2009 Bible Reading Plan

If you are interested in reading through the entire Bible in a year, feel free to import my 2009 Bible Reading Plan into your calendar. I used Logos Bible Software to create the reading plan which uses pericope boundaries (a set of verses that forms one coherent thought). Click here to import the calendar in iCal format or just click here to view in Google calendar.

John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

Speaks for itself.

Theology for Kids: Recommending Some Recent Books for Younger Children

My wife and I are always looking for good Christian books for our children so I was happy to come across a very helpful resource. Andy and Jenni Naselli have sorted through recent theology books for younger children and compiled a short list of outstanding books. Click here for the list.

HT: Between Two Worlds

Spurgeon: A Defense of Calvinism

The following is a quote taken from Spurgeon's A Defense of Calvinism. Read his writing in its entirety here.

Spurgeon writes:
"I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor."

25 Days of Free Christmas Music from Amazon.com

Every day through December 25, Amazon.com is unveiling a new Christmas song available to download free for a limited time. Check back daily to see what's next.

Andrew Peterson's "Behold the Lamb of God"

"Behold the Lamb of God" by Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite Christmas albums...there is a depth to it both lyrically and musically. This is an album that you can listen to the whole year because it tells the story of redemption from Exodus on.

Andrew Peterson writes:

What makes this bunch of songs unique is that I wanted to remind (or teach) the audience that the story of Christmas doesn’t begin with the birth of Jesus. Many people tend to forget or have never even learned that the entire Bible is about Jesus, not just the New Testament. So the musical begins with Moses and the symbolic story of the Passover (Passover Us) and works its way through the kings and the prophets with their many prophecies about the coming Messiah (So Long, Moses) to the awful four hundred years of silence before God told Mary she’d be having a baby (Deliver Us). After the song called Matthew’s Begats, which lists the genealogy of Jesus, the story picks up in more familiar territory with Mary and Joseph and the actual birth (It Came To Pass, Labor of Love). The final song is called Behold, the Lamb of God, which ties together the Passover and the beauty and scope of the story.

And here's a review from the Dallas Morning News:

If you buy only one Christmas CD this year, let it be this one. No doubt, Mr. Peterson is one of the finest singer/songwriters in Christian music. On ‘Behold’ he is joined by some of the other best of the best, including Fernando Ortega, Derek Webb, Jill Phillips and Sandra McCracken. The result is an organic album that relies on strength of writing faithful to Scripture, expert musicianship on everything from piano to hammered dulcimer and vocals that are pure and honest. What you will hear is a new classic in the making.

Listen here. Available here or on iTunes.

Linus Explains What Christmas Is All About

Linus explains the true meaning of Christmas by quoting directly from Luke 2:8-14 (KJV). I love the fact that this is actually on network television every Christmas season.

It is interesting to note that network executives did not want to have Linus reciting the story of the birth of Christ from the Gospel of Luke; the network thinking of the time assumed that viewers would not want to sit through passages of the King James Version of the Bible. Charles Schulz was adamant about keeping this scene in, remarking that "If we don't tell the true meaning of Christmas, who will?"

Total Depravity Verse List

The doctrine of total depravity (or total inability) says that all men, as a consequence of the Fall, are born morally corrupt, enslaved to sin, at enmity with God, and unable to please Him or even of themselves to turn to Christ for salvation. (Thus the necessity of a gracious, unconditional election.)

Click here for a categorized list of verses...compiled by Travis Carden.

Free Spurgeon Audiobook Devotional

Spurgeon: 90 Days of Morning & Evening

Go here and use the coupon code DEC2008 to redeem this month's free audiobook download from christianaudio.com

Doctrines of Grace: Free CD Giveaway

With the generous permission of Dr. Arturo Azurdia III, Monergism is giving away for free his incredible 8-part sermon series on the Doctrines of Grace. This CD also includes 7 additional sermons/lectures on such topics as monergistic regeneration and reading the Bible Christocentrically. Click here for details.

Track List:
1) Total Depravity
2) Unconditional Election
3) Limited Atonement
4) Irresistible Grace
5) Perseverance of the Saints
6) Q&A on the Doctrines of Grace Part 1
7) Q&A on the Doctrines of Grace Part 2
8) Q&A on the Doctrines of Grace Part 3
Plus:
9) The Discriminating Love of Jesus Christ - John 13:1
10) Did Jesus Pray for You? - John 17:20
11) Monergistic Regeneration Part 1
12) Monergistic Regeneration Part 2
13) The Ultimate Hermeneutic Part 1
14) The Ultimate Hermeneutic Part 2
15) Solus Christus - Isaiah 55:1-12