New & Notable 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. Here are some of the notable books that I’ve received: Faithmapping by Daniel Montgomery and Mike Cosper. “Most of us emphasize one aspect of Christianity over another. Competing voices tell us that the Christian life is all about this or that: missions, discipleship, …

Follow Me by David Platt

David Platt’s Radical was one of those rare books that catapults a first-time author straight to top of the charts. For two years it was a fixture on the lists of bestsellers and even today it remains a top seller in the Christian ranks. Radical was a call for Christians to escape the doldrums of the American dream and to live for something better, something that counts for far more. Books with this message are hardly a rarity today, but what …

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Free Stuff Fridays

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays is sponsored by CBD Reformed and, as always, they’ve got some great prize packages for you. There will be five winners this week, and each of them will receive the following three books: The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments by Marty Machowski – Retail price $29.99 Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels by Kenneth Bailey – Retail Price $26.00 The Wisdom of God: Seeing Jesus …

Twelve Legions

It is among the most emotional—certainly one of the most stirring—scenes in The Lord of the Rings. The enemy forces have pressed hard against Helm’s Deep, they have approached in overwhelming numbers, they have raised the siege works and battered the gates and have slowly driven back the armies of the Rohirrim. Hope has grown dim and King Theoden takes to his horse to ride out for a final charge. Lingering in every mind is Gandalf’s promise, “Look to my coming …

Linger, Linger, Linger

A few nights ago a friend shared a powerful little piece of writing that deals with the incarnation of Jesus. A bit of research shows that it comes from the end of a song by the rapper Json; this song closes with an extended quote from John Piper. For now, here it is. It seemed poetic, so I put it in the form of verse. In order for Jesus to suffer and die, He had to plan way ahead of …

5 140-Character Encouragers

There are many different reasons to use Twitter; there are many different good reasons to use Twitter. Some use it for pure entertainment value; some use it to share news and information; some use it to relate to other people. These are all equally valid. There are a precious few people who use Twitter to encourage others in the Lord. These are people who put in some extra effort to package truth in 140 characters or less. And for that …

A La Carte (4/18)

eBook Sales – Evidence of a massive shift in publishing: “The publishing tide is shifting fast: E-book sales in February topped all other formats, including paperbacks and hardcovers, according to an industry report released this week.” Speaking of which, the Kindle now has a version that just barely tops $100. Future Leaders – Brian Croft has a useful article on how pastors can identity future leaders within the church. Where We Can’t Follow Jesus – This blogger went looking for …

A La Carte (3/4)

I apologize for skipping out on A La Carte yesterday. I came down with an ugly variation of the 24-hour flu and pretty much spent all day in bed. I probably could have wrestled together a post, but I was having an odd problem with my eyes–I was seeing double for a few hours. That was a new one to me. It made reading and writing pretty much impossible. Intercourse with God? – Everyday Mommy writes about Ann Voskamp’s new …

A La Carte (10/22)

As you read this, I’m on my way to Grand Rapids. These short trips can be tough ones. Because I want to be gone for only the day, I need an early flight–7 AM. That means I need to be at the airport at 5 AM (which you’d understand if you’ve ever flown out of Toronto early in the morning). That in turn means I need to catch a cab at 4:30 which means I need to be up at …

Free Stuff Fridays

This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is Moody Publishers. That is a name well-known around these parts as they regularly sponsor these giveaways. This week they are offering a prize package that contains four new books. Five winners will each be sent these four titles: Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church — Soong-Chan Rah’s book will spur individuals, churches, and parachurch ministries toward more effectively bearing witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News for people …