A $0.99 Spending Splurge (Join me!)

I like to read. I also like to collect books. Sometimes, though, my collecting gets ahead of my reading by… oh… twenty books or so. It’s not that I don’t intend to read the books that I buy, it’s just that I find other things come up and my rate of book accrual outpaces my rate of book reading.

Normally my wife isn’t too bothered by this. In fact, she’s pretty accommodating of my penchant for purchasing books. However, we’re entering into a season where money is going to be tight because my employer is furloughing employees for a little over two weeks over the course of the summer and early fall. This means that I need to rein in my spending and get to work reading the books I already have. But what if I want to splurge, just a little?

Well, I’ve found the solution, at least for today: The Kindle version of Through the Eyes of Spurgeon is on sale for $0.99 on Amazon! I’ve already picked up my copy and it’s been downloaded to my reading device. At such a low price, you can get one too. The book (252 pages in print) is divided up into topics, so finding a specific quote is easy to do.

Take a chance and buy it for $0.99, or if you are hesitant, click the link above and check out the table of contents. There’s something for everybody. Besides, it’s summer. Splurge a little!

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: I Exalt You, O God

I Exalt You, O God: Encountering His Greatness in Your Private Worship. By Jerry Bridges. Colorado Springs, Colorado: WaterBrook Press. pp. 194. 2001. ($12.95 Kindle)

One of the benefits of digital books is the ability to bring back into circulation books that are no longer in print. Although you can find older copies of Jerry Bridges’ I Exalt You, O God in used bookstores and online, e-publishing has made it available anywhere in the world on most any computing device.

«««« (Good)

Jerry Bridges’ name is not foreign to my bookshelf. I’ve certainly enjoyed some of his books before, such as his best-known book, The Pursuit Holiness, and Trusting God, both of which I highly recommend. I Exalt You, O God is a 31-day devotional, which makes it a little different than his other works.

The book is intended for daily use in private devotions over a month-long period. I used to subscribe to the Our Daily Bread devotional, and I’ve participated in many devotional projects of varying length, so I can say that about thirty days seems standard for these kinds of books. It keeps the devotional manageable while not calling to such a long commitment like the many year-long devotionals I never got around to reading. To make it even more manageable, the book is divided into four sections to direct the reader’s focus to worshipping God for His 1) Greatness, 2) Holiness, 3) Wisdom, and 4) Love.

Bridges typically begins each daily devotional with a Bible passage along with some thoughts about it and the section theme it touches on. I appreciate that Bridges doesn’t simply rely on isolated verses, but gives clear explanation of the surrounding context and gets to the point of the main passage he’s discussing. His thoughts are well-organized and he doesn’t jump around from day to day—he has clear transitions. At the end of each day is a written prayer that incorporates Scripture touching on the day’s topic.

Most devotionals I’ve seen (especially those that emphasize how short they are) are light on Scripture and fairly shallow. Thankfully, Bridges anchors everything he says in Scripture and touches on some weightier topics like God’s sovereign control of all the universe, His wrath and love displayed in the cross, and the multi-faceted meaning of the “fear of God.”

I don’t always read devotionals, but if you need help getting into the Bible and praying on a consistent basis, or if you just need to fan into flame your desire to do so, I Exalt You, O God stands a pretty good chance of helping you do that.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of review.

"We Need the #Gospel in #Church" @RefTrust #JohnCalvin

True, many are content to have the gospel preached, provided it does not touch them, or make them uncomfortable. But the moment one stirs a stick in their dung, or uncovers their mischief, they despise such a person. If at first, then, they applauded the gospel, once they perceive that God is about to hold them accountable for their sins, behold, they forsake it all. Thus we witness today such untold murmuring against God and God's Word.

John Calvin, Sermons on the Book of Micah, quoted in The Expository Genius of John Calvin by Steven J. Lawson. (pp. 109-110). Kindle Edition.

I picked up this book by Steven J. Lawson the other day because it was on sale for 99¢ (through July 20, 2012). I like finding good deals online, and I've been very much enjoying the read. This quote from John Calvin struck me because of how applicable it is to us today.


There's an underlying fear in many churches and church members that being serious about what we believe will scare people away. And it's true that some just might leave. We have a lot of people sitting in on our services and lining our offering plates who don't want to hear anything more than "God bless you" when it comes to our faith in Christ. But the gospel must be proclaimed, even if that means people leave because they can't sit comfortably on the fence anymore. The truth is, God doesn't need their superficial presence or their financial holdings to build up his church and advance his kingdom. His kingdom will advance as the gospel advances.


Let's be bold with the gospel; we are powerless without it.

Book Review: Matthew Henry: His Life and Influence

Matthew Henry: His Life and Influence. By Allan Harman. Ross-shire, Scotland: Christian Focus Publications. pp. 208. 2012. ($14.99 Print | $9.99 Digital)

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««««« Five Stars

Matthew Henry was a talented and intelligent man, and his voluminous writing has left a great impact on the lives of many of those who’ve influenced our own spiritual walk. Many of his works are available free online in digital formats. Yet Henry, like many other writers of bygone days, receives less attention than he should.

Allan Harman’s book introduced me to the man behind the books, and to the story behind the man. The faithfulness of Christians who lived before him influenced Henry’s spiritual walk, and he, in turn, has influenced many others. Harman’s biography renewed my appreciation for people like Matthew Henry and his father, Philip Henry, and I’m even more inspired to reread some classic Christian writings.

Matthew Henry was an interesting man and the life he lived was a full one. His family endured through many trials. His father suffered religious persecution, even spending time in prison, while the whole family mourned the untimely death of close family members. Henry himself lost his first wife to illness and was a single father for a year before remarrying. He lost children to illness, and gained children through adopting his nieces and nephews after his sister passed away. Yet through it all he remained faithful to God. This is a life we can learn from.

Not many books are made to endure. Many of the books I read as a teenager are now out of print and teenagers today have never heard of them, much less read them. And this is in less than a decade! Yet Henry’s works will still be read long after I’m gone, and I’m grateful to Harman for introducing me not just to Henry’s works, but to his life as well.

I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of review.

eBook deal: Feed my Sheep for 99¢

I'm a big fan of ebooks. Ever since I got my Kindle Touch for Christmas, I've been using it almost daily for reading my Bible, required texts for my classes, and even listening to audio books. I subscribe to a number of blogs that point out deals and freebies for the Kindle, which is how I got our current small group book, Crazy Love, for free.

I've enjoyed some titles from Reformation Trust publishing, and right now they are having an ebook deal (available for both Kindle and ePub readers) on the book Feed my Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching. I've written a review of it before, and at 99¢ it is a steal. Since I already have it, I won't be jumping on this offer myself, but I will wait in eager anticipation for the next deal from Reformation Trust.