Free Audio Book: Desiring God

Desiring God Ministries and Christian Audio have partnered together to offer a free audiobook of John Piper's classic book, Desiring God. Download it here.

Be sure to download it before the end of the month because this offer only lasts through November.

Update: If you are having trouble downloading the audio book, it is because Christian Audio's servers are overwhelmed. Try the download again in a few days, and you should be fine.

Mark Driscoll on Idols

Check out Mark Driscoll as he discerns the idols of our modern-day, American culture on Nightline.

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.

You Wanna Know What Love Is?

For some reason, I had the words of the popular song, "I Want to Know What Love Is," in my head today. So of course, I had to YouTube it to get my fix.

"I want to know what love is.
I want you to show me.
I want to feel what love is.
I know you can show me."

In reality, this is the desire of the whole world. We want to know and feel that we are loved. Sadly, many of us will run to anything that will meet our desire for love, not knowing that eventually it will not deliver. Friends will betray us, spouses will die, the drugs & alcohol will wear off, the kids will move out, the house will decay, and when times are the hardest, no one will be there for us. Nothing will ever fully satisfy the desire of our hearts - to fully & completely know and feel loved forever... except the One who gave up everything for you.

Jesus Christ will never leave you nor forsake you. He will never die, leaving you feeling alone. He will never betray you, leaving you to fend for yourself. He will never lie to you. He will be your rock and your shelter in times of need. He will love you completely, despite your many sins.

You wanna know what love is?

• "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us." - 1 John 3:16
• "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." - 1 John 4:9-10
• "For God so loved the world, that we gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
  

What Can't Science Account For?

In a debate in 1998, William Lane Craig answers the question posed in the title of this blog post, "What can't science account for?" His answer is fivefold.

1. Logical & Mathematical truths
2. Metaphysical truths
3. Ethical statements
4. Aesthetic statements
5. Science itself

What do you think of his answer?

How to Set Up Your Desk

What's Best Next? is the best blog I have read regarding the principles of productivity and organizational skills. Written by Matt Perman, this blog has taught me so much with regards to "getting things done." To whet your appetite, check out his latest series entitled, "How to Set Up Your Desk."

1. How to Set Up Your Desk: An Introduction
2. How to Set Up Your Desk: Basic Principles
3. Excursus: Against Desk Hotels
4. The Four Ways to Configure a Desk
5. Where to Put Your Desk
6. What to Put on Your Desktop and How to Use It
7. What to Put in Your Desk Drawers and How to Use Them
8. The Rest of the Room: How to Set Up Your Office

Free Tim Keller Sermons

Redeemer Presbyterian Church has done the Christian church a favor by making many of Tim Keller's sermons available online for free. I know I'll be spending some time downloading many, if not all, of them. Ha! Here's Redeemer's reasoning for making these sermons available for free to anyone and everyone.

"Redeemer’s Sermon Ministry has been faithfully recording, cataloging and reproducing all of our sermons for the past 20 years. To celebrate all 20 years of our history, and to meet the growing demand for our church’s teaching in New York City and around the world, we have created this resource of 150 sermons and lectures covering a broad array of topics, completely free to download and share.

The recordings chosen for the Free Sermon Resource were culled from classic sermon series as well as lectures and seminar addresses delivered to various Redeemer ministry gatherings, and are intended to present to the listener the full scope of teachings they would receive over several years of active involvement at Redeemer."

If you are not familiar with Tim Keller is, here is a brief intro. He is the pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Mr. Keller also co-founded The Gospel Coalition. In addition, he is also the author of best-selling The Reason for God, The Prodigal God, and his brand new book, Counterfeit Gods. I would highly recommend them all to you.

Thanks to: Justin Taylor

Why Homo Unius Libri?

Here's the deal. When I first named this blog, I named it Pondering Christ & His Cross. While I think that name is a wonderful name for this blog, I always knew that it was going to be a temporary name until I could find a more permanent one that better described what I am trying to do through my blog. Well last week, I finally found the permanent name for my blog... Homo Unius Libri. It means "a man of one book." As you can read in the About Me section of this blog, my main purpose for starting this blog is to "equip my Christian brothers & sisters with Christ-exalting resources." However, how do we know what is Christ-exalting? We come to find what exalts Christ the most from Scripture alone. Therefore, if I am to recommend to others Christ-exalting books, I must first be a man of one book. This is my goal for all of my fellow believers. If we are not men of the Bible first, all of the other books that we read will never have the empowering affect on our lives like God's Word does. May we all desire to be homo unius libri.

"I have thought I am a creature of a day, passing through life as an arrow through the air. I am a spirit come from God and returning to God; just hovering over the great gulf, till a few moments hence I am no more seen. I drop into an unchangeable eternity! I want to know one thing, the way to heaven—how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God! I have it. Here is knowledge enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri [a man of one book]."

- John Wesley, "Preface to Sermons on Several Occasions, 1746," The Works of John Wesley