You have probably heard it as many times as I have: many men have trouble making friends. It’s not that there is anything intrinsic to masculinity that makes men unwilling or unable to form and maintain friendships, yet somehow it seems to be more than a cliché that many men struggle this way. That struggle is in the background of Alasdair Groves’s new book Talk About What Matters Most: A Christian Man’s Guide to Forging Friendships.

Groves is convinced that most men want to have friendships, but simply lack some of the skills or commitments they need to make them happen. “We live in the most isolated and isolating culture in the history of mankind. Men in particular are more disconnected from genuine friendship with other men than ever before. Most men sense there must be something out there better than this. They know, even if only faintly, that they were made for deeper friendships. Yet, increasingly, men don’t know how to move toward the kind of connection they hunger for.”

So what’s the key to forming deep friendships? It’s the title of the book: talk about what matters most. “Yes, that’s it. The path to friendship begins with finding the courage to talk with other men about the things you care most deeply about. Doing so will not only empower you to grow into the man God is calling you to be, but it will also bind you together with brothers in the fight. When men begin to talk to other men about things that matter, they discover an untapped reservoir of oil that has been lying right in the backyard of their lives. I’ve never seen a man discover that reservoir and then return to a life without it. I know I never will.”

The purpose of his book, then, is to help men learn to form friendships around conversing over the things that matter most in life. Though the book is relatively short, it is divided into five parts.

In part one, Groves casts a vision for why men should put in the effort and take the risk of talking about what matters most. In other words, he explains why it is so important that men learn to converse with one another about deep and meaningful matters. The main reason is that we are all engaged in a battle against sin and we have a desperate need for others to fight alongside us. Besides that, words are powerful and important and, in their own way, shape our reality and change other people. We do well to enlist a “band of brothers” who will assist and bless us.

In part two, he identifies some of the barriers that hold men back from deep engagement with one another. So why don’t men talk about what matters most? There could be many reasons: talking seems weak; we are too busy or too distracted; we fear rejection; we fear the discomfort that could come with opening up our lives; and so on. While all of these can be legitimate barriers, we must not allow them to prove insurmountable.

In part three, Groves explores what God sees as most important, what most men see as most important, and how those things can and should intersect. What matters most to God is his own glory. Of course, that should be what matters most to us as well, and if it really does, we will be willing to do things that are difficult or uncomfortable in order to further God’s glory.

In part four, he lays out the practical measures for talking about what matters most. Here he describes the elements of good conversation, he tells how to become a good listener, he promotes the value of curiosity, and he explains how important it is to confess sins to one another and to learn to pray for one another.

In part five, he continues the practical instruction, focusing on how to get started by reaching out to people you already know, meeting people in new contexts, or beginning groups specifically for men.

I agree with Groves’s assessment that many men put too little effort into building and maintaining friendships and that while most men want to have more and better friendships, they simply don’t know how to make that happen. Talk About What Matters Most diagnoses the cause and prescribes just the right cure. I hope many men will read it, either alone or with a group, and learn from it how they can be the kind of friend they’ve always wanted to be and foster the kind of friendships they’ve always wanted to have.

Good morning from Manitoba! While I’ve been to Manitoba before, I have never preached here—the last of Canada’s provinces for which this is the case. For that reason and others I’m glad to be here, and I am looking forward to spending time with some of you throughout the weekend.

Recommended Reading

Church Hurt and the Bride of Christ. Olivia Davis doesn’t post new articles all that often, but when she does, I always enjoy reading them. That is the case with this article on overcoming church hurt. “It was Sunday morning. The last place I wanted to be was exactly where I was: church. I had forgotten how disorienting it is to visit a church for the first time, how even Jesus seems unfamiliar for a second or two. I hid myself in the back pew, holding a printed bulletin that I kept opening and closing until it ripped. Perhaps I would find a family in this strange and beautiful place with golden chandeliers and a grand piano. But that would mean my time at my old church really was over.”

What Do I Think of the Trailer of Gerwig’s Magician’s Nephew? Anne Kennedy explains what dismays or disappoints her about the new trailer for The Magician’s Nephew. “What I hate about the rubric of self-actualization—and Lewis saw this and articulated it so beautifully in so many different ways—is that it wedges out God himself. If you are so concentrated on yourself and how clever and interesting you are, not only do you become the least interesting person ever, you also become blind, unable to see things as they really are.”

God Is Our Refuge and Strength. Reformed Baptist Seminary reviews the new devotional book God Is Our Refuge and Strength by Bill Boekestein and Rob Ventura, coming out this month from the Banner of Truth. Geoff Thomas warmly says, “The introduction itself is worth the price of the entire volume.” (Sponsored)

This Is Why Your Marriage Conflicts Never Get Resolved. Paul Sadler offers some reasons why marriage conflicts remain unresolved. “People enter marriage because they love each other. But if they don’t learn how to navigate their differences and handle conflicts well, they end up tearing down the very person they committed their lives to. And because marriage is so intimate, words said in anger and conflicts that turn ugly hurt more than in any other relationship. If your conflicts don’t get resolved, there may be one or more of these three problems getting in the way.”

You Become What You Listen To; You Are Formed By What You Read. Eddie LaRow explains what concerns him about the rise of the podcast and the decline of the book. “I’m reading quite a bit about the death of nonfiction books, and the more I read, the more discouraged I am. As an editor and an author, my life is built around books. My wife can attest that we have far too many: my shelves are double-stacked, and book piles abound in my small basement office.”

When the Fall Gets Busy, Anchor Your Family in Church. This is wise advice: As the fall gets busy, make sure that all the busyness does not displace your commitment to church. “May I encourage you to resist the urge to skip church in order to participate in sports, social gatherings, theme parks, or even to catch up on sleep? As a pastor’s wife, I have seen many families in their struggles to prioritize church attendance amidst other commitments.”

AI Makes Sermon Prep Effortless. That’s the Problem. Mike Bullmore has thought and written about preaching a lot, and has grown concerned by some of the ways AI is being used in sermon preparation. “In many, perhaps most, cases, what I’m replacing is careful, prolonged thought and earnest, prolonged prayer. But those tasks are absolutely essential to faithful sermon preparation. Without them, our preaching is something other than what God has called us to do.”

The Funnies

My friend Chris Martin maintains a Substack called The Funnies, and every Saturday he shares a few fun and silly things he found on the internet—something I see as a modern equivalent of the comics pages that used to be in every newspaper. I asked him to share a couple with you.

The gospel is not simply the story of “Christ, and Him crucified”; it is also the story of my own crucifixion.

—Milton Vincent

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Good morning from Fort Worth. I enjoyed meeting many of you at the Missionary conference yesterday. Unfortunately, I am not going to be there today or tomorrow as I’m making my way north to Brandon, Manitoba for another event. I hope you enjoy the rest of the conference!

Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish.

—Anne Bradstreet

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I like to keep tabs on new Christian music releases. While most of the music that interests me falls under the categories of hymns or worship, I also appreciate some straight-up contemporary Christian music albums. What follows is a roundup of some of the music I have been listening to lately. I have linked to the songs and albums on YouTube since it is the most universal platform, but you should be able to find it all on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or any of the other apps.

Sandra McCracken

Sandra McCracken released Homecoming, a six-song EP.

His Estate

His Estate (formerly 20schemes Music) has been releasing or re-releasing some albums recently. Volume One has 10 songs and contains some of their core material (e.g., “Flee from Sin, Run to Jesus,” “We Long for that Day”). Praise His Name is a seven-song EP that was recorded live. How Sweet the Name is a nine-track live recording.

Indelible Grace

Indelible Grace has released a couple of singles recently: “In Vain My Roving Thoughts” and “Draw Near To Me,” both of which are modern adaptations of older hymns by Anne Steele and Horatius Bonar.

CityAlight

CityAlight has been making non-English recordings of their songs in live settings. They just released the Home EP in Chinese, which was recorded in Singapore. They were recently in Jakarta as well, so I’d also expect an Indonesian album before long. I’ve heard rumors of some new English songs coming soon as well, but we will need to wait, I suppose.

Tenielle Neda

Tenielle Neda released a full-length album titled The Garden, which features some artists you may know, such as Skye Peterson and John Van Deusen.

Commons Worship

Commons Worship (sometimes styled as CXMMXNS) released a couple of new singles: “Saved by Grace” and “To Act Justly.”

Joyful Noise

Joyful Noise released just one single: “The Risen Conqueror.”

Boyce Worship Collective

The Boyce Worship Collective (of Boyce College) released a four-track EP titled Rehearsal IV, which offers their enthusiastic recordings of several traditional and modern hymns.

Keith & Kristyn Getty

Keith & Kristyn Getty have begun to sing their way through favorite hymns from their Sing! Hymnal. They’ve released a few singles so far: “Give Me Jesus,” “Breathe on Me, Breath of God,” “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” and “My Song Is Love Unknown.”

Stillcreek

Stillcreek released a stirring adaptation of “All Creatures of Our God and King.”

Poor Bishop Hooper

Husband-wife duo Poor Bishop Hooper released Hymns V, which features acoustic adaptations of six hymns such as “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” and “Rock of Ages.”

Shane & Shane

Shane & Shane teamed up with Stillcreek to release a live recording of “Praise Upon Praise.” They also released “He Made a Cross His Throne.”

Emu Music

Emu Music has been slowly releasing singles, most recently “Just As He Said.”

Zaggie

Zaggie (Zach and Maggie, that is, whom you’ll recognize if you’ve ever been to a Getty concert) released the full-length Turpentine Mind.

PFR

Long-time listeners to Christian music may remember PFR (formerly known as Pray for Rain). They just released their first new album in eons: Target and the Arrow. (Also back with a new live album that will be releasing soon is Bleach, if you remember them.)

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors

Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors and Ellie Holcomb teamed up with NEEDTOBREATHE to release “Promised Land,” a single.

Ellie Holcomb

Ellie Holcomb released the single “Flowers for No Reason.”

NEEDTOBREATHE

NEEDTOBREATHE released “Past the Gates,” which features Anne Wilson, and “Can’t Apologize,” which features Jonah Kagen. Both of those are singles.

Skillet

Skillet (recently interviewed by Alisa Childers about leaving New Apostolic Reformation churches and discovering sound doctrine) released After the Storm, a six-song EP.

Good morning. May the Lord be with you and bless you as you serve and enjoy him today.

Recommended Reading

Follow the Parenting Formula. J.V. Fesko writes about our tendency to want to follow a formula when it comes to raising our children. “It seems like there’s more or less a ten-year cycle in the church that new parenting formulas crop up. People will start talking about the latest parenting methods, whether it’s for infants or older children. I’ve seen books, videos, and even Sunday school curriculum floating around churches all with the promise that if parents follow the simple steps and principles, they will successfully parent their children around the various pitfalls of life. Each time this cycle unfolds I find parents buying-in hook, line, and sinker. But what’s worse is not only do they buy-in to the formula, but they begin to evangelize and encourage, even demand, that others follow suit.”

Are We Raising Pharisees? Cody Watson also writes about parenting, since he wants to help parents ensure they don’t settle for raising good little Pharisees. “Would you feel like a success as a parent if, by the time your child turned thirty, they had accomplished the following? Studied and memorized almost the entire Bible. Maintained near-perfect church attendance. Respected in their community. Gives faithfully to their church. A great many good Christian parents would look at that list and say, ‘Yes! We have won. This is success.’ Their children have kept the faith and found success in the world. We get to have our cake and eat it, too. Herein lies the danger.”

Reading the Psalms. Pastor Warren Peel at Gentle Reformation reviews the new devotional book God Is Our Refuge and Strength on the Psalms, coming this month from Banner of Truth, by William Boekestein and Rob Ventura. Dr. Ian Hamilton says about it: “Buy it. Read it. Meditate on it. Be deeply encouraged by its authentic spirituality.” (Sponsored)

Why Do We Get So Excited About Celebrity Conversions? Stephen Kneale, whom I suspect may be responding to my article on Alice Cooper, asks why Christians get excited about celebrity conversions. “I recently saw a post asking whether a particular figure in the public eye was really a Christian. This is not the first or only post of this kind. They pop up frequently. I am not going to sit here are rake over public figure’s testimonies and pronounce on them one way or the other here. Rather, I want to ask a more basic question: why are we so desperate to front public figures this way?”

Public Executions, Public Criminal Trials, and the Formation of Souls. I’m sure you’ve heard that there may soon be a publicly broadcast execution in the United States. John Reasnor looks to history to consider why we need to be cautious with viewing death or, even worse, being entertained by it. “Those who participate in this kind of justice carry a burden, and we, as a society, should weigh it. Even if executions should not be hidden away among a handful of government officials, that is a far cry from broadcasting them to millions who do not know the victims, do not know the guilty, were not impacted by the crime, and had no role to play in the prosecution. Whatever public character God’s law gave to executions served a purpose, and community participation in justice is not the same as a livestream for all of society.”

He’s Worthy of Your All. I think the best part of this article comes with the application questions at the very end. “Do I see Jesus as more valuable than anything else in the world, or do I see Him as just another obligation? Are there areas of my life (relationships, career, hobbies) that I prioritize over Jesus? What would it look like for me to reorient my life to the mission of Jesus this fall?”

The Best Possible Outcome. Jodi Adrian considers what it means to hope and pray for the best possible outcome when it comes to unborn children. “What happens when a strong, self-sufficient woman becomes the mother of a child whose almond-shaped eyes and hypotonic body shout to the world, ‘I am weak and dependent!’? By God’s grace, my eyes began to grow new lenses, and the truth became progressively—and beautifully—more clear.”

Your patience will be grown by trials, and it will be demonstrated in forgiveness—and neither comes naturally, which is why it is a work of the Spirit within us.

