Free eBook in Time for Reformation Day!

Today, October 31, is best known as Halloween. Yet on this very day in 1517, an Augustinian monk nailed a document to the church door in Wittenberg calling for public debate of 95 issues of doctrine and church practice. At the time Martin Luther did not know that he would be excommunicated from the church or that his act would be the starting point of a great reformation of the Christian faith.

John Piper’s ministry, Desiring God, has just released a short biography (41 pages) of Luther that could easily be read in one sitting. Given that today, October 31, 2012, marks the 495^th anniversary of Luther’s nailing the 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg cathedral, this book is very timely. I highly recommend learning about Luther and the Protestant Reformation since we have benefitted from and built on so much of what they discovered and taught from the Bible.

Here’s a selection from the original blog post on Desiring God:

Originally delivered as the biographical message at the 1995 Conference for Pastors, this new ebook features five chapters that present a sketch of Luther's life and distill relevant lessons for not only pastors and leaders, but all Christians.
 To download Martin Luther: Lessons from His Life and Labor, click on the following format options:Download ebook as a PDF file.Download ebook as an EPUB file formatted for readers like the Nook, Sony Reader, and Apple iBooks (iPad, iPhone, iPod).Download ebook as a MOBI file formatted for Kindle applications (this option works well on some mobile devices, and not so well on others).

Book Review: Desiring God by John Piper

One of John Piper’s earliest books casts a shadow over all the rest in terms of long term impact and influence. His whole ministry derives its name from the title of his book, and it is appropriately titled, because he has endeavored to spend his whole live in one purpose: desiring God.

The twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Desiring God is not much different from prior editions. It has a new preface, but the rest of the book is largely unchanged. And it shouldn’t be. Since Piper’s whole ministry is founded on the principles of this book (which is just a chronicling of what Piper has understood from the Bible), I would have reason for concern if the book had significant changes from edition to edition.

For those who’ve never read the book and are looking for a summary, this is what I offer: Desiring God is the fruit of John Piper’s meditations on the Word of God. He has come to the conclusion that our greatest joy should be in God. He is not a means to our joy, but the source and object of our joy. Once Piper has established this fact, he draws out many implications from it.

Once this clicked, Piper’s life was changed forever. Chances are, if it clicks for you, similar change will result. I cannot recommend this book enough. John Piper is fortunate in that God has chosen him to write a book that is a defining work of a generation. Read it. Go over the Bible. And see that it is true.

One philosophy of Desiring God Ministries is to provide ministry and theological resources for free to aid Christians globally. The basic book and study guide of Desiring God are available online in digital format. If you don’t want to spend the money, download it and read it. I am that much a supporter of the book. As a matter of fact, I’ve purchased some Spanish copies (Sed de Dios) to give to some leaders in our Hispanic ministry at church.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Theological Famine Relief

I subscribe to the Desiring God (DG) blog feed and regularly read up on the happenings within that ministry. They have so many Christian resources that I regularly check out the site for access to online books, conference messages, and the like.

One specific outreach of Desiring God is called, “Theological Famine Relief for the Global Church.” In addition to the plethora of digital resources on the website, DG also works to provide print materials and other helps to Christians overseas who have little or no access to good, quality, Christian literature.

One conference speaker I try to listen to often is D.A. Carson, and he frequently mentions how blessed we are as English speakers in the West. No other language has anything close to the sheer volume of Christian literature as ours.

Since I work with Hispanics, I can say that holds true for Spanish as well. There are so few resources. Yet compared to other languages, even Spanish has a large amount of resources available.

On the DG blog today was an article about the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR). This Sub-Saharan African country has been torn apart by rebel violence, civil war, and unrest. At the request of local pastors, a DG staff member went to the DCR to help put on a pastor’s conference.

Though their English skills were basic, the pastors there received with joy the book, 50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die. Based in part on the need in DCR, Rwanda, Kenya, and other places, Desiring God worked to translate the book into Swahili.

If you don’t support a missionary, international outreach, or translation group, please consider praying and putting aside some money on a regular basis to fund one of these groups. Just a few dollars can purchase a book that will bring joy to a pastor and enable him to better lead Christ’s congregation where he serves.