This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Cruciform Press, the publishing company I co-founded. Cruciform is offering 5 giveaway packages of 5 books each, and the winners will get to pick from any of the 14 titles we have published to date. If you win, you will be notified by email; you can then write back and let me know which 5 titles you would like to receive. You can even choose multiple copies of the same title, if you prefer.

Here are some other current offers from Cruciform Press.

• Our Christmas Sale on print books and ebooks.
• An opportunity to get The Book of Mary: Diary of an Addict for 99 cents when it comes out as an ebook in a week or so. (This is primarily an evangelistic tool, but probably of interest to many Christians as well.)
• Several Cruciform ebooks are on sale, both at the Cruciform site and at Amazon, for $2.99, and my book, Sexual Detox, for just 99 cents. Sale ends December 20. Get the details here.

As always, there are 5 prizes to win, so go ahead and sign up now! 

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

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This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Evangelical Press. They are giving away 5 prize packages, each of which contains the following 3 books:

• Defiant Grace by Dane Ortlund.
• How Sermons Work by David Murray. (If you haven’t yet, be sure to watch the clever trailer for it)
• Zeal for Godliness is a series of devotional mediations from Calvins Institutes that includes contributions from Sinclair Ferguson, Ligon Duncan, Carl Trueman, Justin Taylor, Phil Ryken, Guy Waters, Richard Philips, Derek Thomas, Carlton Wynne, Paul Helm, Stephen Nichols, Sean Lucas, Iain Campbell.

Defiant Grace looks like a very interesting title (and one I’ve got on my pile of books to read). Here is what a couple of people have said about it: 

The world wants justice and, truth to tell, the church often wants that too. In this book, Dane Ortlund makes the case from the Gospels that what the church and the world to whom she witnesses needs is grace. Grace is counterintuitive, beyond price and yet totally free. Left to ourselves, we hate it. We seeing it as demeaning. We regard it as witnessing to our moral corruption and weakness. Yet grace is God’s way of salvation as revealed in the acts and sayings of Jesus in the four Gospels. This book is that strangest of things: the heartfelt rebuke which brings so much encouragement, freedom and joy. Well worth reading.’ (Carl R. Trueman - Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia)

'Dane Ortlund can flat-out write. He’s is a craftsman of prose, and more: he writes with theological discernment and an eye for heart application. To read this book is to have a surprising encounter with the Savior. Dane walks us through the four gospels, highlighting Christ’s astonishing words and actions-actions never more astonishing than at Calvary. More than anything, as I read these pages I was reminded of the Savior’s stunning love for me and of his defiant grace-grace that is shockingly unmeasured, vast, and free.’ (C. J. Mahaney, President, Sovereign Grace Ministries)

As always, there are 5 prizes to win, so go ahead and sign up now! 

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS, you'll need to click through to see the form.

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed (a company that is also offering up some great Black Friday deals today). This week’s giveaway is a big one (with a retail value of $368 per winner)! As always, there will be 5 winners. Each one will take home the following:

• ESV MacArthur Study Bible - Retail price $44.99
• Spurgeon’s Sermons, 5 Volume Set - Retail Price $200.00
• Hodge’s Systematic Theology, 3 Volumes - Retail Price $100.00
• At The Throne of Grace by John MacArthur - Retail Price $22.99

In addition, CBD Reformed is offering a 4-day sale (November 25 - November 28). Anyone is free to take advantage of these offers:

• A Praying Life by Paul Miller - retail $14.99 / sale $5.00
• The Space Trilogy, 3 Volumes by C.S. Lewis - retail $44.00 / sale $9.99
• Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex & Brett Harris - retail $17.99 / sale $9.99

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS, you'll need to click through to see the form.

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Crossway, a ministry and publisher that is well-known to you, I’m sure. Crossway is offering up a package of some of their new and exciting products. Actually, they are offering up 5 prize packages, each of which will contain the following 3 products:

• Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson (read more)
• Work Matters by Tom Nelson (read more)
• Community by Brad House (read more)
• Lit by Tony Reinke (read more)

My copy of Lit showed up just a couple of days ago. I actually read it several months ago and wrote this little endorsement for it: “Tony Reinke does not just read, but he reads well, and these are two very different things. If you are not much of a reader, consider Lit a part of your education. Tony will teach you to read, to read widely and to read well. If you are already an avid reader, consider Lit an investment that will instruct you in how to read better. In either case, this book will be a blessing to you.”

