Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 8
September 6, 2024
3 Things I Like This Week – September 6
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. McKay’s
As an avid book and music lover, I often find myself on the wrong side of budgetary decisions regarding the purchase of said goods and also, on occasion, in possession of books or albums I have little interest in. McKay’s is the ideal solution to both. It is a massive, warehouse-sized used book and music (and puzzle and game) store. Even better than McKay’s prices, though, is their trade-in policy. If you have books/music/games/puzzles or even instruments or sound equipment that you no longer need you can trade it in at McKays for cash or store credit. The store credit is always more than the cash they offer, by the way. This means that if you are like me, you can build and refine a library of books and albums without spending much money and while offloading junk you have little interest in. It’s wonderful. Admittedly, you have to enjoy a treasure hunt to shop there, but they do a good job organizing by genre and author/artist. Next time you are in TN or NC, be sure to stop in.
2. Christopher Morgan Pipes (Bones Collection)
Christopher Morgan designs and crafts really nice, high end pipes, the kind I cannot (or should not) afford. His “Bones” collection, however, is right up my alley. These are basic pipes of various designs, each with some flaw in the wood that keeps it from being part of the top lines. Instead, they have a light finish put on them and are sold as-is for affordable prices. They are wonderful quality, unique, and have the advantage of gaining color, patina, and personality over time as you use them. If you are looking to add a quality, inexpensive pipe to your collection, or to start building a collection, check these out.
3. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
I have, at best, mixed feelings about Stephen King’s books. Some of them are tremendous, others are trash, and some border on the unhinged. But there is no denying his writing talent and prolific output of successful novels. On Writing is his best book (mostly because it avoids the unhinged) and one I recommend to any writer or aspiring writer. While King is known for his fantastical fiction, this book on the craft of writing is applicable and ingenious for any writer whether aspiring to turn in better essays to an English teacher or write an epic novel. It begins with a memoir of his writing life ,which is fascinating, and moves into a collection of writing rules and tips that are invaluable. In short it is both the most enjoyable book in writing I have read and one of the most helpful.
Kindle Deals for September 6
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? by John C. Lennox – $3.99
Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God by Tim Keller – $4.99
The Prayer That Turns the World Upside Down: The Lord’s Prayer as a Manifesto for Revolution by R. Albert Mohler – $1.99
Urban Legends of Theology: 40 Common Misconceptions by Michael Wittmer – $4.99
Giant Steps: Bebop and the Creators of Modern Jazz, 1945-65 by Kenny Mathieson – $2.99
The Perfect Mile: Three Athletes, One Goal, and Less Than Four Minutes to Achieve It by Neil Bascomb – $3.99
Friday Night Lights (25th Anniversary Edition): A Town, a Team, and a Dream by Buzz Bissinger – $2.99
The Horse God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse by Lawrence Scanlan – $1.99
Swamp Kings: The Murdaugh Family of South Carolina and a Century of Backwoods Power by Jason Ryan – $1.99
Hunting El Chapo: The Inside Story of the American Lawman Who Captured the World’s Most-Wanted Drug Lord by Andrew Hogan – $3.99
Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain – $1.99
Miles on Miles: Interviews and Encounters with Miles Davis by Paul Maher & Michael K. Dorr – $2.99
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.
September 5, 2024
Kindle Deals for September 5
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
Virgil Wander: A Novel by Leif Eager – $3.99
A Man Called Ove: A Novel by Fredrik Backman – $1.99
Honest Evangelism: How to talk about Jesus even when it’s tough by Rico Tice – $4.99
Why does God care who I sleep with? By Sam Allberry – $3.99
Mark For You: For Reading, for Feeding, for Leading by Jason Meyer – $2.99
James For You: Showing you how real faith looks in real life by Sam Allberry – $4.99
Jesus: A 21st Century Biography from a Believer by Paul Johnson – $4.99
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.
September 4, 2024
Kindle Deals for September 4
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
East of Eden by John Steinbeck – $.99
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – $.99
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – $1.99
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – $2.99
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – $1.99
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – $2.99
Emma by Jane Austen – $3.99
1984 by George Orwell – $.99
Dubliners by James Joyce – $.99
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells – $2.99
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells – $2.99
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens – $.99
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – $.99
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne – $2.99
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller – $.99
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.
September 3, 2024
Kindle Deals for September 3
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
40 Days of Grace by Paul Tripp – $4.88
40 Questions About the Text and Canon of the New Testament by L.Scott Kellum & Charles Quarles – $2.99
Church Membership by Jonathan Landry Cruse – $4.99
I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference by Thomas Rainer – $5.56
Trust: Knowing When to Give It, When to Withhold It, How to Earn It, and How to Fix It When It Gets Broken by Dr. Henry Cloud – $4.99
David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell – $2.99
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone – $2.99
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Lt. Colonel Dave Grossman – $3.99
Pegasus Bridge by Stephen Ambrose – $4.99
The Hidden White House: Harry Truman and the Reconstruction of America’s Most Famous Residence by Robert Klara – $1.99
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett Graff – $1.99
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson – $4.99
House to House: An Epic Memoir of War by David Bellavia – $1.99
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.
