Bloodlines ~ John Piper

A couple of weeks ago, I posted the teaser for John Piper's "Bloodlines" documentary; here it is now in full.  If the teaser left me almost speechless - & seriously jonesing for the book - that's nothing compared to the full version!  It's extraordinary!  Thank goodness we already got the book in!


Bloodlines Documentary with John Piper from Crossway on Vimeo.

Special Offer for Men

Men, listen up!  Ladies, you, too, because you're bound to know a man who could use this!  Here's a special offer from Family Life Today to download the electronic version of Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood by Dennis Rainey for just $1.99!  This offer is available now through October 15.  Here's what Dennis has to say about the book & the offer.  Michael jumped on this one, & you should, too!

Resources for Suffering

When someone you love goes through a trial, their suffering becomes your suffering.  Such is the case with us; we have a loved one who may be entering a time of intense suffering.  And because we love her dearly, we are suffering, too.  It may be that God delivers her - & therefore, us - from this affliction, but then again, He may not.  Either way, He's good.  In any case, we all need to be prepared for the inevitable suffering that comes to all men.  The absolute best way to do that, in our opinion, is reading.  Scripture is our lifeline.  There are also other resources that we can turn to; men & women of God who have been blessed by Him with the gift of "preaching" through writing.  Michael is the family theological librarian, so he's thrown himself into researching out the best books that speak to suffering.  And if you know Michael, you know that he's already got most of these . . . and those he doesn't already own, he will soon!  Now, this list is not by any means exhaustive; there are soooo many more wonderful books that we just aren't able to list that can be found at Monergism & Westminster.  By all means, check these out, as well.  You'll probably think that I sound like a broken record, but John Piper has preached some stellar sermons on suffering, death, & sickness & his poem about Job (which you can download or listen to him read aloud) is phenomenal!

-Sunsets:  Reflections For Life's Final Journey by Deborah Howard 

-Where Is God in All of This?: Finding God's Purpose in Our Suffering by Deborah Howard

-My God is True: Lessons Learned along Cancer's Dark Road by Paul D. Wolfe

-Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow by Nancy Guthrie (this is one of many excellent books on suffering & grieving by her)

-Surprised by Suffering: The Role of Pain and Death in The Christian Life by R. C. Sproul

-Does Grace Grow Best in Winter? by J. Ligon Duncan; J. Nicholas Reid

-Fear Not!: Death and the Afterlife from a Christian Perspective by J. Ligon Duncan; J. Nicholas Reid

-Is God Really in Control?: Trusting God in a World of Terrorism, Tsunamis, and Personal Tragedy by Jerry Bridges

-When God Weeps by Joni Eareckson Tada

-Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges

-Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul by C. H. Spurgeon

-If I Should Die Before I Wake: A Look Beyond This Life by Scott Oliphint; Sinclair Ferguson

-A Steadfast Heart: Experiencing God's Comfort in Life's Storms by Elyse Fitzpatrick (this also comes with a wonderful CD with Scripture readings & songs)

-A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty by Joni Eareckson Tada

-Power Perfected In Weakness by Chris Klicka

-Suffering and the Sovereignty of God by John Piper

-Miraculous Healing: Why Does God heal some and not others? by Henry Frost

-Suffering: Eternity Makes a Difference (RCL Booklet) by Paul David Tripp

-From Grief to Glory by James W. Bruce III

-Grief: Finding Hope Again (CCEF Booklet) by Paul David Tripp

-A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble by Paul David Tripp

-If God is Good:  Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil by Randy Alcorn

-Heaven by Randy Alcorn

-How Long, O Lord?:  Reflections on Suffering and Evil by D.A. Carson

-Polishing God's Monuments:  Pillars of Hope for Punishing Times by Jim Andrews

-Why Does It Have to Hurt:  The Meaning of Christian Suffering by Dan G. McCartney

-When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper

A Few of My Favorite Things

I was just thinking about some of my favorite things for this year & thought I'd share them. I figure if Oprah can do it, then I can, too...even if I'm not a fan of hers & even though my "readership" is far less than her viewership! You may find you like some of them, too.

Favorite Things:

     *Revlon blackhead remover: This cleans pores out better than anything I've ever used, including the pore strips.  Kind of a gross thing to post, but it needed to be said.

     *The Regimen from Acne.org: I've always had issues with acne & this is the best thing I've ever found. I use the cleanser, treatment, & moisturizer (the moisturizer only at night, replacing it with Oil of Olay's moisturizer for the daytime), & as long as I use it twice a day, every day, I never break out anymore!

     *Portable dishwasher: We don't have room in our kitchen for a built-in dishwasher, & washing dishes by hand can be overwhelming, so this thing has been wonderful! Now, instead of spending hours cleaning the kitchen, I can be done in a fraction of the time!