I’m also looking forward to reading Work Matters. Here’s what the publisher says about it: “Work. For some this word represents drudgery and the mundane. For others work is an idol to be served. If you find yourself anywhere on the spectrum from workaholic to weekend warrior, it's time to bridge the gap between Sunday worship and Monday work. Striking a balance between theological depth and practical counsel, Tom Nelson outlines God's purposes for work in a way that helps us to make the most of our vocation and to join God in his work in the world. Discover a new perspective on work that will transform your workday and make the majority of your waking hours matter, not only now, but for eternity.”

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Thursday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS, you'll need to click through to see the form.

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Rare Document Traders. They offered me a sermon manuscript page from a Charles Spurgeon sermon preached at the Metropolitan Tabernacle on Sunday, September 22, 1889. The page is heavily amended by the Prince of preachers himself before the sermon went to the printers.

It comes with the sermon manuscript page, as well as a printed page giving the sermon text itself and title, a picture suitable for framing and a certificate of validation and authenticity from Spurgeon’s College in London (see an example). I recently purchased one of these myself as a gift, so can attest that it’s genuine.

Let me explain just a little bit. When Spurgeon preached, someone would immediately transcribe the sermon. That transcription was passed to Spurgeon who would often make a few changes to it before sending it off to be printed and distributed. Here is how it happened:

At the Tabernacle a shorthand writer was always in attendance to take down the sermon as delivered…

The sermon, written out in longhand by the reporter, was taken to C. H. Spurgeon’s house, and early on Monday morning he commenced to revise it, first of all glancing at the number of folios to see whether the discourse were longer or shorter than usual, whether he would have to cut it down or write some additional matter to bring it to the required length. On one occasion, at least, the preacher was found by the servants at work upon the manuscript as early as four o’clock in the morning, and sometimes, when he had preaching engagements in the country on Monday (necessitating an early departure), he has been compelled, on Sunday night, after returning weary from the day’s labors at the Tabernacle, to begin revising the shorthand writer’s manuscript then. The work could not be left till Tuesday, and C. H. Spurgeon used playfully to remark that the earth itself would cease to revolve if the sermon did not come out every Thursday morning.

After the preacher had made the alterations and corrections which he considered necessary upon the manuscript, he used to hand it over to his private secretary for the verification of quotations, the proper punctuation of the matter, etc., and when about a third was ready, a messenger would take that installment post-haste to the printers, returning later for the remainder. By this time it was usually late in the afternoon, for the work was done thoroughly, and after tea the preacher had to hurry off to the Tabernacle for the weekly prayer meeting, which was sometimes followed by another engagement.

(source)

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed. And not surprisingly, they have put together a pretty good package. As always, there are 5 prizes to win and each prize will contain 3 books. They are:

• The Meaning Of Marriage by Tim Keller
• Bloodlines by John Piper 
• Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll

Here is the description for Keller’s latest book:

Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone-Christians, skeptics, singles, long-time married couples, and those about to be engaged-the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.

Modern culture would make you believe that everyone has a soul-mate; that romance is the most important part of a successful marriage; that your spouse is there to help you realize your potential; that marriage does not mean forever, but merely for now; that starting over after a divorce is the best solution to seemingly intractable marriage issues. All those modern-day assumptions are, in a word, wrong.

Using the Bible as his guide, coupled with insightful commentary from his wife of thirty-six years, Kathy, Timothy Keller shows that God created marriage to bring us closer to him and to bring us more joy in our lives. It is a glorious relationship that is also the most misunderstood and mysterious. With a clear-eyed understanding of the Bible, and meaningful instruction on how to have a successful marriage, The Meaning of Marriage is essential reading for anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life.

Also, CBD Reformed is running a special promotion on these 2 books:

• For and Against Calvinism Pack

Regularly priced at $33.98 for the 2 books, you can now buy them together for just $21.49. Whether or not you win the giveaway, you are more than welcome to take advantage of that offer.

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

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I typically give away free stuff on Fridays, but I’ve got a bonus giveaway this week courtesy of Desiring God—50 copies of John Piper’s new book Bloodlines. The only catch is that they can be shipped only to American and Canadian mailing addresses.

