A Few Good Reads

“50 Rules for Dads with Daughters”

It looks like this post is several years old, but it is loaded with practical wisdom for fathers of daughters. We have three girls between the ages of 10 and 2, so this post gave me some helpful thoughts and apparently got something stuck in my eyes. “Quality time doesn’t happen without quantity time. Hang out together for no other reason than just to be in each other’s presence. Be genuinely interested in the things that interest her. She needs her dad to be involved in her life at every stage. Don’t just sit idly by while she adds years to her life… add life to her years.”

“The Preacher and His Technology“
David Murray walks preachers through the benefits and dangers of technology in our study and preaching preparation. Then he shares how he uses technology in his preparation. If you use Logos Bible Software, he gives some tips that will enrich your study. “Technology can be a wonderful servant but a terrible master. Nowhere is that more true than in the area of Christian ministry, especially for the preacher preparing sermons.”

“The Possible Pitfalls of Too Much Porn“
Our culture is saturated with easily accessible pornography. Men often do not understand the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical effects of pornography on their lives. The Art of Manliness walks through several mental and emotional pitfalls of pornography. (If you find yourself unable to get away from pornography, I recommend you find a friend to help you. I also recommend Finally Free by Heath Lambert. You can read my review here.) “In recent years, more and more young men – religious and not — are reporting that they feel outright addicted to internet pornography. Thousands and thousands are filling online porn recovery forums to discus their struggles, opening up to total strangers rather than their friends and family. It has consumed their lives and gets in the way of school, work, and relationships.”

“A Song Writing Rant“
Christians have argued over what constitutes acceptable music in worship for hundreds of years. This discussion has only accelerated in recent years with the volume of new worship music pouring out of many quarters. Andrew Wilson, who is a fan of new worship music, writes about some kinds of music we do need to lose in our church’s worship gatherings. ” So when I rant about songwriting, I’m not really ranting about songwriters, but about the pastoral carelessness, verging on negligence, shown by a fair few guardians of the church simply because someone is holding a guitar. For most modern charismatics and evangelicals, our hymnody is our liturgy – a problem which is the subject of a whole other post – and that makes thinking it through carefully extremely important.”

After God’s Own Heart
Recent years have seen an explosion in resources helping Christians understand how the Old Testament teaches the Gospel and instructs the Christian in practical living. We have been working through the life of David at Chelsea Village and it reminded me of this great series of books on the Old Testament. This volume on David would help you if you wanted to study his life. “With lucid insights on every page, After God’s Own Heart examines the life of David, showing how the Old Testament king relates to anointing, covenant, the temple, and sin. But ultimately, the author shows how David pictures the Messiah to come. This volume in the Gospel According to the Old Testament series includes questions for individual or group study.”