Rebecca is one of many people who accepted our challenge to read 12 books in 12 months. In January, she read Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. This is her report...
Yeah! I did it! I finished the book today.
I am thankful for this challenge since I am not a reader and this is helping me become one.
My favorite lines from this book were when the author explained the reason why we should rejoice in our trials...
"It is not the adversity considered in itself that is to be the ground of our joy. Rather, it is the expectation of the results, the development of our character, that should cause us to rejoice in adversity........He does tell us to rejoice because we believe He is in control of those circumstances (trials) and is at work through them for our ultimate good."
The Christian life is intended to be one of continuous growth.
A book about theology.
Join us as we read 12 books in 12 months. This month we are reading a book about theology. Here are a few recommendations:
Knowing God by J.I. Packer
The Cross of Christ by John Stott
Delighting In The Trinity by Michael Reeves
What Is Biblical Theology? by James M. Hamilton Jr.
Young readers might enjoy Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem
Listen to Christians singing the same song we sing but in Russian (in Moscow). It'll make the world feel smaller and our God bigger.
As we have preached through 1 Corinthians the last month, you may have found yourself hungry for more on the subjects we've covered. Here are a few recommendations:
- This Momentary Marriage by John Piper provides a strong theological framework for the gift of marriage, singleness, and sex. And it's free!
- Sex, Romance, and The Glory of God by C.J. Mahaney is a great little book on how a husband can cultivate romance with his wife.
- Is God Anti-Gay? by Sam Allbery provides grace-filled counsel regarding this very personal and sensitive issue.
- What Did You Expect? by Paul Tripp on redeeming the realities of your marriage.
- Redeeming Singleness by Barry Danylak explains how the storyline of the bible affirms the single life.
"The greatest, wisest, most fully human person who has ever lived never married—Jesus Christ. His greatest apostle never married and was thankful for his singleness. Jesus himself said that in the age to come we do not marry. And he added that the age to come had already broken into this world."
The New Perspective On Paul
This month at Theology on Tap the men are debating the relationship between our justification and our salvation, with a particular emphasis on the teachings called the New Perspective on Paul.
Although the group is currently on a waiting-list only, you can still follow along on Facebook and do the homework. Here's a great 5-minute audio primer on the issue.
Christopher is one of many people who accepted our challenge to read 12 books in 12 months. In January, he read A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsdsen. This is his report...
I was struck by how average Edward's life was. We tend to venerate, even idolize, the "great men of faith", and Edwards is certainly no exception. Yet, for all of theologically rich writings he produced, there was still the rest of life to contend with. People opposed him, most thought he was too serious, he was prone to depression, he was terrible at small talk, terrible at reading people and even worse at understanding politics.
His church fired him.
On the other hand, he adored his children and his wife. He was concerned more for other's spiritual well being then temporal needs. His life matched his theology and he never lost sight of the reality that "the chief end of man is to love God."
I've always admired Edwards, but reading this biography help me appreciate the real Edwards. A man who was a largely-absent-slave-owning-depressive-controversial-way-too-serious kind of guy, yet experienced God's grace in every corner of his life.
We ought to expect God could do the same for us.