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July 08
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Brian
gave
 
to:
Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy (Paperback)
by Paul David Tripp
bookshelves:
devotional
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my rating:
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Brian said:
"This book should be read, and re-read, and thought deeply about at some point each week or each day depending on the time you spend in reflection. I love the format, its quite easy to read but don't let that reason allow you to not see the wisdom of...more
This book should be read, and re-read, and thought deeply about at some point each week or each day depending on the time you spend in reflection. I love the format, its quite easy to read but don't let that reason allow you to not see the wisdom of this short book. This book is painful at times because the author will most likely strike a chord with each reader at some point. The dominant theme is sin, and your response to it. Most of the chapters discuss something to do with Psalm 51, his short meditations on these various aspects are usually 2 pages of very good insight. The author is open in discussing his own failures, the allure of sin in his life and what the appropriate response should be. I feel that we can never read enough about how to strengthen our life in Christ and I believe this book does just that. The author makes clear that a it is far to easy to make idols out of your abilities or possesions, to easy to think you need to improve before you go to God, to easy to harden your heart rather than repent, and welcome God's grace to refresh and refine your spirit. This book can be read in one day, but should be reflected upon for a lifetime.
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June 29
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Brian
gave
to:
Humility: True Greatness (Hardcover)
by C. J. Mahaney
bookshelves:
christian,
humility
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my rating:
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Brian said:
"Humility is perhaps the most lacking of all traits in the society, this book concludes that Christians are not immune from the deadly perils of selfish pride either. CJ Mahaney points out that humility is really what pleases God, and a quality that m...more
Humility is perhaps the most lacking of all traits in the society, this book concludes that Christians are not immune from the deadly perils of selfish pride either. CJ Mahaney points out that humility is really what pleases God, and a quality that most people enjoy in other people as well. Mahaney reckons that his lack of humility is like "fighting for supremacy with God", praying always that God will help him to know his place. Mahaney speaks of cultivating a spirit of gratitude, being thankful that God is there and is sustaining your life through his grace, and to actually read and study the doctrines of grace, to see how the Bible describes us as fallen, depraved human beings that should not be haughty and proud but realize our position before God, that we have nothing in ourselves that is worthy of boasting. The Chapter on Identifying Evidences of Grace was powerful because it hit close to home; We deflate the worth of others based on something we see wrong with them, but when we see that God loves His people, and is at work in their lives it is a sign of humility to see them with a less critical spirit. The ending chapters the author deals with encouragement, and the power of our words to edify or destroy ourselves and others. Inviting correction helps to show how we can deceive ourselves so easily, like a carnival mirror. Get input from others, whom you trust will lend good biblical advice and criticism, to help you chip away the pride that so easy deceives our hearts. He covers suffering and other trials of sorts that we experience, and urges us to deal with them in a humble fashion, praying for Gods help and guidence, waiting quietly on God without grumbling and complaining about our circumstances, that will help our pursuits toward a more humble disposition. Lastly the legacy you leave your children by teaching them to live this way, to be gracious, to serve people and honor their parents, so they to will one day hear the words well done good and faithful servant....less
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June 18
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Brian
gave
to:
Putting Amazing Back into Grace,: Embracing the Heart of the Gospel (Paperback)
by Michael Horton
bookshelves:
christian,
doctines-of-grace
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my rating:
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Brian said:
"This book is of course not the only book out there that talks about grace and the doctrines that make up the 5 points of Calvinism, but this is one of the best I've read.
I was reformed for 6+ years and knew them pretty well but the way in which Hor...more
This book is of course not the only book out there that talks about grace and the doctrines that make up the 5 points of Calvinism, but this is one of the best I've read.
I was reformed for 6+ years and knew them pretty well but the way in which Horton expounded them and clearly laid out the gospel was astounding to my feeble mind. He wrote this book at a young age which is astounding in and of itself, and he deals with a lot of the questions, I would guess are on the minds of most every christian at some point in time in their life as believers. He simply gets the reader past the idea of a strangling legalistic type life in Christ, we are not justified in the eyes of God by our goodness, but by faith in Christ alone. He talks about all the key words of the Christian faith, redemption, faith, justification, sin, freewill, foreknowledge, worship etc. In the appendix he gives many proof texts for the 5 points of Calvinism or Doctines of Grace if you will. I highlighted a great deal of this book and have personally been responsible for at least 10 copies sold to friends, I recommend it above all books for the laymen. ...less
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June 09
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Brian
gave
to:
Go and Sin No More: A Call to Holiness (Hardcover)
by Michael L. Brown
bookshelves:
christian,
sin-and-temptation
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Brian said:
"Every sin you commit grieves the heart of God and can prevent you from achieving the closeness to God you should desire. In Go And Sin No More, Dr. Michael L. Brown reveals how you can overcome temptation and live a passionate life of holiness that w...more
Every sin you commit grieves the heart of God and can prevent you from achieving the closeness to God you should desire. In Go And Sin No More, Dr. Michael L. Brown reveals how you can overcome temptation and live a passionate life of holiness that will fill your heart with joy and breed a desire to do the right things when temptation comes your way.
Drawing on scripture his own experience, Brown presents twenty reasons not to sin, any one of which are helpful to keep your pursuit of holiness strong until you're face to face with Jesus.
