May is almost upon us, and to get the month started right, here are some wallpapers calendars that will dress up your computer, tablet or cell phone. This month’s wallpaper comes from Chris Merritt, who runs a digital design studio known as Pixelight Creative, tucked away in the warm suburbs of Dallas, Texas. Chris does all sorts of design work for the web and for mobile platforms, but his passion lies in building things that further the Kingdom. Pixelight exists to solve real problems in the world, to love people well, and to proclaim the Gospel.

A few notes: Your desktop or laptop may take any of the sizes, depending on your monitor size and a host of other considerations. You can click here to see what your resolution is. Generally you set one of these are your wallpaper by clicking on the link to the image, then right-clicking on the image (once it's open) and selecting "Set as Background," "Set as Desktop Background," or something similar. If you aren't sure, post a comment and we'll try to help you figure it out.

Jesus Is King

We’re often faced with tragedy and suffering in our world, and recently it’s something we’ve had to witness too often. I created this art to remind myself that there will be a day when this will all go away. The day is coming when Jesus will rescue us. The day is coming when our King will sit on his throne and “everything sad will come untrue.”

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: Facebook Cover, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I'm in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about Romans.

Romans

Douglas Moo - The Epistle to the Romans (New International Commentary on the New Testament). There is no shortage of commentaries on the book of Romans! Not only that, but there is no shortage of excellent commentaries to choose from. Pride of place appears to go to Douglas Moo and his contribution to the NICNT series. D.A. Carson commends it and says, “Moo exhibits extraordinary sense in his exegesis. No less importantly, this is the first commentary to cull what is useful from the new perspective on Paul while nevertheless offering telling criticism of many of its exegetical and theological stances.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

John Murray - The Epistle to the Romans. Murray’s renowned commentary was part of the NICNT series until it was replaced by Moo’s volume. However, it is still sold as a standalone volume and remains a must-have for the serious student of Romans. Because of its age it will not interact with some of today’s challenges (such as the new perspective) but it is nevertheless an important resource. Derek Thomas praises Murray as “a master exegete and a brilliant systematician” and says that “every shelf should have a copy of this commentary.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Thomas Schreiner - Romans (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament). Several commentators on the commentaries seem to treat Moo, Murray and Schreiner as a team or trio. For example, Derek Thomas says, “Coupled with Murray on the one hand and Moo on the other, you will gain a firm exegetical and theological grasp of a text.” Jim Rosscup praises it as “close to the best among recent and all-time thorough works for scholars and more seriously capable lay people.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

I love reading books, but I also love reading reviews of books. Reviews allow me to discover books I haven’t heard of, they teach me to think wisely, they allow me to better prioritize the books I am considering reading, and they sometimes provide a helpful second opinion on books I have already read. For all of those reasons I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Here are a few notable links I've collected recently:

Sensing Jesus: Life and Ministry as a Human Being by Zack Eswine. Reviewed by Kevin Wilkening. Here is a positive review of a new book meant primarily for pastors. “By design, this book is not a quick read. Eswine wants us to pause, to feel, to sense. His writing style forces us to slow down and steep in the concept of recovering our humanity. After spending nearly a month seeing myself in the pages of Sensing Jesus I would highly recommend it for pastors and other church leaders. It will set you free from performance-based ministry. It will remind you that you are not God, and yet you are gloriously human—just what God created you to be.” (Mike Emlet at CCEF also speaks highly of this book.)  (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Jesus + Nothing = Everything by Tullian Tchividjian. Reviewed by Jesse Johnson. This is a new review of a much-praised but controversial book. “The thesis of J+N=E is that the only thing required for your sanctification is to think more about what Jesus has done. That's it. Jesus, plus Nothing, equals Everything for your sanctification. But I don't buy that approach to sanctification. I appreciate that Tchividjian clearly described what train he was on, and shows how it gets to his destination, but at the end of the day, I did not buy the ticket, and I'm not taking the ride. I believe that in Christ we are supposed to fight, labor, battle, walk, and work--and that all these efforts are more than looking back to Christ, but they are the active obedience to the commands of Scripture. I believe salvation is monergistic (it is only God's work), but that sanctification is synergistic, and that God will reward me for how I do my work. This is an actual theological disagreement with J+N=E, and it affects the core message of the book, so in that respect I read the book entirely though that lens.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Psalter Reclaimed by Gordon Wenham. Reviewed by Mike Leake. Leake recommends a book, despite the fact that it’s a difficult read. “Some books are like chopping up spaghetti for a two-year-old. They are really good but might be a little exhausting for the average reader. It's not that you'll choke on it and not be able to understand it, it's just that you might get so exhausted that you don't get the full benefit of the book. More experienced readers need to read these types of books and know how to ‘chop them up’ for others to enjoy. The Psalter Reclaimed is one of those books.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I'm in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about Joshua.

