Suggestion from the Pastor
Three Free Sins
By: Steve Brown
Pastor’s Description
Three Free Sins is a book that exposes the facade of the perfect Christian life. Written in Steve Brown’s witty and somewhat sarcastic style, it challenges Christians to lay aside our fear of failure before God and embrace the unmerited favor that sets us free from playing church.
If you are tired of trying to be better, tired of your failure and tired of asking how God could love someone like you … read this book.
If you are tired of all those sinful Christians around you, definitely … read this book.
And if you go to church and do the Christian thing because, “that’s what good people do” … read this book.
As you read, be aware that Steve will challenge your assumptions about what it means to be a Christian. He’ll ruffle feathers. And he’ll say some things with which you don’t agree. But in the end, he will invite the reader to relax and breath the fresh air of the grace of our loving Savior.
While reading Three Free Sins I laughed, winced, felt convicted and finally rejoiced in the God who is not mad at me. Although I do not agree with everything the author writes and would not necessarily express myself in the same way that he does, I highly recommend this book as a help for those needing to rest in Jesus.
In his short devotional, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, John Calvin offers a clear biblical perspective on living the normal Christian life. Avoiding both shallowness and austere pietism the author focuses on walking with Christ in a real world.
In this work, John Stott demonstrates the absolute necessity that Christ die as the substitutionary sacrifice for sinners and that His death brings victory to every aspect of the believer’s life.
Keller hits a home run with a fresh explanation of the familiar parable from Luke 15:11-32.
A very short (169 pages) but good autobiographical account of a young secular Jewish man caught up in the anti-Semitic persecution of the Second World War.
This small devotional on the providence of God is one of my favorite books. Having discovered it in 1988, it is one of the few books I have read over again and am planning on re-reading in 2012. For anyone wishing to be encouraged through a deeper understanding of God’s work in our personal affairs, The Mystery of Providence is a treasure.
This book was recommended to me by one of our elders and confirmed as a good read by another member of the congregation. I personally found it to be a riveting account of a troubled young man, Louis Zamperini, whose path led him to compete in the 1936 Olympics. His hopes for a second run in the 1940 games were dashed by the outbreak of the Second World War.
Publisher’s Description: Sex, money, power, and love. So many of us have placed our faith in these glittering idols—hoping they hold the key to happiness and satisfaction, but knowing in our hearts they will only let us down. With the global economy in shambles, and the idols that we all as a society have worshiped for years crashing down around us, it is no wonder so many of us feel lost, alone, disenchanted, and resentful. But the truth is that these idols were lesser gods that could never give us true fulfillment. There is only one God who can wholly satisfy our cravings—and now is the perfect time to meet him again, or for the first time. “In Counterfeit Gods, Keller shows how the Bible reveals the unvarnished truth about our faith and our heart’s desires.”
Suggestion from the Pastor
