Anyone Else Excited!?

Coming November 2010.

Have theologically conservative evangelicals over-reacted to the "social gospel only" views of many mainline denominations? Tim Keller seems to think we have. The argument that a "purely social gospel is no gospel at all" has never necessitated a view that strips us from responsibilities Jesus laid on his people to serve those in need. I'm excited to announce that Tim Keller addresses this issue head on in his upcoming book Generous Justice. He also seeks to establish the link between modern understandings of general welfare and the Bible as their foundation.

Three Book Recommendations

I was recently looking thru my old posts and noticed there were a few that were still in draft form that I never posted.  This is one of them.  These are three books that I finished a short while ago, and I want to recommend them to you.  They are all outstanding.

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp is hands down the best book on parenting I have read yet.  The one thing I won't forget from it is Tripp's emphasis on going after the child's heart rather than the child's behavior.  If you go after their heart, the behavior will inevitably follow.

In God's Big Picture, Vaughan Roberts seeks the big picture of the entire bible.  His conviction is that the whole bible is telling one story, not lots of little stories all disconnected and such.  This book will help you when you are reading through books of the Bible like Leviticus and cannot fathom how in the world this relates to Jesus Christ.

And last but not least, Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham Jr.  This is not lay-down-on-the-couch-and-relax book.  Make no mistake about it, Voddie brings it hard.  He hits parents right between the eyes with conviction after conviction on their responsibility to "raise their kids in the way they should go."  It's not the job of a youth pastor, and it's not the job of a Christian school teacher.  It's the parent's job.  So do it.  That's the constant message of Mr. Baucham, and I commend it to you.

Book Review: Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey

The topic of ambition has scarcely been addressed by the Christian community in the last couple of generations.  Even hinting at the fact that someone might embody just a smidge of ambition is enough to make a person question his motives in his own endeavors.  This is largely due to the preconceived notion that all ambition is selfish ambition.  Dave Harvey, in his new book, Rescuing Ambition, is out to combat that ideology with the biblical notion that there is another kind of ambition that is not selfish, but selfless...  Godly ambition.

Harvey begins by laying out the biblical foundation for ambition - the pursuit of glory.  What we pursue determines whether our ambition is godly ambition or selfish ambition.  Harvey puts it well when he says, "We will always pursue glory.  The only question is, 'Where will we find it?'  Will we love the glory that comes from God, or will we love other glories?"  Herein he shows how ambition was corrupted during the Fall of mankind in the garden of Eden and how ambition was converted by the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was converted from an inward focus on self to an outward focus on the glory of God.  Harvey again and again reminds us that all godly ambition is for the glory of God.  The rest of the book is spent unpacking that idea, the implications of it, and an admonishment to go dream big for God's glory.

The most helpful chapter for me in Rescuing Ambition was the chapter entitled, "Ambitious for the Church."  Too often I tend to disconnect godly ambition in my life from the life of my local church.  I am prone to think that being ambitious has to do with high & lofty ambitions like finding a cure for cancer or preventing sex trafficking, all the while neglecting the very specific purposes God has placed right in front of me, one of which is contributing to the building & perfection of God's church in Oswego, IL.  Harvey reminded me to be ambitious for the church for the glory of God.
"Ambition for the church compels us to join our imperfect self with other imperfect selves to form an imperfect community - all for the glory of God...  When church is not an ambition but only a place, the real ambitions of our lives inevitably crowd it out."
Readers will really appreciate three things about this book.

1. Harvey has made this book very readable & enjoyable.  He does a great job of systematically unpacking what God's word has to say about ambition without making it too complicated as well as supplementing his careful exegesis & thoughts with many stories from church history and people from his own church.  This mixture makes for a very enjoyable read.
2. Just reader his chapter on "Ambitious Failure" is worth the price of the book.  His aim in this chapter is to answer the question, "Where is God when our dreams lead to defeats?"  I'm so glad that he took a whole chapter to answer this very important question as it is directly related to our ambitions.
3. Harvey never lets the gospel come out of focus for the reader.  Our ambition is directly connected to the gospel, and Harvey will not let the reader forget that.