Here is a description of the book:

Genocide. Terrorism. Hate crimes. In a world where racism is far from dead, is unity amidst diversities even remotely possible?

Sharing from his own experiences growing up in the segregated South, pastor John Piper thoughtfully exposes the unremitting problem of racism. Instead of turning finally to organizations, education, famous personalities, or government programs to address racial strife, Piper reveals the definitive source of hope--teaching how the good news about Jesus Christ actively undermines the sins that feed racial strife, and leads to a many-colored and many-cultured kingdom of God.

Learn to pursue ethnic harmony from a biblical perspective, and to relate to real people different from yourself, as you take part in the bloodline of Jesus that is comprised of "every tongue, tribe, and nation.

And if you are interested in some of the background to the book, you may enjoy this 18-minute documentary.

Again, there are 50 copies to win. So have at it! The giveaway will close Tuesday at midnight.

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is themed for Reformation Day and sponsored by Ligonier Ministries. They are offering 1 grand prize and then 4 other prizes (that are grand, but not quite as grand). 

The grand prize winner will take home this amazing package of prizes:

• 2 Complimentary registrations to the Ligonier National Conference in March 2012.
• 2 Reformation Study Bibles (You can choose from leather, leather-like or hardback)
• 1 One year subscription to Tabletalk magazine
• 1 Luther and The Reformation teaching series on DVD
• 1 The Doctrines of Grace in John teaching series on DVD
• 1 coupon for 40% off your Ligonier.org store order

There will be 4 other winners and each of them will win 1 of the following prizes:

• 1 One year subscription to Tabletalk magazine
• 1 Luther and The Reformation teaching series on DVD
• 1 The Doctrines of Grace in John teaching series on DVD
• 1 coupon for 30% off your Ligonier.org store order

There are lots of prizes to win, so go ahead and give it a shot!

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

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This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by The Good Book Company. Today The Good Book Company is offering 5 winners two 50 pack sets of their Halloween tracts and a free copy of One Day Wonders, an activity book for Children's Ministries and families as they plan events around Christmas, Easter and Halloween. 

Halloween tracts with a gospel message

These engaging tracts take the theme of Halloween and use it as a springboard to explain the gospel to children and teenagers. A really positive way to share the good news with trick or treaters and also guests at alternative ‘harvest parties’.

Trick or Treat? is suitable for under 11s and The Fright of Your Life is ideal for ages 11-14. You can read both online.

Tips for giving away a tract at Halloween

1. Stock up on candy and tracts.
2. Make sure you’re home on the evening of 31st October or take them along to your local trunk or treat event.
3. When children come trick-or-treating, give them some candy along with a tract, which explains a bit more about Halloween.
4. Pray!

Run your own ‘Harvest Party’

Everything you need to run a gospel event on October 31st.

This flexible and fun Bible activity book for children and families includes ideas for games and activities, comprehensive notes for leaders, talk outlines, dramas, a section on promoting your event and much more.

Turn the darkest night of the year into a gospel opportunity! Find out more here…

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS or email, you may need to click through to see the form.

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by Songs for Saplings. They are giving away 5 prizes, each of which will contain all  5 of their CDs. Songs for Saplings creates lively, fun songs that deliver the deepest of Biblical truth in a format that children love to listen to. The music is not typical kid’s music, but appeals to adults as well. I find myself enjoying the music when we play it around our house or in the car.

Songs for Saplings is a ministry of the Dirksen family out of Portland, Oregon. The songs are written and performed by Dana Dirksen, and her 6 children, but don’t let the homey idea put you off, this is really good music, with great performances, musicians, and top quality production.

They have two series of music. The first series, “Songs for Saplings” is suitable for toddlers on up, and is the ABCs and 123s put to music, each song with a scripture verse. The second, “Questions with Answers” is based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. There are three CDs so far (covering the first 64 questions of the Catechism) and CD #4 is in the works now. You can listen to all the music free at music.songsforsaplings.com.

The Dirksens are giving away 5 sets of all 5 CDs, so go ahead and enter.

Giveaway Rules: You may only enter the draw once. Simply fill out your name and email address to enter the draw. As soon as the winners have been chosen, all names and addresses will be immediately and permanently erased. Winners will be notified by email. The giveaway closes Saturday at noon.

Note: If you are reading via RSS or email, you may need to click through to see the form.