There are references to things of a charismatic nature in the book, I sensed (not always clearly stated) there may be some positions that Dr. Brown would take coming from the arminian/charismatic side that I'd differ on, but I was helped a lot by this book and will make it a book that stays on the night stand forever....less
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Brian
gave
to:
Classical Music (Paperback)
by Phil G. Goulding
bookshelves:
music
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my rating:
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read in January, 1999
Brian said:
"Phil was an ordinary man with no Classical Music background who decided he would begin to learn. This book is the result of thousands of dollars spent on the great pieces of music from various composers and the countless hours spent listening and rec...more
Phil was an ordinary man with no Classical Music background who decided he would begin to learn. This book is the result of thousands of dollars spent on the great pieces of music from various composers and the countless hours spent listening and recording his thoughts from a non professional viewpoint. I picked this book up when I knew nothing but wanted to learn and it was a great journey because the author wasn't a snob or critical of those who knew nothing about the music he simply laid out a good starting place for collecting, he wrote some good essays about the composers and ranked them according to his love for the composers works, along with what the professional world has said throughout history. The thing that was great for the collector was the list of the recordings you should have of each of the composers, which I now proudly own most and will listen to and cherish for a lifetime. I've hoped that the USA would get back to a love for Classical music and abolish Rap instead maybe this book could expedite that. 4 Star because I disagree with some of his conclusions, but more like a 1/2 star off for that.
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June 06
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Brian
read and liked
Paul's
review of Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview:
"This is a great introduction to philosophy in general, the philosophy of religion and Christianity in particular. If the reader masters each section, s/he will have the equivalent (almost) of an undergraduate education in philosophy, and the philoso...more
This is a great introduction to philosophy in general, the philosophy of religion and Christianity in particular. If the reader masters each section, s/he will have the equivalent (almost) of an undergraduate education in philosophy, and the philosophy of religion. Broad topics discussed are: Introduction to philosophy, Introduction to Logic (very brief and scattered), Epistemology, Metaphysics, Philosophy of Science, Ethics, Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology. This is achieved in 626 pages.
Even though I disagree with the authors (Moreland and Craig) in many areas (for example, freedom of the will, internalism and evidentialism with respect to justification - though they seem friendly towards externalism, Thomistic dualism (though I could be persuaded), as well as a few other areas), I can't say enough about the value this book holds for both the young Christian thinker, as well as the Christian in the pew. The Christian in the pew will be light years ahead of his co-workers if s/he reads this book. It will make you able to deal effectively with not only every day situations where critical thinking skills are important, but also objections to the faith.
The Reformed Christian will want to supplement (or skip) some of the usual suspects (libertarianism about the will, for example) and look elsewhere. Helm, Frame, Sudduth, Welty, Anderson are helpful Reformed Christians. Guys like John Fischer are helpful for the free will debate, even though Fischer isn't a Christian. If you're presuppositionally inclined, you'll want to supplement this book with writings by Bahnsen, Frame, Van Til, Oliphint, etc. My advice would be to read the entire book, though. This will help you to become conversant with libertarianism, among other things. And, reading the traditional arguments for God will at least allow you to develop defeater-defeaters, or cummulative case arguments, for God. This is beneficial even if you're a hard-core presuppositionalist....less
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May 09
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Brian
added a quote:
"“When you break the big laws, you do not get liberty; you do not even get anarchy. You get the small laws.”"
— G.K. Chesterton
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Brian
added a quote:
"“Goodness without wisdom always accomplishes evil.” "
— Robert Heinlein
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May 06
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Brian
gave
to:
The Enemy Within: Straight Talk About the Power and Defeat of Sin (Paperback)
by Kris Lundgaard
bookshelves:
christian,
sin-and-temptation
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2005
Brian said:
"Drawing from the works of John Owen, Kris deals with the subject in four parts. What is Sin, The power of Sin in how it works, The power of sin in what it does, How to deal with sin in your life. These kinds of books take 2-3 days to read so it is al...more
Drawing from the works of John Owen, Kris deals with the subject in four parts. What is Sin, The power of Sin in how it works, The power of sin in what it does, How to deal with sin in your life. These kinds of books take 2-3 days to read so it is always a great reminder as we live in a world where sin assaults our senses constantly, we need to remain focused on Gods grace first, which should translate to greater obedience. The book just refocuses us on what we should avoid and helps us to understand our natures better....less
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Brian
gave
to:
Cornelius Van Til: Reformed Apologist and Churchman (American Reformed Biographies)
by John R. Muether
bookshelves:
biography,
christian
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my rating:
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read in April, 2008
Brian said:
"This book is a very good read for those interested in some of the issues that encompassed the life of Dr. Van Til. There is much discussion in the 8 chapters as to the termoil in his academic life, all the controversies in ideas, the heresies he foug...more
This book is a very good read for those interested in some of the issues that encompassed the life of Dr. Van Til. There is much discussion in the 8 chapters as to the termoil in his academic life, all the controversies in ideas, the heresies he fought against, his ideas concerning the church, and his love for learning and teaching. I was most impacted by the height of his intellect and yet the depth of his humility. We see a picture painted in this book that can very well help guide us in our academic pursuits, not only how to address those we disagree with but also never compromise truth for love. I felt as I read parts about his personal life that he was a warm and tender man who was filled with the love of Christ, walking the streets singing hymns about his beloved saviour. Biographies can so bless the soul as this one did. ...less
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