Hull, Bill and Ben Sobels. The Discipleship Gospel. Brentwood, TN: HIM Publications. 174 pp. $15.95. Christians are supposed to be “unashamed of the gospel” (Rom 1:16). The gospel is of “first importance” for Christians (1 Cor 15:3). Yet if you were to ask a group of Christians what the gospel is, you would almost certainly get a number of different answers, maybe even some arguments. Confusion reigns in our churches about the most basic truths of the Christian faith. Most pastors … [Read more...]
‘The proven path to happiness’
Parnell, Jonathan. Never Settle for Normal: The Proven Path to Significance and Happiness. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah. 151 pp. $14.99. We were created to live with God and for God, to know him and make him known. Every one of us exists for that reason, no matter our personalities, vocations, birthplaces, ethnicities, or anything else. God made all of us on purpose to live with him wherever he might happen to put us and live for him in whatever he might call us to do. This is … [Read more...]
‘Practicing radically ordinary hospitality’
Butterfield, Rosaria. The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. 240 pp. $19.99. Rosaria Butterfield defines radically ordinary hospitality as “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make strangers neighbors, and neighbors family of God” (31). Such hospitality makes your home a hospital, a place where people can find healing and grace, physical and spiritual good. It makes your home … [Read more...]
Conversion without discipleship?
Hull, Bill. Conversion and Discipleship: You Can’t Have One Without the Other. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 250 pp. $18.99. Can we be Christians without living for Jesus? Is getting saved something different from being a disciple? Is discipleship a choice for the Christian, or a necessary part of being a Christian? As Christians we often use those terms, “Christian” and “disciple,” as if they meant different things. A Christian is something you are, a status or a belief that you hold, … [Read more...]
‘Walking through twilight’
Groothuis, Douglas. Walking Through Twilight: A Wife’s Illness – A Philosopher’s Lament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP. 177 pp. $17.00. Douglas Groothuis’s wife, Becky, has a rare form of dementia called primary progressive aphasia, which affects the ability to communicate and understand. She received this diagnosis in 2014, completely changing how the Groothuis’ lived and what their expectations of the future were. Walking Through Twilight is Groothius’s memoir, drawn from the last … [Read more...]
‘Conversion: How God Creates a People’
Lawrence, Michael. Conversion: How God Creates a People. Wheaton, IL: Crossway. 137 pp. $14.99. When people find out I’m a pastor, they often want to tell me about their relationship with God. These can be wonderful conversations; there are few things more encouraging than meeting people with an evident love for Jesus. More often than not, however, I leave those conversations discouraged. Many people identify as Christians but don’t seem to have any interest in Jesus or his church. … [Read more...]
‘Joy to the World, the Lord has come!’
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” “O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant! Come and behold him, born the King of angels!” “Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled! Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies, with the angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!” Christmas is a time of joy. As these songs remind us, because the eternal Son of God came to this earth, peace … [Read more...]
‘A conversation on the ways of God’
Christians are saved by Jesus to be like Jesus. The Christian life is the lifelong practice of becoming like Jesus, of saying the things Jesus would say, doing the things Jesus would do, and loving others the way that Jesus would love them. As we become more like God we bring glory to him. We also serve as witnesses of just how glorious he is. Of course, we aren’t always like Jesus. Sometimes our words don’t match what we say we believe. Sometimes we do the right things in the wrong way … [Read more...]
Book Review: A primer on the Reformers’ theologies
Five-hundred years ago this month, Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. He hoped to start a debate about some important doctrinal issues, challenging the authority of the pope to forgive sins and the practice of essentially buying and selling the grace of Jesus Christ. Little did he know that his actions would spark a movement that would change the world, leading to what we now call the Protestant Reformation. It’s hard to overstate … [Read more...]
Two books for raising kids in the faith
As a pastor I am often asked by parents what books or resources I would recommend for helping their children grow in their faith. There are two books I recommend above all others. One of them is a fictional story of a child searching for a King to help him get rid of the stains all over his body, while the other covers the storyline of the Bible from Genesis all the way through Revelation. Both are all about the gospel, and together give children (and their parents) a clear, engaging … [Read more...]
‘Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving’
Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field (Matt 13:44). It seems a wealthy man buried a fortune on his land and died before he could retrieve it. No one knows it is there until a traveler finds it, marks the spot, and races home. In his great joy all he can think about is selling everything he owns to buy that land and get that treasure. From that moment on the traveler’s life is transformed; every decision he makes with every cent of his wealth is aimed … [Read more...]
Pressing the ‘Reset’ button in life
Murray, David. Reset. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017. 206 pages. $14.99. When I ask people how they are doing, they are just as likely to respond with some variation of “Staying busy,” as the typical “Fine.” Digging deeper into those conversations often results in an admission of stress, anxiety, or exhaustion. So many of us live life at an unrealistic pace. We go faster and work harder until life becomes a blur of obligations and responsibilities, with little to no joy or peace. Living … [Read more...]