This book is for anyone who has ever dreamed big dreams.  And this book is for anyone who thinks dreaming is for chumps.  Get it, read it, and may we all have big ambitions for the glory of God.

Thanks to Crossway for publishing this fantastic book.  You can buy it here.

New Recommended Reading on the Gospel from CJ Mahaney

In the past few years, CJ Mahaney (along with many other faithful friends & pastors) has helped me realize that as a Christian, I still need to hear the good news of the gospel, day in & day out.  To that end, here are 6 new books on the gospel that CJ recommends you think about reading.

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“The gospel cannot be preached and heard enough, for it cannot be grasped well enough,” wrote Martin Luther.*

By God’s grace I have been a Christian for 38 years. I agree with Luther—I still cannot hear the gospel enough. Each morning I seek to preach the gospel to myself by my study of Scripture and through the strategic reading of supplemental books about the cross. Over the past several months it has not been difficult to find enough books to fill this role. Six wonderful new books on the gospel have been published in the last five months, and they constitute a portion of my recent reading diet. Here they are:

God the Peacemaker: How Atonement Brings Shalom by Graham A. Cole (Dec 2009), 257 pages. This is a technical but reader-friendly addition in the NSBT series (New Studies in Biblical Theology). And not only is it detailed and readable, but I found it to be deeply moving, too. Many times throughout this book as I read about the atoning sacrifice of our Savior I ceased reading, looked up from the book, and broke into song. (In the interest of full disclosure, this often happens when I read. I am a noisy reader and often break into song while reading.)

God the Peacemaker is a wonderful book that explains why God's intention to restore shalom (peace) to his creation requires the death of Christ. Cole writes in the introduction:

We live in a troubled world. As I write, there are reports of a devastating cyclone in Myanmar, an earthquake in China, fighting in the Sudan and Iraq, shooting death after shooting death on the south side of Chicago. The list could go on and on. The waste of human life is enormous....Yet Christians believe in a good God who as the Creator has never lost interest in his world. The key evidence and the chief symbol of that divine commitment is the cross of Christ....Central to the divine strategy is Christ, his coming and his cross. The troubles and calamities will end. (19)

In recent years there have been many books that emphasize God’s restoration of shalom, but too few that highlight the central role of the cross in this plan.

By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me by Sinclair Ferguson (Feb 2010), 118 pages. Few have taught me more about the gospel of the grace of God than Sinclair Ferguson. I was reminded of the profound influence of his ministry in my life a couple years ago when I did this interview with him about the cross. Through his sermons and writing I am personally reminded of grace, affected by grace, and inspired to lead by grace. His latest book on the gospel of the grace of God is a gem—showing us why we should be amazed by it. Ferguson writes,

Being amazed by God’s grace is a sign of spiritual vitality. It is a litmus test of how firm and real is our grasp of the Christian gospel and how close is our walk with Jesus Christ. The growing Christian finds that the grace of God astonishes and amazes. Yet we frequently take the grace of God for granted. (xiv)

Ferguson writes as a man who is himself amazed by grace.

Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D.A. Carson (Feb 2010), 168 pages. In the preface Carson writes,

Nothing is more central to the Bible than Jesus' death and resurrection. The entire Bible pivots on one weekend in Jerusalem about two thousand years ago. Attempts to make sense of the Bible that do not give prolonged thought to integrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are doomed to failure, at best exercises in irrelevance. (11)

This book is not only not doomed to failure but destined to serve readers in their appreciation of the gospel as he expounds on both the death and resurrection of the Savior. As Mark Dever says in his endorsement, "This professor can preach. These are model messages on crucial passages." They are crucial passages, presented as a model of exegesis and exposition. The book is developed around five core passages: Matthew 27:27–51, Romans 3:21–26, Revelation 12, John 11:1–53, and John 20:24–31. Pastors can easily adapt this structure and use these passages to develop a sermon series to serve their churches.

