Happy New Year! To get the new year started right, here’s a desktop wallpaper you can use to pretty up your computer, your phone or tablet or even your Facebook page. It comes courtesy of Miska Wilhelmsson. I’ll allow him to introduce himself: “Hi, I’m a young graphic designer from Finland currently living in Cardiff, Wales with my wonderful wife Alison. I have recently started my own graphic design company, CreatedSIGN. I’m currently also working on a project that I’ve started called Reformed Gospel Tracts with the purpose of producing quality gospel tracts with Biblical content and creative layout. I’m planning to launch the website in the beginning of February 2013; if you wish to follow this project you can do so on Facebook.”

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.

Snow Like Wool

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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. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past few weeks.

Through the Eyes of C.H. Spurgeon compiled by Stephen McCaskell. Here’s what I wrote in my foreward to the book: “A prolific preacher and author, Spurgeon's sermons alone fill some 63 volumes; his books and other writings fill many more than that. In Through the Eyes of C.H. Spurgeon Stephen McCaskell has compiled thousands of Spurgeon's punchiest and most powerful quotes and has helpfully categorized them. Here the reader will find wisdom that extends from Acceptance to Work and everything in between. Here the reader will find quotes that merit thought, reflection, and attention. They are like hard candy—better savored than quickly chewed and swallowed. Read this book to generate thought and reflection. Read it to find the perfect quote for your book or sermon or blog post. Read it and I am certain you will be blessed.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon.)

Behold Our Sovereign God by Mitchell L. Chase. “The topic of divine sovereignty is weighty and often fraught with controversy. While thinking about its implications people may ask, If God is sovereign, how does it relate to our daily lives and what we see going on in the natural world? With all the sin and suffering around us, in what sense does God reign over it? What does the Bible teach about God’s rule over salvation and judgment? How is God sovereign over historical events, in particular the death of Jesus? Will his decrees for the future come to pass, or can they be thwarted? The Bible invites us to behold God’s meticulous reign over all things unto his glory. His lordship is not just general or abstract but particular and comprehensive. With transcendent wisdom and uncompromising righteousness God is bringing to pass his will in the world.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon.)

Understanding Biblical Theology by Edward W Klink III and Darian R. Lockett. “Understanding Biblical Theology clarifies the catch-all term ‘biblical theology,’ a movement that tries to remove the often-held dichotomy between biblical studies for the Church and as an academic pursuit. This book examines the five major schools of thought regarding biblical theology and handles each in turn, defining and giving a brief developmental history for each one, and exploring each method through the lens of one contemporary scholar who champions it. Using a spectrum between history and theology, each of five ‘types’ of biblical theology are identified as either ‘more theological’ or ‘more historical’ in concern and practice: Biblical Theology as Historical Description (James Barr) Biblical Theology as History of Redemption (D. A. Carson) Biblical Theology as Worldview-Story (N. T. Wright) Biblical Theology as Canonical Approach (Brevard Childs) Biblical Theology as Theological Construction (Francis Watson). A conclusion suggests how any student of the Bible can learn from these approaches.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Strangers Next Door by J.D. Payne. “More than ever, North America is being flooded by people from all around the world, many of them here illegally. How should the church respond to these sojourners among us? [Professor] of evangelism and church planting J. D. Payne introduces the phenomenon of migrations of peoples to Western nations and explores how the church should respond in light of the mission of God. As we understand and embrace the fact that the least-reached people groups now reside in (and continue to migrate to) Western countries, churches have unprecedented opportunites to freely share the gospel with them. This book includes practical guidelines for doing crosscultural missions and developing a global strategy of mission. It also highlights examples of churches and organizations attempting to reach, partner with, and send migrants to minister to their people. Discover how you can reach out to the strangers next door by welcoming them into God’s family.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon.)

