Quick Look posts are paid submissions offering only a brief overview of books or other resources. Vote in the poll below if you think any of these titles are worthy of a full-length book review!

Marriage Matters by Tony Evans

Marriages today are deteriorating at such a high rate not because we no longer get along, but because we have lost sight of the purpose and prosperity of the marriage covenant. Marriage Matters examines the nature of this covenant, or agreement, we enter into on our wedding day. Tony Evans looks to the Scriptures to define what a covenant is, who makes it, and what the implications are. Chaos arises when we seek to do things our way—the need to align ourselves according to biblical standards of marriage is evident. As Evans explains in the opening pages, “Most people today view marriage as a means of looking for love, happiness and fulfillment. Make no mistake about it, those things are important. Those things are critical. They are just not the most critical.”

So why should you consider picking up this title?

• It’s only a booklet (which would give you more time to read additional books!)
• Evans is extremely engaging and offers great, relevant illustrations
• We are heading into marriage season (June) when newly married couples need to read this message
• Finally this book will help you explain clearly what marriage is… “Marriage is a covenantal union designed to strengthen the capability of each partner to carry out the plan of God in their lives” and why…Marriage Matters.

Humanitarian Jesus by Christian Buckley & Ryan Dobson

What would Christ be doing if He was walking the earth today? Would He be running a foundation, pastoring a church, teaching at a seminary, working in political advocacy, or living amongst people — healing, touching, and feeding?

More importantly — why would He being doing it?

In Humanitarian Jesus, Christian Buckley and Ryan Dobson challenges Christians to think about the role of humanitarian works in the Christian life and to consider what it means and look like to be God’s ministers’ of reconciliation and to share God’s message of salvation.

A thorough review of this subject matter will inform how you should live out your walk as a disciple of Christ in today’s humanitarian-charged society.

Voices of the True Woman Movement by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

In October 2008, over 6000 gathered for the first True Woman conference to hear God’s Word and to affirm His mission and purpose for their lives. Voices of the True Woman Movement is a collection of messages from John Piper, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Mary Kassian, Joni Eareckson Tada, Janet Parshall, Karen Lorritts, and Fern Nichols initially heard at this conference. Also included is a robust section called Going Deeper: A Guide for Personal Reflection and Small Group Discussion divided into nine sessions enabling further study and application of the biblical way of thinking about womanhood. Are you ready to discover God’s beautiful design for your life?

Character Counts by Charles H. Dyer

Ready for a spiritual “stress test?” Read Character Counts: The Power of Personal Integrity by Charles Dyer. Follow him as he gives an account of some of the best and worst that both contemporary culture and the Bible have to offer. What separates those whose lives have influence and a positive legacy from so many others? The world offers “the good life,” God gives eternal life. The world emphasizes “doing,” God emphasizes “being.” The world stresses achievement, God stresses integrity. The world pressures to conform, God seeks to transform. The world focuses on the outward signs of “success,” God focuses on the inner qualities of the heart.

How are your spiritual vital signs on the treadmill of life? Any irregularities? What’s your prognosis?

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

Working for Moody Publishers is great because you get exposed to many fine thinkers, orators, and writers. You get to hear what’s on their hearts and minds and then watch them turn that passion into books. And my job is to help connect that passion in the book with its intended audience. With that in mind, let me tell you about some of our new and recent releases.

The 18th century pastor-theologian Jonathan Edwards has long been a favorite source of inspiration and passion for many Christians. However, most people don’t go beyond their high school study of “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” to get to know Edwards better. After all, Edwards wrote a lot of sermons, texts, and notes, (all in often confusing old English) and he was a deep thinker. Where would one person begin to sort through it all and come to understandable conclusions?

Experts Douglas Sweeney and Owen Strachan introduce, present, and reflect on the choicest treasures of Edwards’s writings, but do so in a way that everyone can understand in The Essential Edwards Collection. Introduced by John Piper, these five slim volumes (Jonathan Edwards on Beauty, on the Good Life, on True Christianity, on Heaven and Hell, and Jonathan Edwards, Lover of God) provide a great basic understanding of the essential writings and topics of Edwards’s life and ministry. So don’t be too intimidated to get to know Edwards better and with him, the glorious God he served.

Let me ask you a question. Where is the doctrinal pendulum in the church right now? Conservative legalists had their day, and then the emergent church had its day with a “deeds not creeds” mantra. It seems to me that the pendulum on doctrine and faith statements is swinging back again as people are into social justice “deeds,” but they are motivated because of doctrine they believe in as recorded in “creeds.” People today don’t seem satisfied with easy, noncommittal answers—they want to explore the depth of doctrine. Many now see that within creeds and catechisms we can have our faith strengthened, our knowledge broadened, and our love for Jesus deepened.

