I have been benefiting from D. A. Carson’s A Call to Spiritual Reformation about the priorities of Paul’s prayers. The first chapter, “Lessons from the School of Prayer,” is a collection of lessons he’s learned from mature Christians over the years. It’s well worth your time; what follows is a summary of quotes and paraphrases … More Lessons from the School of Prayer
I have read parts of many books, which is to say that I have failed to finish many books. Three Cups of Tea is not one of them. Greg Mortenson grew up as an American missionary kid in Tanzania, became a poor mountain climber spending his spare time in the Bay Area, failed quite colossally in … More Three Cups of Tea
I recently preached a sermon from an Old Testament narrative passage. Along the way, I came across a helpful section of an article by Daniel Block entitled “Tell Me the Old, Old Story: Preaching the Message of Old Testament Narrative.”* Block attempts to bring clarity to the age-old question, “How does one preach from biblical … More Preaching Old Testament Narratives, and the Danger of the “Homiletical Hermeneutic”
Puritan Thomas Watson said that gospel tears are one mark of a godly man. Here are his reasons why a godly man weeps. A godly man weeps because of his indwelling sin, his sinful nature which he knows is at enmity with God. A godly man weeps because his corruption clings to him, and he … More The Tears of the Godly
With my $50 gift card to the Shepherds’ Conference bookstore, I purchased (among other books) Give Me This Mountain by Helen Roseveare, first published in 1966. After reading it over the weekend, it feels a bit inappropriate to have gotten it for free. Roseveare was a medical missionary to the northeastern province of the Belgian Congo … More Give Me This Mountain
Tonight I read the second chapter of John Piper’s The Hidden Smile of God entitled “Insanity and Spiritual Songs in the Life of William Cowper.” There are some precious quotes from the chapter, some on poetry because Cowper and Piper are poets, some on despair because Cowper’s was chronic, and some on John Newton because he was … More Precious Lessons from John Piper, William Cowper, and John Newton
Sometimes you read a book or a portion of a book that penetrates the heart and reminds you of how wonderfully sharp the truth really is. I just finished reading one. I wouldn’t recommend buying it, partially because it’s out of print and extremely expensive and partially because it belongs to a specialized field. But for me and … More Wisdom from James, Richard Bauckham, and Soren Kierkegaard
Over the weekend I read an article on Paul’s missionary endeavors. The article was good but the writing was occasionally constipated. I’m not wanting to embarrass or criticize anyone, but I think that some of the following examples illustrate the lack of verbal clarity that plagues a lot of scholarly writing. Long words and complex … More Isn’t There a Better Way to Say That? Scholarly Writing and the Need for Clarity
I’ve been tagged by TMC IBEX professor Todd Bolen to answer and post the following book survey. I don’t read as much or as carefully or as frequently as I want to or should, but here are my answers. One book that changed your life: The Pleasures of God by John Piper One book that you’ve read … More Name One Book That…
Since my youngest brother Greg is majoring in architecture in one of the top architecture programs in the nation (Oklahoma State University), this kind of thing interests me: Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises The description reads: The greatest humanitarian challenge we face today is that of providing shelter. Currently … More Architecture for the Poor
A friend and I were talking a few weeks ago about our shared desire to read more unassigned books. As students, we read what we have to read. But it can be difficult while in school to read what we want to read and what we need to read. So while I do think there's … More Let the Nations Be Glad!
Too private to post what I had typed out… what a longing. Read the book, and follow this man who followed his Savior.
davidagundersen.com 