I love writing book reviews and I love reading them. Since I cannot possibly read and review all of the interesting books out there, I publish occasional round-ups of reviews written by other writers. Or even if I am able to review the book, it’s always good to get a second opinion. So here are a few notable links I’ve collected over the past few weeks:

Keep the Faith by Martin Ayers

Reviewed by Tony Payne. “And this is where Martin Ayers’s new book Keep the Faith is so useful. It’s not your normal book about faith and doubt. It does not explain any doctrines or issues that might baffle us or cause us to doubt; it provides no compelling evidence for the key claims of Christianity (for that, you might turn to Martin’s excellent first book, Naked God); and it does not even deal with some of the indirect causes of doubt (such as starting to dabble with immorality, or experiencing deep suffering).” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Matthias Media)

Lifted by Sam Allberry

Reviewed by Camden Bucey. “Lifted is a book that demonstrates how Christians possess a distinct hope for the future. But it’s a unique type of hope for the Christian; it’s a living hope (1 Peter 1:3). The future is pinned upon the resurrected Christ. If Christ has not been raised, then there is no hope for the Christian. But the glorious truth is that Christ has already been raised, and the salvation of his people is secure.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Life of God in the Soul of the Church by Thabiti Anyabwile

Reviewed by Aaron Armstrong. “…an under-developed ecclesiology is a ministry killer. It’s all well and good to say that you love the Church and want to serve her, but if you don’t know what the Church is according to Scripture—and this applies especially to those serving as leaders—you’re setting yourself up to fail. Anyabwile’s corrective to this is among the strongest I’ve read. While distinguishing between them, he refuses to separate the ‘vertical’ and ‘horizontal’ aspects of spiritual fellowship. You can’t actually build a functional ecclesiology without the two together.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Fruitful Wife by Hayley DiMarco

Reviewed by Staci Eastin. “All in all, this is a good book. It’s a much needed corrective against the poor theology in books like Debi Pearl’s Created to be His Help Meet. Books on marriage tend to over-promise more than any other category. Hayley wisely keeps the focus on glorying God through your marriage, rather than appropriating biblical teaching in hopes of “fixing” your husband. Most women will find it helpful, but I wouldn’t recommend it to a woman whose marriage is in serious trouble unless she was also seeking outside counsel.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon or Westminster Books)

When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson

Reviewed by John Piper. “Here’s a caution. [Robinson’s] fiction is more easily understood than her nonfiction. She admits, ‘My style is considerably more indebted to Cicero than to Hemingway’ (87). That means her sentences sound like translations of good Latin. In other words, she writes non-fiction like John Owen.” (Learn more and shop at Amazon)

Last year, I put together a price comparison of 10 books at 4 different online stores: Amazon, Westminster Books, Monergism, and CBD. The purpose was to learn whether or not Amazon truly offers the best prices, as we often think they do. What I learned last year is each of these resellers is quite competitive, but that Amazon doesn't offer the best value overall (though it's pretty close).

I thought I'd try it again this year, choosing the print edition of 10 books people who read this site might really buy and pricing them at Amazon, Westminster, Monergism, and CBD. As with last year's comparison, I did not tell any of the retailers that I was going to do this (so the prices are "pure"). Here are the results (with the lowest price for each book bolded):

Though it may look as if Monergism has the best price overall, that's not actually the case. Unfortunately they do not carry print editions of two of the titles I'm comparing (Creature of the Word and Dangerous Calling). When you factor out those two books, the spread looks like this:

Over the last year, there has also been a significant shift in how many of our favorite resellers handle shipping fees. Amazon, Westminster, and Monergism all offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount:

• Westminster: $49
• Amazon: $25
• Monergism: $35

The only holdout at this point is CBD; CBD charges $10.34 to ship the list above to a U.S. address. Because of that, we see the numbers shift a little bit:

I did not include Monergism in this tally since their list of books is 2 shorter than the others. In last year's comparison, the price difference between each of the stores was around 4% at the high end, this year's are far more significant, with a nearly 13% difference between Westminster and CBD (a significant $16.09). Even with its closest competitor, Amazon, Westminster comes out ahead by 5.67 percent--$6.55.