—Alistair Begg

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Aileen and I will be heading south for the Missionary conference later today. We will only be at the conference on Wednesday, since we need to head to another event in Manitoba. But if you spot us on Wednesday or come to my breakout session, please say hello.

Recommended Reading

Prediction Markets: Gambling by Another Name. You’ve probably heard a lot about prediction markets and the concerns with them. RaShan Frost explains what they are, how they work, and why it’s right to be concerned. “I grew up hearing the phrase ‘All money ain’t good money.’ That simple statement contains a warning that we should never sacrifice our integrity to improve our economic standing. Frankly, it’s a message our culture could stand to hear as we get swamped with social media ads for apps that promise to help us get rich quickly by guessing what the future holds.”

Will My Prayers Undo God’s Good Plans for Me? I would imagine many people have been perplexed by this at one time or another. “The error or fear … is the belief that a poorly informed prayer will cause the God of the Bible to do less than his best for his children. Some Christians fear that their heavenly Father will be like an earthly father who abandons his three-cookie plan for the two-cookie plan because his daughter only asked for two cookies instead of three.”

God Is Our Refuge and Strength. Reformation 21 has posted a sample chapter from a new devotional book on the Psalms, God Is Our Refuge and Strength, by Bill Boekestein and Rob Ventura, coming out this month from Banner of Truth. Dr. Joel Beeke writes: “Highly recommended!” (Sponsored)

When Your Feelings Fail You. Matthew Adams: “God created us as emotional creatures, and part of our redemption is learning again to love what God loves, hate what God hates, rejoice in what is good, and grieve over what is evil. The problem is not that we feel, but that as fallen people we have fallen feelings. Sin has affected the whole person. This means that our minds, wills, desires, and even our affections, need to be renewed by the Spirit. That means our feelings are real, but they cannot finally tell us what is true about God, ourselves, or the world around us. Even more, there are few places where Christians need to remember this in the ordinary Christian life.”

Calibrate Your Conscience. Jacob Crouch explains why a conscience needs to be calibrated and describes how to do so. “The conscience is not infallible. It needs calibrating. It needs to bow the knee to the Lord Jesus. We have to take our consciences and say, ‘We must obey God rather than men,’ even when that man is you.”

When God Shows Up and You Miss Him. John Beeson writes about those times when God shows up and we miss him. “Can I be honest? I sometimes wince when people suggest that the person who helped them fix their tire on the side of the road must have been an angel. It feels saccharine, simplistic, and childish. But who is really being childish? The person who lives in a world alive with Christ’s presence or the person who has neutered God’s world of its triune mystery and wonder?”

Scrolling Through Life. David Doran Jr. says that your thumb shouldn’t be the hardest working part of yourself. In other words, it’s important that you don’t neglect what’s of actual importance in favor of endless scrolling. “We quietly scroll our lives away when God calls us to quiet work in our personal lives. The feed hands you the world’s problems before breakfast. Some war, another scandal, your neighbor’s cousin’s custody battle. Next to the latest internet outrage, the laundry feels small.”

While it’s simplistic to say that worship is love, it’s a fact that what we love most will determine what we genuinely worship.

—Bob Kauflin

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This week, the blog is sponsored by  Zondervan Reflective and written by Thaddeus Williams, who is assistant professor of Systematic Theology for Talbot School of Theology.

We begin on the steps of the temple in Jerusalem. It is the Tuesday before Jesus’s execution and a lawyer asks him to define the greatest of the 613 commandments. Jesus answers, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). Jesus cares enough about our minds to include them in his first and greatest commandment.

But what does it mean to love God with all of our minds? Jesus not only talked the greatest commandment, he walked it better than anyone. How, then, did the greatest keeper of history’s greatest commandment love God with his mind?

Moments before answering the lawyer’s question, Jesus demonstrates what a mind that fully loves the Father looks like in action. The Sadducees, a group of politically savvy Jewish thinkers, confront Jesus on the crowded temple steps to test his intellect. These veterans of debate pool their collective genius to construct a clever logical trap for Jesus. They begin with a sad story (Matt. 22:23–27). A woman loses her husband. The dead husband’s brother steps in to marry and support her. He dies too, and she marries yet another brother- in- law. The sad story repeats down to the seventh and last brother. Finally, the widow dies.

With this grim tale of seven weddings and eight funerals, the Sadducees pull back the steel teeth of their logical trap. Then they lay the bait and carefully set the trigger with a simple question: “In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her” (Matt. 22:28). To appreciate how skillfully the Sadducees had constructed this intellectual trap, notice its logical structure. It takes shape as what philosophers call a “destructive dilemma.” As Josephus tells us, “The doctrine of the Sadducees is this: That souls die with the bodies.” Their destructive dilemma against Jesus’s belief in the afterlife runs like this:

1. If (x) the dead will one day rise, then the woman will either (A) be married to all seven when she resurrects, or (B) she will remain married to only one of the seven when she resurrects.
2. A is false because a woman married to all seven brothers would violate marriage as a monogamous institution, and B is false because it would be totally arbitrary for the woman to remain married to only one of her seven husbands.
3. Since A and B are both false, x—Jesus’s belief that the dead will rise—is also false.

The Sadducees knew that if Jesus answered with either A or B, then his credibility as a rabbi would be left bleeding and twitching for all to see. There seemed to be no way out. What does a mind that fully loves the Father do in such an intellectual fix? Does Jesus say, “Hey! What’s that over there?” and run to hide in a nearby cave? Does he condescendingly pat them on the head and say, “Quit asking silly questions, close your eyes, and take a leap of faith with me?” Does he threaten to smite them with fire from the sky for questioning him?

None of the above. Jesus does not retreat, cop out, or bully. He answers, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matt. 22:30). Jesus instantly dismantles the Sadducees’ trap. He exposes their hidden and false assumption of their argument that resurrected people will be married. Jesus articulates what philosophers call the tertium quid, meaning the “third thing,” not the false A or the false B but the true C.

Do you see the brilliance of a mind that keeps the greatest commandment? Jesus used the same style of logical trap that had been set for him—a destructive dilemma. The scholars fell silent (Matt. 22:34). The crowd that the scholars had hoped would be astonished by a blundering Jesus is astonished by something else—his sheer brilliance (Matt. 22:33).

It’s probably not fair to read a book on my own terms rather than the author’s, but I suppose that’s what I might have done with Alice Cooper’s new memoir, Devil on My Shoulder. I am not very familiar with his music, I have little interest in knowing how he rose to fame in the world of rock ’n’ roll, and I don’t really care to know the stories behind his songs. So why would I read it?

I read it because I have been interested to hear repeatedly over the years that Alice Cooper is a Christian. I have heard of his relationships with Christian leaders like R.C. Sproul, Alistair Begg, and Greg Laurie. I have always wanted to know whether the rumors are true that he is, indeed, a believer, and even more, to have this tension resolved: Is it possible for a man to be both Alice Cooper and a Christian? So when I saw news of his book, I decided to give it a read, especially when I saw that faith would be one of its themes, as described in this marketing copy:

I want to talk about God. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna bang you on the head with a Bible, I just want to describe how it is that I found Him dwelling in me. Alice, that inveterate liar, was a voice in my ear for so long, whispering lies and sweet nothings, pretending to be my better conscience and my inspiration, pretending to be me, that I think it’s only right to present both sides of the story: the angel on one shoulder, the devil on the other.

Alice Cooper was born in Detroit in 1948 as Vincent Furnier. Both his father and grandfather were leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ, a restorationist offshoot of the Latter Day Saint movement that is often referred to as “Bickertonite.” Here’s Cooper’s own explanation of the church:

In 1844, after the founder of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Joseph Smith Jr., was murdered by a lynch mob, there was bitter argument over who should succeed him. Brigham Young took his followers, later called the Mormon Pioneers, to Utah, while some of those who stayed behind split off from the Church of Latter-Day Saints and founded the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite). So, we share the same roots but (confusingly to laypeople), although we accept the Book of Mormon as scripture, we are not Mormons!

He discovered rock ’n’ roll music when he was a teenager, formed a band, and began to make his mark on the music scene, first in Phoenix, and then in Los Angeles and Detroit. Eventually he and his bandmates began to perform under the name of Alice Cooper, and when the band dissolved, he became solely associated with the name, even going so far as to legally adopt it as his own. Cooper led one of the first shock rock bands and, like so many others, was soon notorious for all manner of overindulgence and immorality. He spent many years philandering, drinking to excess, and addicted to drugs. While his career soared upward, his life began to spiral downward, and he utterly abandoned the faith of his youth.

So who is Alice Cooper in relation to Vincent Furnier? In my understanding, Alice is a character Vince developed, through whom he could explore and express the depraved and macabre. Vince has too much fear and respect for the demonic to make Alice an occult figure, but he’s certainly a dark and ghastly one who is obsessed with death, suffering, sex, gore, and the intersections between them. Vince has always insisted that Alice is an alter ego he plays and even becomes when he puts on his makeup, but one who is very different from himself. Even his name change was not because he had become Alice, but simply because he was so closely associated that no one called him Vince anyway.

Cooper eventually married Sheryl Goddard, who was one of the dancers in his stage shows. Though their marriage was at first enjoyable, his addictions began to dominate, and it was only when Sheryl determined to leave him that he appealed for help. Through contacts at Moody Bible Institute, they were referred to Christian psychologist Kevin Leman, who provided intense counseling that saved their marriage. They decided to make church a part of their life, and settled into Camelback Bible Church, long pastored by Tim Savage (who, interestingly, was a founding council member of The Gospel Coalition).¹ They have considered this their home church ever since.

It is at this point that I would expect the rest of his biography to express how he knew that as a Christian he could no longer play Alice, so retired him and started a new character, or formed a new band, or found a whole new occupation. But that’s not his story. Instead, he kept on performing as Alice Cooper and found that in many ways his greatest successes were still to come. He continued to develop Alice as a character, and made him every bit as depraved and macabre as he had ever been. He continued to sing songs whose themes are the kind that are surely covered by Ephesians 5:12: “it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.” Yet now he did it as someone who professed to be a Christian.

And this is where I was left scratching my head. I have read of how Cooper attended a Ligonier Ministries conference and, after bumping into R.C. Sproul at a golf course, enjoyed a round of golf with him. R.C. later downplayed the meeting, and said only that in their brief interaction he had found Cooper committed to his Christian faith. I remember Alistair Begg interviewing him during an evening service² and Greg Laurie interviewing him on his show not just once, but twice. All sorts of Christian periodicals have written about him and described him as a believer. People I know and trust have affirmed that.

So what do we do with Alice Cooper’s faith? Well, until he applies for membership at my church and I become responsible to determine whether or not I can recommend to others him as a brother in Christ, there is a sense in which it doesn’t much matter. It’s not for me to determine. But here are a few observations drawn from Devil on My Shoulder.

First, he is often described as having grown up in a pastor’s or evangelist’s home and having been raised as a Christian. But his family was Bickertonite, and while that sect is not formally Mormon, they consider themselves the true heirs to the teachings of Joseph Smith. They accept the Book of Mormon, hold to a non-orthodox doctrine of the Trinity, and add the necessity of works to faith. This means he was actually not raised in a Christian home. He also never disambiguates his Bickertonite upbringing from his current beliefs and, in fact, uses “we” and the present tense when he describes what Bickertonites believe. He expresses anger at those who might suggest his father was actually unsaved and tells of friends who died in utter debauchery, yet shares his conviction that they are in heaven or something like it.

Second, while Cooper describes becoming a churchgoer and recounts many great transformations to his life, his biography does not recount an experience of conversion, or trusting in Christ. While his life has certainly changed, and while he ascribes this change to God’s presence in his life, he does not tell of trusting in Christ alone. He may, indeed, do so, but his memoir does not make it clear.

Third, he does not express remorse for the sins of his youth, other than the ways they may have impacted others. Neither does he repent of the ways he may have led others into sin, including through the explicit nature of his shows, not to mention some parts of this book. Even his girlfriend having an abortion passes by without much moral significance attached to it. Never is there any indication that he, like David, could say, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4). He has plenty of regrets, but he also seems to still delight in much of the debauchery of his youth and describes it seemingly without shame. At one point he says that while a certain vile sexual practice is not of interest to him, he is fine with others indulging in it. At another point he mentions how his daughter used to play a dominatrix in his shows, as if this is a good and noble thing that a father can be proud of. Even today, he is surrounded by sexualized characters on stage while he sings of unspeakable deeds.

Perhaps most concerning, he continues to play Alice. To be clear, Alice is not a character he needs to play, but a character he chooses to play and to present to the world. He has changed Alice since becoming a churchgoer, but he is still as abhorrent and repulsive as can be. “He still feasts at a smorgasbord of grave robbing, [something else too evil to even mention], boozing, and gambling, force-feeding candy canes to diabetics, chopping up babies, slitting throats, tearing out hearts, blowing schools to pieces, doubting parents’ authority, and generally enraging decent citizens everywhere like a blood-bubonic psychopath, but he’ll never swear at you. That wouldn’t be gentlemanly! Alice has his own morality, and I have mine. We’re separated for the sake of both our health.”

I think there is a sense in which we all want to have an Alice—a person through whom we can act out our depraved interests and fantasies, and do so without attaching moral weight to it. And then we want to have a Vince, if you will—a person who is moral, upright, and worthy of respect, and who represents who we believe we really are. But God’s calling on our lives is meant to impact us to such a degree that we have no right to partition ourselves in such a way. There is really no such thing as an alter ego, but only a self who is sometimes torn between wanting to sin and wanting to honor God. There is only a self who is called to flee from the very appearance of sin, and certainly not to frolic in it, delight in it, and rejoice in it. We may all want to have an Alice, but we realize we cannot and must not, for Alice would actually be us.

