour you watch TV.
13. Consider dropping cable, Showtime, HBO, or any other service that you determine is importing ungodliness or temptation into your home.
14. If you can't control it - or you're tired of the battle - get rid of your TV.

Read the rest here.