Summer Reading List: End of July Update

The conclusion of July 2009 comes tomorrow and if nothing else than the fact that I've been commuting two to three times a week, I'm not sad that it's coming to an end. With the end of July upon us, summer is also drifting along and looking towards its demise as are the titles that make up my summer reading list. After taking a leisure break to read Young, Restless, Reformed by Collin Hansen, I now am embarking on the final two selections of my list. The Courage To Be Protestant will be first and I plan to begin reading it within the next day or so. Finally, I'll finish up with What Is A Healthy Church Member?. Thus far I have been very pleased with the books I chose to read this summer and plan to give further thoughts in a post at the conclusion of my reading list and summer.

Also, in an attempt to begin preparing myself for seminary studies (how can you ever fully prepare?), I have decided to use the upcoming fall semester as a time to read dead guys and biographies. By this I mean, I plan on reading classic works by great men who have departed us to spend eternity in Glory and biographies of notable Church history leaders, etc. I pray that this will be a time that will deeply encourage me as I conclude my undergraduate work and begin looking towards the future.

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January 19, 2010

January 19, 2010 is the day that Joshua Harris' new book is set to be released, and after many months of praying for his season of writing and waiting, he has finally unveiled the title and description. The book is entitled Dug Down Deep, which comes from the parable of wise man building his house upon the rock in Luke 6. He writes regarding the contents of the book:

Dug Down Deep has eleven chapters--eight of which are reflections of key Christian beliefs including the Doctrine of God, Scripture, the Person and Work of Christ, the Atonement and the Holy Spirit. The book is very personal and narrative-driven. I share the questions, misconceptions and hang-ups I've had what it's meant to allow Scripture's truth to reshape my thinking.

Needless to say, I am very excited for January 19 to come. If you'd like more information on the book from Harris himself, go here.

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the Word of our God stands forever

In remembering John Calvin on the 500th anniversary of his birth, Kevin DeYoung puts all focus where focus is due: God's glory and His everlasting Word. DeYoung writes:

The truly significant people in this world know that God is everything and they’re nothing. Fads and fashions will rise and fall, but the word will keep on accomplishing its purposes. It will outlast us all. So let our reading, memorizing, catechizing, and preaching be saturated with the word. Let our songs, ministries and mission submit to the word. May all of our theological questions, relationship questions, family questions look to the word. May every new doctrine, new movement, new church, and new book be tested against the word. May all our living and dying be undertaken with the firm conviction that God is true though everyone were a liar (Rom. 3:4).

This is by far one of the best posts I've read (and there have been many) celebrating the life and work of John Calvin. I encourage you to read the whole thing.

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Evangelicalism's Terminal Generation

Albert Mohler has a new article entitled Evangelicalism's Terminal Generation. He writes:

Benjamin Franklin, caught on the street during a break in the Constitutional Convention, is said to have been asked by a passerby to describe the new order to be proposed. "A republic," he answered, "if you can keep it." By definition, evangelicals are to be a Gospel people, cherishing, teaching, and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will remain evangelical only insofar as we maintain the integrity of our Gospel witness--if we can keep it. We are truly evangelical only if we keep our testimony to the Gospel without confusion or compromise.

For me, this was a wonderful read that really challenged and convicted me. I could have quoted the whole article, thus I encourage you to take the time to read the whole article.

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Summer Reading List Update

With July being almost a third over, I thought I would give an update on my summer reading list progress. I have completed Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints and Why Johnny Can't Preach. Currently, I am working on What is a Healthy Church? Also, I have added Why We Love the Church by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck to my list in hopes that I'll have extra time to get through another book. I'll post mid-August with my thoughts on the books I've read and a brief review of each.

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Every so often...

Every so often there comes a book release that I eagerly anticipate. So was the case for the ESV Study Bible, so will be the case for Joshua Harris' new book to be released next year and so has been the case in recent weeks for Why We Love The Church. Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck did such a supereb job on their book Why We're Not Emergent, clearly outlining the dangers of the Emergent Church movement. When I heard they were teaming up for another book, I couldn't help but be excited. Last week their book hit shelves, and I am anxiously awaiting it's arrival in the next week or so. Needless to say, this book will be added to my summer reading list. However, in the mean time, Tim Challies' has a great review on the book and I encourage you all to read it and highly consider investing in the book yourself.

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Suffering in Relation to God's Church

So often we get in this rut where we feel that we should not be the ones to suffer. We continuously ask ourselves questions like, "Why is this happening to me?" and "Why do I have to be the one that always suffers." Tim Challies has a great post in regards to Ligon Duncan's new book, Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? In his post, Challies writes:

So I guess this is something we ought to keep in mind in those times that God calls us to suffer. Our suffering is not pointless; it is not meaningless. At least in part, our suffering is mandated by God so we can strengthen and edify our brothers and sisters in Christ so that they, and we, may strive toward Christian maturity. “Your suffering does not just belong to you. You are members of a body. Your suffering is for the body’s maturity as much as it is for yours. Your suffering is there to build up the church of Christ. It is there for the people of God to be given faith and hope and confidence in the hour of their trials. Your suffering is also the body’s suffering because one of God’s purposes in suffering is the maturity of the whole church.”

During times of great suffering, where we may feel helpless and alone, we must rely on the God, His Truth and His perfect and pleasing will. We must recognize the reality that our suffering could be causing a wider impact to glorify God in the lives of others, even though we might not be able to fully comprehend or see it.

Read Challies' whole post here.

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Challies' on Worship

Tim Challies has a great post entitled Worshiping Worship in which he shares an excerpt from D.A. Carson's book, Worship by the Book. Carson writes:

In an age increasingly suspicious of (linear) thought, there is much more respect for the “feelings” of things - whether a film or a church service. It is disturbingly easy to plot surveys of people, especially young people, drifting from a church of excellent preaching and teaching to one with excellent music because, it is alleged, there is “better worship” there. But we need to think carefully about this matter. Let us restrict ourselves for the moment to corporate worship. Although there are things that can be done to enhance corporate worship, there is a profound sense in which excellent worship cannot be attained merely by pursuing excellent worship. In the same way that, according to Jesus, you cannot find yourself until you lose yourself, so also you cannot find excellent corporate worship until you stop trying to find excellent corporate worship and pursue God himself. Despite the protestations, one sometimes wonders if we are beginning to worship worship rather than worship God.

I hope this challenges you as much as it did me. You can read the whole post here.

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