What lessons can we learn here?

• The online market is continuing to drive competition, and resellers are working hard to deliver more value to the customer.
• Westminster Books offers the lowest prices across a range of books; if you are shopping for a single title, you are likely to benefit more from comparison shopping.
• In order to properly compare pricing, you need to be sure to include shipping costs in your tally.
• Amazon Prime offers a benefit (free two-day shipping) that keep many people ordering from Amazon even when prices are cheaper elsewhere. So too does Amazon’s massive product catalog—while you’re placing an order, you may as well pick up some batteries, dishes and underwear…

This is the fourteenth installment in a series on theological terms. See previous posts on the terms theology, Trinity, creation, man, Fall, common grace, sin, righteousness, faith, pride, election, revelation, and atonement.

“Our first point about adoption is that it is the highest privilege that the gospel offers” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God, 206).

J. I. Packer rightly considers adoption the highest privilege of the gospel--higher even than justification--because of the richness of the relationship with God that it begins.

In adoption, God takes us into his family and fellowship--he establishes us as his children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the Judge [justification] is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father [adoption] is a greater. (207)

Scripture backs Packer’s assessment of adoption as seen in passages like Romans 8:15-17 (cf. Galatians 4:4-7), in which Paul emphasizes the closeness, affection and generosity that come to us when through justification God makes us his children. As adopted children we call God “Abba!,” the Aramaic word for “father” or “daddy” and the term Jesus himself used to address him (Mark 14:36). Through adoption we also experience great generosity as we become “heirs of God and fellow heirs of Christ,” which means we become the heirs and owners of all things (Hebrews 1:2; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

J. I. Packer goes on in Knowing God to explain how adoption must be the framework through which we view and live the rest of the Christian life. Yes, it really is that important and that essential to the Christian life.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” Praise God for that! (1 John 3:1)

2012 was a pretty good year for readers. While my reading has had to slow down compared to what it was a few years ago, I still made my way through quite a long list of books. Today I want to share some of my top picks from the year that is almost over. Let me offer the two usual caveats from my year-end roundups: First, these are almost certainly not the 7 best books of 2012 in any objective sense; Rather, they are my favorites. Second, these are not necessarily books written in 2012, but books I read in 2012. And maybe I should add a third: at the request of several readers I am posting this list before the end of the year because some people would like to refer to it as they do their Christmas shopping.

Here they are, in no particular order:

The Conviction to Lead by Albert Mohler

[my review] Mohler begins the book with this challenge to both himself and the reader: “My goal is to change the way you think about leadership. I do not aim merely to add one more voice to the conversation; I want to fundamentally change the way leadership is understood and practiced.” He aims high, but then actually accomplishes what he sets out to do. His core message of the value of “convictional leadership” moves the leadership discussion far beyond the usual pragmatics and grounds it first in Scripture. [Buy it at Amazon]

Eyes Wide Open by Steve DeWitt

[my review] Here is a book that arrived with little fanfare and was even published by a very small publisher. Yet it is a brilliant book that is utterly captivating. DeWitt focuses on beauty and how we can enjoy God in everything. Yes, everything. He wants Christians to enjoy beauty and joy and wonder and to allow each of these things to lead us to the source of all that is good, true and beautiful. This short quote lies right at the heart of the book: “Beauty was created by God for a purpose: to give us the experience of wonder. And wonder, in turn, is intended to lead us to the ultimate human expression and privilege: worship. Beauty is both a gift and a map. It is a gift to be enjoyed and a map to be followed back to the source of the beauty with praise and thanksgiving.” [Buy it at Amazon]

The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak and Dave Runyon

[my review] Here is a book that begins with a very simple premise: that when Jesus told us to “love our neighbors as ourselves” he may just have been referring to our literal neighbors, as in the people who live right around us. Many Christians have made “neighbor” into a safe metaphor that allows us to love people who are far easier to love and far more conveniently placed than the people next door. But these authors don’t let the reader get away with that. Instead, they focus on being good neighbors, on taking seriously the second great commandment. I found the book a helpful and well-timed challenge. [Buy it at Amazon]

