daddy4ms

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.

Occasionally, I like to share what I am reading at the moment.  A few of the books are for classes, groups, or staff discussion, but the rest are for edification and growth.  Here is my list for the start of 2012: The Resolution for Men by Alex & Stephen Kendrick The Legacy Path by Brian Haynes The Good & Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith Who Stole My Church by Gordon MacDonald The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller Sticky Faith by Kara Powell & Chap Clark Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian Here is a quote from The Good and Beautiful God : "As we spend time in quiet and rest and contemplation, sitting at the feet of Jesus, we gain strength to act in wisdom in the hustle and bustle of a busy world."

Yesterday, I finished the book, Prodigal God, by Timothy Keller. I had been challenged and enjoyed the book from the very beginning as he explains that the Parable of the Prodigal Son is wrongly named. It should instead be the Parable of the Sons. He suggests that we have been taught to focus on the younger, more rebellious son, even though the older son also had issues to deal with too. The focus is not just on a God who forgives the wayward son, but the self-righteous son as well. Too often our churches are full of "older brothers" and miss out on the true meaning of the parable. It is not about "them" but about us and our need for Christ. I am an older brother as I have confessed before. The book continues to explain the parable in insightful and challenging ways. But Keller brings it home, in my opinion, in the last chapter. As I read, I was a "highlighting freak". I kept reading and saying, "wow! that is true, that is good, yes". B...

The title of this post is true for 2 reasons. First of all, I am the older brother to Abbie. Growing up as an older brother, I tried to protect, watch out for, and take care of my little sister. But, I often failed in this such as the time I raced her down the big hill which ended with her getting stitches. But I'm also the older brother in the parable of the two sons (or better know to many of us as the prodigal son in Luke 15). Recently, we had a sermon where the speaker admitted that he would have been a Pharisee if he was alive during Jesus' time. Even though, we would like to disagree with that, many of us would have to agree with him. So, as I was reading Tim Keller's book, The Prodigal God, this morning I was reminded how I am the older brother again. Keller challenges our understanding of what the point or message of this parable really is. Is it about a forgiving God? Yes, but Keller says it's more. The audience is the Pharisees so they would easily h...

Here is a list of the books I am reading: The Dad in the Mirror by Morley & Delk (Great book for Dads that we are reading as part of D6 Dads) Collaborate by Chanley (Book on 35 different ways to connect family & church) The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller (This one is going to challenge my thinking. Only read 2 Chapters and I am already looking at Luke 15 differently) Radical by David Platt (My toes already hurt! I think this book has a similar theme as The Naked Anabaptist. After only reading the first chapter, I am challenged to not just know what Jesus said but also live it out. His premise: the American Dream has created a comfortable Jesus. More to come as I get farther into the book) Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll (The subtitle says it all, "Reaching out without selling out." A great book about the gospel, evangelism, church & culture.) I think 2011 is going to be a challenging year of reading. Check back later for more quotes and thoug...