If you are one of those folks, I want to recommend The Good News We Almost Forgot by Kevin DeYoung. In it, Kevin explains the Heidelberg Catechism, why he loves it and hopes more people come to love it. The result is a clear-headed, warm-hearted exploration of the faith, simple enough for young believers and deep enough for mature ones. So I invite you to see what “vintage faith” is. I believe you’ll be surprised how much you’ll enjoy this book on a 16th-century faith document. We can’t afford to forget what it teaches—We are great sinners and Christ is a greater Savior!

Sharing Christ with friends and family can be scary for many people. Now what if it’s sharing Christ with a Muslim co-worker or neighbor? Yikes!…right? It doesn’t have to be that way. Thabiti Anyabwile is a Christian pastor who converted from Islam. He has written The Gospel for Muslims- An Encouragement to Share Christ With Confidence. Written for typical Christians who want to share their faith, Thabiti emphasizes knowing the gospel and having your confidence in its claims, not in a specific evangelism technique, knowledge of Islam, or skill. It’s a handy little volume that is sure to help you effectively share Christ with any Muslim that the Lord brings you into contact with.

Finally, if you are interested in or already do missions work, please consider Reaching And Teaching by M. David Sills. Sills loves missionaries and their desire to reach people for Christ. However, his research reveals that, unfortunately, many aren’t teaching those new believers effectively enough before moving on to reach others. Where is the right balance between reaching and teaching? I’m reading it so I can be more faithful to what Christ has called and equipped me to do.

Well, I guess that’s all for now. Enjoy spring, everyone! And if you are going to the Together for the Gospel conference in Louisville in April, look for me and let’s talk about these books. I’d also love to hear about what issues you’re facing in ministry and what books and resources you would like to see that could help you.

Thanks for reading!
-Keith Wiederwax, Church Life and Reference Marketing Manager-Moody Publishers

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

a look at the basics conference for pastors

a return to basics

Each year for the past ten years, pastors have gathered at Parkside Church in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, to share advice and guidance and to receive practical help with their preaching. At the conclusion of the 2009 conference we spoke to a few of the attendees and got their perspective on Basics.

what others are saying

“That’s why it was so appealing when the brochure said, ‘Basics,’” explains Reverend Dr. Gregory Clark, Sr., of Streetsboro, Ohio. “It was just telling me that I really have gotten away from that. Alistair [Begg, senior pastor of Parkside] takes us and says, ‘This is how you do a sermon.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, right.’ And then we notice how far we have gotten away from that because we just don’t have anyone to engage us like that. Alistair, over the years, he’s been challenging us.”

Pastors Chang Cho and Albert Chung, two-time attendees from Toronto, Canada, remember and appreciate the lessons theylve learned from last year’s conference of “preaching the Gospel to yourself and feeding yourself to help others.” Pastor Chung adds, “Other conferences focus on growing your church and like to use the buzzword, ‘leadership,’ but this conference is cross-centered and meets our needs as pastors in order for us to grow.”

preach, preach, preach

Jack McCullough, a church elder from Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland, explains. “People are saying, ‘We don’t really think preaching is the way to go. We should change it.’ But to come here and hear the speaker say, ‘Preach the Word. Preach, preach, preach.’ That’s what we need to hear. To know that we are not alone, even though it might appear that way whenever we each go back to our respective towns and cities and churches.”

they keep coming back

“Guys are coming because of their respect for Alistair because he’s practical,” explains Reverend Dr. Clark. “He’s down-to-earth. He’ll take the time out. And especially when we were talking to him, we see he’s just like us. And you don’t know that until you sit down and talk to him.”

Mr. McCullough and his pastor, who have attended the conference six times, have found their experiences here invaluable. “It costs a little bit more to come over [from Europe] and it takes a little bit longer, but the quality of the teaching and the ministry that’s given out and they way that you’re looked after, it’s really second to none. You can’t put a value on that,” remarks Mr. McCullough.

what a difference three days make

At the start of the conference, Pastor Roy Gray from Tarboro, North Carolina, wasn’t sure what to expect. He was open to the experience and ready to go with the flow. As he was getting ready to board the shuttle to the airport, I asked Pastor Gray what he will take away from this conference. He reported back, “I realize how much more I need and want to grow as a preacher. I will be back.”