Truman by David McCullough

For years I’ve been hearing great things about McCullough’s massive biography of Harry Truman. In 2012 I saved up enough Audible credits to download it and listen to it. It was every bit as good as I had heard. I’ve long admired McCullough as a writer and biographer and am now convinced that Truman is his best work. It is very long—over 50 hours of listening and over 1,000 pages of reading—but it moves along briskly. Truman is one of those characters who is easy to overlook, but who played a critical role in bridging from the world of the Second World War to the world we know today. He is a very normal, small-town kind of guy who is very likeable and easy to relate to. I found myself almost happy to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic just so I could listen for a bit longer. [Buy it at Amazon]

I've been at this blogging thing for ten years now and have been at the daily blogging thing for almost as long. This means that I've got an extensive backlist of articles from years gone by. I thought it might be fun to pull out some of the articles I wrote in previous months of December, stretching all the way back to 2004.

2011

The Driscolls and Real Marriage - These were some thoughts on Mark Driscoll’s book on marriage.

Money Matters: Do I Have to Give? and How Much Do I Give? - These were two entries in a series on money.

2010

I Looked for Love in Your Eyes - This is such a sad but powerful poem.

A Wikileaks Society - Here I reflected on what a Wikileaks culture might mean for the church.

2009

The Necessity of Long Division  - Too often we try to get out of doing the hard work of the Christian life.

A Day-After Christmas Reflection - A reflection on celebrating—or not celebrating—Christmas.

2008

We Shall Be Changed - Every Christmas I try to take in a performance of Handel’s Messiah.

A Great Servant; An Evil Master - We’re always in a power-struggle with our technology.

2007

Delighting in Delight - It is great to delight in the delight of another.

Longing for the Im-mediate - This was important in the run-up to my book on technology.

2006

The “S-Word” - It’s probably not the one you’re thinking of.

Prayer and the Empty Hand - We humans have a problem with grace.

2005

Certainly This Was a Righteous Man! - I’ve always loved the centurion’s statement.

Effectual Worrying - Way back in 2005 I was reflecting on the nature of worry.

2004

Church of the Dropouts, Losers, Sinners, Failures And Fools - One of my favorite Switchfoot songs.

Old Fashioned Christian - I’m just an old-fashioned kind of Christian.

December is here and with the new month I’ve got a new desktop wallpaper for you to download. This one comes courtesy of Drew Clemens. I’ll allow him to introduce himself: I live in sunny Dayton, Ohio with my beautiful wife, Melissa, and our two Lego-loving boys. God has moved me along in my career from designer to pastor to web creator, and I’m currently enjoying my role with Sparkbox, building the web and serving clients to the best of my ability every day.

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.

Your Word Came Down

Here is Drew’s introduction to his wallpaper: I’ve grown up in the church, but it wasn’t until becoming a part of Apex Community in Dayton a decade ago that Jesus taught me what it meant to really be part of His Church. The image that I’ve designed reflects what He has done in me, and it is based on lyrics from a song that I love. Written by my friends, Chad Osborne and Phil Wing, the song isn’t a “Christmas song” in style, but I’ve always felt it illustrated the purpose of Jesus’ birth in a clear and joyful way. I hope it helps others stay focused on Christ and His purposes in this season of holidays.

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Without Calendar: iPhone, iPad 1 & 2, 1024x768, 1280x800, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1440x900, 1680x1050, 1920x1200, 2560x1440

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. Here are some of the notable books that I've received in the past few weeks.

