Every Book Needs a Cover

Every book needs a cover and, as luck would have it, my book now has one. Choosing a cover was far more difficult than I would have imagined. Some readers may have noticed a white cover on the Crossway site. It was there for a short time before being replaced. Though I didn’t mind the white cover, I ultimately chose against it for two reasons. First, I thought it was too “zen,” looking a little bit too New Age for my liking; second, I thought it would blend too much into a white background. So instead I went with this cover, created by the great designers at Crossway.

There were several elements of this design that stood out to me. First, I like the colors. Though they are certainly bright, I know that the book is not going to get lost on the shelves. Second, I like the imagery. I wanted an image that somehow communicated discernment without being too obvious. To me, the little guy staring at the doors communicates discernment but without giving it all away (such as may have been the case with some other images). Third, I like its simplicity. The “action” all happens in a small portion of the design and that appeals to me.

The cover is not quite in its final form. Before it shows up in bookstores it will have “Foreword by John MacArthur” inserted somewhere. And there may be a couple of other minor changes to the graphics. But beyond this, it is pretty well as it will be.

While on the subject of the book, here is an endorsement that arrived just a short time ago courtesy of Dr. Ligon Duncan:

“One of my favorite John Murray sayings is "the difference between truth and error is not a chasm but a razor's edge." Spurgeon said something like it too: "Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather, it is the difference between right and almost right." Both these giants are emphasizing the vital quality (and difficulty) of discernment. Unfortunately, in our time, even among Christians, discernment is long in demand and short in supply. This is but one reason I'm so delighted to commend to you Tim Challies' The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment. Tim reminds us that the Bible constantly commands us to cultivate discernment, but he doesn't stop there. He tells us how, biblically. “

I’m still not entirely certain when the book will be available, but I think it will be very early in January.