This year’s conference will be May 11-13 at Parkside Church. Join us and see what everyone is talking about. Register today while space is still available.

www.parksidechurch.com/basics

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

a return to basics: may 10-12

We are pleased to extend an invitation to join for our eleventh annual Basics Conference. As we meet this year, we look forward to God using our time together to encourage us in our work for the Gospel.

a practical look at preaching

In his introduction to the "Priority of Preaching," Christopher Ash describes how he left a large pastors' conference feeling like a dog with his tail between his legs. The conference speakers all seemed to be handsome, successful, and strategic and far removed from the ordinary pastor in an ordinary place preaching regularly to ordinary people.

I suspect that many of us can identify with Christopher's reaction. Our plan hope for this year's conference is to encourage one another in the essentials of pastoral ministry and particularly to get help with our preaching.

I have invited two very good friends and mentors to join us here at Parkside in May. Sinclair Ferguson is a fellow Scotsman and needs no introduction. John Shearer is well known and loved in his native Scotland and in other parts of the world but will be a new name to many. These men embody the kind of Bible-based, Christ-centered, Spirit-endued ministry that we are seeking to uphold in this conference. I look forward to seeing you in May.

Warmly Yours,
Alistair Begg

conference speakers

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry for over 30 years. He served eight years in Scotland at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church. more>

Sinclair Ferguson is the Senior Minister at First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina. In addition, Dr. Ferguson is Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. more>

John Shearer is the Senior Minister at Musselburgh Baptist Church in Scotland. He has pastored churches in Northern Ireland and Scotland and has been involved in a pioneering work in the Republic of Ireland. more>

schedule

Arrival and registration begins at 12:00pm on Monday, May 10. There are seminars scheduled at 3:00pm with our first conference session at 4:30pm. The conference concludes at 12:30pm on Wednesday, May 12. more>

hotels & transportation

We have blocked rooms at three local hotels. Please reserve directly with them but ask for the Parkside Church conference rate. more>

register

Basics is for men: pastors, missionaries, evangelists, and Christian workers or those training for such roles. To the extent that we value male friendship, support and camaraderie, we do not encourage wives to attend. Our brief but meaningful gathering is meant to equip, inspire, and strengthen us in a demanding work.

The conference fee is $140 and $65 for current students. To register online please visit www.parksidechurch.com/basics.

resources

For resources from last year's conferences please visit http://www.truthforlife.org/resources/series/basics-2009/

Note: This is a sponsored post (click here to learn about sponsored posts)

A quick note from Tim: Crossway has just released a third edition of John MacArthur’s “Ashamed of the Gospel.” Depending on when you ask me, this book was either the first or second Christian book I read in adulthood. It rocked my world. At the time I was a member of a church that was almost exactly the kind MacArthur warned against in this book. I read this along with James Boice’s book on the five points of Calvinism and I was never the same. All this to say that I’m thrilled with the re-release of the book and the additional chapters that have been added to it.

*****

In survey after survey, singles rank marriage as one of their most important life goals. So why, according to Dr. Leon Kass, do they marry “later, less frequently, more hesitantly and by and large, less successfully?” Because they no longer have a clear path to marriage.

“For the great majority, the way to the altar is uncharted territory,” says Dr. Kass. “It’s every couple on its own bottom, without a compass, often without a goal. Those who reach the altar seem to have stumbled upon it by accident.”

It’s why we created MarryWell.org — to lay out a helpful and intentional path to marriage.

Don’t You Already Have Kids? Adding to your Existing Family through Adoption

“I can hardly breathe,” I told my wife. And I meant it. We were in an old elevator headed to the third floor of a battered women’s shelter in downtown Taipei just seconds before meeting our two new daughters. They were 5 and 3 and were just as nervous as we were. The social workers blandly announced to the girls, “here’s your mama, and here’s your papa.” They handed us a bag of clothes that did not fit and sent us on our way. No fan fare, no celebration, no instructions. It was one of the greatest days of our life. It was also the culmination of years of conviction, hard work, bureaucracy, patience (impatience!), and prayer. The most common question we heard through the whole process was, “Don’t you already have kids?”

What they meant was, “why would you adopt when you can obviously have kids biologically?” We had three biological children but it never crossed our mind that we should not add to our family through the gift of adoption. Here are the factors that were the driving force behind our decision to adopt.

We are committed to life. For our entire marriage we have supported many pro life causes. But we always felt that if we were going to encourage unwed girls to give birth to their babies, then Christians should be in line to be ready to adopt those who would be given up. It was our way of “putting our money where our mouth was.”

