Books – 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.

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.

New Book Releases Today

I’m excited to announce my new book releases today with Moody Publishers. Your Wilderness Is Not a Waste: God’s Purpose in Suffering and Struggles can be ordered wherever you buy books, including Amazon, Moody Publishers, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com, 10ofthose, and WTSbooks,

The book walks through some of the physical and spiritual wildernesses in the Bible and offers us windows of hope to see how God works in our trials, troubles, and temptations. I’m praying it’s an encouragement for readers!

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.

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.

A Few Books on Rest

As I’m preparing a sermon on rest from Matthew 11:28-30, one helpful tool in knowing how to rest and then for entering into rest are good books. Below are a few helpful books on the need for rest, how to rest, and then a couple that provide rest for the soul through their focus on on resting in our good shepherd’s care.

For an article, here’s one I posted with Gospel-Centered Discipleship called, “Why Resting is More Important that Relaxing.“

Wendell Berry quotes on Grief

I finished reading again Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry tonight. I’ve probably read it at least once a year the last four years, and each time, new things stand out. It’s one of Berry‘s Port William novels, and essentially the story of one woman’s life and the grief and gratitude present throughout. Having lost my dad last June, the theme of grief and how we experience it came through in a different way. Here are a few quotes from Hannah Coulter and Jayber Crow, my two favorite fiction books (both by Wendell Berry), on grief and loss.

Continue reading Wendell Berry quotes on Grief

7 Facets of Christ from Dane Ortlund’s book, Deeper

Some of our staff is slowly reading through Dane Ortlund’s Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners together. Like his book, Gentle and Lowly, it’s beautifully written and is simultaneously rich in theology, warm and pastoral in its tone, and immensely practical. I appreciate how he communicates deep truths in uncomplicated ways.

The thrust of the book is that to change or to grow, we grow in Jesus, meaning knowing more of who he is and then what means for us who are united to him. “Our growth is not independent personal improvement. It is growth in Christ.”

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