Suggestions for Christmas

Good morning, afternoon, evening!

As the Christmas season is upon us, I thought it a good idea to make a couple of suggestions for what you might get your spouse for a gift- in the way of excellent Christian books. I know- how boring!

No listen- hear me out on this.

First, it doesn't have to be the ONLY gift you give your spouse- I'm all for something very romantic as well. Like the year I bought Annette a new ax handle for her ax and carved a nice heart with her initials inside it, right on the end. You should have seen her face on Christmas morning when she saw that! Why, she was out back in no time, chopping wood for a nice Christmas fire. So go romantic and go big or go home. Second, what could be better for your spouse than a book that will grow them spiritually? There are some tremendous Christian books out there. Let me give you a few recommendations, and...I'll tell you what I asked for!

1. First, you gotta get this one! It's called "Counterfeit Gods- The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters " by Tim Keller.

This book was just released a couple of months ago and is my number 1 top pick!!! It is a very simply written book that tackles the subject of where we put our trust, our hopes, our dreams. Of course we say "Duh....God!" But wait...what motivates you as a person? What makes you happy? Why do you DO the things you do, and ACT the way that you do? He digs past the surface and provides startling insights on who we really are as people. So not only does it clearly talk about the World and the counterfeit Gods it produces and follows, but shows how we as believers do the same thing, but oh so subtly. Keller is amazing! To get a taste of him, check out this link below. He was the opening speaker for the 2009 Gospel Coalition Conference, and spoke on The Gospel and Idolatry. Click on the video link when that page opens and see and hear his address.

The Gospel and Idolatry


2. Here's my number 2 recommendation- If Good Is Good...Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn.

This book deals with very ancient questions about who God is. If God is all-good, why does He allow suffering? Maybe He's not powerful enough to stop it...BUT, if God is all-powerful, then why does He allow suffering? Maybe He's not all that good.... OR, if GOD is all-good and all-powerful, then why is there so much suffering in the world???? This is a CLASSIC question that many able writers have grappled with over the ages. Randy brings a clarity and compassion to this topic. It's not a theoretical discussion about philosophy- it's "my child has cancer...what about my faith now?" Or "my neighbor's son was hit by a car, what on earth do I say to her??" Every chapter has testimony of people that have experienced tremendous suffering or been faced with terrible evil. You'll be amazed at what they say about God! Check out Randy's intro to the book- he writes like he speaks.






3. And my third recommendation is a classic. It's called "The Return of the Prodigal Son- The Story of a Homecoming" by Henri Nouwen.

I read the book several years ago, but today, someone from church brought it for me and I re-read the majority of this afternoon. It's a beautiful little book about the story of the prodigal son. Nouwen has returned exhausted from six weeks of speaking, and is drawn to Rembrandt's painting of the prodigal, pictured on the cover of his book. He reflects upon the painting for hours and days, rereading the story from scripture again and again. He first sees himself as the prodigal and spends a third of the book from that perspective. Then, he comes to see himself as the elder son, the son who stayed at home with the father, but out of bitterness cannot join the party. Finally, he realizes that God is calling him to be more like the father in the story, stretching out his arms in love and forgiveness. A wonderful book!!

Okay! There's my three recommendations!

And what did I ask for, you say? Here's three things that are on my list that I gave my wife:

First, John Sailhamer's new book "The Meaning of the Pentateuch". If you haven't read Sailhamer on the OT, you ain't read NOTHING! See what John Piper says-

Piper on Sailhamer

Second, Carson's new magnum opus, "Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament". This is a huge volume that looks at every single OT quotation or paraphrase in the NT and answers five questions.

1. What is the NT context of the citation? What is the genre and literary structure of the book or chapter? 2. What is the OT context of the citation? Do these Markan citations come directly from Exodus, for example, or are they quoted from Isaiah's use of Exodus verses? 3. How was the OT quote handled or interpreted by Second Temple Judaism, or early Judaism in general? 4. From what text is the OT quotation copied. The Septuagint (LXX), the Masoretic text, or a Targum (scripture translated into Aramaic or Coptic). 5. What is the ultimate use or connection being made by the NT author's use of the OT. Is it simply to emote a connection, is it a use of a common OT idiom, is it a parable use, shorthand to evoking an OT story, or is there a belief that events in NT times fulfill a specific OT prophecy.

Third, the latest Showbread CD, "The Fear of God". Just remember...raw rock kills...(more about these guys in a future blog).

Oh I can't WAIT for Christmas!!!!

Eric