     *Adirondack chairs: Sturdy, comfortable, beachy...must I say more?

Favorite Events:

     *Starting the adoption process: We are so excited to be going through the process to adopt 2 children from Ethiopia. You can see our progress on the side of this blog & read our reasons for adopting in our 2 adoption posts from September (here & here).

     *Getting Jake: I love this dog! He's got a wonderful disposition & personality, & is just so darn cute! I think he's been good for Ginger, too.

     *Ginger going into remission: We got the diagnosis of cancer for my baby girl last Christmas Eve, found an excellent vet who started her on chemo in January, & she went into remission. Her lymph nodes swelled up again in the summer & we did another round of chemo, & she's still in remission! Praise God!

     *Camping in TN: Michael took me camping in TN the first time in '07 & we went back this past year in late October again. I LOVE The Smoky Mountains & Cade's Cove!  The picture below shows a view from a remote backwoods trail overlooking the Cove.  I literally cried when I saw it because of how God's creation reflects His glory.  This picture doesn't do it justice!

     *Seeing the beach for the 1st time: Yep, I'm now 32 & only saw the beach for the first time this past summer. I was so awed by God's majesty that I cried (yes, I do that a lot) - I mean, if the ocean is that big, & He cups all the waters of the entire world in the palm of His hand, how big & awesome must He be?!

Favorite Books:

     *There's No Me Without You: This is my number 1 favorite book of this year, which struck Michael as odd since I cried & raged my way through it. That's because of the truth regarding the injustice in this world done to those who are helpless by those who are corrupted by power. Seeing the devastation especially to the children - devastation that could be prevented & corrected even now - was horrifying.  But as emotionally drained as it left me, I will read it again & again & I recommend it to each & every person I know.

     *Desiring God: Anyone who knows me, knows John Piper is my favorite preacher. I can have a difficult time reading him, though; he's much more intellectual than I, so I have to put in some effort to follow him. But because of the time he's spent in God's Word & the exposition that follows, he's SO worth that effort! This book was an excellent work in showing that our greatest joy should be found in Christ. Another book that I think everyone should read.

     *Keeping Holiday: This one is going to be a Christmas tradition for me. I read it last year, & loved it so much that I just had to read it again this year. It is a fictional story, quite short, about a boy & his cousin trying to find the "real Holiday". At first, it's symbolic of the differences between the trappings of the secular Christmas & the real meaning behind Christmas that so few of us truly seek out. The story quickly turns to symbolize the journey of salvation. It's charming, biblical, & simply wonderful!

     *Broken-Down House: I'm only a few chapters into this one, but I simply love it! I was gripped from page 1. This is a book about how we all live in a "broken-down house" (this sin-filled world) that doesn't work like the "builder" (God) created it to work. We have to live here, though, & we're called to live our lives in the power of God & His Word. It's an awesome book filled with excellent illustrations.  I can hardly put it down...even at 5 in the morning!

     *A Wife After God's Own Heart: I've only just started this one, too (I've picked up Michael's penchant for reading more than one book at a time), but my highlighter's already thrown up all over it! In just 1 chapter, I've highlighted & starred quite a bit! I've taken a pause to work on the applications/homework at the end of the chapter, & am really looking forward to doing them! I definitely want to be "a wife after God's own heart", & I'm excited about the challenge this book will be to me!

Favorite Music

     *"To Be Like Jesus": The new kids' CD from Sovereign Grace. I can't say enough good about this CD! Solidly biblical words, great music, applicable to children & adults alike...it's an all-around fabulous CD!

     *"Wake Thy Slumbering Children": The 5th volume of music from Indelible Grace. Michael & I listen to this one over & over! We both love how these folks put both well-known & sometimes forgotten hymns to new music. I didn't think I'd like the concept of this, but hearing a song with new music really makes you pay attention to the words.

     *Kate Rusby: I don't have any of her CDs, but a friend posted one of her songs on FB, & I was immediately hooked. She's an English folk singer, & I love the songs as well as her lilting voice. From what I can tell, she's got a really bubbly personality, too, which adds to her likability as far as I'm concerned.

     *Lecrae & Shai Linne: Yes, this is an odd entry for me, as I am no fan of rap/hip hop. Not in the least. Truthfully, I rather detest the stuff. However, I can't say enough about how much I love Lecrae's song "Don't Waste Your Life". Oh, my goodness, the thoroughly biblical words give me chills. Seriously. Chills. And Shai Linne? I haven't heard a song that isn't chock full of Scripture! These fellas singing rap music know more theology than a lot of seminary-trained pastors!  (And yes, I did mean to write that.)

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you try any of my favorite things, let me know what you think. I hope you like them as much as I do!