When writing about a certain kind of religious person, of whom I suspect I am one, Cooper says this: “Nothing and nobody is holy enough for these people! But that shouldn’t be what Christians are about. Real Christians don’t judge. Real Christians don’t hate. Jesus says, ‘If you’re going to represent me, be very careful. If you’re going to be a teacher, be very careful. Because you’re representing me, you will be judged more.’ That’s why I never make fun of religion, because I’m going to have to answer to it when all this is all over. Unfortunately, there’s always going be over-the-top fundamentalists. Haters gonna hate. I’m just not one of them.”

I’m no hater and would love to know that Cooper is a believer, but if a man is going to profess to be a Christian and be one with a public platform, he should not be surprised, dismayed, or offended when others take an interest in the nature of his faith. He chooses to be an influence over others, and a spiritual influence at that! Neither is it fair to head off all criticism by painting those who are concerned as mere judgmental fundamentalists. In fact, a true believer should welcome the watchful eyes of brothers and sisters in the Lord who love him and want only the best for him.

So, let’s return to the question that sparked this article: Is Alice Cooper a Christian? I don’t know, and it’s not for me to determine. But as I finished reading Devil on My Shoulder, here’s what I found myself pondering: In the day of judgment, the Lord will ask Vincent Furnier to give an account of his life. The great theme and accomplishment of his life, the one he created, the one he has fostered, the one he is known for, the one who has enriched him, and the one he is proud of is Alice Cooper. I am not Vincent Furnier, but I know that I would fear to approach the Lord, present him Alice, and say, “This is what I did with all that you entrusted to me.”

1. This explains why Savage’s book on marriage featured this endorsement: “No Ordinary Marriage explains how a marriage is intended to glorify God. Dr. Tim Savage writes not in a spirit of condemnation, but rather of encouragement as he paints a picture of what marriage is really meant to be. In reading this book, Sheryl―my wife of nearly 36 years―and I found ourselves challenged and inspired to rely on God as the core of our marriage. We pray that the Lord will inspire Tim to write his next book―How To Survive Hormonal Teenagers!” ↩︎
2. Unfortunately, the recording is no longer available. ↩︎

Good morning. Grace and peace to you. Here’s a reminder that this content is sent out daily through my email newsletter (which you can receive daily or three times a week) and also via WhatsApp if you prefer that.

Never must the chief end of a minister’s labors be lost sight of. It is to awaken the careless, to warn the endangered, to comfort the sorrowing, to help the weak, and to edify believers;—in short to make bad people good, and good people better.

—Theodore Cuyler

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In my weekly Works & Wonders column, I combine a brief devotional with other interesting, uplifting, and enjoyable bits and pieces I gleaned throughout the week. I hope you enjoy this week’s collection! It includes:

1. The Truly Wise Man (A Devotional)
2. Blue Planet III
3. Radio Garden
4. Lobster Is Lobster
5. Past the Gates 🎵
6. Comedy Wildlife Awards

1.

The Truly Wise Man

The all-wise God is the origin of all that counts as true wisdom. And this God has chosen to offer to each of us the fountain of wisdom by giving us his Word. If we wish to be wise as God is wise, if we wish to display his wisdom, we must look to his Word. We must read it, meditate upon it, understand it, obey it, and rightly apply it to the circumstances of our lives. We must choose to believe that in its pages we will learn who God is, we will learn who we most truly are, and we will learn what God requires of us. We must choose to believe that its wisdom is superior to any other source of wisdom and must allow it to reign supreme over the opinions and proclamations of any mere human being. As the Catechism says, “The word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.” And because God has given us his Word, we have the great joy of honoring him by honoring it.

2.

Blue Planet

BBC has just announced that Blue Planet III is coming. With the continued development of video technology, both in terms of recording and displaying footage, I expect it’s going to be even more stunning than its predecessors. Based on this first look, that’s exactly the case. I’m already looking forward to it!

3.

Radio Garden

Radio Garden is a fascinating project. You’re presented with a globe and as you rotate it, you can see radio stations in different locations. Simply tap a station to immediately tune in to it. Enjoy listening to the radio all around the world.

4.

Lobster Is Lobster

Okay, so this is actually quite a fun game. Lobster Is Lobster presents you with a word and asks you to identify the language. If you’ve got any interest in words, languages, or travel, you may find it quite captivating. You’ll start with “lobster” to learn how the game works, then proceed from there.

5.

Past the Gates

I’ve been a fan of NEEDTOBREATHE from the day they released their very first album, and I’ve enjoyed seeing how they’ve developed as a band. This week they released a new track titled “Past the Gates.” Thematically, it reminds me of some of the old-timey American hymns that spoke of the Christian’s hope after death. Musically, it’s straight-up NEEDTOBREATHE, and that’s a great combination.

When I die, when I die
Save the tears, don’t ya cry
I’ll be on, I’ll be on that yonder mountain in the sky
Let me go, I’ll be alright
No other way to get back home
Past the gates on down the road
I’ll sing with angels around the throne
Past the gates on down the road
I’ll sing with angels around the throne

6.

Comedy Wildlife Awards

There are many serious photography awards and competitions, but also some not-so-serious ones. Squarely in the latter category is Nikon’s annual Comedy Wildlife Awards. I’m sure you’ll agree that this year’s finalists match the description well.

Good morning. I’ve got a selection of articles and videos today, and they range from a graphic-heavy piece from the Wall Street Journal, to an article about the Wild West of surrogacy, to a video about a remarkable recovery from a devastating accident. Check in tomorrow for interesting, uplifting, and enjoyable bits and pieces I gleaned throughout the week.

Recommended Reading

I’m not convinced that we have expressed enough amazement at the recent act of terrorism aboard that FlyDubai jet. Its survival is an incredible act of God’s providence as, by rights, it should have crashed. Why God chose to save that jet and all its passengers, I don’t know, but I know that I’m looking forward to seeing the inevitable movie when it comes out. This graphic-heavy article from the Wall Street Journal explains how the plane managed to survive despite being pushed far beyond its normal capabilities.

Read: How a Boeing 737 MAX Survived a Nosedive Traveling at the Speed of Sound.

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Trevin Wax wrote a long piece this week that begins with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and ends with a call for Christians to resist the siren calls of this world and preach the gospel.

Solzhenitsyn upset his British listeners when he showed them it wasn’t only the Soviets who were in chains. He diagnosed the spiritual vacuum in the Western world, even with (and sometimes because of) our material wealth. “We have forgotten God,” he said in 1983. The spiritual shallowness he saw decades ago continues to mark our hollowed-out civilization. The rot of complacency and compromise has spread.

As Christians who long to see the gospel take deeper root in our own lives and then transform the lives of the those around us, we must tether ourselves to the good news that every heart needs most, the one saving word that releases us sinners from bondage.

And yet we must admit we don’t always recognize our own captivity to commonplace cultural narratives and invisible spiritual forces. If we’re to open the eyes of people to their cultural captivity, we must have our own eyes opened to the ways we’ve been molded by the world we’re called to oppose.

Read: One Saving Word.

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Sometimes we are made aware of so many great moral evils that it’s difficult to know which of them is worse than the others. But I’m quite sure time will prove that the current “Wild West” of surrogacy is exceedingly evil and exploitative. The Atlantic is quite a progressive publication and the author of this feature is not firmly opposed to surrogacy, yet even she can’t help but express some significant misgivings. Yet she, of course, wouldn’t express the major concern that many of these children are being created so they can be given to gay couples. After all, just as progressive ideals demand “marriage equality,” they also demand “reproductive equality,” even when that demands the exploitation of other people and the creation of children who will never have either a mother or father.

California, the home of Hollywood and Silicon Valley, is the undisputed center of American surrogacy, and the practice there is infused with a distinct blend of crunchy vibes, social liberalism, and straightforward capitalism. Surrogacy costs in the state begin at about $150,000 for a single baby, according to promotional materials for a variety of agencies doing business there. The percentage paid to the surrogate varies widely.

Many, many enterprises want to help make gay couples’ dreams of parenthood come true, and the Men Having Babies conference was underwritten by a number of them: IVF clinics, genetic-testing companies, and surrogacy agencies. If the sea of Zegna sneakers and stylish down jackets didn’t tell you that these guys have money, the brochures offering future fathers “white-glove service” and VIP packages made it clear. In the exhibitors’ hall, I passed an abundance of merch designed to reel clients in—candles bearing the instruction LIGHT ME WHEN MATCHED, onesies with I LOVE MY DADS on them, canvas bags with the legend DADDY VIBES, and my own favorite: multiple iterations of sperm-shaped stress balls. Some were dyed rainbow colors.

Read: The Wild West of Commercial Surrogacy.

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Griffin Gooch has a long article about the importance and necessity of spiritual habits. He links them with the growth and spread of the early church to show that they have always played a key role in the Christian faith. He also addresses the fact that habits are an important element in maintaining the fervor of our faith.

The other day I got a Hawaiian roll with a younger guy from church; he was rolling around in shame because he wasn’t spending much time in prayer or Scripture. “I’m worried I don’t love God. I heard someone say prayer should flow from our love for God. But I don’t feel like praying, so maybe I just don’t love God enough.”

This logic is sadly common. Basically: our actions should flow effortlessly from our state of mind and/or emotions.

It’s honestly one of the most crushing cultural beliefs: the idea that belief and feeling should lead to practice, and never the other way around.

Read: The Best Apologetic Is You.

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I was telling someone the other day just how thankful Aileen and I were when we came to the conclusion that none of our three kids were ever going to be standout athletes. That saved us from having to even think about travel teams and all the other things that can soon consume not just a childhood, but an entire family. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal describes some of the craziness that has swept over so many of today’s parents.

The second baseman stood 3-foot-6. The shortstop weighed 44 pounds.

At a club baseball tournament east of Los Angeles this summer, the 6-year-olds on teams from as far away as Arizona were too young to pitch the ball themselves, but their parents were spending thousands on baseball.

There were club dues, tournament fees, hotels, transportation, uniforms and equipment. An app offering “advanced statistics” and video of at-bats was $191 a year. Even watching from the stands has a price—this tournament had a $60-a-head pass for spectators. Spending $10,000 a year is common.

Read: Advanced Stats and $500 Bats: Why Baseball for 6-Year-Olds Is Breaking the Bank.

Interestingly, Canada’s Maclean’s magazine also covered youth sports recently:

Thanks to a generation of well-intended parents whose default is to optimize their kids’ performance in every pursuit, paired with a youth sports industry ready to cash in, kids’ leagues have transformed from a fun after-school activity into an all-encompassing endeavour that’s draining bank accounts, commandeering schedules and reshaping childhoods.

Read: The Trouble With Kids’ Sports.

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Mason Gregoire was involved in a devastating motorcycle accident and came near to death. Rise Under tells his story and follows his recovery. It also tells how his church was involved in caring for him and for his family. It’s an encouraging film that is free to watch on YouTube.

Watch: Rise Under.

As the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, so the denial of God is the height of foolishness.

—R.C. Sproul

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This week, the blog and this giveaway are sponsored by Harvest House Publishers.

Help your child see how the Bible is organized and how key people, events, and themes in each of its books connect.

The Bible Infographics for Kids Bible Handbook uses fun, colorful, easy-to-follow visuals to give kids helpful context as they read Scripture. Each section brings together the most important details from each book of the Bible, so they can better understand what they are reading and how it contributes to the bigger picture.

Inside, your child will

• understand the Bible through clear summaries and key highlights
• connect major themes, important people, maps, and timelines
• remember key truths with memory verses and fascinating facts
• engage with Scripture through interactive reading ideas and connections to Jesus

Give your child a helpful reference they can return to as they read, study, and ask questions about the Bible.

Perfect for ages 8–12, reluctant readers, homeschool families, Christian schools, church libraries, Sunday school classrooms, family devotions, and independent Bible exploration, The Bible Infographics for Kids makes God’s Word accessible, engaging, and unforgettable.

Whether you’re looking for a Bible trivia book, a visual Bible guide, a Christian educational resource, a homeschool supplement, or a gift for a curious young reader, this fun and colorful handbook offers an engaging, interactive way to spark a lifelong interest in the Bible.

Enter to Win a Free Copy
Complete the form below and enter to win one of five free copies of The Bible Infographics for Kids Bible Handbook. Act soon. The deadline for entry is Thursday, October 15th, 2026 at 11:59 pm. 

Every month, I put together a roundup of new and notable books for grown-up readers. But I also receive a lot of books for kids and like to put together the occasional roundup of these books as well. So today I bring you a whole big batch of new books for kids of all ages (up to and including teens). I have listed them in the rough order of their intended age range.

