These are some picks of books (besides the Bible) and other resources that have shaped and influenced me over the last nearly 20 years I have been following Jesus at different life stages from college, working single professional, married and now parent of two. Some of these influenced me long ago, some more recently ... may we always be able to be influenced. College: The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan This is probably my all time favorite book. As one of the most widely read books in the English language it is one of the great Christian classics (written in the 17th century) and a marvel to read. I find myself returning to this book at every stage of life and faith. If you have not read this book yet, put this at the very top of your list. How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth - Fee & Stuart I was exposed to the classic Fee & Stuart book earlier on in my Christian walk, and I am so grateful. A bit of an academic work for most, it is well worth the struggle of looking up unfamiliar words such as hermeneutics and exegesis. Their literary hermeneutical approach to the Scriptures is an invaluable one that I think is a must read for anyone who has been a Christian for more than a few years. For more on the subject see my video course: How to Read the Bible Wild at Heart - John Eldredge I read this when I was a new Christian and it formed the way I view God as a Father, especially in relation to my earthly father (and step-father) and helped me to deal with what Eldredge calls the "father wound". Single: Sex and the Supremacy of Christ - John Piper, Justin Taylor An excellent survey of various topics concerning sexuality and Christianity, both pertaining to the single and married person. Also includes a helpful reformed history of Martin Luther and the Puritans influence on our modern understanding of sexuality and marriage in Christ. Divine Sex - Jonathan Grant One of the best books I read on this subject matter. A timely and needed book for those who struggle with sexuality in their Christian walk, as well as those who try to shepherd and minister to those that do. With amazing clarity, cultural statistical analysis and the lens of Scripture to guide through this at time difficult topic to talk about, Grant hits a home run of conviction and compassion in order to reorient the readers sexuality to God. Decision Making and the Will of God - Gary Friesen One of my teachers and mentors exposed me to this book earlier in my life of singleness walk as I was facing all kinds of huge life altering decisions like college, career, ministry, and who to marry. I am so grateful this book had the chance to influence me early. This too is likely to be a paradigm shifting book about how you understand God's will and therefore how you make practical decisions in your life; everything from who to marry, where to move and what job to take, and even what clothes God might want you to wear tomorrow. Net Nanny In an unrivaled age of prolific access to lewdness and pornography, the center of the Christian battle field for so many (including myself) has been on the internet. Net Nanny was a digital comrade for me for many years in my war for sexual purity. While something I didn't use, I know Covenant Eyes to have been effective for many in this regard as well. Another honorable mention in this arena, though not Christian (and therefore perhaps even more powerful), is the secular site Fight the New Drug. For more see #pornography Blue Letter Bible A free bible study website that I have been using for years with lots of resources that allows beginners to access the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) of Scripture. An invaluable asset for serious bible students. Marriage: Love and Respect - Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs My wife and I got to go through this along with the DVD series early in our marriage that has proven to be quite influential and has even shaped how we argue for the better. With great insight in to communication tactics for men and women I found this to be really helpful. You and Me Forever - Francis & Lisa Chan This is an excellent book for marrieds (especially young marrieds) that helps in having a Godly and eternal focus that brings meaning and satisfaction to the marriage beyond just sitting on the couch watching Netflix every night. The accompanying workbook is a great resource for married groups to go through together. Parenting The Tech Wise Family - Andy Crouch An excellent, short and straight forward convicting book about the the proper place of technology in the life of Christians and their families. I would recommend this book to everyone who owns a cell phone! Good Enough Parenting - John Louis Written for parents to learn how meet what Louis calls "core emotional needs" of the children, this has been a great help to learn how to not exasperate my kids and look for ways to provide them with a safe and healthy emotional environment. Honorable Mentions: C.S. Lewis - anything he has written. Perhaps the most influential Christian theologian, author, and thinker of the 20th century, not being influenced by Lewis would be a mistake. Graeme Goldsworthy - has written some incredible works in particular on the nature of the gospel as the center of preaching and a hermeneutic for reading the entire Scripture. Surprised by Hope - I wasn't introduced to N.T. Wright until a bit later in my faith, albeit regretfully. Regarded as one of the premier theologians of our generation, one of his more recent books Surprised by Hope is highly accessible and easily understandable and will be a complete paradigm shift for most about heaven, afterlife and the resurrection. If you are someone that wants to "go to heaven", this is a must read. Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard is also a modern theological heavy weight with Divine Conspiracy considered by many to be his most popular and influential work. This book on the beatitudes and the kingdom nature of all that Jesus did and taught is highly valuable work. Can Science Explain Everything - John Lennox, perhaps one of the most poignant and accessible apologetics works I have ever read. In an easy to read 100 pages Lennox's new book released this year (2019) can quickly equip the lay Christian with a framework to understand the modern attack on an ancient faith. (For my full #bookreview see here) YouVersion - You wouldn't think that a free bible app downloaded by nearly 400 million unique devices would be new to me ... but it is. I tried out YouVersion a gazillion years ago and I didn't like it at the time because you had to have a single to use it! But now with the ubiquitous nature of wifi, this thing rocks! You can even do reading plans with groups and comment with each other as you go through it! (not to mention they have recently partnered with The Bible Project). The Bible Project - Dr. Tim Mackie of The Bible Project has had incredible influence on me over the last few years. For everyone who knows me, knows that I am a total unabashed, bonafide, card carrying Bible Project groupie. I simply love everything they do and believe it adds incredible value for learning the Bible, in particular as it pertains to the Bible being a unified story that leads to Jesus. #books #bookreview #reading #resources #marriage #college #single #parenting #review

