Jim's #13: When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper

Joy is one of those things that seems to be misunderstood in most Christian circles.  I think of it as the forgotten fruit.  We can all see how to practice love, peace, patience, kindness, self-control, etc.  But how do you practice joy?  Isn't joy an emotion like happiness?  It's an understandable question and exactly what John Piper answers.  He takes his readers through what joy is and isn't and does it with his usual saturation of scripture.

Piper's reasoning for this book stems from his fundamental mantra from Desiring God that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."  This 'satisfaction' is the pursuit of our joy.  But inherently there are people that struggle with joy; they get stuck in a funk, unable to escape the darkness.  Piper addresses this with care, understanding, and clarity.  It should bring hope to those who struggle to maintain joy.

There are a few insights on joy I found particularly helpful.  Piper references 2 Cor. 1:24, noting that faith and joy are interchangeably used.  Just as faith is a gift of God but must be pursued and strengthened, so our joy is a gift of God (the joy of Christ as our salvation) and must also be worked and perfected throughout our walks with Him.

Part of this working out of our joy means preaching the gospel of Christ to ourselves regularly.  The Psalmist does so in Psalm 42 and Piper applies a great quote from Martyn Lloyd-Jones: "Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?"  What a powerful truth.  Something I must constantly remember!

Overall, this is a great book that I've been working on for quite a while and finally finished.  I have always found joy to be fascinating but often misunderstood.  I wanted to be able to speak to this topic more confidently and authoritatively; I think I'm definitely closer to that.

Jim's #12 and Ally's #7: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Mark and Ron both had the Hiding Place in their top 10 from 2010 and when I saw that Christian Audio had it for free and we had a 4,000 mile road trip coming up, it seemed to make perfect sense to me.  Ally and I are so thrilled that we got to enjoy that book together.  There is so much to like, and I have a gut feeling that it will be going in my top 10 for 2011.

The story is of Corrie Ten Boom and her family in a small town in Holland where her father owns and runs a watch repair store.  They are a wonderful, Christian family whom you immediately fall in love with.  Their sympathies with strangers and love for life are simply incredible.

One of the characters in the story that we felt particularly drawn to was Corrie's father.  He is a man who truly cares about the people who come through his door. his love for Jesus, and his love for watches more than the money his business produces.  He seems almost naive at times, forgetting to charge people for fixing their watches, considering it a privilege to "simply work on a magnificent piece like this"; but then you realize that he simply has his passions, motivations, and outlook in the right place (or on the right person).  One of the greatest conversations in the book was between Corrie and her father after Corrie heard someone in a train mention sex sins:

“And so seated next to my father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, ‘Father, what is sex sin?’

He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the storage shelf and set it on the floor. ‘Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?’ he said. I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.

‘It’s too heavy,’ I said.

‘Yes,’ he said, ‘and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It’s the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.’”

What a brilliant way to approach this subject.  You can see why her father is so endearing.

The rest of her family was the same way.  Corrie paints them all as so blissfully enraptured in the love of God that they fail to see the rest of the world as it is.  While Corrie is the more business-minded, type-A person, her sister Betsie, who she had never been separated from, was the kind and caring mother for all of the Jews they ended up hiding in their house.  At one time, in the concentration camp, Betsie started naming things to be thankful for amid their toil and thanked God for the fleas that infested their entire barracks.  While it may seem silly, you should read on and see what amazing things God did through those fleas.

In the same way, Corrie's sister Nollie had a faith in God that truly surpasses understanding.  In a time when a righteous lie can be understood when hiding Jews from near certain death or her sons from the Hitler youth, Nollie trusted that God would provide if she remained faithful to him.  When the Police came looking for her teenage boys, Nollie told the Police exactly where they were hidden, under the table.  Assuming she was lying, they left the family and moved on to the next house.  This book is full of stories like this of God's absolute provision through some incredibly difficult times; proof of his sovereignty in trouble fills the pages of this book and gives hope to many.

I hope you will take the time to read this book.  I believe it will strengthen your faith and increase your understanding of who God is and how He is constantly at work.  If nothing else, you can read the book for the beauty of writing within.  Corrie has such a tangible yet surreal way of writing that brings every sentence to life.  It's hard to believe that this is an autobiography considering how well it was written.  I hope someday, to read it again, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as much.