Joshua

Dale Ralph Davis - Joshua:No Falling Words (Focus on the Bible). I am always glad when there is a clear consensus on the best commentary on any given book. While Tremper Longman laments that the field for Joshua is not particularly strong, the top recommendation of most experts is Dale Ralph Davis’ contribution to the Focus on the Bible series. Derek Thomas says it “sets the standard for how to expound and apply historical narrative.” The series is meant to appeal to a general audience, so this is an ideal choice for layperson and preacher alike. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Richard S. Hess - Joshua (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). The TOTC and NOTC series have made many appearances on this list of best commentaries; Hess’ volume on Joshua is regarded as one of the best of the entire series. Longman says, “Hess, an acknowledged expert on ancient Near Eastern literature and Israelite history, defends the essential authenticity of the historical memory of the book.” Like Davis’ commentary, it is targeted at an intermediate audience and is suitable for all readers. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

David M. Howard - Joshua (New American Commentary). Howard’s contribution to the New American Commentary series is widely lauded. It is thoroughly Evangelical and, according to the experts at Denver Seminary, “appreciative of the history, with useful word studies.” Longman recommends it for being “well-written, well-researched and well-thought-out.” It is a slightly more advanced read than the two that have been recommended ahead of it. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy.

Rhythms of Grace by Mike Cosper. “Confusion abounds over how to define the term “worship." Is it singing? A service? Something that encompasses all of life? Helping Christians think more theologically about the nature of true worship Rhythms of Grace shows how the gospel is all about worship and worship is all about the gospel. Mike Cosper ultimately answers the question, What is worship? Bringing biblical truth to bear on this critical issue, Cosper, an experienced worship leader, argues that all true worship has one object (God), two contexts (the gathered church and the scattered church) and three audiences (God, the church, and the world). Writing from the conviction that the gospel is the heartbeat of true worship, Cosper explores four key areas (liturgy, song, style, and creativity), showing that worship is fundamental to spiritual formation. This eminently readable book, designed for church leaders and laypersons alike, offers a vibrant theology of worship that is biblical yet contextual, and systematic yet practical.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Kingdom Come by Sam Storms. "The second coming of Christ is a matter of significant disagreement amongst Christians. Many hold to premillennialism: that Christ’s return will be followed by 1,000 years before the final judgement, a belief popularised in the popular Left Behind novels. However, premillennialism is not the only option for Christians. Sam Storms provides a biblical rationale for amillennialism, the belief that 1,000 years mentioned in the book of Revelation is symbolic with the emphasis being the King and his Kingdom.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon.)

Sex and Money by Paul David Tripp. "Pleasure. We live in a world obsessed with finding it, passionate about enjoying it, and desperate about maintaining it. Chief among such objects of affection are sex and money—two pleasures unequaled in their power to captivate our attention and demand our worship. In what is sure to become an instant classic, popular author Paul David Tripp pulls back the curtain on the lies of our flesh and the ways we distort God’s good gifts, examining the insanity of our culture and exposing our tendency to fall prey to the hollow promises of this world. In exploring how God’s grace frees us from futile pursuits, Tripp directs readers to the wisdom of God in Scripture and the liberating power of the gospel, offering practical guidance on finding true joy and enduring satisfaction.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about Acts, one of my favorite books of the Bible.

Now that the 2013 Gospel Coalition Conference has come and gone, a lot of publishers have released some amazing deals on Kindle books related to the event. I’ve rounded them up, added a bunch of other great deals, and made it all into one really big list. I’ve even tried to categorize the books for you. Enjoy!