God Changes Me by Kristen Wetherell. “Everyone is a theologian—even our little ones. Each board book in the For the Bible Tells Me So series offers kids ages 0–4 an introduction to key facets of the gospel and a glimpse at the joy found when children embrace Christ as their Lord and Savior. In God Changes Me, author Kristen Wetherell explores the power of the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and minds to reflect his image.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

God Returns for Me by Kristen Wetherell. “In God Returns for Me, author Kristen Wetherell explores Christ’s second coming, revealing the promise that he will return to rid us of sin and restore our broken world. This board book uses repetition, easy-to-understand language, and interactive elements to keep kids engaged and coming back again and again. Deeply rooted in Scripture and written in warm and curious tones, Wetherell’s words offer hope to little ones as they eagerly await the day they will see the Lord face to face.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

God Gives Sleep by Betsy Childs Howard. “The joy of a new baby comes with long nights for parents, who would do anything for a bit more rest. God Gives Sleep is a sweet read for those early days and years, combining gentle rhymes and art to encourage little ones to settle in for bedtime. But it also offers clever encouragement to exhausted parents. Even when babies don’t sleep, this book assures mothers and fathers that they can rely on God to get them through the day and renew their strength.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

Seek and Find Bible Storybook: With Over 2,000 Things to Find and Count! by Sarah Parker. “Captivate kids 2+ with the wonder of God as they engage with this seek-and-find-style Bible storybook. They’ll return again and again to pore over 38 fun, visually packed Bible stories and to find all 2,242 things. Your whole family will get excited to spend time in God’s word together through this resource’s stories, prompts and activities.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Made Like Me: A True Story from the Beginning of Everything by Jen Wilkin. “Introduce kids 3+ to God’s good design for us to work together and help each other. Whether they’re shy, sociable, timid or convinced they can ‘do it themselves,’ children will discover that we are wonderfully made to need one another. Beloved Bible teacher Jen Wilkin uses memorable rhymes and delightful storytelling to show kids that it’s wonderful when we live, work and play as a team.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Arlo Takes Off by Betsy Childs Howard. “When Arlo’s favorite TV show tells him he can be anything he wants to be, he decides he wants to be like a bird and fly! When both he and his high hopes hit the ground, Arlo learns a painful lesson. His parents help him understand that, no matter what others may tell us, we can only be who God made us to be. In a world that promises endless possibilities, it’s easy for little ones to feel discouraged when things don’t go as they imagined. But by learning how God uniquely created each of us—with our bodies, abilities, and limitations—we discover a more joyful way to live.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Jude and the Extraordinary, Spectacular, Miraculous Day: A Creative Retelling of the Feeding of the 5,000 by Jessica Dennis Bush. “The feeding of the 5,000, an extraordinary miracle recorded in all 4 gospels, started with a small boy who offered his simple lunch and watched Jesus turn it into something spectacular. Through one child’s faith, thousands experienced the abundant, transformative power and love of Christ. This children’s book creatively retells the miracle of the loaves and fish for children aged 4-7.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Elisabeth Elliot: The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love by Ellen Vaughn. “A true tale of forgiveness and courageous missionary work, the story of Elisabeth Elliot shows kids that God is always with them, even when things are hard. Kids will follow Elisabeth as her childhood dream of being a missionary leads her to Ecuador and eventually to forgiving the tribe responsible for the death of her husband, Jim. She went on to live as a missionary among them.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

All Kinds of Weather: How Trusting God Leads to Confidence in Chaos by Abbey Wedgeworth. “All Kinds of Weather by Abbey Wedgeworth is a tender, beautifully illustrated picture book that invites children into a story of resilience, hope, and healing. Through fine-art illustrations and gentle, lyrical rhyme, young readers follow a boy trying to stay warm and dry as the weather—and his life at home—begins to shift. Rain comes. Plans fall apart. But he learns that while he can’t avoid every storm, he can choose how to move through them.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

God’s Great Big Global Church: Visit 10 Kids and Their Churches All Around the World by Tim Challies. “Kids will gain enthusiasm for going to church on Sundays as they discover that they and their local fellowship are part of something much bigger: a family of people worshiping God all around the world! Join Tim Challies as he guides you on this illustrated journey through 10 countries.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

The Lord Saves Me: 40 Christ-Centered Family Devotions from the Psalms by Iain M. Duguid. “Introduce your children to the Psalms—and to the Savior the Psalms reveal—in this gospel-centered family devotional. Bible scholar Iain Duguid provides child-friendly translations of select psalms along with short, Christ-focused readings and prayers.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

God’s Story, Our Story: A Family Journey Through the Bible by Charlotte Ollerton & Andrew Ollerton. “Take your family on a journey to discover how the Bible fits together. Fun and feasible, even for busy families, each 15-minute devotion puts a specific Bible story into place in God’s grand narrative and connects God’s story to your family’s story today. Designed to do with kids from as young as 5, this interactive resource is fun, meaningful and educational.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

The Good News Family Devotional: 52 Weeks Through the Gospel of Mark by Michael J. Kruger & Melissa B. Kruger. “If you are like most parents, you may struggle to find the time to read the Bible for yourself, much less the time to instruct and train your children. That’s exactly why Michael and Melissa Kruger wrote The Good News Family Devotional. For each chapter in this 52-week journey through Jesus’s life, you’ll read a devotion written specifically for moms and dads, preparing you for your family discussion while encouraging your own study of Scripture.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

New Morning Mercies for Kids: 60 Devotions to Focus on Jesus by Paul David Tripp. “Author Paul David Tripp has abridged his bestselling daily devotional, New Morning Mercies, to guide children ages 8-12 with the word of God in 60 kid-friendly devotions filled with gospel encouragement. Arranged into 3 weekly readings for 20 weeks—with each week focusing on a biblical theme such as prayer, obedience, and God’s sovereignty—the devotions include a brief meditation, heart-focused questions, puzzles and activities, and much more!” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

The Story of Eric Liddell: The Runner Who Lived for God’s Glory by Champ Thornton. “Eric Liddell was an Olympic sprinter, gold medalist, and world’s record holder. But despite his rising fame on the track, he was determined to dedicate his life and legacy to God alone. After his Olympic triumph in 1924, Liddell returned to China as a missionary, embodying self-sacrifice, kindness, and an unwavering commitment to serving others. This short and lively biography takes middle-grade readers on an exciting journey through Liddell’s life, highlighting his upbringing as a missionary kid, his battles with serious illnesses, and his imprisonment during World War II.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

The Story of Phillis Wheatley: The African Poet Who Called America to Christ by K. A. Ellis. “Phillis Wheatley, ripped away from her family and sold into a life of slavery, would one day negotiate her way to freedom. Unwilling to succumb to the brokenness around her, Wheatley believed God had a redemptive plan for her life. Through her poetry and prayer, Wheatley beautifully expressed her trust in the Lord and called the nation and important American figures to Christ, while advocating for freedom from injustices that plagued the country. This short and lively biography invites middle-grade readers to explore the life of Phillis Wheatley, highlighting her inspiring testimony and remarkable work as a poet, abolitionist, and wife.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Around the World with 80 Missionaries by Linda Finlayson. “Join an extraordinary journey across all seven continents as you discover the incredible true stories of eighty brave missionaries who changed the world! From the frozen landscapes of Antarctica to the bustling markets of Asia, from African jungles to Pacific islands, this captivating book takes young readers on an unforgettable adventure through time and geography. Meet courageous men and women like Hudson Taylor in China, David Livingstone in Africa, and Amy Carmichael in India, who left comfortable homes to share God’s love in dangerous and distant lands.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Deep Dive into the Old Testament: 51 Expeditions in God’s Word by Claire Sims. “Turn quiet times into a curiosity-sparking, awe-inspiring mission that kids get excited about. As they open their Bible, pick up a pencil and dive in, they’ll advance from a basic understanding of foundational Bible stories to a deeper grasp of who God is. This fast-paced, action-oriented devotional takes kids 8+ through a guided Bible study of Genesis and Exodus.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Bible Doctrine for Younger Children (Second Edition) by James W. Beeke. “James Beeke explains the Christian faith to children aged nine years and older. The book uses over 150 stories and illustrations simply explaining all the major Christian doctrines with a clear, precise, and easy-to-read style that can be used fruitfully for homeschool, church, or family. Bible Doctrine for Younger Children incorporates Ledeboer’s Simple Catechism Questions for Children. The lessons don’t just leave you with knowing about the faith, they instruct children on how to live the faith.” (Buy it at Reformation Heritage Books.)

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: The Graphic Novel by Andrew Peterson. “The first book in the bestselling Wingfeather Series is now adapted as a graphic novel! Once, in a cottage above the cliffs on the Dark Sea of Darkness, there lived three children and their trusty dog, Nugget. Janner Igiby, his brother, Tink, and their disabled sister, Leeli, are gifted children as all children are, loved well by a noble mother and ex-pirate grandfather.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

God with You: A 52-Week Devotional Through the Whole Bible for Teenagers by Rooted Ministry. “Today’s teenagers are all too familiar with fear, anxiety, polarization, and performance pressure. The demands of an increasingly virtual world coupled with the instability of a culture of outrage and angst has left our teens anxious and vulnerable. Crafted with this reality in mind, God With You is a 52-week chronological exploration of God’s story in Scripture. Teenagers will experience Jesus as the lifter of their burdens and the source of their rest and hope.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

How to Be Human: 12 Truths to Build Your Life On by Andrew Wilson (editor). “Walking through Genesis 1–3, these short chapters address key topics connected to identity, purpose, faith and relationships. These biblical, true-to-life insights are perfect for sparking thought and conversation. Use the free discussion guide in groups to facilitate further questions and exploration. Edited by pastor and author Andrew Wilson, each easy-to-read chapter is written by an author connected with youth and student ministry. This book is essential reading for those forming their identity and perspective on the world.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Young Womanhood: Finding Joy and Purpose in the Body God Gave You by Amy DiMarcangelo. “Your body is not a problem to fix. It is a good gift from God. Being a teenage girl is hard, and having a body comes with all kinds of challenges. But God created the female body good, and in Christ he is redeeming you as a whole person. This means his Word has much to say about beauty, physical suffering, food, rest, sex, shame, and more.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books.)

Track: A (Male) Student’s Guide to Purity in a Porn-Saturated Culture by Deepak Reju. “Are you—or someone you care about—struggling with the overwhelming pull of pornography in today’s digital world? This honest, practical guide by Deepak Reju offers a lifeline to young men seeking purity, hope, and real change.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

Track: A Student’s Guide to the Good Life by David J. Nixon. “Drawing from the foundational truths of the Ten Commandments, Nixon shows that the good life isn’t about chasing success, pleasure, or self-fulfilment. Instead, it’s about finding your place in God’s story—living in relationship with the Creator, empowered by His grace, and transformed by His Spirit. With clarity and warmth, Nixon unpacks how each commandment is not a burden, but a blueprint for flourishing: a life marked by faith, love, integrity, rest, and purpose.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

Track: A Student’s Guide to Evangelism by Ryan Denton. “Track: A Student’s Guide to Evangelism by Ryan Denton is your essential handbook for sharing the life-changing message of Jesus Christ—right where you are. Written with students in mind, this practical and inspiring book breaks down the what, why, and how of evangelism, showing that you don’t need to be a pastor or expert to be used by God.” (Buy it at Amazon.)

I usually like to space out book-related content like today’s roundup of new books for kids. However, an article I am writing about Alice Cooper’s new memoir has taken me more time than I expected, so while I had planned to share it today, I’ll finish it up over the weekend and run it on Monday instead. I think you’ll find it interesting, since a major theme of his memoir is his profession of faith in Christ. Until then, maybe there are some kids’ books that will interest you.

Our expectation of happiness in this world leads to disappointment because, in reality we’re made for another.

—Jen Oshman

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I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but received no reply, so thought I’d try just once more. I am wondering if anyone who reads this works for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and can answer a couple of questions for me. I’m not asking for anyone to do me favors, but just to help my understanding of some matters. If that’s you, please let me know!

Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it.

—John Stott

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You have probably had the experience before of going from a very bright room into a very dark one. Maybe you get home late, you get ready for bed, and you then have to tiptoe into a bedroom where someone else is sleeping. You find that when you go from the brightness of the hallway into the darkness of the bedroom, you can’t see very much. That’s because in the bright room the pupil of your eye became very small so it wouldn’t be overwhelmed by light, but when you go into the dark bedroom, your pupil needs to grow wider to allow more light into it, and that takes a bit of time. If you just wait for a few moments and allow your eyes to adjust, you’ll soon find that you can see much better. It just takes some patience and some adjustment to the new circumstances.

I find this a helpful illustration of what can happen in your life when you suddenly go from times of joy to times of sorrow. All has been well, and your life has been good. It has been easy to love God and trust him, to pray to him and sing his praises. But then suddenly you are struck by a great trial or a deep sorrow, and for a time it can be difficult to adjust. You may struggle now to trust God as you did before. You may find it hard to pray to him and sing his praises.

Theodore Cuyler, who buried three of his own children, wrote this: “It is the easiest thing in the world … to trust God when the path is all sunshine. The real victory of faith is to trust God in the dark and through the dark.” I like that phrase, “the victory of faith.” I sometimes feel as if Reformed folk like me may have given up the word “victory” too easily (possibly because other Christians have been prone to misuse it). But I think there is something to be said for acknowledging and celebrating a faith that, by God’s grace, is victorious.

I recently pondered Romans 8:28 (“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”) and drew from it four truths you can preach to yourself in times of sorrow—truths that will equip you to have that kind of victorious faith. If you minister these truths to your soul and live according to them, you can emerge victorious from your trial—emerge with your faith in God and your love for him not only intact, but strengthened.

God Loves Me

God loves me. It’s the simplest of truths but also the most important and the most formative. Why? Because if you really believe that God loves you, you will respond differently to your trial than if you think God hates you, or if you think God is apathetic toward you, or if you just aren’t certain how God relates to you. Preaching to yourself “God loves me” establishes your relationship with God in your own mind and heart. You may be tempted to reason from this hard thing to the belief that a bad circumstance must point to a bad relationship. But when difficulties come your way, it does not mean that God’s character has changed. It does not mean that his disposition toward you has changed. It does not mean that his relationship to you has changed. 

To the contrary, the same love that saved you must be present even in this time and in the very same measure. And for that reason, even as you stand amid the rubble of your life, even as you stand by the grave of a loved one, even as you read the deadliest diagnosis, you can say this to yourself: “God loves me. Whatever I feel, whatever else anyone may be telling me, whatever the Devil may be whispering to me, I know this: God loves me and he will never stop loving me.” A victorious faith begins with clinging tightly to this fact: “God loves me.”

