On bekahcubed
Book Reviews:
- The Cross of Christ by John Stott
Rating: *****
Category:Theology of the Cross
Synopsis: John Stott gives a comprehensive, readable theology of the cross.
Recommendation: This is life-transforming information Stott unpacks. Read it.Read the rest of my review.
- Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough by Lori Gottlieb
Rating: ****
Category: Relationships/Memoir/Sociology
Synopsis: Gottlieb explains how being a picky dater can lead women to lonely lives.
Recommendation: This book has a lot of merit. Single women should consider its thesis carefully.Read the rest of my review.
- The Quest by Nancy Moser
Rating: 0 stars
Category: Christian Fiction
Synopsis: A group of people representing the pieces of the armor of God must join together to battle a demon who wants to destroy them.
Recommendation: The theological premises of this book are awful–and since the whole story seems designed to push this faulty theology, I see little redeeming value. Don’t read this book.Read the rest of my review.
Recipes:
On the web
Laugh out loud funnies:
- Some TERRIFIC money saving tips
“Stop paying income taxes. Although it seems counterintuitive, if you stop paying federal income taxes, the federal government will actually step in and pay for your room and board!”
Books for the TBR list:
- Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Confession: I enjoy YA girls fiction of the frothy sort. Think Princess Diaries (although I did eventually get fed up with that series and quit on it.) Suite Scarlett sounds like a perfect match for someone who likes YA girls froth but would prefer to have a bit of substance to go along with it (Or maybe substance isn’t the word. Jennifer’s review described it as “Scarlett isn’t one of those YA heroines who spends time hanging out with friends, ditching school and going to parties.”) I think I might enjoy this series.
News to take note of:
- A German millionaire on giving to private charities:
“The donors are taking the place of the state. That’s unacceptable.”
“It is all just a bad transfer of power from the state to billionaires. So it’s not the state that determines what is good for the people, but rather the rich want to decide. That’s a development that I find really bad. What legitimacy do these people have to decide where massive sums of money will flow?”
Maybe that it’s THEIR money? Ever thought of that? This absolutely blows me away. Heaven forbid that individuals take the place of the state (although, strangely enough, I don’t ever recall the place of the state as being to “determine what is good for the people.” Maybe “act in a way that is good for the people”, but never “determine what is good for the people”).
HT: Instapundit
Thought-provoking posts:
- Vitamin Z wonders why so few churches have communion every week:
“The only reason I have heard for not doing it every week is that ‘we want to keep it special’. But why don’t we say that about singing or preaching? Shouldn’t we also want to keep those things special as well? Can you think of any other reasons for why we shouldn’t participate in the Lord’s Supper every week? Fearful of solidarity with Catholics? Is this just a traditional routine that most churches don’t mess with? What do you think? “
My church has no set schedule for celebrating the Lord’s Supper–and definitely celebrates less rather than more. But whenever we do have communion, someone soberly reminds us that we are not to take communion as a “routine”. I generally cringe at that point and then have to get my heart right again before I actually take communion–I’m not too fond of my church’s attitude towards this sacrament.
- Tim Challies explains why books are better than e-books:
“Some time ago I was at a library where I saw a book written by an old, old author. That book had been owned by two great theologians, first by one and then by another (who had purchased much of that first man’s library). Contained in the book were notes and remarks by those theologians, one remarking on the work itself and the other reflecting both on the work and on the other theologian’s notations. It was fascinating to see how different people had experienced that book, how it had become interactive in its own way. That is not easily reproduced in an e-book format.”
This happens to be one of my favorite way to read books–with a pen in hand and someone else’s notes already in the margin. It brings a whole new dimension to “doing theology in community.” I’ve learned to enjoy it so much that I practically beg people to borrow my books and write notes in them–Thanks, Gracebug, for scribbling up Desiring God! (See my review of The Lord’s Supper: 5 Views for more thoughts on the topic.)
Videos worth seeing:
- John Piper on the movie-watching habits of Christians:
Related to previous posts:
- Kevin DeYoung on the ministry of rebuke:
“The goal of a rebuke, like any kind of discipline, is always restoration. It’s not punitive, but palliative. A loving rebuke is not supposed to be like a gunshot, but like a flu shot. It may hurt, but the goal is to help you get healthy.”
This one seemed to relate well with my “Heresy Hunter” case study (Part 1 and Part 2)
Good point by Piper on entertainment. I watch movies occasionally (once a week or so) and get frustrated by the immorality displayed. I really do believe that “by beholding we become changed.”
http://www.pluggedin.com/ is a good website to “preview” movies before sitting down and watching them. I’ve filtered out a lot of movies I thought would be okay to watch because of a negative review on that website.