Atonement by various authors, edited by Gabriel N.E. Fluhrer (Feb 2010), 142 pages. This is a compilation of messages delivered over the years at the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. Contributors include J.I. Packer, R.C. Sproul, and Ferguson. In his preface, editor Gabriel Fluhrer opens the book with these pointed words: "This is a book about blood and it soaks every page" (ix). And a little later he writes,

Today, along with other great doctrines of the Christian faith, the doctrine of the blood atonement of Christ is under attack. It is derided as “cosmic child abuse” and traded for a grandfatherly sentimentalism that muffles the piercing cries of the Savior being nailed to the cross. The pride of our sin dilutes the simple, clear, and shocking teaching of the New Testament: God killed his perfect Son to save hate-filled rebels from the wrath they deserve. (x)

The messages included in this book were finely chosen.

What Is the Gospel? by Greg Gilbert (April 2010), 124 pages. Gilbert's new book on the gospel is clear and compelling. I wrote in my endorsement that I hoped to place this book in the hands of every pastor and church member. And the only thing I would add is that I hope it finds its way into the hands of non-Christians as well. I agree with Mark Dever: "This little book on the gospel is one of the clearest and most important books I've read in recent years." Help me put a copy of this book into every hand. Buy a case of them and begin giving them away immediately!

It Is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement by Mark Dever and Michael Lawrence (April 2010), 223 pages. This series of sermons was published out of concern over the neglect of the gospel in the life of local churches. In the preface Dever writes,

Have you wondered about the cross lately? Have you wondered where it is in your own church, or in your own life? It's our prayer that these meditations will help you re-center your life on God's sacrifice for us in Christ and join in the celebration that's going on eternally as the saints in heaven praise God for the Lamb who was slain for us. (15)

Like Carson’s, this book can provide a pastor with a sermon series on the gospel. The 14 sermons are presented in canonical order on these texts: Exodus 12, Leviticus 16, Isaiah 52:13–53:12, Mark 10:45, 15:33–34, John 3:14–18, 11:47–52, Romans 3:21–26, 4:25, 5:8–10, 8:1–4, Galatians 3:10–13, 1 Peter 2:21–25, and 3:18.

I am grateful that we have many wonderful (and affordable) books about the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need these books because we cannot read enough about the gospel. We cannot read enough about the gospel because we cannot grasp it well enough.
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* What Luther Says: An Anthology, compiled by Edwald M. Plass (St. Louis: Concordia, 1963), vol. 2, pp. 563–564.

Book Review: Radical by David Platt

Religious freedom has done a lot of good for American Christian churches.  We are free to go to church on Sundays without the fear of being caught and persecuted.  We can gather together with our Christian brothers & sisters to pray without having to meet together in private.  We can even tote around our bibles with us wherever we go, not fearing who may see us holding it.  But, sadly, this same freedom has done a lot of harm to our churches.  Though we are free to read our bibles whenever we want, we are not hungry for the Word of God.  Though we don't have to meet in private to pray, we are not fervent in our prayers.  We waste our money on cars and gadgets, all the while accumulating more and more stuff, instead of using it to bring the gospel to the nations.  We've become comfortable, and as a result, we, as American Christians, have succumbed to the American Dream.  With his new book, Pastor David Platt wants to plead with us not to abandon this dream for the sake of the gospel and the nations to which it must go.


Radical by David Platt is a loving, pastoral indictment for the nominal American Christian to get off the couch, pick up his cross, and radically abandon everything to follow Jesus.  In it, he takes the time to walk his readers through Jesus' own words on what it means to truly follow him.  And make no mistake about it, Dr. Platt will challenge how biblically accurate many of your current practices truly are. For instance, in his chapter on reaching the nations for the sake of the gospel, Platt says, 

"While some professing Christians have rejected universalism [the belief that all people go to heaven no matter what they believe] intellectually, practically they may end up leading universalistic lives.  They claim Christ is necessary for salvation, yet they live their Christianity in silence, as if people around them in the world will indeed be okay in the end without Christ."