God Has a Purpose

The second truth is this: God has a purpose. This world and everything within it exist to bring glory to God. God’s glorifies himself not only through the joys but through the sorrows, and not just when the path is bright but also when it’s dark as night. Whatever you experience, you can have confidence that there is a divine purpose in it.

A victorious faith trusts the character of God and believes in the purpose of God even when it can’t see the completed work of God. By faith, you can receive sorrow from God and trust that eventually God will make his purpose clear. That clarity may come later in life or it may come only in eternity. But you can have confidence that God will at some point show you what he was up to, and you will see in that day what you take by faith right now: God has a purpose.

God Is at Work

Here is the third truth to speak to yourself: God is at work. You always need to remember that this is God’s world, not yours. You have given your life to him, and that means handing it all over to him. You don’t just give him your heart, though that’s the place to begin—you give him your life, your body, your soul, your children, your marriage, your job, and your dreams. You give it all to him and essentially say, “I entrust this to you; please glorify yourself through it.” And this is exactly what God does–he works through your life.

This verse says clearly that if you are a Christian, all things work together for good. You probably don’t need to be convinced or reassured that God is at work through the good things you enjoy. But Romans 8:28 exists to minister this truth to you: God works through the dark days too. There is nothing that God is incapable of using, nothing that is beyond his capacity to redeem for his good and glorious purposes. All means all, and God is at work through all things.

God Is Working Good

The fourth truth is this: God is working this for good. You and I usually define “good” by way of ease, so that what’s good to us is what makes our lives easy or painless. But what’s good to God is what fulfills his purpose of bringing glory to himself. God brings glory to himself in our lives by sanctifying us—by making us more like Jesus Christ in the inner man so we can act more like Jesus in the outer man. God means to have a witness in this world, and though Christ has ascended, he has left us here to act as his disciples, his followers and imitators. God glorifies himself in the lives of his people by setting his love on dead, wretched sinners and transforming them into living images of his Son. He transforms our hearts, so he can transform our lives, so we can be like Jesus and so through us he can transform this world.

No matter your circumstances, you can be confident that in some way they glorify him by further transforming you into the image of Jesus Christ both inside and out. Rough stones don’t become smooth without grinding; valuable ore doesn’t get separated from worthless rock without being blasted and crushed; and you can’t become Christlike or serve his purpose in this world without hardships. There is no path through sanctification and no purpose that doesn’t involve at least some trial, some difficulty, some sorrow. Hence, in your times of sorrow you can know that God is working good.

Conclusion

Romans 8:28 is a beautiful and comforting verse for your darkest days. If you love God, then you have been called according to his purpose, and all things are working together for good—your good and God’s glory. That’s true of the best things and it’s true of the worst things. It’s true of the things you would have chosen anyway and true of the things you never would have chosen. God is working good through your hardest and darkest day just as much as your brightest and most beautiful day.

Dark times are inevitable in this life and, by God’s grace, you can look back on those times and marvel: I might have doubted God, but instead I trusted him. I might have rebelled against God, but instead I submitted to him. I might have turned away from God, but instead I ran toward him. And that is what I mean by a victorious faith. You can enter into your times of sorrow with a living faith, endure your times of sorrow with a tenacious faith, and emerge from your times of sorrow with a strengthened faith. You can have a faith that remains strong and true and bright and beautiful even when everything around you is dark as night.

Good morning. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you on this fine day.

Extra

Every now and again I like to introduce you to one of my books. Today that’s Seasons of Sorrow, which, as it happens, is cheaper today than it’s ever been at Amazon, though only for the rest of the day.

Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God was written in the aftermath of the sudden and unexpected death of my son, Nick. It is written out of a place of great love and great grief, and reflects the journey of a parent through the first year following a deep loss. While it is plain in describing grief, it also describes the hope God offers and the comfort he provides to those who suffer through difficult circumstances. This book, more than any other I’ve written, comes from my heart!

Every time I deliberately disobey a command of God, it is because I am in that moment doubtful as to God’s true intentions in giving me that command.

—Milton Vincent

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These are Prime Big Deal Days at Amazon, and that means there are plenty of deals on books. This page is a roundup of some of the best deals I’ve been able to track down. Check in a couple of times on Tuesday and Wednesday as I’ll be adding deals as I find them.

Amazon is offer an especially good deal for Audible subscriptions: 4 months for $0.99/month, plus a $20 credit. You can cancel anytime, which means you can enjoy the 4 months and then stop your subscription if you so desire.

You’ll also find Kindle devices on sale—a good thing if you’re a committed reader of e-books.

Index:

• Books
• General Market Books
• Bibles
• Commentaries
• Board Games

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Books

Note: These deals are for print books. If you prefer Kindle editions, visit the Kindle Deals page.

A Heart Aflame for God

Matthew C. Bingham

A Reformed approach to spiritual formation that draws on the God-ordained practices modeled by the Puritans of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and shows how Christians today can pursue genuine spiritual growth.

Amazon

2084 and the AI Revolution

John C. Lennox

Oxford mathematician John Lennox considers artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and the quest for superintelligence, and shows what the Christian faith has to say about each. This updated and expanded edition takes in recent developments like large language models while keeping its focus on what it means to be human.

Amazon

The Acrostic of Salvation

Jonathan Gibson and Timothy Brindle

A rhyming alphabet of words about salvation, from adoption to zeal, that teaches children the doctrine of how God saves. It follows the biblical tradition of acrostic poetry found in the Psalms and Lamentations.

Amazon

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You

Tony Reinke

A thoughtful look at how smartphones are reshaping our habits, relationships, and hearts, with twelve ways our phones are changing us and biblical wisdom for using them well.

Amazon

30 Days to Understanding the Bible

Max Anders

A fifteen-minutes-a-day introduction to the Bible’s key people, events, places, and doctrines, designed to give readers the big picture of Scripture in a month. This thirtieth-anniversary edition restores and updates material from the original.

Amazon

Apologetics at the Cross

Joshua D. Chatraw and Mark D. Allen

An introduction to apologetics that takes its cues from Jesus himself and from the letter of 1 Peter, arguing that a defense of the faith ought to be marked by gentleness and respect rather than by unbreachable arguments. It covers the history and biblical foundations of apologetics before turning to how the work actually goes in real conversations.

Amazon

The New Man

Daniel M. Doriani

Rather than another checklist, Dan Doriani describes biblical manhood as character shaped by knowing God through his Word, and applies it to marriage, friendship, work, wealth, and more.

Amazon

Disciplines of a Godly Man

R. Kent Hughes

A bestselling call for men to pursue godliness with discipline, covering prayer, integrity, marriage, leadership, worship, purity, and more. This updated edition includes fresh references, suggested resources, and study questions.

Amazon

The Gospel Comes with a House Key

Rosaria Butterfield

Drawing on the story of her own conversion through the open home of an ordinary Christian couple, Rosaria Butterfield calls believers to practice daily, radically ordinary hospitality. Winner of a 2019 Christianity Today Book Award.

Amazon

Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar

William D. Mounce

The standard introductory Greek textbook for colleges and seminaries, used by hundreds of thousands of students since it first appeared in 1993. The fourth edition has been revised throughout in light of feedback from teachers, students, and self-learners.

Amazon

No More Boring Bible Study

Faith Womack

An encouraging guide for anyone who finds the Bible confusing, dull, or hard to apply, showing that taking Scripture seriously is easier and more rewarding than many expect.

Amazon

Brave by Faith

Alistair Begg

Alistair Begg draws on the life of Daniel to show how believers can live with God-sized confidence in a culture that is increasingly hostile to the Christian faith.

Amazon

Genesis (Reformed Expository Commentary, 2 Volumes)

Richard D. Phillips

A two-volume expository commentary on the foundational book of Scripture, written by a pastor for preachers, teachers, and readers who want to understand God, themselves, and the Christ-centered trajectory of history.

Amazon

Pure in Heart

J. Garrett Kell

Sharing from his own struggles, Garrett Kell shows that freedom from sexual sin comes not from willpower but from the power of Christ and the support of a local church. Written for both men and women.

Amazon

Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar

Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt

The standard first-year Hebrew grammar in colleges and seminaries, now in a substantially revised third edition. Its integrated approach has carried more than 80,000 students through the language since it first appeared in 2001.

Amazon

Believer’s Bible Commentary

William MacDonald, edited by Arthur L. Farstad

A one-volume commentary on the whole Bible that explains each book in plain language from a conservative standpoint while fairly presenting other views. This second edition has been fully updated.

Amazon

My Heart Cries Out

Paul David Tripp

A collection of Tripp’s personal meditations on God’s grace through the highs and lows of life, written in free verse. His celebrations, disappointments, confessions, and cries for help point readers to the Savior.

Amazon

Bible Doctrine

Wayne Grudem

The abridgement of Grudem’s Systematic Theology, written for readers who want the substance of it without the technical apparatus. This second edition works through the whole range of Christian doctrine at a level any interested Christian can follow.

Amazon

Gospel Deeps

Jared C. Wilson

Jared Wilson holds up the gospel like a diamond and examines it facet by facet, inviting readers to marvel at the excellencies of Jesus and the riches of what God has done in him.

Amazon

Consider the Lilies

Jonny Ardavanis

For Christians worn down by worry, this book lifts the reader’s gaze from the pressures of life to the unchanging character of God, showing that true peace comes from knowing who he is. With a foreword by Sinclair Ferguson.

Amazon

How Should We Then Live?

Francis A. Schaeffer

Francis Schaeffer’s classic analysis of the rise and decline of Western thought and culture, tracing the movements that shaped the modern world and the loss of a Christian worldview. Decades later, it remains remarkably relevant.

Amazon

CrossTalk

Michael R. Emlet

Drawing on years of teaching and counseling, Michael Emlet shows how to connect the Bible to the real struggles of your own life and the lives of family, friends, and neighbors. Readable and practical for lay people and ministers alike.

Amazon

Far as the Curse Is Found

Michael D. Williams

A retelling of the Bible’s story as the unfolding of God’s covenant from creation to new creation. An excellent introduction to biblical theology for pastors, students, and lay readers.

Amazon

Christian Beliefs

Wayne Grudem and Elliot Grudem

A short, readable distillation of Grudem’s Systematic Theology into twenty basic doctrines every Christian should understand. This revised edition is well suited to new believers, small groups, and anyone who wants a clear grasp of the essentials.

Amazon

Triumph of the Lamb

Dennis E. Johnson

A clear and trustworthy guide to the book of Revelation that explains how to interpret its imagery, what it meant to its first readers, and how it strengthens the church today. Johnson shows that its themes converge on Christ’s triumph.

Amazon

Journey to the Cross

Paul David Tripp

A forty-day Lenten devotional that invites readers to set aside the busyness of life and dwell on the suffering and sacrifice of Christ. Tripp’s prayer is that, as our mourning over sin increases, our joy in the Savior will deepen.

Amazon

Church History in Plain Language

Bruce Shelley

A highly readable one-volume history of the church that tells the story through its people, settings, and events, from the early centuries to the present day. The fifth edition carries the account into the twenty-first century and the growth of global Christianity.

Amazon

The Color of Compromise

Jemar Tisby

A history of the American church’s complicity in racism from the colonial era to the present, joined to a call for Christians to respond. A New York Times bestseller.

Amazon

Competent to Counsel

Jay E. Adams

The book that launched the biblical counseling movement, setting out the case for “nouthetic” counseling—the conviction that Scripture itself supplies what is needed to counsel well. Whether or not you land where Adams does, this is where the conversation began.

Amazon

Not Forsaken

Jennifer Michelle Greenberg

Jenn Greenberg was abused by her church-going father, yet she is still a Christian. She reflects on how the gospel helps survivors navigate guilt, forgiveness, love, and worth, and calls church leaders to protect the vulnerable.

Amazon

Evangelical Theology

Michael F. Bird

A systematic theology built around the conviction that the gospel is the fulcrum of Christian doctrine—rigorous enough for the classroom and readable enough to work through on your own. The second edition is revised and expanded throughout.

Amazon

Seeing with New Eyes

David Powlison

Essays by one of the most respected biblical counselors, written over nearly twenty years. Some read Scripture with a counselor’s eye while others recast common psychological problems in biblical terms, showing how God’s Word speaks into the struggles of real life.

Amazon

Four Portraits, One Jesus

Mark L. Strauss

A survey of the four Gospels and of the one they describe, attentive to the way each evangelist paints his own distinctive portrait of the same Jesus of Nazareth. Widely used as a textbook, and clear enough for anyone who wants a careful guide to the Gospels.

Amazon

The Big Wide Welcome Storybook

Trillia J. Newbell

A beautifully illustrated storybook for ages 3 to 6 that draws on James 2 to teach children that Jesus welcomes all kinds of people and that his church is called to do the same. Part of the popular Tales That Tell the Truth series.

Amazon

The Gospel According to Jesus

John MacArthur

MacArthur’s best-known book, and the one that set off the lordship salvation debate. He presses hard against “easy-believism,” arguing that saving faith is never merely a moment in the past but a life of obedience to Christ as Lord.

Amazon

Women of the Word

Jen Wilkin

A clear, practical plan for studying the Bible with both heart and mind, written to help women grow in their knowledge of Scripture and draw near to God. The second edition adds study questions to the original content.

Amazon

Grasping God’s Word

J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

A hands-on introduction to reading and interpreting the Bible, built around a five-step “Interpretive Journey” and a guided tour through the Bible’s various genres. A classroom staple for years, and just as useful to a motivated reader at home.

Amazon

Reforming Journalism

Marvin Olasky

Longtime World editor Marvin Olasky lays out the principles of journalism done from a Christian perspective, covers the practical work of interviewing and writing, and closes with a history of journalism in America.

