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September 27, 2024

3 Things I Like This Week – September 27

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. CSB Spurgeon Study Bible

It would be more accurate to call this the “Spurgeon Devotional Bible” or the “Spurgeon Nuggets of Gold Bible,” and that’s not a criticism. It features thousands of excerpts from Spurgeon’s sermons, selected and edited by Alistair Begg, and they function more like a great sermon than a technical commentary. They open the text up for the reader and express the heart of it rather than explaining the minutiae. One of the coolest aspects of this Bible are the pages that feature the handwritten sermon manuscripts from Spurgeon (along with a transcription on the facing page). This is one of the few Bibles with a dude’s name on it that actually an unequivocally helps and encourages the reader consistently.

 

2. Mentos Chewing Gum

I drink a lot of coffee and I talk with a lot of people. And the former can make the latter an unkind experience if I am not careful. You never want to be the guy with bad breath, especially in a serious or sensitive conversation. Simply put, Mentos gum is the best gum. It tastes better, the texture is better, the flavor lasts longer, and it does the trick on funky coffee breath. (Even my dentist said it was a good gum to chew, so there’s that.)

 

3. Masters of the Air

While nothing will likely ever touch Band of Brothers in terms of storytelling and character connection/development, Masters of the Air is in that vein (and is significantly better than The Pacific). It tells the story of band of American Airmen in WW2 based out of England on their missions over Germany, the loss of brothers in arms, capture by the Nazis, and more. It has a touch of the Hollywood sheen to it, but also Airmen carried a reputation as cooler than everyone else, so it’s somewhat fitting. The acting is strong. The human element is real and deep, and the action is intense. It is a really well-done mini series for war movie buffs.

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Published on September 27, 2024 05:40

September 26, 2024

September 25, 2024

September 24, 2024

September 23, 2024

Come to the Father

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

When I read “no one comes to the Father except through me” my gut reaction is to think that Jesus is excluding people. He sounds like a bouncer at a bar telling people they have to get past him to get to the Father. For some reason, my sinful instinct is to think Jesus is playing keep away with salvation and eternal joy. How stupid of me.  

To hear Jesus this way is to miss the first sentence in this verse. He is the way, and the truth, and the life. He is the means of drawing near our heavenly Father, not the obstacle to it. Jesus  isn’t saying we must fight through him to get to God but rather that trying to get to God any other way will lead to death. He is pointing us to salvation and eternal joy, not excluding us from it. Instead of putting up a locked gate in front of God Jesus is putting up a neon billboard pointing to himself as the way to God.  

Christianity is an exclusive religion. There is only one way to get to God. But Christianity is an inviting religion because of the heart of Jesus. He doesn’t want to shut people out but to invite us into closeness to God through faith in Him.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.

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Published on September 23, 2024 03:20

September 20, 2024

Kindle Deals for September 20

Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:

Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady – $3.99

Churchill: Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts – $2.99

Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor by James M. Scott – $2.99

Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima by Martha MacCallum – $1.99

The Making of the Atomic Bomb: 25th Anniversary Edition by Richard Rhodes – $3.99

The Last Hill: The Epic Story of a Ranger Battalion and the Battle That Defined WWII by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin – $2.99

Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Me by J. Keith Saliba – $4.99

Swift Boats at War in Vietnam edited by Guy Gugliotta, John Yeoman, & Neva Sullaway – $2.99

George Washington’s Secret Spy War: The Making of America’s First Spymaster by John Nagy – $1.99

MY BOOKS:

The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99

Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $4.99

The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99

Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99

Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99

These links are Amazon affiliate links.

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Published on September 20, 2024 06:45

3 Things I Like This Week – September 20

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Upside

This one is simple. I like free money in exchange for buying things I am required to purchase any way. In this instance, gasoline. Upside is a free reward/cash back program that partners mostly with gas stations, but also some restaurants. It is as simple as linking your credit/debit card through the app and claiming the purchase at the gas station. (They offer very clear, easy instructions in the app.) Then a couple days later they put the cash back in your upside account. Once you’ve accumulated some, you can cash it out to a bank account or as a gift carrot various retailers. If you share the app with others, like I am doing now, you get rewards on their purchases as well. Basically, if you drive a lot and spend a lot on gas this is worth checking out.

 

2. Bub by Drew Bratcher

If you like beautiful memoir, southern storytelling, country music, family lore, or simply fantastic writing I cannot recommend this wonderful book by Drew Bratcher highly enough. I am admittedly biased toward this book because A) Drew is around my age so the stories he tells resonate generationally and B) he is writing about the very Nashville Suburbs where I have lived for eleven years and C) I love the eras of country music he writes about most. More than that, though, Bratcher captures the ethos of a southern family, and, while I hail from Minnesota, my roots are in Georgia and South Carolina. Like most good memoirs, this book is wonderful less because of what it is about, per se, than because of what it represents and with whom it resonates.

 

3. “Psalm 34” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Every Sunday, as a pastor, I drive to church earlier than my family. Rarely is my heart in a particularly worshipful state. Worries, annoyances, past sins and regrets swirl around my mind and weigh down my heart. So I use the 25 minute drive as a gospel reset. Sometimes this is quiet and soothing and prayerful but other times it feels like a brawl. On those days especially, this song is the one I call on for back up. It shouts down and beats down the lies that keep my eyes off Jesus. It is joyous and powerful and true and I am pretty certain that music in heaven will sound a lot like this.

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Published on September 20, 2024 06:31

September 19, 2024

September 18, 2024

Kindle Deals for September 18

Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:

The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary by John Sailhamer – $4.99

The Knowledge of God in the World and the Word: An Introduction to Classical Apologetics by Douglas Groothius & Andrew Shepardson – $6.99

The Faithful Apologist: Rethinking the Role of Persuasion in Apologetics by K. Scott Oliphint – $3.99

Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice by Edward Klink III & Darian Lockett – $3.99

The God Who Gives: How the Trinity Shapes the Christian Story by Kelly M. Kapic – $3.99

Preaching: A Sermon Collection by Charles Spurgeon – $4.99

The Great Commission: A Sermon Collection by Charles Spurgeon – $4.99

Topical Preaching in a Complex World: How to Proclaim Truth and Relevance at the Same Time by Sam Chan & Malcolm Gill

How to Read the Old Testament Book by Book: A Guided Tour by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart – $4.99

How to Read the New Testament Book by Book: A Guided Tour by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart – $4.99

Ruth: Redemption for the Broken, Study Guide with Leader’s Notes by Jared Wilson – $3.99

A Small Book about a Big Problem: Meditations on Anger, Patience, and Peace by Ed Welch – $3.99

Time for Every Thing?: How to be busy without feeling burdened by Matt Fuller – $2.99

MY BOOKS:

The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99

Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99

The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99

Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99

Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99

These links are Amazon affiliate links.

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Published on September 18, 2024 05:32