A mom home with her four preschoolers got devastating news in the form of a phone call from her husband: “I’m not coming home…ever.” Persistent depression hounded a young pastor since childhood, even after he fell deeply in love with Jesus as a college student. A teenage athlete from a nominally Christian home chased girls, … Continue reading Recovering Redemption
The Explicit Gospel
Do People Truly Understand the Gospel? As a biblical counselor in private practice in the Bible belt, I have the privilege of extolling to individuals, couples, families, and teenagers every day the beauty of the gospel of Christ and its profound, life changing implications for their lives. And, sadly, what I am learning is that … Continue reading The Explicit Gospel
This is a review of one of my favorite books on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I am reblogging it this year for Easter week. I hope you enjoy it.
Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus, by one of my favorite New Testament scholars and theologians, Dr. D.A. Carson is a great read for Holy Week, or anytime. Dr. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School since 1978, has penned over 50 books. In Scandalous, Carson has written a work on the cross and the resurrection suitable for individual or small group study, as well as meditation and reflection on the central events of our faith. He has written with characteristic depth of insight and wisdom. The chapters of the book are actually a collection of sermons preached by Dr. Carson at Mars Hill Church’s Bible Conference in 2008.
One of my favorite chapters of the book, Chapter 4, is an exposition John 11, Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead. Carson, in reference to Lazarus of Bethany in John 11:3, and other passages…
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Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
If you only read one book on the Christian view of sex, please read Sex and the Supremacy of Christ. Compiled from sermons delivered at Piper's 2004 Desiring God National Conference on this topic, Sex and the Supremacy of Christ utilizes a wide variety of contributors to develop the ideas that the Bible has a … Continue reading Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
Awakening to the Gospel
Ray Ortlund begins his foreword to Jared C. Wilson's Gospel Wakefulness like this: What is the spiritual future of our churches? If our future is going to be better than our present, we have to change. How does change happen? Not by our own brilliance or willpower. Not even by agreement with the gospel. We … Continue reading Awakening to the Gospel
God, Marriage, and Family
God's gracious plan to make His character and glory known though the institutions of marriage and family is under cultural attack like never before. Pastors' and biblical counselors' offices are filled daily with families struggling to find their way. Kostenberger's first edition of God, Marriage, and Family was the most extensive work to date on … Continue reading God, Marriage, and Family
Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage
As evidenced by the quantity and quality of marriage books I've reviewed here, there are several good gospel-centered books on marriage, written in a variety of styles and covering almost every conceivable topic related to the subject. Until this year, I have used one of more of these books for premarital counseling as well, because … Continue reading Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage
What Did You Expect??, by Paul Tripp
What Did You Expect??: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage is a solid book on the gospel's implications for marriage. With his characteristic humor and directness, Paul Tripp reminds his readers that marriage is essentially about worship. We are either seeking to build our own self-centered kingdoms or about building the kingdom of God. Tripp encourages … Continue reading What Did You Expect??, by Paul Tripp
The Mystery of Marriage, by Mike Mason
In the Foreword to Mike Mason's Gold Medallion-winning book on marriage, none other than J.I. Packer writes of the rare combination of "wisdom, depth, dignity and glow - I don't know what else to call it - that I find in these chapters. To introduce them is not a chore but an excitement." Moreover, you … Continue reading The Mystery of Marriage, by Mike Mason
Marriage Matters, by Winston Smith
Every married couple (and every Biblical counselor) knows that marriages grow in grace (or become progressively embittered against each other and hardened to the gospel) one ordinary moment at a time. In Marriage Matters, Winston Smith reminds the reader from 1 John 4 that God is purposefully in those so-called ordinary moments, that extraordinary change … Continue reading Marriage Matters, by Winston Smith
Soul Care Blog 