Amazon

Word versus Deed

Duane Litfin

A former college president argues that the church is called to a balanced ministry of proclaiming the gospel in words and displaying it in deeds, and shows how to keep the two in their proper relationship.

Amazon

The Great Dechurching

Jim Davis and Michael Graham, with Ryan P. Burge

Drawing on one of the largest studies of its kind, the authors examine who has left American churches, why they left, and what it might take to bring them back. A sobering but hopeful look at the largest religious shift in American history.

Amazon

Disciplines of a Godly Woman

Barbara Hughes

A classic on spiritual discipline for women, exploring fifteen vital disciplines through biblical teaching, stories, and reflection questions. A fitting companion to Disciplines of a Godly Man, also on this list.

Amazon

How to Lead When You’re Not in Charge

Clay Scroggins

Pastor Clay Scroggins argues that leadership does not depend on a title and shows how to exercise real influence when you answer to someone else. He draws on biblical principles to explain how to lead yourself well and serve those above you.

Amazon

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart

A classic guide to reading each genre of the Bible well, understanding both what it meant to its first audience and what it means for us today. More than a million copies sold, now in an updated fourth edition.

Amazon

Darkest Night Brightest Day

Marty Machowski

A beautifully illustrated “upside-down” family devotional with fourteen Bible stories for the Easter season, seven moving through Passion Week to the cross and seven from the resurrection to Pentecost.

Amazon

New Morning Mercies

Paul David Tripp

A year of daily readings, each opening with a short gospel-centered thought followed by a longer meditation. It is less about behavior modification than about helping readers encounter the living God each morning.

Amazon

Jesus (Big Theology for Little Hearts)

Devon Provencher

A board book that introduces little ones to who Jesus is through short definitions and bright illustrations. Part of a series designed to give young children a cohesive framework for theology.

Amazon

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard Jr.

A thorough hermeneutics textbook that defines the discipline and then works patiently through the practical guidelines for interpreting Scripture well. The third edition has been revised throughout to keep pace with current scholarship.

Amazon

ESV Expository Commentary: Psalms–Song of Solomon (Volume 5)

Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, editors

A passage-by-passage commentary on Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, printing the full ESV text alongside theologically rich exposition and application. Written by experienced pastor-theologians with preachers and teachers in mind.

Amazon

The Church: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic

Richard D. Phillips, Philip G. Ryken, and Mark Dever

Three Reformed pastors examine the four marks of the church confessed in the Nicene Creed and what each means for Christians today. A short, warm reminder that to love Christ is to love his church.

Amazon

The Family Life of a Christian Leader

Ajith Fernando

Drawing on decades of ministry, Ajith Fernando helps Christian leaders balance the demands of ministry and family, pointing them first to their relationship with God and then to practical matters of marriage, children, and the home.

Amazon

Beyond the Shadowlands

Wayne Martindale

An examination of the powerful images of heaven and hell that run throughout C.S. Lewis’s fiction, written in a tone that is scholarly but accessible.

Amazon

Practical Theology for Women

Wendy Horger Alsup

An approachable introduction to the deep things of theology, written for women who have assumed doctrine is too intimidating or impractical for everyday life. Alsup shows how knowing God makes a difference day by day.

Amazon

An Introduction to the Old Testament

Tremper Longman III and Raymond B. Dillard

An evangelical introduction to the Old Testament that works book by book through authorship, historical background, literary features, and theological message. It engages critical scholarship charitably while reading each book in its canonical context.

Amazon

Reasonable Faith

William Lane Craig

A thorough positive case for Christianity that works through the existence of God, the problem of historical knowledge, and the resurrection of Jesus. Suitable as a textbook yet accessible to lay readers, now in an updated third edition.

Amazon

Josephus: The Complete Works

Flavius Josephus, translated by William Whiston

The collected writings of the first-century Jewish historian, including The Antiquities of the Jews and The Jewish War, in William Whiston’s classic translation. An invaluable window into the world in which Jesus and the apostles lived.

Amazon

Living God’s Word

J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

A guided tour of Scripture as one great story, showing how the parts of the Bible fit together and how our own lives fit into what God has done and is doing. From the authors of Grasping God’s Word, which is also on this list.

Amazon

The MacArthur Bible Commentary

John MacArthur

A one-volume commentary on the entire Bible from one of America’s best-known expositors, offering verse-by-verse explanation with historical and theological background in a single manageable book.

Amazon

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible

Matthew Henry

Three hundred years on, Matthew Henry remains one of the most devotionally rich commentators the church has produced. This single volume condenses his classic work on the whole Bible into a form you will actually reach for.

Amazon

Finding God While Facing Death

Timothy A. Sisemore

A biblical look at death and what lies beyond it, written for those facing death themselves or grieving the coming or recent loss of a loved one. Sisemore shows how facing this last enemy puts life and faith in eternal perspective.

Amazon

Nelson’s Minister’s Manual

Thomas Nelson

A working resource for the pastor whose week is punctuated by things no one scheduled—with services, sermons, and Scripture selections for communion, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and graveside services. This is the KJV edition.

Amazon

The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

James Strong

The classic concordance in a large-print edition, indexing every word of the King James Version alongside the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries that made Strong’s a household name.

Amazon

God Cares for Me

Kristen Wetherell

A board book for ages 0 to 4 that introduces little ones to God’s creation and providence and his abundant care for all he has made, including his children. Part of the For the Bible Tells Me So series.

Amazon

The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible

James Strong

The expanded edition of Strong’s, computer-generated for accuracy, with the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries augmented by definitions drawn from Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary. The fullest form of a tool most pastors already own in one version or another.

Amazon

Person of Interest

J. Warner Wallace

Cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace investigates Jesus the way he would a homicide with no body, working from the evidence of history alone without relying on the New Testament. Along the way he tells of his own journey from atheism to faith.

Amazon

The Problem of God

Mark Clark

A pastor who grew up in an atheist home responds to ten of the most common challenges to Christianity, from whether God exists at all to the church’s violent history and the trustworthiness of the Bible.

Amazon

Parenting

Paul David Tripp

Rather than a formula for raising good kids, Tripp offers fourteen gospel principles that reshape how parents think about their calling. This edition adds study questions for individuals or groups.

Amazon

Sanctification

John MacArthur

A short, pointed call for pastors and all Christians to remember that God’s great purpose for his people is their sanctification. Sinclair Ferguson describes it as a book you can read in an hour or two whose goal is the transformation of the rest of your life.

Amazon

Rembrandt Is in the Wind

Russ Ramsey

Ramsey looks at the lives of some of the world’s most celebrated artists and asks what their work reveals about beauty, brokenness, and the God who made them. A warm invitation to love art through the eyes of faith.

Amazon

Seasons of Sorrow

Tim Challies

My own book, written through the months after our son Nick died, tracing grief and fear alongside faith and hope. It combines personal narrative with theology for anyone who has loved and lost.

Amazon

ESV Expository Commentary: Matthew–Luke (Volume 8)

Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, editors

A passage-by-passage commentary on Matthew, Mark, and Luke, printing the full ESV text alongside clear, theologically sound exposition and pastoral application. A strong resource for preachers and teachers.

Amazon

The Pastor’s Book

R. Kent Hughes and Douglas Sean O’Donnell

A comprehensive reference guide to nearly every situation a pastor will face, from officiating weddings and funerals to leading worship and caring for the sick. Full of practical wisdom from seasoned pastors.

Amazon

The Story of Reality

Gregory Koukl

Koukl presents Christianity not as a private religious preference or a source of moral advice but as an account of the way the world actually is—a true story with a beginning, a conflict, a rescue, and an end.

Amazon Read my Review

Street Smarts

Gregory Koukl

A follow-up to Tactics that applies its question-based approach to the most common current challenges to Christian belief. Koukl provides model questions and sample dialogues for gracious, persuasive conversations.

Amazon

Strong’s Concise Concordance and Vine’s Concise Dictionary of the Bible

James Strong and W. E. Vine

Two standard word-study tools bound into one manageable volume, supplying definitions, explanations, and concordance entries for readers who want to study the text closely without knowing Hebrew or Greek.

Amazon

A Survey of the New Testament

Robert H. Gundry

Gundry’s survey walks through the New Testament passage by passage, supplying the historical and cultural context without bogging down in technical introductions. It is built to accompany a close and complete reading of the text itself, and is now in its fifth edition.

Amazon

A Survey of the Old Testament

Andrew E. Hill and John H. Walton

A comprehensive introduction to the background, purpose, message, structure, and major themes of the Old Testament. The fourth edition has been fully updated.

Amazon

In His Image

Jen Wilkin

A study of ten attributes of God (holiness, love, justice, goodness, mercy, grace, faithfulness, patience, truthfulness, and wisdom) and how Christians are called to reflect them. It reframes the question of God’s will around who we are to become.

Amazon

Everyday Gospel

Paul David Tripp

A year of daily devotions that follows a Bible-in-a-year reading plan, with each reading connecting the day’s passage to the whole of life. From the author of New Morning Mercies.

Amazon

Systematic Theology Workbook

Wayne Grudem, Brianna Smith, and Erik Thoennes

The companion workbook to the second edition of Grudem’s Systematic Theology, with review material and exercises for every chapter across the full range of Christian doctrine.

Amazon

Tactics

Gregory Koukl

A game plan for discussing your Christian convictions with confidence and grace, using well-placed questions to keep conversations on track. This expanded tenth-anniversary edition adds a new tactic and a chapter of shorter maneuvers.

Amazon

Things to Come

J. Dwight Pentecost

A comprehensive study of biblical prophecy that has long been a standard work of eschatology from a dispensational premillennial perspective.

Amazon

What It Means to Be Protestant

Gavin Ortlund

A defense of the Protestant tradition for evangelicals who are being drawn toward Roman Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy by a desire for historical rootedness. Winner of Christianity Today’s 2024 Book of the Year award.

Amazon

Where to Find It in the Bible

Ken Anderson

An A-to-Z topical index to Scripture that makes it quick and easy to find what the Bible says about thousands of subjects. Handy for personal study, teaching, and sermon preparation.

Amazon

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist

Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek

A popular, accessible work of apologetics that walks through the classic arguments for God’s existence, the source of morality, and the reliability of the New Testament, arguing that Christianity is more reasonable than unbelief.

Amazon

General Market Books

The British Are Coming

Rick Atkinson

The first volume of Rick Atkinson’s Revolution Trilogy, covering the war from Lexington and Concord to Princeton. Vivid, deeply researched narrative history that won the George Washington Prize.

Amazon

Battle Cry of Freedom

James M. McPherson

The Pulitzer Prize-winning history of the Civil War era, still widely regarded as the finest one-volume account, weaving together the political, social, and military story from the Mexican War to Appomattox.

Amazon

This Vast Enterprise

Craig Fehrman

A fresh history of the Lewis and Clark expedition that corrects long-held myths and brings forgotten members of the journey back into the story. A New York Times bestseller.

Amazon

1491

Charles C. Mann

A fascinating blend of history, science, and archaeology showing that the Americas before Columbus were far more populous and sophisticated than many of us were taught.

Amazon

Band of Brothers

Stephen E. Ambrose

The classic account of Easy Company, 101st Airborne, ordinary citizen soldiers who fought from the beaches of Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest. The basis for the acclaimed HBO series.

Amazon

Stalingrad

Antony Beevor

Antony Beevor’s gripping account of the five-month siege that became the psychological turning point of World War II and changed the face of modern warfare.

Amazon

The Forgotten 500

Gregory A. Freeman

The little-known story of the daring World War II rescue of more than 500 American airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia, and the people who risked everything to bring them home.

Amazon

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Walter Isaacson

A short, engaging look at the origins and meaning of the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, from America’s bestselling biographer.

Amazon

The Penguin History of the World

J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad

The whole sweep of human history in one authoritative, highly readable volume, fully revised and updated in its sixth edition.

Amazon

Leonardo da Vinci

Walter Isaacson

Drawing on thousands of pages of Leonardo’s notebooks, Walter Isaacson brings to life the genius whose curiosity ranged across art, science, and engineering. A #1 New York Times bestseller.

Amazon

To Rescue the American Spirit

Bret Baier

An engaging portrait of Theodore Roosevelt, from his resilience through tragedy and heroism in war to his fights for reform as governor and president.

Amazon

Shoe Dog

Phil Knight

Nike founder Phil Knight tells the candid story of the company’s early days, from a fifty-dollar loan to one of the world’s most iconic brands. One of the best business memoirs of recent years.

Amazon

Killers of the Flower Moon

David Grann

The haunting true story of the murders of members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma and the investigation that helped give birth to the FBI. A National Book Award finalist.

Amazon

The Lost City of the Monkey God

Douglas Preston

A true adventure deep in the Honduran rainforest, following the expedition that uncovered a lost civilization and the startling medical mystery that followed.

Amazon

World War II Map by Map

DK

A visual history of the Second World War told through detailed maps that show the scale and speed of the great campaigns and the battles that decided them.

Amazon

Great Maps

Jerry Brotton

A richly illustrated tour of 64 of the world’s great maps, from medieval world maps to Google Earth, with each one explored and explained.

Amazon

National Geographic Atlas of the World, 11th Edition

National Geographic

The flagship atlas from the world’s premier mapmaker, with more than 300 maps and graphics covering every country, state, ocean, and beyond, in a protective slipcase.

Amazon

National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks

Jon Waterman

A beautiful atlas of America’s national park system, combining authoritative park maps with photographs, graphics, and stories from coast to coast.

Amazon

50 States, 5,000 Ideas

National Geographic

A state-by-state guide to the best travel experiences in America and Canada, from national parks and battlefields to out-of-the-way museums. Ideal for planning family trips.

Amazon

Natural History

DK

A stunning visual encyclopedia of Earth’s wildlife and natural world, from rocks and minerals to plants, animals, and fungi, written by a worldwide team of experts.