September 2, 2024
Kindle Deals for September 2
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World by Thomas Schreiner – $3.99
The Lord’s Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant by Guy Prentiss Waters – $3.99
Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms by Stanley Grenz, David Duretzki, & Cherrith Fee Nordling – $3.75
Pocket Guide to World Religions by Winfried Cordon – $3.75
Pocket Dictionary of Biblical Studies: Over 300 Terms Clearly Concisely Defined by Arthur G. Patria & Anthony Petrotta – $3.75
Pocket Dictionary for the Study of New Testament Greek by Matthew DeMoss – $3.75
Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition by Kelly Kapic & Wesley Vanderlugt – $3.25
Pocket History of the Church: A History of New Testament Times by D. Jeffrey Bingham – $3.75
The Presence of God: Its Place in the Storyline of Scripture and the Story of Our Lives by J. Ryan Lister – $6.99
Rediscovering the Holy Spirit: God’s Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life by Michael Horton – $2.99
What’s the Point of Theology?: Wisdom, Wellbeing and Wonder by Alister McGrath – $1.99
God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Tim Keller – $4.99
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.
August 30, 2024
3 Things I Like This Week – August 30
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. Scriptura Bibles[image error]Several years ago I had the chance to partner with a little company called “Paul’s Leather Company” who specialized in high-quality Bible binding on some promotion and writing. I received one of their Bibles as a thank-you for our partnership, and it is magnificent. Since then, they have rebranded as Scriptura Bibles (a great move) and increased their offerings. One of the best things they do is re-binding Bibles. I have an old ESV that my parents gave me when I was a freshman in college that is fullof highlights, underlines, notes and memories, but it was falling apart. Scriptura rebound it in beautiful, full grained, brown leather and now I have a generational type of keepsake. Their craftsmanship is excellent, their prices are fair (especially given the quality of work and materials), and they are genuine lovers of God’s word not just Biblical artifacts. If you are looking for a high-quality, unique Bible as a gift or for yourself or if you have an old Bible you want to last, check them out.
2. Romans 8 by Immanuel Worship
Putting scripture to music isn’t easy. The Biblical text wasn’t generally written in meter and rhyme (at least not the English translation). The majority of the New Testament is in prose which wasn’t crafted with the intent of singing. So to skillfully take Biblical text and put it to song without missing a syllable is quite a feat. And to do so not just with a preferred verse here and there but with an entire chapter of the Bible (and maybe the greatest chapter in the Bible at that) is truly remarkable. This is just what the music team at Immanuel Church, where I serve, did a few years ago. They put the entirety of Romans 8 into song and did so masterfully–by which I mean the songs are good and singable. I know this because we sing them as a church, and this album was recorded with congregational singing. On top of that, interspersed between the songs are readings of the text by Shai Lynne and sermonic reflections on the text by Ray Ortlund, Sam Allberry, and TJ Tims. In all, this is a true worship album complete with Word, prayer, and response. And it is nearly impossible not to know Romans 8 by heart after a few listens.
3. Barry Sanders Highlights
Football season is upon us. Despite what the saccharine songs will tell us in a couple months, this is, in fact, the most wonderful time of the year. One of the many reasons it is so delightful is because it gives us an excuse to revel in the sheer genius of the great ones, like Barry Sanders. No one in football history has run the ball like Barry. I don’t know if he was the greatest running back ever, but he was unique and he was likely the most exciting. So enjoy these several minutes of utter athletic insanity.
Kindle Deals for August 30
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
The Christian Manifesto: Jesus’ Life-Changing Words from the Sermon on the Plain by Alistair Begg – $2.99
Why I Still Believe: A Former Atheist’s Reckoning with the Bad Reputation Christians Give a Good God by Mary Jo Sharp – $2.99
The Insanity of Obedience: Walking with Jesus in Tough Places by Nik Ripken – $4.99
Augustine: On Christian Doctrine and Selected Introductory Works edited by Timothy George – $4.99
The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs – $.58
God Transcendent and Other Selected Sermons by J. Gresham Machen – $.99
On Christian Faith by Hermann Witsius – $1.99
Of Temptation by John Owen – $.99
Gleanings among the Sheaves by Charles Spurgeon – $2.99
Spurgeon’s Prayers – $2.99
The Elements of Style by William Struck Jr. – $1.99
Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk – $2.99
The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics by Tim Harford – $1.99
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.
August 26, 2024
The Freedom of Being Searched & Known
“O Lord, you have searched me and known me! (Psalm 139:1)”
Several years ago, when I worked in youth ministry, we took the students away for a fall retreat. Some of the kids were chronic pranksters and brought with them the tools of the trade (shaving cream, super glue, etc.). Some of us leaders caught wind of their intended shenanigans and decided to search their rooms so as to eliminate chaos, mess, and hurt feelings. The culprits, of course, were outraged and defensive. To be searched was to be found guilty.
It wasn’t so long ago that I read Psalm 139:1 with the attitude of those teenaged pranksters: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me!” This made me afraid. I knew what God would find if he searched the depths of my heart. To be searched was to be found guilty of pride, of anger, of lust, of all sorts of sins.
What Psalm 139 describes, though, is not a threatening, condemning God. When he searches, he is not seeking opportunities to incriminate or entrap us. The psalm describes the depths of God’s understanding and closeness. It goes on to describe the breadth of his knowledge. It describes how he protects us and leads us. This is not a God seeking retribution. This is a God deeply caring for his people. He doesn’t hold his knowledge of us over our heads, rather he holds us close with it.
We are guilty. We are sinners. But to be searched and known by God is what frees us from our sins once we realize and rest in His goodness.
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 subscr
Kindle Deals for August 26
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:
Marriage (Repackage): 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make by Paul Tripp – $6.99
Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel by Ray Ortlund – $3.99
Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be by Christopher Ash – $3.99
God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundation by Andreas Kostenberger – $6.99
Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter by Thomas Schreiner – $4.99
Before You Vote: Seven Questions Every Christian Should Ask by David Platt – $4.99
The Boys from Biloxi: A Legal Thriller by John Grisham – $2.99
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.
