Reading Classics Together - A Reminder (11/05/09 - 10 Comments)
A couple of weeks ago I announced that the next book we would read together as part of the Reading Classics Together program would be Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray. We will begin reading that book on November 12, exactly one week from today. Actually, we will begin discussing the book on that date, so it would be best to start reading it before then. This is a final invitation to participate in...
Reading Classics Together (10/22/09 - 44 Comments)
It has been a few weeks now since we finished reading The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, the most recent entry in Reading Classics Together. The impetus for this project was the simple realization that, though many Christians want to read through the classics of the faith, few of us have the motivation to actually make it happen. This program allows us to read them together, providing both a level of accountability and the added...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (XIII) (09/17/09 - 9 Comments)
We made it! And honestly, it was barely even a challenge. There have been some classics that I've had to struggle to finish. Sometimes, by the end, it is hard work just to turn the next page. But that was not that case, at least for me, with The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. I found it a joy to read from beginning to end and it is one I know I will return to...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (XII) (09/10/09 - 6 Comments)
We've got just two readings left in this classic of the Christian faith, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Thanks for hanging in with me through what has proven to be quite a lengthy read (twelve weeks down, one to go). A few people have asked what I intend to read when this book is complete. Truth be told, I do not yet know. Give me a couple more weeks and I will make an...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (XI) (09/03/09 - 9 Comments)
Today we come to our eleventh reading in Jeremiah Burroughs' classic work The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. Around this time in "reading classics together" I tend to begin wondering how many people are still with me. But no matter, those of us who remain will press on! Summary After several chapters looking at the evils of a murmuring heart, Burroughs concludes his "negative" chapters by turning to "The Excuses of a Discontented Heart." Here...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (X) (08/27/09 - 9 Comments)
So, today we come to chapter 10 of The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. We're on the homestretch now and it seems that Burroughs is concentrating quite a bit on the negative aspects of the topic. This week he offers a series of "Aggravations of the Sin of Murmuring." Summary In this chapter Burroughs considers eleven aggravations brought about by murmuring. I. To murmur when we enjoy an abundance of mercy; the greater and more...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (IX) (08/20/09 - 14 Comments)
So after being just a little bit underwhelmed with chapter eight, I thought that Burroughs came back strong in chapter nine. Actually, I'm sure it is my fault and not his that I found the previous chapter slow-going, but I digress. There were a lot of things in this chapter, once again dealing with the evils of a murmuring heart, that hit me right between the eyes. Summary Some weeks I use this space to...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VIII) (08/14/09 - 8 Comments)
The editorial schedule around here has been a bit out of whack this week, leaving "Reading Classics Together" to get pushed from Thursday to Friday. Please accept my apologies (those of you who were expecting it yesterday). So though we're a day late, still we come to chapter eight, "The Evils of a Murmuring Spirit." Here Burroughs turns from the positive (the excellence of contentment) to the negative (the evil of a murmuring spirit). Summary...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VII) (08/06/09 - 8 Comments)
After a week's absence (based on a week's vacation) I am back today with the next chapter (Chapter 7) of Jeremiah Burroughs' The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. The topic for this reading is "The Excellence of Contentment." I do trust that many of you continue to read the book with me. Summary Every week I feel the need to begin with an expression of my affection for this book. Today will be no different!...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (VI) (07/23/09 - 21 Comments)
I am on vacation this week and will be giving just an abbreviated look at this chapter. But let me begin by saying that this book really is a treasure. This chapter and the one before it have been nothing short of excellent and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. There are not many books I read through more than once, but I am convinced that this will be one of them. I...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (V) (07/16/09 - 17 Comments)
The more I read of this book the more comfortable I am declaring it one of the best books I've ever read. I hope that is no small praise as I've read an awful lot of books. But this, at least through the first half (or nearly half) is speaking to me in a way few books do. The teaching is powerful, the illustrations superb. I have read and enjoyed Burroughs in the past, but...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (IV) (07/09/09 - 13 Comments)
Today, in our effort to read together some of the Christian classics, we come to chapter four of Jeremiah Burroughs' The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This is the third and final chapter that has dealt with "The Mystery of Contentment." Discussion I am not a very good reader. Though I read a lot, I have a lot of trouble with retention and lose far more than I remember. Maybe this is part of why...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (III) (07/02/09 - 11 Comments)
Today we come to our third reading in Jeremiah Burroughs' The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. If you have not yet started the book but would like to read along with us, you're not too late. We are only three chapters in and you can still easily catch up. Another couple of weeks and it may be difficult to catch up, so join in while you still can! Summary This is going to be a...
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (II) (06/25/09 - 27 Comments)
Today we come to our second reading in Jeremiah Burroughs' The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. If you have not yet started the book but would like to read along with us, you're not too late. We are only two chapters in and you can still easily catch up. Last week I had said that we would read chapters 2 and 3, but several participants in this program suggested that was hurrying things too much....
Reading Classics Together - The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (I) (06/18/09 - 24 Comments)
Today we start reading another classic book--Jeremiah Burrough's The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment. This follows some other great classics we've read together: Holiness by J.C. Ryle, Overcoming Sin and Temptation by John Owen, The Seven Sayings of the Savior on the Cross by A.W. Pink, The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Real Christianity by William Wilberforce. The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment was first published in 1648 and,...
Reading Classics Together - A Reminder (06/06/09 - 16 Comments)
I wanted to offer one more reminder that we'll soon be starting to read our next classic Christian book together. We will be reading The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs. I chose this book for a few reasons, among them its status as a true classic of the faith and one that is both pastoral and applicable, even today. We live, after all, in a world that is profoundly discontent and it...
Reading Classics Together (05/28/09 - 69 Comments)
It is time to announce the next classic book of the Christian faith that we will be reading together. The impetus for this project was the simple realization that, though many Christians want to read through the classics of the faith, few of us have the motivation to actually make it happen. This program allows us to read them together, providing both a level of accountability and the added of interest of comparing notes. Those...
Reading the Classics - Real Christianity (VII) (04/16/09 - 15 Comments)
So this is it. As of today we've read the final chapter of William Wilberforce's Real Christianity. This marks the seventh classic we've read together. I am going to offer a few closing remarks and then open it for discussion in case you'd like to reflect on the book. And then I guess we'll have to start thinking about what comes next. Discussion In the book's final chapter, Wilberforce offers "Practical Hints for Real Christianity."...
Reading the Classics - Real Christianity (VI) (04/09/09 - 4 Comments)
Today we come to the second-to-last reading in William Wilberforce's Real Christianity. Though I am enjoying this book I can't deny that it is not my favorite of the classics we've been reading. There is lots to enjoy but perhaps not quite as much that stands as a challenge to my faith, at least when compared to Overcoming Sin and Temptation or The Religious Affections. Not to complain, though, as I have derived benefit from...
Reading the Classics - Real Christianity (V) (04/02/09 - 4 Comments)
We continue today with our effort to read through William Wilberforce's Real Christianity. As you know, this book seeks to help the reader discern true faith from false beliefs. This week we come to the fourth chapter, "Inadequate Conceptions Concerning the Nature and the Discipline of Practical Christianity." Because this was a very long chapter, I will simply summarize it and provide a few favorite quotes for each of the chapter's headings. Discussion Wilberforce begins...
