Tenth Avenue North

Tenth Avenue North is a band that has recently come on the Christian music scene, but they have certainly made waves and, personally, have become my new favorite band. The members of this band have hearts that seek to truly honor God in their music as well as in all parts of their lives and minds that are level-headed as well as talented. This is evidenced not only by their song lyrics, but also by their journal posts which not only explain their songs, but give helpful insights and wisdom. Their first album, Over and Underneath, is one of the few that I can listen to over and over again. I greatly recommend this band for your consideration and I watch with great anticipation to see how God will use them in the future.

Guarded by the Good Shepherd

I’ve been a little behind on letting you know about the books I’ve been reading, but I would like to try to remedy that in the upcoming week or so. So, for starters, I would like to recommend to you Guard Us, Guide Us, by J.I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom.

In their book, the authors explain biblically what divine guidance is, starting from Psalm 23. They relate how God guides us not normally through impressions, visions, or other subjective spiritual experiences, but rather through His Word, through other Christians, and the wisdom that we get from them. They seek to dispel the notion that making decisions without any overt affirmation from God is somehow less spiritual than acting upon personal revelation. In fact, they argue, it takes more spiritual maturity to examine the Bible, understand its principles and evaluating how they relate to your situation so that you can make the right decision –and they expound upon how to do that effectively.

I recommend this book to any who are seeking God’s guidance in their lives… which should be all followers of Christ.

Westminster Bookstore

Attention book lovers! If you have not heard of Westminster Bookstore, you’ll be glad to know that this online bookstore has a wealth of resources for every Christian bibliophile and for every Christian in general. Some of the advantages of buying from Westminster:

1. Westminster’s prices are often equal or less than that of other comparable sites, such as Amazon.
2. It is easier to find certain Christian books than at other websites.
3. When you buy from Westminster, you’re supporting a Christian organization.

Next time you’re looking for a Christian book, I encourage you to go to the Westminster Bookstore online.

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl

N.D. Wilson has released his new book, Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl. If it sounds interestin, watch the trailer below or read about the new book on Justin Taylor’s blog. All I can say is that I can’t wait to get my hands on this book.

Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl trailer from Gorilla Poet Productions on Vimeo.

Spectacular Sin?

If you want to read a book that will help you appreciate and delight in the sovereignty of God over everything (and especially if you don’t), including the myriad evil in this world, I suggest you read one of John Piper’s most recent books, Spectacular Sins and their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. Don’t let the title daunt you. It is not a difficult read. In fact, I had it done in about 4 days. And all the time spent reading it was worth it. Rarely have I seen more clearly the glory of Christ in the worst of circumstances and the purpose of God in the most senseless of activities.

I thank God for this book and I thank John Piper for accepting God’s call to write it. I recommend it to you with no reservations. Please consider taking a weekend to read this book. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The Star of Bethlehem

With the Christmas season upon us, I would like to make a recommendation for a movie to watch this year. The Star of Bethlehem is a documentary on what the Star of Bethelehem actually was according to the Bible. It is intriguing and thought-provoking. A must-see for the Christmas season.