Jim's #11: Radical by David Platt

So I know I'm way behind the times on this one, but as much as I procrastinate in reading, I'm even worse when it comes to writing.

There really isn't a ton to say about this book that hasn't already been mentioned in the previous 7 posts about it.  I would just like to say that I really, thoroughly, enjoyed this book.  I found it instructive, challenging, enlightening, convicting, and encouraging all at once (probably some other ones too).  I think David Platt does a masterful job of making even the difficult aspects of the Christian life and doctrine approachable and understandable.  They are still hard, but you'll have a hard time refuting his logic and scriptural evidence.

I was very encouraged in my time at the Harbor to see the congregation take ownership of the book and its content.  I especially loved walking through the book with our community group as we had an incredible group that shared openly about what the book was revealing and strengthening in their walks.  What a blessing to have a group of believers that want nothing more than to see God move and work in their midst.  I'm excited for what the rest of the year holds for the Harbor.

I've heard plenty of people say that it shouldn't be titled "Radical" but simply "Christian".  It's sad that basic aspects of the Christian walk seem radical to so many today, but I have noticed even in myself, that the reminder of those truths is a constant necessity in my life if I am to keep walking by faith while avoiding the pursuit of the American Dream.  I hope that this book finds its way into the hands of many.  I saw it on the Barnes and Nobles rack for buy 1 get 1 free ... hopefully that will help :)

Jim's #10: The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan

One of the main reasons that I want to take part in the my52books blog is so that I have the motivation to read some of the classics that I have always wanted to read/should have read in high school but opted for cliff notes instead (but that's for a later submission... sorry, Ron).  Bunyan's story is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature, has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print.  For this reason, I thought it important enough to take a look at.

This was also the first book I read via my Kindle; I was a bit worried at the onset because Bunyan wrote the first many pages in old english poetry which made my head hurt.  However, it did end eventually and began the story of Christian, a man from the "City of Destruction" on his way to the "Celestial City" after receiving the good news from a man called "Evangelist".  The call of Evangelist to enter through the Wicker Gate (an image of Christ's work on the cross) meant leaving his family as they cried after him. "But the man (Christian) put his fingers in his ears, and ran on, crying, 'Life!  Life!  Eternal life!'".

And I think that is what makes this book so interesting and intriguing.  Bunyan takes the Christian life and in beautiful prose guides us down the path towards heaven.  His use of names is what particularly caught my attention.  He does not try to veil the heart of the people Christian (and later, Hopeful) comes in contact with but uses their names to reveal their internal motivations.  From the helpers along the way like Faithful, Evangelist, and Interpreter to those set to lead them astray--Mr. Legality/Wordly Wiseman-- and fellow misguided travelers like Obstinate and Ignorant, these names give us initial insight and understanding to what Bunyan aims to portray through their interactions.  The story of Christian is rich in allegory and full of deep theological truths depicted in a way that made me think  of one of my other favorite authors, C.S. Lewis.

It is also striking to see the depth of Bunyan's knowledge and accessibility to the scriptures.  Next to so many passages are parenthetical documentations of scripture references, giving biblical credence to the events he describes in his dream.  I stopped looking them up shortly after I began reading as it would have taken me even longer to finish the book.

One section really caught my eye since it is a timeless truth in the church.  Faithful (Christian's fellow-journeyman) gets done rebuking Talkative in a forceful and plain way to which Christian affirms, "You did well to talk so plainly to him as you did; there is but little of this faithful dealing with men now-a-days, and that makes religion to stink so in the nostrils of many, as it doth; for they are these talkative fools whose religion is only in word... I wish that all men would deal with such as you have done: then should they either be made more conformable to religion, or the company of saints would be too hot for them."

He also confronts what we know as the prosperity gospel: "For it be unlawful to follow Christ for leaves, how much more abominable is it to make of him and religion a stalking-horse to get and enjoy the world!"

This is truly a remarkable classic.  Full of timeless truths and beautiful insight to the gospel of Christ and the Christian life.  I highly encourage checking it out.

"The hill, though high, I covet to ascend, The difficulty will not me offend; For I perceive the way to life lies here. Come, pluck up heart, let's neither faint nor fear; Better, though difficult, the right way to go, Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe." 

