I’d heard about Tortured for Christ, but this was my introduction to both Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand. It is a brutal autobiographical account, similar in some ways to Unbroken, except the Wurmbrands suffered for and in the name of Christ rather than finding Christ after their sufferings. I do not share all the same doctrinal understandings as Sabina, but I hope by God’s grace to share her loyalty to loved-ones and perseverance for Christ’s sake.
I do not really like hockey. I do not really like podcasts. (I also really do not like a couple of the words used in this episode.) But FOR REAL IF YOU LIKE SPORTS AND STORIES AT ALL YOU SHOULD REALLY LISTEN TO THIS!
by David Murray
I give 5 stars when I really like a book (as is the Goodreads standard) but also when I would immediately start rereading the book. Such is Reset.
I did not want to like it. I am less impressed with guys who talk about taking a break and seek my encouragement from men who spend until they are broke. That said, this was the free ChristianAudio book a couple months ago, I started to listen, Mo also started to listen, and we realized that both have some work to do in the various repair garages as Murray refers to them.
My hard copy arrived last week and I plan to use it like a workbook over the next month or so.
Here is a fantastic audio book for Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism.
Abraham Kuyper has become a good friend the last couple years. His book on worship made me wonder why I’d never considered the potency of liturgy. George Grant’s lecture still fires me up to run toward the roar every time I relisten. I enjoyed James McGoldrick’s biography and the new study by James Bratt should be delivered to my house tomorrow.
Kuyper’s own Lectures on Calvinism continues to open my eyes as well. Our elders read through it together and I’m already rereading. A PDF is free, a Kindle copy is cheap, a print edition always carries heft. One of the men in our church, Glenn Wainright, recently recorded his reading of the book as a labor of love. If you prefer to listen, then now you can (and should) enjoy the audio book for free.
I can’t remember being as excited about anything that wasn’t divinely inspired in a while. Though I’m always on the lookout for new audio to listen to while running, very few things make me want to run longer and faster. The following did. Two days in a row. I can’t recommend it too highly. I’ve already ordered the biography that is mentioned multiple times and plan to start reading it as soon as it arrives.
Go download this address from George Grant at the 2007 ACCS conference. Really. Then listen. Three or four times.
But, be careful. It just might get you fired up to “run toward the roar.”
I listen to this sermon from John Piper regularly: Fathers Who Give Hope. The message comes from Colossians 3:12-21, especially verse 21:
Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. (ESV)
His outline is:
Paul requires Christians to rear children who are not discouraged. Initially, that requires rearing children away from hope in money, health, a spouse, or self (all of which will disappoint), and instead toward hope in God.
Fathers bear the unique burden of giving hope to their kids, though not independent of their wives. We ought to lead our sons and daughters in such a way that they would see the heavenly Father through our dim reflection.
Perhaps the most daunting, and encouraging, counsel is that what we are as fathers is what our children will become. Giving hope is not a program, it is primarily about living and growing as hope-filled Christians.
That is the first thing that fathers can do to provoke their children to long-term discouragement and hopelessness—they can fail to BE hopeful, happy, and confident in God.
Mo gifted me with my first iPod on my 30th birthday in 2004. Not only I have moved out of Music Naysayer Neighborhood since then, but more importantly, I have eaten up countless hours of solid food while legging it on my treadmill. A couple years ago I listed a few of my favorite online audio resources and, now with Grace to You making all their audio available for free, it seemed like a good time to update those links.
While searching for some Augustinian material (Google dropped me off at the Augustine of Hippo Series by Steve Lawson.) back in January, I also stumbled across a new-to-me, fantastic audio resources site with a fitting name, Faith by Hearing.
Faith by Hearing is designed to collect and categorize the ever-growing availability of great Reformed and conservative evangelical audio preaching & teaching that has a high view of God and Scripture.
You can read more about the site here. While I very much recommend subscribing, the on-site categorization is really quite useful. Browse by biblical book, by doctrine, by history, by person/preacher, by topic, or by venue. As long as you have an internet connection, not even a lion in the road (Proverbs 26:13) can keep you from feasting on this sermon smorgasbord.