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There are some great deals for resources on the cross and resurrection this week.  I have personally only read the one by John Piper.  But have read other books by R.C. Sproul and Jonathan Dodson.  If you are looking for a helpful resource this Easter week, I encourage you to check out the following links. Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper.  Available for $.99 here The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul.  Available here for free. Raised by Jonathan Dodson and Brad Watson is also free here  I also recommend the following books about Jesus: Jesus Is ________________ by Judah Smith Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchvidjian  The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller The Gospel of Yes by Mike Glenn You can purchase these at Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton or your local Christian store.

I am continuing to read Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die by John Piper. This short book with short chapters has been a great read during this time of Lent. It is great to be reminded and taught about the multiple reasons Jesus died beyond just forgiveness and heaven. Here are a few reasons for you to ponder today: To Bring Us To Faith and Keep Us Faithful To Take Away Our Condemnation To Abolish Rituals as Basis for Salvation To Make Us Holy, Blameless, and Perfect To Give Us a Clear Conscience I want to close with a few quotes that impacted me today: "The suffering of Christ secures our perfection so firmly that it is already now a reality. Therefore, we fight against our sin not simply to become perfect, but because we are. The death of Jesus is the key to battling our imperfections on the firm foundation of our perfection." "When our conscience rises up and condemns us, where will we turn? We turn to Christ."

I mentioned in a previous post that I had read Operation Screwtape by Andrew Farley. It is a great fiction book with a lot of truth to ponder and live by. One of the things that the book has challenged me to do is during this time of Lent is to spend the next few weeks pondering what Christ accomplished on the cross. We know our sins are forgiven. We grasp that death is defeated. But what else? The answer to this question will affect how you live the Christian life. I will be reading through Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came To Die by John Piper to help me in this study. I would encourage you as well to consider focusing on the "Work" (word used to describe the Cross in Operation Screwtape) during Lent.

This past weekend, in my Sunday School class, we were looking at how Jesus came, died, and rose again.  We discussed how Jesus went against the culture's view of power, strength, & victory.  He chose to come and serve and die and rise again.  All of these are still difficult for us to understand. Why did Jesus leave the comfort of heaven to come to earth? Does Jesus really love me so much that He endured pain and death on the cross for me? Did Jesus really want us to serve others rather than "looking out for number one?" Can my weakness really be a strength? What did Jesus' death on the cross achieve? All good questions to ponder during this time of preparation for Easter.  I thought I would share a few Scripture passages and books to consider reading as you meditate on the cross during Lent.  Some of these I have read completely and others have only been read in part.  Here are a few suggestions: Matthew 26-28 Mark 14-16 Luke 22-24 John 1...