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Books to Be Blessed By

by David Mathis

Whether you’re in Minneapolis for this week’s pastors conference or not, here are some books we would love for you to be blessed by. They’re at rock-bottom prices in our conference bookstore, but for those shopping at home, we’ve linked the titles.

Beeke, Miller, Chan, and Rankin

Our theme for this year’s pastor’s conference is “The Powerful Life of the Praying Pastor,” and we’re excited to have with us Joel Beeke, Paul Miller, Francis Chan, and Jerry Rankin. All four speakers are also authors, and we’re carrying a pile of their titles in the conference book store.

On Prayer

With A Prayer Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World, Paul Miller brings together gospel-shaped living with “praying at all times” in a uniquely inspiring and comforting way. It’s tough to say enough about this book. I highly recommend moving it up in your reading list. I wish I got to it sooner than I did.

We’ve also specially priced E.M. Bounds’s classic Power Through Prayer. We also commend The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. And perhaps no other book outside the Bible is as valuable a tool for expanding our prayers to include the whole globe as the new Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation (completely revised 7th edition) by Jason Mandryk.

New Titles

Yes, heed C.S. Lewis’s advice and don’t get lost in too many new books. But here are some notable recent releases:

Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just by Tim Keller – Keller has served us so well with his recent publications. Here’s yet another.

The Lord’s Supper: Remembering and Proclaiming Christ until He Comes by Tom Schreiner and Matthew Crawford – Please don’t let Communion become stale. Please don’t just go through the motions. Dipping into these good essays on the Supper would be a great way to breath new life into the Table, especially for pastors who are leading their people there.

The Doctrine of the Word of God by John Frame – D.A. Carson says, “If Frame writes it, I read it.” Me too. Few in our day write with the clarity and charity of Prof. Frame. This important volume is the fourth and final installment in his remarkable “Theology of Lordship” series.

God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology by Jim Hamilton – This is an exciting new biblical theology. Edwards would be excited. (We know Piper is!)

Don’t Call It a Comeback: The Old Faith for a New Day edited by Kevin DeYoung – A collection of 18 younger evangelicals re-articulate central theological and practical themes. The aim is to provide a brief overview of key aspects of the faith for pastors and congregants, younger and older alike.

Rid of My Disgrace: Hope for Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb – The Holcombs have a special heart for the victims of sexual assault and have given pronounced attention to them at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. Writing from their study and experience, this book is for the many who know such victims and have been victims themselves.

The Gospel and the Mind: Recovering and Shaping the Intellectual Life by Bradley Green – Green explores how the gospel relates to the life of the mind. A good companion to John Piper’s recent book Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God.

Bonar’s Everlasting Righteousness

Just out this month in a fresh paperback form is The Everlasting Righteousness by Horatius Bonar. Bonar was a friend of Robert Murray M’Cheyne (Piper’s biography for this year’s conference), and his brother Andrew wrote the original bio on M’Cheyne. I can’t say enough about the gospel power concentrated in Horatius Bonar’s writing, as many others can attest. Your soul would be well served by steeping in these gospel-rich chapters.

Desiring God
25th-Anniversary Edition

Finally, we’re thrilled to release the 25th-anniversary edition hardback of Desiring God at this year’s pastor’s conference. The original version was published in 1986, and so 2011 marks a quarter century for this life-changing title (can we call it a “classic” yet?). The anniversary hardback is part of a new 5-piece suite that also includes paperback version, the new Dangerous Duty of Delight, a new DVD of John Piper teaching on the theme of desiring God, and a written study guide that accompanies the DVD.

Blessed book buying!