5pointers

If you are interested in the Iraqi rebuilding/security effort, here’s a cool article you should read.

Biographies:

Jonathan Edwards: A life, by George M. Marsden is a brilliant biography that goes deep into the life of a theological giant. One of the many things I liked about this biography was it brings you into the reasons and motives for most of his works.

Classics:

Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas is an excellent adventure novel. I usually don’t like to read books after I’ve seen the movie (the one that came out several years ago), but this was well worth it. The movie and the book are nothing alike except for the similar themes of revenge and imprisonment.

Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson is another adventure novel that was a joy to read. If you want to find out where the name “Long John Silver” comes from, I would suggest reading this book.

Persuasion by Jane Austen was my fourth Austen novel. Though it wasn’t as good as some of here other works (IMHO), it still displayed the good ole Jane Austin style of writing that I’ve come to like. I find her to be a very talented and witty author.

Gospel:

God is the Gospel by John Piper, is a typical piper book, loaded with scripture and a strong theological foundation. This may be one of my favorite Piper books because God used it to give me a better and deeper understanding of the gospel.

Living the Cross Centered life by C.J. Mahaney is another book that gave me a better understanding of the gospel. The book was loaded with gospel truths and practical advice that encourages you to live the cross centered life.

Recent Fiction:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling. Yes, I am a Harry Potter fan and I don’t just read them to engage the culture! Rowling is a brilliant author who has brought us one of the most popular serious of all time. She brings to life a story that is very intricate and always throws you for a loop.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling is the final book in the Harry Potter series. Does Harry and Voldermort live or die? Is Snape good or bad? What is the seventh Horcrux? Those are all questions that are answered in this book. And yes, I was one of those people who spent all of last Saturday reading it. All I can say is Wow!

“When I first began reading through the Bible I looked for some unifying themes. I concluded that there are many and that if we make just one theme the theme (such as ‘covenant’ or ‘kingdom’) we run the danger of reductionism. However, one of the main ways to read the Bible is as the ages-long struggle between true faith and idolatry. In the beginning, human beings were made to worship and serve God, and to rule over all created things in God’s name (Gen 1:26­–28). Paul understands humanity’s original sin as an act of idolatry: “They exchanged the glory of the immortal God…and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator”(Rom 1:21–25). Instead of living for God, we began to live for ourselves, or our work, or for material goods. We reversed the original intended order. And when we began to worship and serve created things, paradoxically, the created things came to rule over us. Instead of being God’s vice-regents, ruling over creation, now creation masters us. We are now subject to decay and disease and disaster. The final proof of this is death itself. We live for our own glory by toiling in the dust, but eventually we return to the dust—the dust “wins” (Gen 3:17–19). We live to make a name for ourselves but our names are forgotten. Here in the beginning of the Bible we learn that idolatry means slavery and death.”

read on here.

I know you all have been waiting with baited breath for the release of the 4th of July Bike Tour Video. Now it’s here! Enjoy.

I am on the verge of launching into a study of the book of Hebrews and was wondering if anyone would like to join. I am also curious if any of you have suggested commentaries or other resources that would be helpful? I have wanted to do this study for a while but have been putting it off. It will require significant time and energy which is now available and accompanied by an inprocrastinatable hunger brought on by Heb 1:1-4.

I appreciate any help and would like to study and discuss Hebrews on this blog if anyone else is interested.