We are committed to the helpless and disadvantaged. James (1:27) makes it clear that one of the evidences of our faith is how we respond to the “affliction” of widows and orphans. Taking care of these two groups is time consuming, messy, and sacrificial. But it is a central part of the Christian life. We wanted to make sure that our family was heavily invested in this important admonition.

We are committed to biblical manhood. Men are called to lead, provide, and protect (Gen. 1-2, Eph. 5, I Kings 2:1-9, 1 Pet. 3, Col. 3). This is a fundamental teaching of the Bible and it does not merely pertain to the four walls of one’s home. Men should be looking for those who need protection and provision. There are fatherless children all over the world. Every year I meet women who are burdened for adoption but their husbands won’t budge. It’s usually something about retirement, college costs, or they are finally able to afford that boat they always wanted. In our home, the men lead and sacrificially give of themselves for the good of others.

We are committed to Gospel-centeredness. The doctrine of adoption is at the heart of the Gospel. We are born outside of Christ, but it is through Christ that we receive “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba! Father!’” (Rom. 8:15) Physical adoption is a daily living picture of this spiritual reality. It is a constant reminder to our family and others of the grace and mercy of God and His love for the lost and care for the fatherless.

We are committed to the nations. Not everyone is called to international adoption but the result is a reminder of God’s love for every “nation and tribe and language and people.” (Rev. 14:6). Every week the Lord adds people to his church and tells you and I to love them. They may not look like us, smell like us, have the same socio-economic background as us, or talk like us. But that’s the beauty of the Gospel. Twice we have brought into our home children from another country and told our other kids, “they don’t talk like you or look like you, but here’s another one, love them.” It has been one of the biggest blessings in the whole process for us and has dramatically shaped our view of the whole world.

Maybe the next big decision in your life will involve a vacation house or a boat or a car that you don’t need. Maybe it will involve trying to sock away even more money for that early retirement you have been hoping for. It might even involve contributing to a monument or building with your name on it. Or just maybe it will involve an old elevator in another country with your mind in a whirl, your heart racing, adrenaline rushing, and your lungs struggling inexplicably for their next breath. And in making that decision, it might not even cross your mind that you already have kids.

If you sense the Lord may be calling you to adoption, or if you want to start a discussion on orphan care in your church, I hope you’ll join me and hundreds of others at the “Adopting for Life” conference February 26-27, 2010, on the campus of Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky. In addition to plenary speakers like Russell Moore, David Platt, and Justin Taylor, I will be leading a breakout session offering rationale, strategies, and advice for those who want to adopt when they already have kids. I look forward to seeing you there.

_____________________________

Randy Stinson is the Dean of the School of Church Ministries and Vice-President if Student Services and Institutional Improvement at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as President of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (www.cbmw.org).

Why We Are Adopting For Life
By Russell D. Moore

This past summer, my denomination adopted a resolution “On Adoption and Orphan Care,” while my sons stood in the crowded room watching. It was one of the most emotionally weighty experiences of my life.

I knew the resolution by itself wasn’t going to spark an orphan care movement among Christians. Neither is my book on adoption, and neither are a thousand manifestoes on the subject. Only the Holy Spirit can do that as local churches start to embrace a vision for orphan care.

I came across Tim’s blog in 2005 when I was doing some research for our recording of Martin Luther’s Here I Stand. The day I connected with Tim, he told me that he had just that day started listening to John’s Gospel from the ESV version of the Listener’s Bible that we had recently published. Not long after that he interviewed me for this blog.

Last monthIreleased a book with DVDtitled Unleashing the Word: Rediscovering the Public Reading of Scripture.I co-authored it with my friend and colleague in ministry, Warren Bird, who has collaborated on 21 books, several of them award winning.

Zondervan recommended Challies.com as a community that may be interested in this new book. Given our previous relationship, I heartily agreed and am pleased to submit this brief testimonial.

The purpose of the book is to inspire and instruct people — both pastors and lay readers — how to elevate the public reading of the Bible to a more honored and anticipated moment in our worship services.

As my pastor, Tim Keller, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City wrote in his endorsement of the book, “In most church services, the reading of the Word is poorly and hurriedly done. What a missed opportunity! Max’s book will help your church restore this neglected worship practice. There’s nothing else like it.” 

In many ways this book is a compilation of a lifetime of work. It is story based, drawing frommy experiences withmy reading team at church, where I have led the Scripture reading ministrysince 2002. The book is also informed from various other contexts whereI have coached other readers, or been coached myself.