Challenges like these are much needed by us in the American church.  

One of the things I really enjoyed about Radical was the many stories that he shares from his missionary travels around the globe as well as from the people at his own church.  These stories serve to show us what it looks like to radically follow Jesus in practice.  These stories are then coupled with Dr. Platt's fluid & accurate interpretations on the relevant biblical texts on radical abandonment to Jesus.  Overall, this makes for a very enjoyable and meaty read.

For me personally, reading Radical caused me to reflect a lot on my own Christian journey & practices.  Am I living as if I truly believed the gospel?  Do I really believe that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain?"  I still need to reflect some more on this topic, but suffice it to say that Dr. Platt's book has affected me greatly.

I can't recommend this book any higher.  It came at a point in my life where I was getting comfortable, and I know that there are many others who are at that same point in their lives.  This book is a much needed wake up call for all Christians everywhere, and I would recommend you read it.  Buy it here.

Also, check back in the next few days.  I will be offering a free giveaway of Radical by David Platt to my readers.

If you just want to try a sample of the book first before buying it, Multnomah is offering a free download of Chapter 1.  You can also request a free printed copy or download a digital version of The Radical Question (a shorter version of Radical).  The download is only available through May 9, 2010.

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Book Review: Be Still, My Soul by Nancy Guthrie

My wife & I recently had our first child about 8 weeks ago.  What an amazing experience it was!  Getting to see our little boy for the first time melted my heart, and I was instantly in love.  Soon after that moment, reality struck.  Misha was exhausted from the delivery, yet we had doctors flooding in and out of the hospital room.  Then, there was the realization that our boy has to eat every 2 to 2.5 hours, which correlates into little sleep for Mom and Dad.  On top of that, Misha had some complications after the delivery, which were pretty scary for us.  If you would have asked my wife & I what a trials or suffering would look like in our lives, we probably would have said the death of a loved one or something like that.  Never in a million years would we have thought that suffering could come through such a joyous occasion.  Needless to say, through the birth of our first son, Davin, we had come face-to-face with a trial.

Yet, by the kind providence of God, I had just received Be Still, My Soul by Nancy Guthrie from Crossway on trials & suffering not 3 days before Davin was born.  It has proved to be one of the many things that helped us fully put our trust in God through the entire trial, knowing that this small and momentary affliction was given to us for our good and His glory.

Be Still, My Soul is a unique book.  Through the deaths of two of her children, the author is deeply acquainted with suffering.  As a result, Mrs. Guthrie has taken 25 different excerpts from classic and contemporary works alike on suffering that have helped her trust God in the midst of her many trials and combined them together into this one book.  The lineup of authors is outstanding!!  John Piper, Charles Spurgeon, Tim Keller, Jonathan Edwards, D.A. Carson, Martin Luther, & Joni Eareckson Tada just to name a few.  This book is a gold mine of Christian wisdom & counseling for those who are suffering. 

I wish I had time to share with you all of the quotes that affected & helped my wife and I during our own trials, but if I did that, I might be sharing half the book!  Therefore, I'll leave you with five.

"When suffering sandblasts us to the core, the true stuff of which we are made is revealed.  Suffering lobs a hand grenade into our self-centeredness, blasting our soul bare, so we can be better bonded to the Savior.  Our afflictions help to make us holy."  - Joni Eareckson Tada

"God permits what he hates to accomplish what he loves."  - Joni Eareckson Tada

"Is not some of the pain and sorrow in this life meant to make us homesick for heaven, to detach us from this world, to prepare us for heaven, to draw our attention to himself, and away from the world of merely physical things?"  - Don Carson

"We derive no profit at all from affliction - neither grace nor glory - until there is wrestling and exercise."  - Thomas Manton

"The deepest need that you and I have in weakness and adversity is not quick relief, but the well-grounded confidence that what is happening to us is part of the greatest purpose of God in the universe - the glorification of the grace and power of his Son - the grace and power that bore him to the cross and kept his there until the work of love was done."  - John Piper

If you are in the midst of much suffering, or are wanting to prepare for suffering, or are wondering what in the world God's purpose of such suffering could possibly be, or are trying to respond humbly in trials, this book is for you.  I cannot think of someone who should not read this book.