Creature of the Word by Chandler, Patterson and Geiger. “The Reformers viewed the gospel as not merely one thing among many in the life of a church but rather the means by which the church exists. When the gospel is rightly declared and applied to God's people, the church becomes ‘a creature of the Word.’ She understands, embraces, and lives out the reality of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection in more than her doctrinal statement. The gospel impacts all the church is and does. Creature of the Word lays out this concept in full, first examining the rich, scripture-based beauty of a Jesus-centered church, then clearly providing practical steps toward forming a Jesus-centered church.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Roots of the Reformation (Second Edition) by G.R. Evans. You may remember that The Roots of the Reformation was released earlier this year, but that it was very quickly pulled from store shelves when Carl Trueman’s review showed that it was replete with historical errors and inaccuracies. Intervarsity Press quickly set out to make things right, combing through the book to make corrections. This second edition includes the following note: “All dates for people and places have been conformed to the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, or else the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, unless there was a good reason to depart from these. I expect that this edition maintains the strengths of the first while correcting its embarrassing weaknesses. (Learn more or buy it at Westminster Books)

On the Shoulders of Hobbits by Louis Markos. With the film adaption of The Hobbit nearly upon us, this is presumably just one of several Hobbit-themed books coming our way. It looks excellent. “The world of J. R. R. Tolkien is filled with strange creatures, elaborately crafted lore, ancient tongues, and magic that exists only in fantasy; yet the lessons taught by hobbits and wizards speak powerfully and practically to our real lives. Courage, valor, trust, pride, greed, and jealousy—these are not fictional virtues. This is the stuff of real life, the Christian life. Professor and author Louis Markos takes us on the road with Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, with looks at selected classic works of literature as well, to show how great stories bring us so much more than entertainment. They inspire and convict, imparting truth in unforgettable ways.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon)

While most of what finds its way into my mailbox is books, I also receive a surprising amount of music. This works out well since I happen to love listening to music while going about my daily work. Here are a few new and noteworthy albums you may want to take a look at.

Joy Beyond the Sorrow by Indelible Grace - Indelible Grace may well be the name most closely associated with today’s trend of setting old hymns to new music. I still remember listening to their music for the first time while driving my sister’s car around Atlanta—listening to it and loving it. Indelible Grace has just released their sixth studio album and I think it may be their best yet. Joy Beyond the Sorrow includes 14 traditional hymns set to new music. Many of the melodies are ideal for corporate worship, something that has always been a strength of their albums. Standout tracks include “From the Depths of Woe (Psalm 130),” “Did Christ Over Sinners Weep?,” and “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed.” You can buy the CD at their website or listen to the complete album (and buy MP3s) at Bandcamp.

Together for the Gospel Live II by Sovereign Grace Music. In April of 2010 and 2012, thousands of people gathered in Louisville, Kentucky, to participate in the Together for the Gospel conferences. This album contains 16 of the songs they sang, led by Bob Kauflin on piano. The tracks include traditional hymns, contemporary hymns, and songs by Sovereign Grace. While all of these songs can be found on other recordings, the joy of this album is being able to sing along with thousands of voices (mostly male) raised in the praise to the Lord. It is available at Amazon for $8.99 as is the first volume, recorded at the 2008 conference.

Come Ye Sinners by Sojourn. According to Sojourn, “Come Ye Sinners was recorded live on Good Friday, 2012 at Memorial Auditorium in Louisville. It's not just a record for that day or for the Easter season. It's a reminder—every day—that we're invited to meet God at the cross, where mercy abounds, sin is paid for, and death itself is conquered by the blood of Jesus.” I see Sojourn as the older, hipster cousin of Indelible Grace and Sovereign Grace Music. If Sovereign Grace is wearing corduroys and Indelible Grace is wearing khakis, Sojourn is wearing skinny jeans and sporting the perfect soul patch. Their music is less congregational then the others and fits more closely with contemporary musical trends. I can’t deny that I prefer their older albums to their more recent ones, and almost feel like they are trying a little bit too hard these days (I consider Before the Throne and Advent Songs their best). I may well be the exception here and certainly would not knock their musical talents. You can listen to samples and buy the new album at Amazon.