CROSS-eyed: Resources

Showing posts with label Resources. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

One of My Favorite Greek Resources

Pastors, there are only a small handful of books that I intentionally keep within reach of my desk. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament is one of them. My Greek professor recommended this resource to me about 10 years ago and I still use it regularly (even though I have the fancy Greek software constantly open as well). Basically, it gives quick insight into the meaning of the Greek words in the passage you are studying. It helps me slow down and think about the words inspired by God in His Word. Check it out for yourself.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

50% off Summer Sale

Speaking of money, WTS books has a 50% summer sale going on this week (4 pages worth!).

Here are some noteworthy selections:
1. 4 different Personal Reference Bibles (Black TrueTone ($14.99); Chesnut TrueTone; Coolmint TrueTone; and Genuine).
2. DA Carson's Christ and Culture Revisited
3. Goldsworthy's Gospel-Centered Hermenutics
4. Waltke's Genesis Commentary
5. Dever's 12 Challenges Churches Face
6. Piper's What Jesus Demands From The World
7. Packer's 18 Words
8. R. Kent Hughes' Disciplines of a Godly Man (!!!!!)
9. Schriener's New Testament Theology

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Resource Spotlight: Sovereign Grace Music

One of the best ways to preach the gospel to yourself is to listen to and learn gospel-saturated songs. Sovereign Grace Music is a gift from God to us. They write and record songs that help us look upward to the all-sufficient Savior. I would encourage you to get one or two of their CDs and begin to learn some of these Christ-centered songs for the joy of your own soul.
Parents, serve your kids by teaching them solid theology through music.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Building a Library on George W's Tab

It is popular these days to complain about the state of the economy and the rising price of gas. Word is that there is help on the way! George W. and our friends in high places have decided to send us some money to help. Tax paying individuals look to get about $600 "free." They hope that we will take that cash and put it back into the economy (by buying stuff).

So, we are left with a question: When that check arrives in the mail box in a few months, what should we do with it?

One possibility is to stimulate the economy by filling your book shelves!

Think about it: When was the last time someone just handed you $600 with no strings attached? Unless you have a plan for that money, it will end up just getting spent at McDonalds, Starbucks, and The Gap. Don't let that happen.

I'm here to help. Below are several suggestions for building a good library on George W's tab.

A few disclaimers:
1. God may have other plans for this money. Each of us must determine the best use of it and obey God as we sense Him leading us. We will be held accountable for the resources entrusted to us.
2. Be sure to give a portion (or all) of this money to your local church as an offering to the Lord.
3. I am partly joking in this post. Please don't take me too seriously. I realize that not everyone is a book lover like I am. I just hope my thoughts encourage you to get a few books you've been wanting to get but couldn't quite afford right now.

The Basics (for those just starting a library):

A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent (8.54)
Desiring God by John Piper (9.29)
The Holiness of God by RC Sproul (9.35)
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (9.45)
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges (10.49)
Living the Cross Centered Life by CJ Mahaney (9.74)
Knowing God by JI Packer (10.56)
The Cross of Christ by John Stott (16.00)
In Christ Alone by Sinclair Ferguson (11.70)
The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges (10.55)
One Thing by Sam Storms (12.00)
Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem (24.74)
Through Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot (9.74)
Let The Nations Be Glad by John Piper (9.29)
Chosen By God by RC Sproul (8.44)
Stop Dating The Church by Josh Harris (9.74)
The Enemy Within by Kris Lungaard (7.49)
What is a Healthy Church by Mark Dever (8.24)
A Method for Prayer by Matthew Henry (9.59)
Life in The Father's House by Wayne Mack (9.09)
The Pleasures of God by John Piper (9.74)
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands by Paul Tripp (11.21)
Be Careful How You Listen by Jay Adams (10.71)
When Sinners Say "I Do" by Dave Harvey (10.46)
Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper (10.49)
Humility by CJ Mahaney (10.13)
The Autobiography of John G. Paton (15.44)
The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn (8.99)
A Call to Spiritual Reformation by DA Carson (12.34)
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (10.04)
Spiritual Disciplines of the Christian Life by Donald Whitney (10.92)
God is the Gospel by John Piper (11.69)
The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson (7.00)
TOTAL: $353.19

The Commentaries (for those wanting to have resources to study the Scriptures in depth):

See my post on Commentary recommendations and begin securing one good volume on each book.