Buy it here.

Nancy Guthrie is also the author of Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross, and Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow.  All well worth your time!

Added More Books to Recommended Reading List

It took a long time and a lot of typing, but I have finally updated my Recommended Reading list with all of the books that I would recommend people read. Of course, each recommendation is going to vary from person to person depending on the context. So if you ever have any questions or want me to recommend a book to you, please ask. I would love to help. Also, if you think I have missed a book that should be added to this list, drop me a comment.

Also, please check here in the future for further updates. I will be adding Amazon.com links to each of the books so that if you would like to buy it, you just have to click on the title.

Updates to the Recommended Reading List

In my down time, I'm working on updating my Recommended Reading list. I have a list in my phone that I'll constantly update when I find a good book to read. However, I really haven't taken the time to add that list on here. You can always access the Recommended Reading list by clicking on it in the menu bar at the top of my blog. Check out the updates, and let me know what you think. I'll eventually have all of the books linked to Amazon for easy access.

Also, anything you'd like to see added to the list? Leave a comment.

Book Review: Fool Moon Rising

If you didn't already know, my wife is 26 weeks pregnant, and, Lord willing, our family will be expanding from 2 to 3 with the addition of a little baby boy. I couldn't be more thrilled! One of the things I have taken upon myself to do in preparation to raise a son is begin building a library of books to read to him. One of the first books I will read to him will be Fool Moon Rising by Kristi & Tom Fluharty.

Published by Crossway, Fool Moon Rising is unlike any other children's book I have ever read. Not only are the illustrations lively, colorful, and exhilarating, but this book is packed with the biblical principles that I want to teach my son. This is in stark contrast to many other kid's books in circulation today. Where other books aim at just keeping junior entertained for the duration of the reading with colorful pictures and pop-up tabs, Fool Moon Rising seeks to teach children (and their parents!) a lesson about pride and humility.

The entire book is an extended metaphor of the moon and the sun. In the story, the moon boasts in himself, bragging that it is he who lights up the night sky and controls the ocean's tide. He has become a proud moon. That all changes when the sun emits a piercing ray that opens the eyes of the moon to see that "his light comes from the sun."

Fool Moon Rising is not just a book for kids. There is a deep truth emitted through this book, namely that we as human beings have no grounding for pride, since all that we are has been given to us by God. This biblical truth of humility is one that my son and I both need to fully grasp, and Fool Moon Rising will hopefully aid us in that process.

I would highly recommend this book to all. Though it is written with 3 to 7 year-old children in mind, anyone would benefit from reading it. Be sure to check out the book's website to learn more about the book and see many of the beautiful illustrations.

Buy it here.

Book Recommendation: Crazy Love

Francis Chan is a relatively new face to the Christian community. He is the teaching pastor at Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, California and has burst onto the scene with his first book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. I've heard nothing but good things about it. Though I haven't read it yet, I think this is one book that I will save for a relaxing Saturday. Tim Challies has taken the time to read the book and review it, so I'll just point you to his review instead of trying to write my own.

Feel free to browse the browse the book here.

It is also worth mentioning that Chan has a new book out entitled Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit. This is a balanced approach to the Holy Spirit that is not seen in many Christian circles today. Tim Challies has, once again, taken the time to review this book as well.

I look forward to reading both of these books in the near future, and I would recommend, if you have the time, to do the same.

Buy Crazy Love here

Buy Forgotten God here

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: The Reason for Sports

At the moment, I think my list of books-to-read is nearing about 200. To be honest, I'll never be able to read all of these books in my lifetime. But I keep the list so that I don't forget what I would like to eventually read some day if I have the time. Well, about two weeks ago, I added this book to the list, The Reason For Sports: A Christian Fanifesto by Ted Kluck.

