October Book Giveaway from Crossway Books

Zach Nielsen has a free drawing hosted at his blog giving a way two new titles from Crossway Books! The two are Jared Wilson's, Gospel Wakefulness and Tullian Tchividjian's, Jesus + Nothing = Everything, both high on my personal wish list.

You can enter a the link above - and you can be sure that I already have.

Generous and Content

How the Gospel Makes Us Generous and Content with Our Money - A good article by Zach Nielsen based on 1 Timothy 6:6-10: and 1 Timothy 6:17-19:

"...Rather than debating between “radical” living for God and the dangers of “poverty theology,” we learn from 1 Timothy 6 that contentment and generosity should be our emphasis in light of the gospel.

God has already provided all that we will ever need (Rom. 8:32). He cares for grass (Matt. 6:28-30) and birds (Matt. 10:29), so we can be content with or without stuff. God has been infinitely generous with us in Christ so, rich or poor, we can be joyfully generous in a way that makes our neighbors scratch their heads and say, “Who are these people?”

Generosity is not a poverty theology. Contentment with thankfulness is not a prosperity theology. The gospel motivates us to be generous and gives us ultimate contentment."

From The Gospel Coalition Blog

A Prayer for Life

I would like to take this opportunity to say "AMEN" to this Prayer on National Sanctity of Human Life Day:

I am praying that God raises up a man or woman like William Wilberforce who would be willing to give their life to the political fight against the unthinkable injustice of abortion. Maybe that person is reading this right now.

I am praying for a man or woman to rise up with a voice like Martin Luther King Jr. to prophetically speak to our nation with a voice that transcends all others and rings true in the ears of thousands concerning the insanity of what is perpetrated behind cold, silent walls of abortion clinics every single day in our nation. Fifty million and counting. Maybe the person is reading this right now.

I praying that God would raise up a nation of Christians who are visibly willing to adopt so that an onlooking world thinks of us as the first and best option for unwanted children and not Planned Parenthood. I am praying that this is one of the primary things for which we are known. Maybe you will adopt.

I am praying for the courage to have potentially awkward conversations about abortion with those who are apathetic or uninformed. May our conversations possess humble tones yet contain irrefutable truth.

I am praying for the good news of Jesus Christ to be cherished and above all idols and that his rule and reign through the cross and resurrection would be the starting and ending point for murderous, arrogant, and apathetic people like me.

Come Lord Jesus. May it be so.

The Mission to Us Lepers

From John Ortberg’s God Is Closer Than You Think:

Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao – a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.

Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.

Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: “We lepers….”

Now he wasn’t just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn’t just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.

One day God came to Earth and began his message: “We lepers….” Now he wasn’t just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together.

Hat Tip: Take Your Vitamin Z: Incarnation:

Free Books Are Fantastic!

Thanks to Zach Nielsen at "Vitamin Z", I won another free give-a-way book!

"And the winners of Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God are...

Barry Simmons

Katie Lawrence

Josh Olson"

One can never have enough good books. Hooray!

Take Your Vitamin Z: Book Winners! "Think" by John Piper: