BIble – indycrowe

New articles and book excerpt

Over at The Gospel Coalition, I’ve posted a new article on “Your Wilderness Wanderings Aren’t a Waste.” It overviews the theme of wilderness, spanning from Israel to Jesus, and reminds us that God’s ultimate goal in any wilderness season or situation is “to do you good in the end” (Deut. 8:3). Older TGC articles I’ve written can be viewed here.

How to be Led by God

In Psalm 25, David repeatedly asks God to teach and lead him. He uses very similar language in Psalm 27 when he speaks of someone having no parents to guide them in life with wisdom and love (Ps. 27:10), and yet God steps into that role as our loving, heavenly Father and He teaches and leads us on the right path (27:11).

Notice the repetition of David’s requests or comments on God leading him in Psalm 25:

Endorsements for Your Wilderness Is Not A Waste

With the release of Your Wilderness Is Not a Waste: God’s Purpose in Suffering and Struggles, I wanted to share two of the endorsements. My hope is the book is an encouragement to those in a trial, in a season of waiting, disappointed by life’s circumstances, or confused by where God is leading them.

The Joy of God in Psalm 104

Psalm 104 focuses on God and His creation. In fact, most commentators think the psalmist (likely David) includes references to each of the seven days of creation week in it. Charles Spurgeon called Psalm 104 the poet’s version of Genesis.

What the Bible Is

“The Bible is a vein of pure gold, unalloyed by quartz or any earthly substance. This is a star without a speck; a sun without a blot; a light without darkness; a moon without its paleness; a glory without a dimness. O Bible! It cannot be said of any other book that it is perfect and pure; but of thee we can declare all wisdom is gathered up in thee, without a particle of folly. This is the judge that ends the strife, where wit and reason fail. This is the book untainted by any error; but is pure, unalloyed, perfect truth.” Charles Spurgeon

There are a lot of different ways to talk about the nature of the Bible, but one way of splitting up categories I found helpful is to talk about (1) what Scripture is and (2) what Scripture does. On Instagram and Facebook, I’m posting during August on the doctrine of Scripture, and this week have focused on what the Bible is.

Interesting Facts about John Newton’s “Amazing Grace”

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved ______________.”

Whether you grew up singing in church or not, most people know the next few words of this famous song. It has been called the spiritual anthem of the United States. You’re just as likely to hear it sung on American Idol as you are at a local church.

Biographer Jonathan Aitken describes John Newton’s hymn, “Amazing Grace,” as “the most sung, most recorded, and most loved hymn in the world. No other song, spiritual or secular, comes close to it in terms of numbers of recordings (over three thousand in the United States alone), frequency of performances (it is publicly sung at least ten million times per year), international popularity across six continents, or cultural longevity (234 years old and still going strong).”^[1]

Known & Loved by Glenna Marshall

I don’t rate books based on stars or numbers. I tend to classify them mentally more in terms of books: “to avoid,” “not worth your time,” “good for a specific person or season,” or “everyone should prioritize reading this.” It’s not as memorable or clean as the stars approach, but it’s how I think about books (especially as a pastor who views recommended resources as part of shepherding).

Glenna Marshall’s newest book, Known & Loved: Experiencing the Affection of God in Psalm 139, would be in the “everyone should prioritize reading it” class. The structure (Psalm 139) and style (deeply personal and deeply biblical) root the reader in Scripture with the aim of seeing just how much God’s knowledge of us and love for us can change our everyday life.

A Helpful Book on Anxiety

There are many good books on anxiety written by Christians. It’s a broad and complex issue, and no book can say everything, so there are also a lot of angles in which to approach it. One of the books I’ve found most helpful is Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs.

Don’t Lose Hope in Hardship

One of the many lessons I’ve learned from David’s time in the wilderness is not to let present hardship rob me of future hope.

Gratitude: All Year Long

One of the reasons I wrote The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks was to speak into the misconception that gratitude is seasonal. Many Christians see giving thanks as a bonus discipline to practice during November and they neglect it the rest of the year. But the whole of Scripture encourages and exhorts believers to cultivate it in all things. Every day. In all seasons. In all circumstances. Whatever mood you might be in.

So even though it’s Spring, now is a great time to focus on cultivating gratitude to God for who He is and all He’s done. Moody Publishers has a 50% off sale on all their books, which includes The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks.