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

John Piper vs. Tab Trainor, Josh Fenska, & Jamie Maxim

Anyone who knows me well knows that I deeply respect Pastor John Piper. When he has a new book come out, I buy it and read it. I subscribe to his sermon podcast weekly, and usually listen to 2-3 sermons of his each week. His pastoral and biblical teaching has helped shape and mold my life as a follower of Jesus Christ. I thank God for John Piper.

However, too often I fall into the trap of creating a celebrity out of Pastor Piper. Too often, I will listen to many of his sermons throughout the week, and then, when Sunday morning comes around, I am overly critical of my own local pastors because, in my eyes, they are no John Piper.

In some ways, this is true. John Piper is an extraordinarily gifted pastor who is not only affecting his local church in Minneapolis, MN, but the entire world. Many of his sermons and books are being translated into Spanish, Portugese, Chinese, and many other world languages in order to allow others to learn at the foot of Pastor Piper. He has a way of communicating the biblical text that is not only clear and pastoral, but also fervently passionate and brilliantly illustrative.

But overall, this is not true. Though my pastors may be no John Piper, Mr. Piper has not been given the task of caring for my soul. Nope. That task has been given to Tab Trainor, Josh Fenska, and Jamie Maxim at Sovereign Grace Church in Oswego, IL. And they carry it out well. My pastors care for my wife and I through the excellent teaching of God's Word on Sunday mornings, by praying for us continually, by counseling us through our decision to begin a family, by placing us in a Care Group where we will be cared for all the more by others in our lives, by ensuring that sin does not overtake us, and by faithfully reminding us of the Gospel where our Savior died for us.

When I get to heaven, yes, I will thank God for John Piper. But I will thank Him more for placing me in the care of Tab Trainor, Josh Fenska, and Jamie Maxim. My soul has been cared for well by these men.

So, John Piper, thank you for excellent teaching, your lucid communication of the Gospel, and your zealous passion to see God glorified through His people. I owe you many thanks. But you are no Tab Trainor. You are no Josh Fenska. And you are no Jamie Maxim. For they are the ones who are constantly caring for my soul.

FYI: Tim Challies has posted a thoughtful and careful critique of the celebrity culture that is afoot in Christian churches today. If you struggle with being critical of your own pastor because you listen to the likes of John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Driscoll, or Rick Warren on a daily basis, this article is well worth the time it takes to read it.

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 Review: The End of Secularism by Hunter Baker

What should the relationship be between the church and the state? Should religion be privatized and taken out of the public square? Does secularism actually provide a "new way forward for humankind," and more importantly, does it "live up to its billing?" Hunter Baker sets out to answer all of these questions and many more with precision and clarity in his new book, The End of Secularism.

Defining secularism as the exclusion of religious considerations from civil affairs, Mr. Baker argues that secularism does not live up to all the hype its advocates would have you believe. He offers a different resolution than secularism. However, his resolution may surprise some fundamental Christians who believe America should act as a theocracy (a form of government where God governs a human state). The nation of Israel in the Old Testament was a theocracy that was meant to point forward to coming of Christ when he would be the supreme ruler of the whole earth. But America is not a theocracy. In fact, Hunter Baker argues that the public square should be governed by pluralism, not secularism.

"Pluralism is better than secularism because it is not artificial. In a pluralistic environment, we simply enter the public square and say who we are and what we believe. We make arguments that advert to religion or other sources of values, and they are more or less convincing on a case-by-case basis. The result is that our arguments are naturally tempered by reality... Secularists ask that individuals with religious reasons pretend to think and act on some other basis."

Though Christianity is not a pluralistic religion, Baker's assessment of secularism and his solution of pluralism within the public square is refreshing and biblical. It is how Paul and Peter argued in the Jewish temple of their day, not with the fear of being "politically correct," but with honest and real convictions of heart.

Though the conclusion of this book is much needed in today's secular culture, the route that he takes to get there is the most intriguing part of this book. Baker reveals the historical development and birth of secularism. He takes his readers on a journey from 33 AD to the present and introduces them to historical giants such as Constantine, Theodosius I & II, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jonathan Edwards, showing how the teachings of them all aided in the birth of secularism. It's pretty amazing to see!

This book is very readable for the nature of it content. Though there were times I found some of Baker's conclusions flying over my head, I will be recommending The End of Secularism to all who want to learn about the place of religion in the public square.

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.

David Powlison on Marital Intimacy

David Powlison has some helpful videos on Marital Intimacy. I think Misha and I are going to sit down and watch them together soon. I hope these videos are helpful to any and all married couples.

If you are not familiar with David Powlison, he "is a counselor & faculty member at Christian Counseling & Education Foundation (CCEF) and has been the editor of The Journal of Biblical Counseling."







Thanks to: Justin Taylor

Top 50 Websites of 2009

Times has just made available its list of the top 50 websites for 2009. This is really helpful & interesting. It includes sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Skype, & Facebook as well as less known sites such as Shop Goodwill, Craiglook, & Fonolo. Check it out here.