Christian Living

• Alistair Begg, The Hand of God ($4.99)
• Alistair Begg, Made For His Pleasure ($4.99)
• Anonymous, Embracing Obscurity ($2.99)
• Tim Challies, The Next Story ($3.79)
• Tim Challies & R.W. Glenn, Modest ($2.99)
• Mitchell Chase, Behold Our Sovereign God ($2.99)
• Mitchell Chase, The Gospel Is For Christians ($2.99)
• Joe Coffee & Bob Bevington, Red Like Blood ($1.99)
• Sam Crabtree, Practicing Affirmation ($3.03)
• John Crotts, Loving the Church ($1.99)
• Kevin DeYoung, Just Do Something ($4.99) (A Favorite)
• J.D. Greear, Gospel ($3.49)
• J.D. Greear, Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart ($4.39)
• Collin Hansen & John Woodbridge, A God-Sized Vision ($3.99)
• Brian Hedges, Christ Formed In You ($3.99)
• Charles Hodges, Good Mood, Bad Mood ($3.99)
• Michael Horton, A Place for Weakness ($3.99)
• Mary Kassian, Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild ($1.99)
• Trip Lee, The Good Life ($3.99)
• Crawford Loritts, A Passionate Commitment ($4.99)
• Crawford Loritts, For a Time We Cannot See ($4.99)
• Al Mohler, He Is Not Silent ($4.99)
• Al Mohler, Words from Fire ($4.99)
• J.I. Packer, Grounded in the Gospel ($1.99)
• John Piper, Think ($4.61)
• Phil Ryken, Loving the Way Jesus Loves ($4.99)
• Anthony Selvaggio, A Proverbs Driven Life ($3.99)
• Joni Eareckson Tada, The God I Love ($2.99)
• Paul Tripp, Broken-Down House ($1.99)
• Paul Tripp, Lost in the Middle ($3.99)

Family & Parenting

• Alistair Begg, Lasting Love ($4.99)
• Dave Harvey, When Sinners Say I Do ($1.99)
• Rick Horne, Get Offa My Case ($1.99)
• Ginger Plowman, Don’t Make Me Count to Three ($1.99)
• Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart ($1.99)
• Tedd Tripp, Instructing a Child’s Heart ($1.99)
• Jay Younts, Everyday Talk ($1.99)
• Ruth Younts, Get Wisdom ($1.99)
• Steve Zollos, Time for the Talk ($1.99)

Theology

• Greg Allison, Historical Theology ($5.99) (Amazing Value)
• Andreas Kostenberger, God, Marriage and Family ($4.61)
• D.A. Carson, Becoming Conversant with the Emerging Church ($3.79)
• D.A. Carson, Jesus the Son of God ($3.99)
• D.A. Carson, Scandalous ($4.99)
• D.A. Carson editor, Entrusted with the Gospel ($4.99)
• D.A. Carson editor, The Gospel as Center ($5.99)
• D.A. Carson editor, Worship by the Book ($3.79)
• Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts ($4.99)
• Kevin DeYoung editor, Don’t Call It a Comeback ($4.99)
• Kevin DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot ($4.99)
• Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck, Why We’re Not Emergent ($4.99)
• Kevin DeYoung & Ted Kluck, Why We Love the Church ($4.99)
• Wayne Grudem, Christian Beliefs ($3.79)
• Wayne Grudem, Politics - According to the Bible ($4.99)
• Nancy Guthrie, The Lamb of God ($5.99)
• Michael Horton, For Calvinism ($3.79) (also consider the companion volume by Roger Olson, Against Calvinism)
• Michael Horton, Pilgrim Theology ($7.59) (New Book)
• R.C. Sproul, The Truth of the Cross (free)
• Owen Strachan & Doug Sweeney, The Essential Edwards Collection ($9.99)
• Trevin Wax, Counterfeit Gospels ($4.99)
• Michael Williams, How to Read the Bible Through the Jesus Lens ($3.79) (Carson Recommends It)

Ministry

• Alistair Begg & Derek Prime, On Being a Pastor ($4.99)
• Matt Chandler, Creature of the Word ($3.49)
• Bryan Chapell, The Hardest Sermons You’ll Ever Have to Preach ($3.79)
• Tim Keller, Center Church ($5.69) (New Book)
• Jonathan Leeman, Reverberation ($4.99)
• Crawford Loritts, Leadership as an Identity ($4.99)
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching & Preachers (40th Anniversary Edition), ($3.99)
• John Piper, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals ($4.39)
• Paul Tripp, Dangerous Calling ($5.99)
• Various, Is Hell for Real or Does Everyone Go to Heaven? ($3.79)

