Looking Outside the Doors

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What? More Books???

Just a quick teaser for some of the books coming to the Resource Center very soon!

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Coming in Early August to the Resource Center

Resolving Everyday Conflict (2011) Ken Sande and Kevin Johnson

ISBN 9780801013867

Everyone encounters conflict--whether it be with a coworker, family member, friend, or complete stranger. And yet we all desire harmony in our relationships. "Resolving Everyday Conflict" is a practical, biblical, concise guide to peacemaking in everyday life that can turn tumultuous relationships into peaceful ones.

Embracing Obscurity: Becoming Nothing in Light of God's Everything (2012) Anonymous

ISBN 9781433677816

Ironically, the trouble with me and you and the rest of humanity is not a lack of self-confidence but that we have far too much self-importance... As pride creeps in, we are tempted to want more: more recognition, more admiration, more influence, more, more, more. Few have ever given thought to wanting less. That’s why we need Embracing Obscurity.... When we stop imitating the world and instead choose to embrace obscurity, real life -- chock full of significance, purpose, and renewed passion -- begins.

A Neglected Grace: Family Worship in the Christian Home (2013) Jason Helopoulos

ISBN 9781781912034

Pastor Jason Helopoulos calls parents and church leaders to reclaim the practice of family worship. This indispensable means of grace directs our children to seek Christ daily, preparing them to go out into the world as fully functioning Christian adults, who love Christ and see all of life in relation to Him.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Coming Soon to the SPEP Resource Center

Several new books and four more DVD sets are coming to the Resource Center soon! By popular demand, we've purchased more DVD sets for individual and small group use. The picture's a little small, so here are some of the DVDs that will show up soon:

Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It - Live conference with Paul David Tripp

Your Walk with God is a Community Project - Live conference with Paul David Tripp

Two Ways to Live: Know and Share the Gospel

The Prodigal God: Finding Your Place at the Table - Timothy Keller

Sunday, July 7, 2013

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (2000) Vern S. Poythress

The Returning King: A Guide to the Book of Revelation (2000) - Vern S. Poythress

P&R Publishing

Trade paperback, 213 pages

ISBN 9780875524627

Retail price: $14.99

Many pastors avoid preaching on it. (Even John Calvin didn’t write a commentary on it.) Many Christians know they should study it, but aren’t sure where to turn or how to get started. But Vern Poythress, professor of New Testament interpretation at Philadelphia’s Westminster Theological Seminary, says a child could understand the Book of Revelation.

In fact, a 12-year-old boy once told Poythress that he read Revelation and understood it. “I read it just like a fantasy,” the boy said, “except that I knew it was true.”

Poythress states, “Revelation is a picture book, not a puzzle book. don’t try to puzzle it out. Don’t become preoccupied with isolated details. Rather, become engrossed in the overall story. Praise the Lord. Cheer for the saints. Detest the Beast. Long for the final victory.”

Poythress also shows that the apostle John’s writings were most likely not confusing at all to his original audience. The reason is that his audience was steeped in a knowledge of the Old Testament, which is necessary for a proper understanding of Revelation. In fact, it seems there’s actually very little in the Bible’s final book that hasn’t been referenced throughout the Old Testament.

Then what gets people bogged down? Dragons and beasts and angels? Seven seals and seven trumpets? The white horse? The 144,000? The sea of glass? The little scroll? The 42 months?

Yes, all of the above. In other words, the details. People want to know what every single detail means, so they obsess over them, missing the big picture, which is actually pretty simple:

Jesus wins.

There, I’ve just told you the whole story of Revelation. But there’s much more to it than that.

Poythress lays out the big picture (which is very big), then breaks down the big picture into large (but manageable) rocks, not pebbles. You won’t have every question answered (we never will in this life, anyway), but you’ll have a good, basic understanding of the themes and structure of Revelation. Poythress provides many helpful Scriptural references, especially those referring back to important sections of the Old Testament. One annoyance, however, is the frequent use of “See ‘Schools of Interpretation below’” for example, when that section is actually not below, but in another chapter. This is a small frustration, but when you’re already going back and forth in your Bible, this is a serious challenge to keeping your focus. Why not just give us a chapter number or a page number?

If you’ve kept the Book of Revelation at a distance up until now, it’s time to pick it up and start reading. Poythress’ book can be a great help in helping you to understand and enjoy (yes, enjoy!) the Book of Revelation.

