Wayne Schuller’s Blog

This pastor’s study is incredible. Granted he is a key leader in the world’s largest denomination. And a godly faithful man.

Al Mohler – Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

He has done cool flickr annotations:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/challies/4248235677/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/challies/4248235113/in/photostream/

I love thinking about the shape of a pastor’s week and about their study/office.

Here is a tour by Mark Dever:

Mark Dever – Study Video from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

H/T Justin Taylor

How to Organize a Personal Library :: books, library. librarything, organization :: A Reformed, Christian Blog.

QA: Organizing a library « Miscellanies.

Some of the more enjoyable recent books I have read or used this year:

(some wordpress bug is causing the images to cascade unless I put full stops in to space them out – bleh)

The Acts of the Apostles,  David Peterson, Pillar New Testament Commentaries, IVP.

Preaching through the final third of Acts this year, this new commentary has been invaluable.

Peterson has an excellent grasp of the use of the OT in Acts, and of the Lordship of Jesus as the pivotal theme.

Excellent and insightful.

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The Word of His Grace, A Guide to Teaching and Preaching from Acts

This is a really enjoyable summary of the theology and structure of Acts.

Exemplifies the very best of the Proc Trust tradition, really giving you a good sense of the ‘melodic line’ of different parts of Acts – to use the David Jackman phrase.

A great big picture look at Acts.

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Keller – The Prodigal God

Excellent confrontation with ‘elder brother’ legalism that pervades today.

Many wonderful exegetical insights that could only be discovered by a pastor-evangelist.

Destined to be a Christian classic.

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Notes from the Tilt a Whirl – ND Wilson

If you like philosophy then this is a fun ‘ride’.

Solved one theological puzzle I’ve been wrestling with for many years. That alone was worth the price of the book for me.

(I’ll have to blog the ‘puzzle’ another time)

Could be a good book to give away to well-read unbelievers. It gets under your guard.

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Calvin Sermons on Genesis 1-11

This new translation from Banner is wonderful.

So often people miss out on the best of Calvin because most retailers hock a crappy 19th C public domain facsimile translation.

This translation is readable and quotable.

His sermons have alot more applications than his commentaries, great for preachers.

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Making It All Work, David Allen

Not a Christian book but I did really enjoy the follow up to his productivity classic “Getting Things Done”.

Unfortunately Penguin Australia has a grammar nazi in management. They renamed the books as “How to Get Things Done” and “How to Make it All Work“. Lessons from rulebook of “How to Make Books Sound Dumber as if People Don’t Know the Real Title from the Net”.

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We ordered a bunch of text books from Peace Hill Press six days ago from bookdepository.com. Many arrived today.

The .com book depository has a wider range of USA sellers.

The .com book depository is very, very fast.

I feel like I need to go on a book spending spree – something this good cannot last!

I remember when I first shopped from Amazon 10 years ago – waiting 3 months for precious books to arrive. Now I can order them one by one, much cheaper, and they arrive in 1 week. (Amazon still takes 3 months)

www.bookdepository.co.uk is the cheapest place to get books. Free delivery to your door (takes about 8-10 days to get to Australia).

They have launched a US version:

www.bookdepository.com

The prices are in UK pounds on both sites.

I’ve noticed that sometimes you can get even cheaper prices on the .com version. My guess is that this especially applies for books printed in the USA.

The range is excellent. And you get cool bookmarks that my family are buying books just to collect.

What a great insight from Luther:

I am persuaded that without knowledge of literature pure theology cannot at all endure, just as heretofore, when letters [literature] have declined and lain prostrate, theology too, has wretchedly fallen and lain prostrate; nay, I see that there has never been a great revelation of the Word of God unless he has first prepared the way by the rise and prosperity of languages and letters, as though they were John the Baptists. . . . Certainly it is my desire that there shall be as many poets and rhetoricians as possible, because I see that by these studies, as by no other means, people are wonderfully fitted for the grasping of sacred truth and for handling it skillfully and happily.

via Between Two Worlds: Luther on the Connection between Good Literature and Good Theology.

Christian Books Australia also have a sale this week, 20% off everything to newsletter subscribers until May 7.

So get on their newsletter! These guys have heaps of hard to get old books, especially Reformation + Puritan.

Canon Press have a $1, $2, $3 sale on right now. Now you can get all your Reformed heresy in one place and at cheap prices.

Let me share what I see as particularly noteworthy, with my comments in italics:

To a Thousand Generations Positive biblical argumentation for infant baptism – some quirky features but well worth a spin.

To You and Your Children Great anthology on the lost Reformation doctrine of covenant succession

Primer on Worship and Reformation Good little Wilson manifesto on Reformation challenges to current day evangelicals.

Is Christianity Good for the World? Amusing game of cat and mouse

Heaven Misplaced A winsome primer on preterist post-millennialism. No diagrams or charts – only a Christ exalting tour through the NT.

Future Men (Damaged) One of the few Douglas Wilson marriage/parenting/family books in the sale. All of these are gold, even if the books are damaged.