John C. Lennox's new book (released 2019) "Can Science Explain Every Thing" offers the Christian a power-packed apologetic punch in a short 125 pages. Highly accessible and easy to understand, this brief introductory apologetic work is an incredible asset for those just starting to venture into the world of apologetics, and a must read for high school and college students looking for a helpful resource on the reasonability of the Christian faith in the midst of the cultural milieu of naturalism and the supposed great divide between faith and science. "This book has been written in response to many young people and adults who have asked for an introduction to the "Science and God debate" that would be more accessible than my book God's Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? In addition, many of them asked me to deal more specifically with the relationship between Christianity and science as distinct from restricting myself to the evidence for the existence of God." (p. 7) Lennox's work is an important one that addresses the 'science side' of our western culture that is "working to roll back the tide of ignorance and superstition that has enslaved mankind since we crawled out of the primeval slime." (p. 9) Lennox is a mathematician and professor at Oxford University alongside perhaps the most well known atheist in the world, Richard Dawkins, who also teaches at Oxford. Lennox has publicly debated Dawkins, and this book addresses many of the arguments presented in Dawkins' "The God Delusion". In his address to this 'God and science debate', Lennox says that "it is very superficial to believe that increased scientific understanding squeezes God out", and "that science does not compete with God as an explanation (to something). Science gives a different kind of explanation." (p. 33) Lennox also takes aim at busting some myths like; the myth that religion depends on faith but science does not (chapter 3), and science depends on reason but Christianity does not (chapter 4) in which he states that the "faith expected on the part of Christians is certainly not blind" ... and "confusion about the nature of faith leads many people to another serious error: thinking that neither atheism nor science involves faith. Yet, the irony is that atheism is a belief system and science cannot do without faith". (p. 45) He also goes on to make the strong, and provocative, statement in regard to materialism and naturalism upon which atheism is based; "...naturalism, and therefore atheism, undermines the foundations of the very rationality that is needed to construct or understand or believe in any kind of argument whatsoever, let alone a scientific one ... It is science and atheism that do not mix". (p. 49) Lennox also goes on to deal with the issues of whether we can take the Bible seriously in a scientifically literate world, miracles, the resurrection and empty tomb of Jesus, as well as the personal dimensions of Christianity and the fact that we can test the truth of Christianity (for Christianity can be tested). He argues that ultimately we cannot do this by checking it out from a distance (which is what the Greek word skeptein means, from which we derive our word 'skeptic', to investigate from a distance), but must be willing to engage up close and personally. Perhaps the books greatest strength is its brevity, accessibility, and ease of reading. Lennox has taken some fairly deep and complex concepts and made them easy to understand and remember. In total I found this short book to have incredible impact and to be balanced in its approach to both logical and rational arguments against the Christian faith, while addressing the "cultural soup that we swim in" (p. 14) of materialism and the notion that science and Christian faith cannot be compatible. Lennox does an excellent job of blowing these kinds of misunderstandings out of the water, while being compassionate and not overlooking the importance for anyone seeking to examine the Christian faith to be willing to do so personally, and not just from a distance. #bookreview #science #apologetics #faith #review

In this interview with Andy Crouch (author of Tech Wise Family and former executive director of Christianity Today), we discuss how technology is shaping our world, and our lives, for good and for ill. In particular, what this means for us as a community of faith and for you as a believer. Andy has been gracious enough to allow me this interview with him about this issue. Quite frankly this isn't being talked about much by believers. Beware of the cultural tsunami. Referenced resources in interview: Kara Powell - Right Click: Parenting Your Teenager in a Digital Media World John Dyer - From Garden To The City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology Sherry Turkle - Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age #ministry #leadership #technology #parenting #discipleship #fatherhood #family #culture #relationships #bookreview #review

