• Hannah Reeves • Posted in Book Reviews
There are different kinds of books in the Christian world. There are the worship books, like Knowing God by J.I. Packer; books that set the manifold beauty of the Lord on display and draw your heart to behold and wonder. There are the paradigm shifters, like Desiring God by John Piper; books that make you stop and think and think and think some more. There are the deep books: the systematic theologies, Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion, various commentaries and sermon collections that, like old, wise friends teach and explain and call us ever upward into the limitless glory and unshakable truth of God. And then, there are the Just Do It books. Personal. Practical. Pointed. Oh there is beauty, and there is truth, and there even might be a paradigm shift or two; but for the most part, these books are like physical therapists. They help you to evaluate your weaknesses and point out exercises you can do to grow strong.
That is, in essence, the point of Mary Kassian’s book The Right Kind of Strong: Surprisingly Simple Habits of a Spiritually Strong Woman. God wants His people, He wants His daughters to be strong, mature, grounded and growing, in faith, in wisdom, in truth, and in godliness.
• Posted in Advent, Book Reviews, Books, Devotions, Evangelism, Family, Life in the Church, Parenting
by Cassie Sasser
A Resource for Advent
Marty Machowski and Sovereign Grace Music have given us two new resources to help us see the Christ Child and the risen Savior in the Prepare Him Room advent book and the Christmas CD of the same name. I say “to help us”, because isn’t it the case with all thoughtful Christian material for children that we all (both the child and the adult who has the privilege of reading it to him) grow deeper in our understanding of the Savior?
As our own family life began, over 45 years ago, one of…
• Posted in Bible, Book Reviews, Books, Discipleship, Life in the Church
Cheryl Teal wrote this review of Ed Welch's Running Scared for her blog, and I asked if we could use it for ours. She does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the book in a way that explains, encourages, and edifies.
• Posted in Book Reviews, Books, Theology
Reformation 21 has posted a well-written review on Rob Bell's new book, What We Talk about When We Talk about God. I have not read the book myself, but it sounds as if Bell is continuing his journey into quasi-orthodoxy. When it comes to being radical as a Christian, this must always be about how we obey what we believe, not how we change what we believe.
• Posted in Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Book Reviews, Sanctification
"No manliness no maturity! No discipline no discipleship! No sweat no sainthood!" (15). This captures the message Kent Hughes delivers in Disciplines of a Godly Man (Crossway, 2001).
• Posted in Bible, Book Reviews, Discipleship, New Testament
Ever read through a passage of Scripture and thought, "Ok....not sure what that was about or how it connects to my life"? Cross-references and commentaries can help connect the dots, but not just any commentary.
• Posted in Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Book Reviews, Sanctification, Work
The Masculine Mandate: God’s Calling to Men (2010), is an excellent combination of illustrations, biblical reflection, and insight about what God asks of men. We are to work the gardens where God has put us to labor – cultivating, nurturing, building up, and leading – in our parenting, marriage, workplace, church, and friendships.
• Posted in Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Book Reviews, Discipleship
Turns out that duct tape is good for a variety of things—except for sealing ducts. In other words, it is failing in the very task for which it was named. Randy Stinson and Dan Dumas tell us this as they begin their book on manhood and close with this observation: “There’s a lot men can do, but they are struggling to do what they were created for” (p. 3).