Amazon

Oceanology

DK

A beautifully photographed exploration of the sea and its creatures, from microscopic plankton to great whales. A wonderful book for curious readers of every age.

Amazon

What It’s Like to Be a Bird

David Allen Sibley

Gorgeously illustrated answers to the questions we ask about the birds in our own backyards: how they fly, nest, eat, sing, and more. For birders and non-birders alike.

Amazon

The Sibley Guide to Trees

David Allen Sibley

The definitive field guide to the trees of North America, with maps, detailed illustrations, and information on more than 600 species.

Amazon

Inside of a Dog

Alexandra Horowitz

A delightful look at how dogs experience the world through what they see, smell, and know. Revised and updated with the latest research.

Amazon

The Psychology of Money

Morgan Housel

Short, wise lessons on how our behavior, more than our knowledge, shapes our relationship with money. One of the best-selling books on personal finance of recent years.

Amazon

The Art of Spending Money

Morgan Housel

Morgan Housel’s follow-up to The Psychology of Money, offering simple principles for spending wisely and finding contentment rather than chasing what impresses others.

Amazon

The Simple Path to Wealth

J. L. Collins

A clear, encouraging road map to getting out of debt, saving well, and investing simply for the long term. Revised and updated.

Amazon

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen R. Covey

The enduring classic on personal and professional effectiveness, with over 40 million copies sold. This is the 30th anniversary edition.

Amazon

Slow Productivity

Cal Newport

Cal Newport argues for doing fewer things, working at a natural pace, and obsessing over quality as the path to meaningful accomplishment without burnout.

Amazon

Thinking in Bets

Annie Duke

A former poker champion teaches how to make better decisions when you don’t have all the facts by getting comfortable with uncertainty.

Amazon

Trillion Dollar Coach

Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle

Leadership lessons from Bill Campbell, the former football coach who quietly mentored leaders at Google, Apple, and Intuit, and who believed that great managers are first of all great coaches.

Amazon

The Goal

Eliyahu M. Goldratt

A fast-paced business novel that introduced the Theory of Constraints, showing how to find and fix the bottlenecks in any process. A perennial favorite, now in a 40th anniversary edition.

Amazon

Building a StoryBrand 2.0

Donald Miller

An updated edition of the popular framework for clarifying your message so that customers, donors, or congregants understand what you offer and why it matters.

Amazon

How to Know a Person

David Brooks

A warm and practical guide to the skill of truly seeing and understanding others, and being understood in turn, from the author of The Road to Character.

Amazon

Think Again

Adam Grant

An engaging case for the value of rethinking our assumptions, admitting what we don’t know, and staying open to changing our minds.

Amazon

Grit

Angela Duckworth

A psychologist shows that outstanding achievement comes less from talent than from a blend of passion and perseverance, and how that kind of grit can be grown.

Amazon

Joy of Cooking

Irma S. Rombauer, John Becker, and Megan Scott

The classic American kitchen companion, fully revised and updated for a new generation while keeping the warmth and reliability that have made it a staple for decades.

Amazon

Flour Water Salt Yeast

Ken Forkish

A beloved guide to artisan bread and pizza at home, with world-class recipes and baking schedules designed to fit a home baker’s day.

Amazon

Jacques Pépin Complete Techniques

Jacques Pépin

The 50th anniversary edition of the master chef’s landmark work, teaching the essential skills and methods of cooking through hundreds of step-by-step techniques.

Amazon

The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread

King Arthur Baking Company

More than 125 tested recipes for every kind of bread and every level of baker, from the trusted bakers at King Arthur. A #1 New York Times bestseller.

Amazon

Bibles

ESV Preaching Bible, Verse-by-Verse Edition

Goatskin, Black

A Bible tailored to the task of preaching, with each verse on its own line, bolded verse numbers, wide margins, and a smyth-sewn binding under a premium goatskin cover.

Amazon

NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition

Large Print, Hardcover, Red Letter, Comfort Print

The fully revised edition of Zondervan’s long-running study Bible, in full color and set in Comfort Print. This is the large-print hardcover, with study notes prepared under Kenneth Barker, Mark Strauss, Jeannine Brown, Craig Blomberg, and Michael Williams.

Amazon

NIV Artisan Collection Bible for Women

Cloth over Board, Pink Floral, Red Letter, Comfort Print

A journaling Bible built to be looked at as well as read, with a hand-painted floral cover, designed page edges hidden under the gilding, and space in the margins for notes and drawing.

Amazon

ESV Heirloom Bible, Veritas: Single Column Edition

Calfskin, Grenada

A premium single-column Bible printed and bound by Royal Jongbloed in the Netherlands, with European Bible paper, a sewn binding, art-gilt edges, multiple ribbons, line matching, and 9.25-point type.

Amazon

ESV Thinline Bible

TruTone, Stone, Branch Design, Red Letter

The popular ESV Thinline in a portable one-inch-thick edition with the words of Christ in red, a ribbon marker, gilded edges, and a smyth-sewn binding.

Amazon

NIV Baby Gift Bible, Blue

Leathersoft, Red Letter, Comfort Print

A keepsake Bible for a baby shower, birth, or baptism, with a presentation page and pages for recording family ancestry, favorite verses, and answers to prayer.

Amazon

ESV Holy Bible for Kids

TruTone, Berry, The True Vine Design, Ages 6–10

An affordable full ESV Bible made for children ages 6 to 10, with 24 pages of illustrated content depicting major scenes in the story of redemption, plus kid-friendly maps.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible

Buffalo Leather, Deep Brown

The award-winning ESV Study Bible in a premium buffalo-leather cover, with extensive study notes, full-color maps and illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles.

Amazon

ESV Premium Church Bible, Large Print

TruTone, Black, Red Letter

A durable, large-print edition designed for use in the pews and for personal reading, with a soft TruTone cover.

Amazon

The Greek New Testament, Reader’s Edition

Produced at Tyndale House, Cambridge; Hardcover

The Tyndale House Greek New Testament with a running list of glosses for every word that occurs fewer than 25 times, so readers with limited Greek can read smoothly without constantly reaching for a lexicon.

Amazon

NIV Baby Gift Bible, Pink

Leathersoft, Red Letter, Comfort Print

The pink edition of the same keepsake gift Bible, with a presentation page and pages for recording family ancestry, favorite verses, and answers to prayer.

Amazon

NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Girls, Gift Set

Leathersoft over Board, Teal, with Pencils and Stickers

Made for girls aged eight to twelve, with more than 600 verses illustrated in ready-to-color line art. The gift set adds coloring pencils and sticker sheets.

Amazon

NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible for Teen Girls

Hardcover

Hundreds of verses set in ready-to-color artwork, printed on thick white paper with extra-wide margins for a teen girl’s own illustrations or journaling.

Amazon

NIV Beautiful Word Coloring Bible

Hardcover

The original edition for any age, with hundreds of verses illustrated in detailed line art and wide margins left open for coloring, notes, and reflection.

Amazon

NIV Bible for Kids, Pink and Gold

Flexcover, Thinline Edition, Red Letter, Comfort Print

A thinline Bible sized and typeset for children to read on their own, in a colorful flexcover binding. A common choice for a birthday, baptism, or graduation gift.

Amazon

ESV Student Study Bible

TruTone, Navy/Slate, Timeless Design

Adapted from the ESV Study Bible for students who are serious about God’s Word, with 12,000 concise study notes, nearly 900 “Did You Know?” facts, and 120 character profiles.

Amazon

NIV Bible for Kids, Large Print

Leathersoft, Blue, Thinline Edition, Red Letter, Comfort Print

The large-print edition of the children’s thinline Bible, in a blue Leathersoft binding, with text sized for younger or newer readers.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible, Large Print

Hardcover

The full content of the award-winning ESV Study Bible in a more readable large-print type, with 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross-references, and hundreds of charts, articles, and maps.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible, Personal Size

TruTone, Brown

All the features of the award-winning ESV Study Bible compressed into a smaller size that is easier to carry, including 20,000 study notes and 240 full-color maps and illustrations.

Amazon

NIV Bible for Kids, Gray

Leathersoft, Thinline Edition, Red Letter, Comfort Print

The same children’s thinline Bible in a gray Leathersoft binding — compact enough to carry to church and readable enough to use there.

Amazon

NIV Economy Bible

Paperback

The complete Bible in a plain paperback meant for outreach and bulk distribution, with a “Plan of Salvation” reading page. More than three million copies have gone out.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible

Bonded Leather, Black

The award-winning ESV Study Bible, created by 95 scholars and teachers, with extensive study notes, full-color maps and illustrations, charts, timelines, and articles. More than 2.5 million copies sold.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible, Large Print

TruTone, Forest/Tan, Trail Design

The full content of the award-winning ESV Study Bible in a more readable large-print type, with 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross-references, and hundreds of charts, articles, and maps.

Amazon

ESV Everyday Gospel Bible

Hardcover

A Bible with 365 daily devotional reflections by Paul David Tripp that guide readers through Scripture in a year, connecting the gospel to all of life. The devotions also appear in Everyday Gospel, which is on this list.

Amazon

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible

TruTone, Paris Sky, Psalm 16:11 Design

A single-column Bible with two-inch ruled margins for notes, prayers, and reflections, printed on high-quality Bible paper.

Amazon

NIV Journal the Word Bible

Double-Column, Cloth over Board, Teal, Red Letter, Comfort Print

A double-column journaling Bible with durable paper and lightly ruled lines in extra-wide margins, built for daily reading, sermon notes, and long-term annotation.

Amazon

ESV The Biggest Story Bible for Kids

Hardcover, Ages 6–12

A full ESV Bible for children ages 6 to 12, edited by Kevin DeYoung and illustrated by Don Clark. Each book opens with a colorful introduction, and 104 key stories are highlighted with sections that help kids learn, reflect, and apply.

Amazon

ESV Value Compact Bible

TruTone, Black

An affordable, conveniently sized edition of the full ESV Bible with a quality TruTone cover, made to be carried anywhere.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible, Personal Size

TruTone, Forest/Tan, Trail Design

All the features of the award-winning ESV Study Bible in a smaller size that is easier to carry, including 20,000 study notes, 240 full-color maps and illustrations, and more than 50 articles.

Amazon

NIV Journal the Word Bible for Women

Cloth over Board, Navy, Red Letter, Comfort Print

The women’s edition of the journaling Bible, adding more than 500 reflections and questions in the margins alongside room to write.

Amazon

ESV Greek-English New Testament

Cloth over Board

The Nestle-Aland 28th edition Greek text on one page with the corresponding ESV text on the facing page. An essential tool for students, pastors, and scholars who work with the Greek New Testament.

Amazon

NIV Holy Bible, Student Edition

Paperback

An inexpensive complete Bible in paperback, designed for churches and ministries handing out Scripture to students in quantity.

Amazon

ESV Women’s Study Bible

Cloth over Board, Dark Teal

A study Bible for women who are serious about God’s Word, drawing on the ESV Study Bible and the ESV Women’s Devotional Bible, with over 350 sidebars connecting Scripture to life.

Amazon

NIV Thinline Bible, Premier Collection

Premium Goatskin Leather, Brown, Black Letter, Art Gilded Edges, Comfort Print

The top of Zondervan’s range: a thinline Bible bound in premium goatskin, edge-lined, with art-gilded edges and three wide double-sided ribbons. A Bible meant to last decades.

Amazon

NIV Ultimate Bible for Girls, Faithgirlz Edition

Hardcover

A feature-filled Bible for girls aged eight to twelve from the Faithgirlz line, with quizzes, questions, and study helps written to draw a tween into Scripture.

Amazon

The Jesus Bible, Thumb Indexed

Leathersoft over Board, Pink, Comfort Print

The Passion movement’s Bible, which reads all sixty-six books as one story about Jesus, with hundreds of articles tracing references to him across Scripture. This edition adds thumb tabs.

Amazon

ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, Artist Series

Hardcover, Ruth Chou Simons, Be Transformed

A single-column journaling Bible with wide lined margins for notes, prayers, and reflections, featuring a cover designed by artist Ruth Chou Simons.

Amazon

ESV Study Bible

Hardcover

One of the most complete study Bibles available, with some 20,000 study notes, 80,000 cross-references, over 200 charts, more than 50 articles, and 240 full-color maps and illustrations. A past winner of the ECPA Book of the Year.

Amazon

The Jesus Bible

Leathersoft over Board, Pink, Comfort Print

The same edition without thumb tabs — sixty-six books, one story, all about one name, with introductions and articles pointing to Christ throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Amazon

ESV Journaling Study Bible

TruTone, Brown/Chestnut, Timeless Design

A study Bible with extra-large two-inch margins for writing, featuring over 12,000 study notes adapted from the ESV Study Bible along with character profiles, articles, and maps.

Amazon

ESV Men’s Study Bible

Hardcover

A study Bible for men in every season of life, combining robust study notes with devotionals and articles from more than 100 scholars and pastors including Alistair Begg, Ray Ortlund, and R. Kent Hughes.

Amazon

ESV Women’s Study Bible

TruTone, Pink, Floral Bloom Design

A study Bible for women who are serious about God’s Word, drawing on the ESV Study Bible and the ESV Women’s Devotional Bible, with over 350 sidebars connecting Scripture to life and character sketches of key figures.

Amazon

Commentaries

Note: These deals are for print editions. For more commentary deals, including Kindle editions, visit the Commentaries on Sale page.