The Veteran (for those who already have all the basics):

John Owen on The Christian Life by Sinclair Ferguson (23.85)
Temptation and Sin (Vol. 6 of Owen's Works) by John Owen (16.80)
Communion With The Triune God by Owen, Kapic, Taylor (14.52)
Pierced for Our Transgressions (16.00)
An Old Testament Theology by Bruce Waltke (29.24)
The Apostles Doctrine of the Atonement by George Smeaton (16.90)
Message of the NT by Mark Dever (18.89)
Message of the OT by Mark Dever (25.19)
Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Vols) by John Calvin (49.57)
The Works of Johnathan Edwards (2 Vols) (56.70)
The Works of John Bunyan (3 Vols) (64.35)
The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther (12.23)
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall (16.89)
TOTAL: $361.13

So, feel free to offer your own suggestions for maximizing our "stimulate the economy" money.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

NT Commentary Recommendations

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Get 'em While The're Cheap

When good books are 50% off, we should snag them up even if we already have stacks of books we haven't read yet. Building a library happens through sales, not when we think we have time to read more. If we wait till we have time to read, we will either leave the best books unread or we will have to pay double for them when we are ready.

With that word of encouragement, here are some of my thoughts on the current 50% sale at WTS Books (their final sale for a while):

1. A Quest For Godliness is one of JI Packer's best books.
2. When Sinners Say I Do is must reading for married couples.
3. Shepherding a Child's Heart is must reading for parents and those who one day hope to be parents (and grandparents who have influence over their grandkids).
4. The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction by Sinclair Ferguson is a great little (easy to read) theology primer.
5. The Jesus Storybook Bible is excellent to read to your kids.
6. The Big Picture Story Bible is an every night thing in the Childers' household. We read two sections every night and have read through it at least 5 times already. I find it a great overview of the whole Bible.
7. The Christian Ministry and Exegetical Fallacies are great for pastors and other church leaders.

All of these would be great Christmas presents!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Best Place to Buy Books Just Got Better

WTS Books remains the cheapest and best place to buy solid books.

The New and Improved WTS Books site is now live. Check out their new design and a very cool added feature: See the top 50 bestsellers in any category.

And, I can't believe I don't even have the most sold book in the past year. What is my problem?

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

WTS Book Sale: Commentaries

The new WTS Book sale features some very good commentaries.

I have used and recommend:
1. John Murray on Romans
2. John Stott on Ephesians
3. Moises Silva on Philippians
4. D.A. Carson on John

I have heard that Iain Duguid is good on anything (Esther and Ruth, Ezekiel).
Several good Revelation commentaries for sale.

Here is a link to my post in which I laid out my favorite NT commentaries for each book.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Galatians Commentaries

I was asked to list my favorite Galatians commentaries now that I have preached through most of the book. This is a tricky question because commentaries have different purposes. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. The best all-around Galatians commentary: Timothy George's New American Commentary.
2. The best homeletical (preaching) commentary: Phillip Ryken's Reformed Expository Commentary.
3. The best technical (Greek) commentary: Richard Longenecker's Word Biblical Commenatry.
4. The best consice commentary: John Stott's, "The Message of Galatians."
5. Luther's commentary on Galtians is great, but more devotional.

Random thought #1:
I have found that John MacArthur's homeletical Galatians commentary is much weaker than his others. I usually enjoy reading MacArthur's outlines and expositions. Galatians was one of the first commentaries he wrote. I wouldn't recommend it.

Random thought #2:
The commentaries on Galatians are by and large weaker than the commentaries on Ephesians. I would rather have O'Brien's commentary on Ephesians than all the commentaries on Galatians combined. This is probably more of a reflection on what I like in a commentary than anything else.