My life’s calling is to recapture the rich oral tradition of telling classic Christian literature with insight and appropriate dramatic expression. I do that with the Bible, having recorded three translations available on Bible Gateway and as speaker on the radio program, Listen to the Bible, which airs daily on nearly 700 radio affiliates worldwide. In the past year 45,000 peoplehave experienced my live performancesof C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Lettersor Mark’s Gospel, a one-man retelling of the entire gospel from memory. That production wasrecently awarded Chicago theatre’s coveted Jeff Award for Best Solo Performance in 2009.

Warren, as Director of Intellectual Capital and Research at The Leadership Network, interfaces with hundreds of pastoral leaders annually to consider best practices for church growth. Given his wide experience with many congregations, and my unique experience in oral interpretation, we believe that Scripture reading can be elevated from one of the more perfunctory, least-engaged moments, to one of the most meaningful and powerful moments in worship.

The book, written at a very readable level and with helpful graphics, aims to be personal, practical and not technical. A keyemphasis is how to internalize your assigned scripture text in your own heart and spirit, in order to ignite a passion and conviction that will communicate meaningfully to your congregation.

To give you a taste, I’ve taken the liberty of listing the chapter titles, as they give the arc and story of the book:

My Story (Part 1)
1.How I Got Started Reading Scripture Aloud
2.Recruiting Others Who Love the Game
3.No Longer the Worst Moment
4.The 9 Percent Isolation Factor

Butterflies and Breathing (Part 2)
5.How to Sound Like You
6.From the Page to the Stage
7.Take a Breath—It Even Helps with Nervousness
8.Quick-Start Guide to Reading the Bible Aloud

How to Teach Others (Part 3)
9.Train Your Pastor to Read the Bible Better—Really!
10.Invite Youth and Children to Make Scripture Come Alive
11.Scripture Reading at Home, at Weddings, and More

Next Steps (Part 4)
12.What to Do Next
13.Q&A with Max McLean

Appendices
A.Things You Might Say before or after Reading
B.How I Prepare a Scripture Reading
C.Suggested Texts for Practice
D.Discussion Questions for Accompanying DVD
E.Resources Available from Max McLean

Since so much of this type of instruction is “more caught than taught” we’ve included a DVD that can be used for individual or class settings. It includes several compelling readings frommembers ofmy church’s Scripture reading team as well as a brief commentaryin which I describe what I find to be particularly effective about each one. There’s also a panel discussion about how to pick readers as a church develops a Scripture reading team.

I believe that this unique book with DVD has the potential to help many churchesexperience God’sWord during worship in fresh, compelling ways. That is certainly my prayer.

In addition, you are able to purchase Unleashing the Word for 50% off at Zondervan through November 22nd when you purchase for your ministry. Go to www.zondervan.com/ministry, log in or register, search for Unleashing the Word and add it to your cart. In your cart enter source code 020085, click apply changes and finish checking out.

True Church Conference is hosted by: Anchored in Truth Ministries

The Quagmire of Hyper-Calvinism
A quagmire is a difficult, precarious, entrapping position. How could the church of the Lord Jesus Christ find itself in such a place? By misusing the most glorious truths in the Bible, the Doctrines of Grace.

Finding Balance
In recent years there has been a genuine awakening to the Doctrines of Grace, but will our abhorrence of manmade “systems” of theology cause us to err in equal degree? Will we overcorrect and find ourselves on the slippery slope of hyper-Calvinism? May it never be!

Light and Heat
Nothing kills a church faster than a lost passion for evangelism and missions. The Gospel message is the light and heat of the local church. It’s our only hope and our only message! We must fight all temptation to be slack in sharing the Gospel to ALL men in ALL nations.

Cold, Dead, and Fatalistic
We need to be stirred to be evangelistic, and we certainly can’t allow our knowledge of God’s sovereignty in salvation to be an excuse for fatalism. What an abuse of His glorious truths…the very truths that should make us want to tell everyone about Christ.

Theology and Methodology
Faithful men of God will share biblical principles, historical perspectives, and practical applications. Michael Haykin, Barry King, Conrad Mbewe, David Miller, and Jonathan Sims join Jeff Noblit in stirring church leaders to strike a biblical balance between divine sovereignty and the mandate of evangelism.

Biblically Healthy Churches
The True Church Conference is an annual conference striving not to build great churches, but true churches. The conference is held in the “laboratory” of the local church, Grace Life Church of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Join us February 18-21!

Anchored in Truth
Anchored in Truth Ministries invites you to join pastors, church leaders, and laymen contending for the church in areas of foundational importance.