I was first introduced to Mr. Kluck when I read two books he coauthored along with Kevin DeYoung entitled Why We're Not Emergent and Why We Love the Church. His writing style is captivating and easy to follow, leaving you chuckling to yourself and wanting to read more. Having played football in college and written extensively for ESPN, Ted knows sports like the back of his hand. In addition, he is also a rock solid Christian who loves attending and serving his local church in Michigan. Therefore, there are few authors who are better suited to write about the place of sports in our Christian lives.

Since I have yet to read The Reason For Sports, I will point you to two book reviews done by Christian men I admire. First, Tim Challies. Here is an excerpt from his review.

"The Reason for Sports is "A Christian Fanifesto," according to the subtitle, a series of essays on the subject. So it is not a cohesive A-Z kind of look at the topic and neither is it an apologetic for professional sports. Instead, it is a book that moves from one topic to the next, often based around articles that have been expanded from ones first printed at ESPN or elsewhere. Thus the strength of the book is not so much in the book as a whole, but in the scope of the topics it covers. Those topics include apologies (something athletes seem to have endless opportunities to practice, though few get it right), steroids and performance enhancing drugs, honest and dishonesty, pride and humility, the emptiness that the most popular athletes may feel even when at the top of their game, sports in popular film and the often perilous link between sports and sexuality. Like I said, this is a book with a broad scope!

And second, Kevin DeYoung. Kevin DeYoung is actually Ted's pastor. He couldn't recommend this book any higher. I can't wait to read it.

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.

Books on Suffering

I believe that one of the hardest questions for any Christian to answer and provide counsel on is this: "How can a good and loving God allow (or even ordain) evil to exist?" It is a profound question with seemingly difficult implications and hard answers. Yet, God is not silent in answering this question. Throughout Scripture, God speaks very clearly on this subject and gives numerous examples of suffering and His hand in it, most notably in the substitutionary death of His Son on the cross. The following books do an outstanding job of expounding upon this very question.

Spectacular Sins by John Piper: (enter small preview of the book)






Suffering and the Sovereignty of God edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor: (enter blurb about book)





How Long, O Lord? by D.A. Carson: (enter blurb for book)






The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God by John Piper: When trying to understand the subject of suffering and sovereignty of God, there is scarcely any better biblical story to saturate yourself with than the story of Job. Not only are we, the reader, given an example of a man in extreme suffering who responds rightly through it all, but we are also blessed with the gift of seeing how God works behind the scenes throughout the evil and suffering that occurs in Job's life as well as our own. Knowing this, John Piper has rewritten Job's story in the form of a narrative poem. Densely packed with theology that comforts, this short poem will strike affections in the heart and nourish the soul with the truth of the mercy and bigness of God.

"Behold the mercy of our King,
Who takes from death its bitter sting,
And by his blood, and often ours,
Brings triumph out of hostile pow'rs,
And paints, with crimson, earth and soul
Until the bloody work is whole.
What we have lost God will restore -
That, and himself, forevermore,
When he is finished with his art:
The quiet worship of our heart.
When God creates a humble hush,
And makes Leviathan his brush,
It won't be long before the rod
Becomes the tender kiss of God."

When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada: (enter blurb about book)






Suffering and the Goodness of God by Christopher Morgan: (enter blurb about book)






The God I Don't Understand by Christopher Wright: (enter blurb about book)






All Things for Good by Thomas Watson: (enter blurb about book)






Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper: William Tyndale's driving passion was to see the Bible translated into the English language so that any England might finally be able to read it themselves. He was betrayed by a friend, tortured, and burned for it. John G. Paton set his hopes of bringing the Gospel to a tribe of cannibals on the island of Tanna on November 5, 1858. Four months later, the fever claimed the lives of his wife and newborn son. Four years later, he was driven off the island with no Gospel fruit to show in the lives of the cannibals. Adoniram Judson set out to bring Christ to Burma no matter what it cost. It cost him the lives of two of his wives, seven children, and many colleagues. These men suffered greatly for the spread of the Gospel to the nations. And John Piper has given them a voice so that we might listen and follow suite. Read the rest of my book review.