Commentary

• Daniel Block, Deuteronomy ($5.99)
• Nancy Ganz, Genesis ($1.99)
• Nancy Ganz, Deuteronomy ($1.99)

Misc

• Nancy Leigh DeMoss, The Quiet Place ($1.99)
• Christine Hoover, The Church Planting Wife ($4.99)
• Tim Kerr, Take Words With You ($2.99)
• Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible Story ($4.99)
• Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni: An Unforgettable Story ($2.99)
• Joni & Ken Tada, Joni & Ken ($4.74)

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I will finish up the Pentateuch by sharing what I learned about Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy

Peter C. Craigie - The Book of Deuteronomy (The New International Commentary on the Old Testament). As is usually the case, there is one commentary that most experts agree to be at the top of the class. For Deuteronomy pride of place belongs to Peter Craigie whom Tremper Longman describes as being “among the best of recent evangelical interpreters” and “an astute theologian and philologist.” Several commentators affirm that he is firmly evangelical in his perspective. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

J.G. McConville - Deuteronomy (Apollos Old Testament Commentary). McConville’s work also receives many accolades. Derek Thomas notes that McConville waffles a little bit on the book’s dating and authorship but “rightly sees the notion of covenant as the regulating principle of Deuteronomy and astutely shows the importance of Deuteronomy for our understanding of the prophetic books.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

J.A. Thompson - Deuteronomy (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). J.A. Thompson’s contribution to the TOTC series is shorter and more suited to a general audience than the previous two volumes. Keith Mathison offers this short review: “For those seeking a good introductory level commentary on the book of Deuteronomy, the commentary by Thompson in the Tyndale series is the best place to begin. For an introductory level commentary, it is surprisingly insightful.” The TOTC is quite consistent in providing high-quality entry-level commentaries. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

April is upon us, and to get the month started right, here are some wallpapers calendars to dress up your computer, tablet or cell phone. This month’s wallpaper comes from my good friends at Church Plant Media (and I mean that-- they’re actually friends). Specifically, it comes from Andrew Bradshaw, their Creative Director. Church Plant Media builds web sites for church and missions (including the site for my church, GFCTO.com). They are also sponsoring my trip down to The Gospel Coalition conference next week; you can expect to see more of their sponsorship around here in the days to come.

A few notes: Your desktop or laptop may take any of the sizes, depending on your monitor size and a host of other considerations. You can click here to see what your resolution is. Generally you set one of these are your wallpaper by clicking on the link to the image, then right-clicking on the image (once it's open) and selecting "Set as Background," "Set as Desktop Background," or something similar. If you aren't sure, post a comment and we'll try to help you figure it out.

Pray

With Calendar: 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Without Calendar: Facebook Cover, iPhone 4, iPhone 5, iPad, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I’ll share what I learned about John.

John

I have been alternating between the Old Testament and the New. The last commentary round-up was on Numbers, undoubtedly one of the least-preached books of the Bible. This time I am looking to John, clearly one of the books most commonly preached. There are a multitude of commentaries to choose from and, best of all, a large number of excellent commentaries. Here are the five that seem to represent the consensus.

D.A. Carson - The Gospel According to John (Pillar New Testament Commentary). This is the near-unanimous choice of those who have written commentaries on the commentaries. Keith Mathison says, “This commentary shows Carson's usual exegetical care and insight. It is an example of conservative evangelical scholarship at its best. Very highly recommended to any who want to understand better the Gospel of John.” Several experts point to its readability, suggesting that it is suitable for every audience—scholars, pastors and laypersons. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

Leon Morris - The Gospel According to John (New International Commentary on the New Testament). The experts agree that Carson’s is the best in the field, but there is also consensus that Leon Morris’ volume in the NICNT is excellent and an excellent complement to Carson’s work. If you buy it used, be sure to get the second edition (1995) rather than the first (1971) since it offers several important modifications and reflects some of the more recent theological questions and controversies. You may want to buy it soon as it has already been replaced by J. Ramsey Michaels’ work and is increasingly difficult to find. (Amazon)

Craig S. Keener - The Gospel of John. Craig Kenner has written a massive two-volume set on John that is not part of any commentary series. His unique and uniquely helpful focus is on setting the book of John in its Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts and several commentators express their view that he does this very well. This is a commentary that is probably best suited to those who are doing an in-depth study, either for preaching or for scholarly work. Casual readers would do better with Carson or Morris. (Amazon, Westminster Books)