Results tagged “reading”
Reading Classics Together - Redemption Accomplished and Applied (II) (11/19/09 - 14 Comments)
This is week two of our reading project. We are reading our way through John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, a classic text that provides a thorough treatment of the doctrine of the atonement. Murray is not a man to waste a word, so this book is dense; but he is also a brilliant theologian, so it is well worth the sometimes-difficult read. It is work, but the pay-off is huge. If you would like...
No Day Without Its Line (11/14/09 - 11 Comments)
A little while ago I read Warren Wiersbe's book 50 People Every Christian Should Know. Just the other day I was tidying up my bookcases and noticed a toothpick sticking out of the book. I opened it to the page marked by the toothpick and found a quote I guess I must have been hoping to come back to. Turns out it's a good one. It comes from a chapter devoted to Alexander Whyte. Here...
Reading Classics Together - Redemption Accomplished and Applied (I) (11/12/09 - 31 Comments)
Today we begin another iteration of Reading Classics Together--a project which affords us the structure and accountability to read through some of the classics of the Christian faith. This time around we are reading John Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied. The structure of the program is simple. We read one chapter per week and then come here to discuss it. Each week I will create a post like this one to introduce the topic and...
Reading Classics Together - A Reminder (11/05/09 - 15 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...
Unleashing the Word (11/03/09 - 17 Comments)
When was the last time you read a book about reading? Maybe you have read Adler's How to Read a Book or another like it. When was the last time you read a book about reading Scripture? Maybe you have read a book about how to do better personal devotions and have found there some ideas about reading Scripture in a more effective way. But when was the last time you read a book about...
Great Truths (10/23/09 - 9 Comments)
If you were one of the four million people to read the bestselling book Freakonomics, you will pretty well know what to expect from the long-awaited sequel SuperFreakonomics. It has five chapters, each of which stands on its own and each of which ties varied economic data into some kind of a cohesive whole. It is just as interesting as its predecessor and sticks very closely to the formula that made the first book such...
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...
All About Endorsements (07/13/09 - 52 Comments)
I've been thinking a fair bit lately about endorsements (or blurbs, if you prefer)--the little lines and paragraphs you see on the back of a book giving you good reasons why you really ought to read it. I have done this as I've gone through a process of defining my ministry, what I will give time to and what I will not give time to. Endorsements, when done right, take a lot of time and...
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...
Monitoring Mohler (II) (07/03/09 - 16 Comments)
A couple of weeks ago I said that I was Monitoring Mohler (so to speak), reading through his entire suggested summer reading list. At that point I had read The Unforgiving Minute, With Wings Like Eagles, Hunting Eichmann and World War One. Since then I've read several of the other titles on this list and thought I'd check in. Number five on the list was Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton. Mohler says, "Horse Soldiers is...
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...