Here is a link to other commentaries on Galatians.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Breaking News Alert: FREE Sovereign Grace Resources

The day has finally arrived! Sovereign Grace Ministries is now offering all of their single messages for free download from their site. Over the past couple of years I have purchased a lot of these messages and have longed for them to be more widely available. Now, they are totally free.
Just go to their store, and click 'messages.' You can sort by speaker, topic, or conference. Maybe I'll post links to some of my favorites in the days to come.

I hope Desiring God Ministries' example is rubbing off on other ministries!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed

My fantasic and beautiful wife has a great review of the new book by the Mahaney girls (Shopping for Time). Husbands, order this book for your wife! I am already seeing fruit in Jeanna's life from the practical nature of this book.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

A Very Good WTS Book SALE

The new WTS book sale is a very good one. They are featuring some of the best books on pastoral ministry. Even if you are not a pastor, you will benefit from many of these books. Here are some highlights:

These have made a difference in my life and ministry:
1. 9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever.
2. The Cross and Christian Ministry by DA Carson.
3. The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter.
4. The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper.

I need to get:
1. The Peace-Making Pastor
2. Shepherds After My Own Heart
3. The Elder and His Work
4. The Heart of a Servant Leader

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

THE BOX from WTS Books

I just recieved a box from WTS Books. Its contents included:

Sproul's newest. The Truth of The Cross. Love the cover!

Storms' newest. Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' Religious Affections.

I simply cannot resist books on the cross. Boice and Ryken: The Heart of the Cross.

A book for my wife by CJ's wife and daughters: Shopping for Time.

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Shopping for Time

The new book by CJ Mahaney's wife and daughters is out. It looks very practical and helpful. Get it at WTS Books. Anybody want to join the 5am club?

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Resource Recommendation: Future Grace

John Piper’s Future Grace is a life-changing book. The full title is, “The Purifying Power of Living By Faith in Future Grace.” Piper explains how we can break the power of anxiety, despondency, covetousness, lust, bitterness, impatience, pride, and shame by prizing the promises of God. This book is written in 31 short chapters, one for each day of the month. Read this book and find your heart less in love with sin and more in love with Christ.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Biblical Theology Book Sale

The new WTS Book Sale is a good one because I've been wanting to get several of these.

1. 2 books (or is it 4?) by Graeme Goldsworthy (According to Plan and The Trilogy).
2. Far As The Curse is Found (love the title of this book!).
3. Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The New WTS Book Sale

The Best of WTS Sale is an interesting one. I have never read any of them.

WTS sent me this book for free. Generous and Cheap!
I've heard this is a good guide to the book Revelation.
I would like to read this book.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Book Recommendation: Chosen By God

R.C. Sproul’s Chosen By God is the best and most readable book available on the subject of divine election. The sovereignty of God in salvation is one of the sweetest doctrines taught in the Bible. This book is not difficult to read, and Dr. Sproul deals with most of the questions that arise when we think about predestination.

Sam Storms' Chosen for Life is also excellent.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Glory, Glory, Hallelujah

Today (and tomorrow) is THE DAY. All Books, Bibles, and Study Guides at Desiring God are selling for $5 each, no limits. Such generousity should cause us to also be generous. When ordering your books, think about someone else. Who could use a copy of Desiring God or Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ?

UPDATE: Anyone else having problems accessing the DG store? Is seems like we might have crashed their server. Can you imagine how many people from around the world have been ransacking their store? Lets give them a break for a couple of hours!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Marriage/Family Resources Sale

The new WTS Book sale invoves books about marriage and family. Here are my thoughts on some of the books:

1. If you've got a teenager or will have one in the next couple of years, you MUST get Growing Up Christian. I took a group of teenagers through this book last summer and it was life-changing. Go back to last summers blog posts and find the whole series I did on this great book.
2. Shepherding a Child's Heart is must reading for parents of all stages.
3. Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God is a fantastic book for husbands by C.J. Mahaney.
4. I was very unimpressed with this booklet. Sorry, I just did not find it helpful. If you have read it and found it helpful, I would love to hear why.