4/5

Monday, May 20, 2013

Schaeffer on the Christian Life (2013) - William Edgar

Schaeffer on the Christian Life (2013) - William Edgar

Crossway, trade paperback, 206 pages

ISBN 9781433531392

$17.99 retail

I firmly believe that the best way to learn about Francis Schaeffer, one of Christianity’s most important figures of the 20th century, is to read his work. For the uninitiated, that can be a daunting task. Although most of his books are fairly short, Schaeffer packs a tremendous amount of material into them: examinations of the world that are biblical, philosophical, artistic, cultural.... The list goes on.

Writing about the man and his work is also no simple task, yet William Edgar does a remarkable job in many areas. The opening section of the book, however, “A Man and His Times,” begins on shaky ground. Edgar, a professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, takes us on a brief journey through Schaeffer’s life that is both scattershot in its approach and frustrating in its familiarity. To Edgar’s credit, a workable biography of Francis Schaeffer in 20 pages is an impossibility. (Edgar also gives a personal introduction that’s nearly 20 pages long.) Yet this first section is filled with too many personal reflections that interrupt the flow of the narrative.

Edgar does get things on track throughout the rest of the book, addressing some of Schaeffer’s main themes: the fundamentals of Christianity, freedom in the Christian life, prayer and guidance, affliction, life in the church, and engaging the world. These chapters get to the heart of what made Schaeffer tick and, like all good biographies, makes you want to read more of the man’s work. Edgar is much more comfortable here, explaining the nuts and bolts of Schaeffer’s work and worldview, both in his writing and his work with his wife Edith at L’Abri.

In fact, one of the book’s most pleasant surprises is how much space and attention Edgar gives to Edith Schaeffer, showing how she, in her own writing, often focused in detail on aspects of the Christian life that her husband sometimes barely touched upon. If you pick up Schaeffer on the Christian Life wanting to know more about Francis, by the time you finish it, you’ll probably want to know more about Edith as well.

*Schaeffer on the Christian Life is part of the Theologians on the Christian Life series, which includes:

Warfield on the Christian Life - Fred G. Zaspel (available now)

Bonhoeffer on the Christian Life - Stephen J. Nichols (available June 2013)

Wesley on the Christian Life - Fred Sanders (available August 2013)

4/5

Monday, May 6, 2013

Reverberation (2012) - Jonathan Leeman

Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom, and Action to His People (2012) Jonathan Leeman

9Marks, Moody Publishers

Trade paperback, 197 pages

ISBN 9780802422996

Retail price $12.99

Churches and church leadership can come up with all sorts of way to promote church growth: attractive programs, contemporary worship bands, people-oriented ministries, etc. All of these things are fine, but without the church’s main driving force, the Word of God proclaimed, all of these other considerations are secondary.

To use Leeman’s terminology, the Word of God should reverberate in and through our lives, both individually and as a body of believers in local churches. In the book’s second chapter, Leeman states that the Word acts in five ways:

God’s Word is an extension of God

God acts through His Word

God acts through His Word by His Spirit

God’s Word and Spirit act together efficaciously

God speaks through human preachers and human words

Leeman (who clearly has a high view of Scripture) explains how the Word invites and divides, acts, frees, and gathers. Through sermons, the Word exposes our sin, “announces what God has done, and confronts its hearers with this news and its implications (p. 124).”

So that’s how God’s Word acts. But how does it reverberate? What does this look like?

The reverberation becomes noticeable in how Christians sing, pray, and disciple. It’s unmistakable, says Leeman. You know it when you see it. Such reverberations themselves can lead to the Word exposing, announcing, and confronting. It scatters, reverberating in the hearing of others, starting the process all over again.

I initially feared Reverberation would be a very simplistic volume, but I was wrong. While the book is a fairly read, Leeman explores the topic with depth, making us rethink how our churches operate, how we think of the Word of God, and how it reverberates (or doesn’t) in our own lives. I’m not sure I agree 100% with all of Leeman’s thoughts on expositional vs. topical sermons, but his dedication to biblical teaching is evident.

Kevin DeYoung’s quote does a good job of summing up Reverberation:

“The secret of the gospel is that we actually do more when we hear less about all we need to do for God and hear more about all that God has already done for us.”