Impacts and things…

Per recommendation from a friend, I have decided to post a list of the most impacting resources I have come across over the past few years.  I pray they are a blessing to you as well:

1. While attending college in Abilene, TX, I began going to a large weekly meeting called Grace.  The worship was good, but everyone went to hear the speaker, a guy named Matt Chandler.  At the time, my love of God was not strong, so not much of what he said stuck.  Then in passing, a friend of mine told me Matt Chandler was a Calvinist, meaning he only thought he was preaching to the “elect.”  Well, I had never heard of Calvinism, and it sounded like a cult to me, so I stopped going.  Two years later, this sermon by Matt Chandler became my first, major introduction to the sovereignty of God and how that lined up with the Bible.  Truthfully, I have listened to every sermon by Matt in the past 5 years, and have almost never disagreed him.  He is easy to listen to, but always tells deep truth.
2. John Piper’s website, Desiring God Ministries has a HUGE amount of resources – articles, books, blogs, and every sermon he has preached for the past 25 years (many with video).  Piper is a huge Jonathan Edwards disciple, so his writings are largely based in Edwards’ theology (good thing, since Edwards was one of the most intelligent theologians who ever lived).  I highly recommend reading the book Desiring God as a foundational understanding of God’s relationship with His creation.  Also, the two Piper sermons from this year’s Resolved conference are outstanding (both are on Hell).
3. Discerning Reader.com is a great site started by blogger Tim Challies for quick book reviews by several men I agree with on major theological issues, so you can see what to watch for in a book.  The review of The Shack is excellent.  Although not from this site, this is a 2-part critique of Wild at Heart that outlines the major theological issues.  I’m not sure if I agree with every point, but it is well done.
4. As far as books I recommend, I really haven’t read many that I really liked.  I do recommend anything by C.S. Lewis, John Piper, Tim Keller, and the major dead guys – Luther, Edwards, Bonhoffer, Tozer, anyone else whose works are shown powerful and scripturally sound.  Biographies of great Christian men are good, too.  Piper has a sermon series called “Men of Whom the World was not Worthy” that outlines the lives of heroes of the faith.  It is staggering to read about the men who God used to champion the gospel throughout the ages.  It is also being put into book form in The Swan is Not Silent series.  On the fiction side, I love Ted Dekker’s stuff, as well as Randy Alcorn & Frank Peretti.  Mainly, I read lots of pieces of lots of different books and enjoy seeing the connections between the different ideas and Scripture.  I need to be better about reading entire books.

This is only the beginning of the list.  I will add to it as I think of things.  MB

~ by littleblueflame on July 16, 2008.