James (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Mariam J. Kovalishyn

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Matthew (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Grant R. Osborne

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Mark (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Mark L. Strauss

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Luke (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

David E. Garland

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Acts (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Eckhard J. Schnabel

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

1 Corinthians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Paul D. Gardner

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Ephesians (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Clinton E. Arnold

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Colossians and Philemon (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

David W. Pao

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Hebrews (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Douglas J. Moo

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

1, 2, and 3 John (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Karen H. Jobes

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Revelation (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Buist M. Fanning

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary works through the Greek text passage by passage, tracing each section’s structure and main idea before turning to theology and application.

Amazon

Leviticus (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Jay Sklar

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament uses discourse analysis of the Hebrew text to trace the flow of each book and draw out its theology.

Amazon

Proverbs (Zondervan Exegetical Commentary)

Christopher B. Ansberry

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament uses discourse analysis of the Hebrew text to trace the flow of each book and draw out its theology.

Amazon

Romans (2nd Edition) (Baker Exegetical Commentary)

Thomas R. Schreiner

The Baker Exegetical Commentary pairs careful work in the Greek text with readable exposition and is among the most respected evangelical series.

Amazon

1 Corinthians (2nd Edition) (Baker Exegetical Commentary)

David E. Garland

The Baker Exegetical Commentary pairs careful work in the Greek text with readable exposition and is among the most respected evangelical series.

Amazon

Genesis–Numbers (Volume 1) (ESV Expository Commentary)

Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, editors

The ESV Expository Commentary prints the full ESV text alongside passage-by-passage exposition written by pastor-theologians for preachers and teachers.

Amazon

Luke (Christian Standard Commentary)

Gregory R. Lanier

The Christian Standard Commentary is a newer evangelical series from B&H that brings together exegesis, theology, and application.

Amazon

Exodus (Word Biblical Commentary)

John I. Durham

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Job 38–42 (Word Biblical Commentary)

David J. A. Clines

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Psalms 1–50 (2nd Edition) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Peter C. Craigie and Marvin E. Tate

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Mark 1–8:26 (Word Biblical Commentary)

Robert A. Guelich

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Acts 1–9:42 (Word Biblical Commentary)

Steve Walton

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Romans 9–16 (Word Biblical Commentary)

James D. G. Dunn

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Galatians (Word Biblical Commentary)

Richard N. Longenecker

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Ephesians (Word Biblical Commentary)

Andrew T. Lincoln

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Colossians (2nd Edition) (Word Biblical Commentary)

Clinton E. Arnold

The Word Biblical Commentary is a technical series that engages closely with the Hebrew and Greek text and with the scholarly literature.

Amazon

Joshua (Tyndale Commentaries)

Richard S. Hess

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

Job (Tyndale Commentaries)

Francis I. Andersen

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

Proverbs (Tyndale Commentaries)

Lindsay Wilson

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

Isaiah (Tyndale Commentaries)

Paul D. Wegner

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

Mark (Tyndale Commentaries)

Eckhard J. Schnabel

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

The Letters of John (Tyndale Commentaries)

Colin G. Kruse

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

James (Tyndale Commentaries)

Douglas J. Moo

The Tyndale Commentaries are compact, affordable, and reliable, and have long been a favorite of pastors and serious lay readers.

Amazon

Exodus (NIV Application Commentary)

Peter Enns

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Psalms, Volume 1 (NIV Application Commentary)

Gerald H. Wilson

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs (NIV Application Commentary)

Iain Provan

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Mark (NIV Application Commentary)

David E. Garland

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Hebrews (NIV Application Commentary)

George H. Guthrie

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Revelation (NIV Application Commentary)

Craig S. Keener

The NIV Application Commentary moves from the original meaning of each passage to its significance today, which makes it especially helpful for preaching and teaching.

Amazon

Board Games

Sequence

Family strategy · 2–12 players

Play a card, place a chip on the matching space, and try to make five in a row before the other team does. Easy enough for children and still a real contest for adults.

Amazon

Sequence in a Tin

Family strategy · 2–12 players

The same five-in-a-row classic packed in a sturdy tin that holds the board, cards, and chips. A good pick for travel or a cottage shelf.

Amazon

Carcassonne Big Box (2025 Edition)

Tile-laying strategy · Base game + 11 expansions

The award-winning tile-laying game plus eleven expansions in one box. Build a medieval landscape of cities, roads, and fields, and place your meeples to claim them.

Amazon

7 Wonders (New Edition)

Strategy · 3–7 players · Ages 10+

Lead an ancient city through three ages, drafting cards to gather resources, advance science, build up your army, and complete your wonder. Plays in about 30 minutes, even with a full table.

Amazon

Azul Kids

Kids · 2–4 players · Ages 5+

A young children’s version of the beloved tile game. Players collect colorful pieces from a shared supply to complete their own mosaic, learning pattern recognition and planning along the way.

Amazon

Clue (Reimagined)

Family mystery · 2–6 players · Ages 8+

The classic whodunit with refreshed characters, a new mansion, and metal weapon tokens. Gather clues and be the first to work out who, where, and with what.

Amazon

Throw Throw Burrito Extreme

Party · 2–6 players · Ages 7+

A card game that breaks into a dodgeball match, played with two inflatable three-foot burritos. Best played outdoors or in the basement, and guaranteed to get the kids laughing.

Amazon

Match Madness

Family speed puzzle · Ages 7+

Everyone races to arrange five patterned blocks to match the card in the middle. Fast, frantic, and fair across ages, with five levels of difficulty.

Amazon

Castle Panic (2nd Edition)

Co-op · 1–6 players

Work together to defend the castle as monsters close in from every side. A gentle introduction to cooperative games that also includes solo and competitive modes.

Amazon

Ra

Strategy · 2–5 players · Ages 12+

Reiner Knizia’s classic auction game set in ancient Egypt. Bid with your sun tiles to collect monuments, pharaohs, and the gifts of the Nile across three epochs.

Amazon

Scout

Card game · 2–5 players · Ages 9+

A small-box card game in which you can’t rearrange your hand, only add to it. Clever, quick, and very portable, with rounds that take about 20 minutes.

Amazon

Bomb Busters

Co-op deduction · 2–5 players

The team must cut the right wires to defuse a bomb without seeing each other’s tiles. Sixty-six missions grow steadily harder, and each one adds a new twist.

Amazon

Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails

Strategy · Trains and ships

Ticket to Ride with both trains and ships, played on a double-sided board with a world map and the Great Lakes. A meatier version of the family favorite.

Amazon

Catan: On the Road

Card game · About 15 minutes

Catan’s building and trading in a compact card game with no board. A full game takes about 15 minutes, which makes it ideal for travel.

Amazon

Hive Pocket

Two-player strategy

A chess-like game of insect tiles that needs no board. You win by surrounding your opponent’s queen bee. This travel edition includes the Mosquito and Ladybug expansions.

Amazon

Love Letter (2025 Edition)

Card game · 2–6 players · Ages 10+

A quick game of deduction and risk played with just 21 cards. Each player tries to get their letter to the princess. Rounds take only minutes.

Amazon

SET (Travel Case)

Family · Any number of players · Ages 6+

The award-winning visual puzzle game in a zippered travel case. Race to spot sets of three cards that are all the same or all different in each feature.

Amazon

Dice Words

Word game · 20–60 minutes

Roll seven letter dice and race a two-minute timer to spell your best word, with bonus multipliers for using the round’s target letters. Includes rules that let younger players compete with adults.

Amazon

Bibleopoly

Christian family · 2–6 players · Ages 8+

A cooperative take on the classic property game. Instead of buying properties, players travel through Bible cities, give offerings, and work together to build a church.

Amazon

Guess Who? Bluey Edition

Kids · 2 players · Ages 6+

Classic Guess Who? featuring Bluey’s family and friends on one side of the sheets and her favorite objects on the other. Simple yes-or-no deduction for young players.

Amazon

Sushi Go: Spin Some for Dim Sum

Family card drafting · 12 rounds

From the makers of Sushi Go, a card-drafting game played around a spinning table of steamer baskets. Collect sets of dim sum to score the most points over 12 rounds.

Amazon

Spot It! Classic (Pocket)

Family matching · Five games in one

Any two cards share exactly one symbol, and the first to spot it wins. This pocket-sized edition includes five mini-games.

Amazon

Okay, Genius…

Party · 3+ players · Ages 14+

One player answers an absurd question, and everyone else tries to guess the answer. A great conversation-starter for teens and adults.

Amazon

Sorry! Giant Edition

Kids · Indoors or outdoors

The classic Sorry! with life-size pawns and a 64-inch vinyl game board that works indoors or out. Ideal for a birthday party or a backyard afternoon.

Amazon

Looking for more? See more board game deals at Amazon.

Today and tomorrow are Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. I’ve got a list of deals that may be of interest to you on my Prime Days Deals for Christians page. You probably won’t be surprised to know that my main focus is books and Bibles in both print and Kindle editions.

We obey God’s Law, not to be loved but because we are loved in Christ.

—Jerry Bridges

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I haven’t listened to much of Ed Sheeran’s music. In fact, I’ve listened to it just enough to determine that it’s really not my thing. This means that what I am writing today doesn’t come from a Sheeran fan or a Sheeran hater, but from someone who knows him only by reputation—a reputation that, until recently, was as a pretty good guy.

But Ed now finds himself in a heap of trouble. It began in early September when Macklemore, opening for Sheeran, turned his act into a rally by chanting “Free Palestine,” showing video footage of Gaza, and performing a protest song. Responding to pressure from venue owners, the tour promoter removed Macklemore from further concerts, insisting that those venues would otherwise cancel future events. Sheeran attempted to remain neutral and to press on with his shows, but soon other opening acts and even Sheeran’s supporting musicians withdrew. When he took to the stage in Philadelphia a short time later, he began alone before introducing a pickup group he had thrown together. Who could have imagined that someone that popular could have been left that isolated?

Sheeran soon apologized for his mistakes and said that he never wanted to be an activist musician. Yet immediately he also said that while the events of October 7 were “horrific and compounded centuries of Jewish pain,” what has happened in Gaza since then is “catastrophic and unjustifiable and disproportionate.” Meanwhile, what goes on in the West Bank is “systemic injustice” that “cannot be overlooked.”

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Sheeran’s shift from neutrality to attempting to mollify both sides did little to rescue him from the mob. To understand why, I have been helped by Carl Trueman.

Carl Trueman has often observed that in a world as heavily influenced by Karl Marx as this one, everything is political. Here’s his explanation: “Marx reduces all human relations to political relations. Every human relationship feeds, supports, justifies a political status quo, and therefore all human relationships are politicized. That’s the world in which we now live, where the idea of [non-political] mediating institutions has vanished.” In this way there are no institutions that stand outside politics, and that’s true of even mundane organizations, events, and activities. To borrow his examples: the Boy Scouts if they refuse to condone transgenderism, cake baking if the baker refuses to bake for a gay wedding, and, of course, concerts if the musician fails to take the stand society demands of them.

After Macklemore was removed from the tour, Sheeran responded with an attempt to play by the rules of the old world, insisting that the people who attend his concerts do not want them to be a political forum, and expressing his sadness for the suffering happening on both sides of the conflict. In other words, he held that his concerts are not political events and that he should not need to take a public stand on a complex geopolitical situation. “I am not complicit,” he insisted. “I have my personal views on this devastating conflict. Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care.” His reasoning might have been satisfactory 20 or 30 years ago, but in this case it merely added fuel to the fire.

It didn’t work and, indeed, it couldn’t work because what Sheeran failed to understand is that if everything is political, that includes concerts. He is not allowed to opt out when others demand he opt in. Instead, he quickly found himself problematized and stigmatized. All those years of pleasing the crowd were tossed aside and judged inconsequential when compared to the magnitude of his transgression.

A politicized world, it’s important to know, is neatly divided into the two classes of oppressors and oppressed who are constantly at odds with one another. Hence, we have straight vs. gay, rich vs. poor, white vs. black, Christian vs. Muslim, Israel vs. Palestine, and so on. All of those who are oppressed are meant to stand together in solidarity, which is why we see transgender people aligning themselves with people who would almost certainly despise them. It’s why we see progressives expressing disgust at Christian convictions (oppressors!) while overlooking Muslim ones (oppressed!) that may be far more offensive to progressive ideals. The oppressor/oppressed binary is everything.

Ed Sheeran has power by virtue of his fame and it has now been made clear to him that he must use it to express solidarity with the oppressed. He may insist that he wishes to remain neutral, but neutrality is complicity with the status quo. To remain quiet or to not take a side is still to take a side—in this case, the side of Israel. As Trueman says, “We live in Marx’s world—a world where the cultural imagination is gripped by the idea that everything is political. Silence in today’s climate on any issue by anybody in any institution is unacceptable, for to take no political stand on anything in our world is in fact to take a political stand—a stand for the status quo.”

Sheeran’s neutrality is treated as alignment with Israel. Though he has since backtracked to some degree, he is likely to find that Marxist ideology offers no clear equivalent to the Christian understandings of forgiveness and reconciliation. According to the standard playbook, he should now agree to set aside his privilege and learn from those who, by their experience of being oppressed, can educate him. Sure enough, he said, “I am already speaking to people across the spectrum to work out how to make a contribution that helps victims of these terrible times, and listening and learning because I do not know enough.” But no amount of kowtowing will return him to the good graces of the crowds. This is not to say that his career is over, but just that this conflict will be with him for the foreseeable future. Marxism offers no absolution.

Sheeran was naive to think that in today’s world he could simply have a concert. He may have gotten away with that mistake for years, but he has now learned the painful lesson that everything is political. Even a concert is a test in which you can be expected to prove or disprove your loyalty to a cause. And once it has become a test, it’s unlikely to ever be allowed to return to something as enjoyable and apolitical as a concert. Sheeran may want to be a mere musician, but he’s learned that this world demands that he—and all of us—become activists. As Trueman says, it’s Marx’s world for now.