Standing on the Areopagus where Paul preached in Athens (Acts 17) 2000 years ago and remembering the the idols of my culture and the God that is unknown to so many. #Jerusalem #baptism #biblestudy #acts

Starting a new series during the advent season where we seek to conspire with Jesus against the holiday culture of consumerism, selfishness and debauchery and seek to have peace. #sermons #peace

Advent simply means the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. Traditionally Christians have celebrated the coming of Christ and his birth during the advent season, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. And while I might have grown up opening tiny doors on a calendar during the month of December in order to get some toy or treat, I certainly didn't have much of an awareness of Jesus and what this season has meant for Christians for thousands of years. It is a time of preparation. It is a time of waiting. It is a time of tension. Now as a father of two young boys I am thinking a lot more about what I want to instill in them during this season and show them what it means to conspire against the pressures of the culture around us. And while there are many incredible things about the holiday season; the parties, the food, the time with friends and family ... there are also many components of the season the lead us to focus on ourselves, our own desires, and forget the needs of those around us. As I'm writing this I literally just watched an add for Amazon Prime offering "Peace. Delivered." all with the angelic choir music in the background. Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy my "free" one day shipping as much as the next guy but I mean come on, really? Am I supposed to believe that Amazon can really bring me lasting peace? This advent season we are leading our family, and our local church, to conspire against the consumerism, debauchery, and indulgence that has come to characterize so much of the holiday season in America by intentionally spending less in order to give more. It's a simple idea. During the advent season we are conspiring for a better world with Jesus by intentionally spending less in order to give more, and using that money to provide clean water to people that don't have it in Rwanda. 100% of donations go directly to supporting Living Water International's work in Rwanda. As Christians this season we are reminded not only of our freedom and salvation in Christ, but also of our waiting for his return to make all things new, and our groaning during that waiting. So during our waiting we must ask ourselves the question, are we going to be closer to Christ by this December 25, or further away?

Closing out our Jesus Movement series with the final portion of Acts chapter 21-28 where we discuss Paul and him telling his story of being changed by meeting Jesus. #JesusMovement #sermons #Acts

Standing outside the Southern Temple Gate where Peter preached at Pentecost 2000 years ago (Acts 2) and remembering the Jesus Movement that lit the world, and my heart. #Jerusalem #baptism #biblestudy #acts

Continuing our Jesus Movement series, here in Acts 13-20 where we zero in on Paul's address to Athens and its relevance for us today. #JesusMovement #sermons #Acts

During my recent and unforgettable adventure to Israel, my wife and I got to share with 80 other ministers, elders, and leaders from around the state of North Carolina a most moving experience. During this trip where our theme was “walking where Jesus walked”, we saw many sites around Israel where Jesus taught, preached, and healed. In addition to many places, we went all around the Sea of Galilee where Jesus’ Galilean ministry happened, as well as Jerusalem in the final days of Jesus‘ ministry and ultimate execution. There were several memorable moments during our trip, many of which I will likely be processing for some time to come. Such as hearing the beautiful song Via Dolorosa sung in the dungeon prison cell of the high priests Caiaphas' house where Jesus was tried. I was moved to tears. And singing hymns at the traditional garden tomb and our group being asked to sing on the main stage for other groups to worship along with us. We also sailed on the Sea of Galilee while considering how courageous and faithful Peter was to get out of the boat to go to his Lord while walking on the water. But there were also some very unexpected experiences I had while I was there as well. Often the land geography and topography is called the "5th gospel" because it draws some much of the scriptures together and helps them to fit and make so much more sense. But perhaps one of the most surprising, and upsetting, things from the trip came from the first day we were in Israel when our tour guide asked us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. After traveling around for a week, I started to understand why. I have known from afar for a long time the tension and animosity in that part of the world, dating all the way back to the biblical story itself (c.f. Gen 21). But being there personally and seeing the devastation in the West Bank, and seeing the city of Jerusalem under 3 different occupying entities, all for religious reasons, was overwhelming. All I kept thinking to myself while I traveled around was that this is perhaps the most "holy, spiritual, and religious" places on the planet for thousands of years, and yet it has been ripped to shreds by war, greed, and hatred. And unfortunately much of it has been done by Christians in the name of Jesus over the centuries, a direct contradiction to Jesus and his teachings. My heart breaks for Jerusalem, just as my Lord's did as he entered the city (c.f. Lk 19:41) Two days after returning home to the U.S. Israel was bombed out of Gaza after killing an Islamic Jihad leader. I invite you to join with me as I continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, and that Jesus' kingdom of peace and love would reign in the hearts of men and women all throughout that region of the world, and that it would start in our own hearts. #Israel #peace