Jim's #9: Select Sermons of George Whitefield with an account of his life by J.C. Ryle

George Whitfield is perhaps the greatest itinerant preacher in history.  He traveled all over England and American during the First Great Awakening, mastering open-air preaching and speaking to thousands at a time, bringing many to repentance.  He was arguably the most important personality during the Great Awakening, not in lasting impact (Jonathan Edwards has that claim indisputably), but based on the enormous number of people he preached to.  Estimates are that by his death in 1770, 80% of America had witnessed George Whitefield preach in person.  What an incredible statistic. This book focuses on the man in a snapshot view covering three main sections.  The first is a general account of his life by J.C. Ryle, written on the 100 year anniversary of his death in 1870.  It is a great look at the lasting impact of Whitefield over the next century and chronicles his life's work quite admirably, from his time with the Wesley brothers at Oxford to his trips back and forth over the Atlantic through countless illnesses and many more miles.

The second part of the book is a chapter on Whitefield's doctrine.  This is the part that surprised me the most.  Given that the man preached more than he slept at the zenith of his career and rarely preached in the same place for any length of time, I thought his preaching would be somewhat lacking in theology since he wouldn't have the time to properly study for his sermons.  The account of his doctrine, however, given at his funeral in 1770, was surprisingly accurate and profound and proved that theory wrong.

This carried over into his sermons--the second half of the book. The book offers 6 of his greatest sermons and, as I read them, I wanted very badly to hear Whitefield preach it himself.  His eloquence of speech is part of what drew so many people to his gatherings; the combination of passion, grace, and force with which he would exegete the scriptures lead countless listeners to their knees in awe, surrender, and submission before their God.  Ryle paints an incredible picture of Whitefield's preaching, describing it as "a holy violence that took your attention by storm."  These sermons were quite good... and certainly anything but seeker sensitive.  His mastery of the scriptures and delivery of those thoughts is something to be admired.

If you are looking for a relatively quick read on Whitefield without getting into too many details, this might be a good book for you.  It's short, but wastes no space in telling the most pertinent and intriguing details of Whitefield's life.

Jim's #8: Jesus: The Only Way to God by John Piper

I happened to stumble across this free book on Christian Audio.com and took a listen to it today.  It was a convenient time to find it as our community group was just talking about Universalism yesterday.  I'm sure this book will find great readership due to the swirling debates among "Christendom" regarding universalism, annihalationism (which I did not know that , etc; as well it should.  It's a really good book.  Then again, it's John Piper, so this should not come as a surprise.  I have yet to find anyone that digs as deep into the scriptures and then exegetes them so well in a readable format as John Piper. He's pretty sweet.  Ok, onto the book.

It's a short read, which was great because I have some catchup to do.  But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in comprehensive scriptural outlook on an ever-important Christian doctrine.  The book goes through three questions rather quickly to focus more on the bigger, more controversial subject (as if the first three aren't controversial in themselves).  The first three questions in succession are: Is Jesus the only way of salvation?, will anyone experience eternal, conscious, torment under God's wrath?, and is the work of Jesus necessary for salvation?  Certainly these are not questions to just brush by; I know there are other authors that have given entire books to these subjects, but Piper wanted to focus, rather, on the final question: Is conscious faith in Jesus necessary for salvation?

It's this topic with which he spends over half of the book.  It is also a topic that I have wrestled with recently--aspects of it at least.  He begins by addressing the "times of ignorance" from Acts 17 and what salvation looked like in the Old Testament.  He then goes to what I thought was the most interesting and compelling view on the subject.  John Piper always manages to take something from scripture and then reveal it in such a way as to make me think, "how did I not see that before?"  He did this very thing here in his discussion of Cornelius from Acts 10.  This has always been my favorite chapter from Acts but apparently I never read it with the detail to be able to understand it on the level that John Piper reveals.  This passage happens to be one of the texts often used to discredit the book's primary question, but Piper, very systematically, throws that idea on its head through a few proofs from the text that negate that possibility.  After hearing his explanation, I found myself wondering how anyone could contend with that from the other side.

Piper uses his final two chapters to discuss Acts 4:12, "no other name under heaven", and then bring it all around to the effect that such a thought would have on missionaries as we know it.  He mentions just how devastating that would be to a missionary career to suddenly believe that these people might be better off not being told--that there's another way toward salvation.  It's a sobering thought.

Over all, it's a great book that I would highly recommend, particularly if your community group just went through Chapter 7 of Radical like ours did.  What a help it is in answering this very difficult, yet incredibly important question.