Tuesday, 8 May 2007
When The Darkness Will Not Lift: Doing What We Can While We Wait for God - And Joy
I’m still reading a chapter every so often of Sproul’s ‘The Holiness of God’, which caught my interest, thinking it would be worthwhile reading after having looked at a number of the various attributes and Names of God in the ‘Abram/Abraham’ chapters of Genesis and will leave a comment on this book when I finish. However, over the last 10 days I entered a kind of ‘downer’, the cause of which I haven’t been able to pinpoint but I was feeling down, physically unwell and there were perceived strong barriers hindering me to pray. Old sins...Read More Here.
Tuesday, 27 March 2007
Humility - True Greatness
I apologise that my recommended books are becoming occasions when I share a large portion of the blog to what is happening in my own life and then finally in the last few sentences make reference to the actual recommended book.
By way of introduction let me share with you a scenario of events through which God lead me to read this book on humility. Read more here.
Friday, 9 March 2007
Sex, Romance and the Glory of God
Sex, Romance and the Glory of God by C.J. Mahaney
This is a subject that remains taboo in many Christian circles within Northern Ireland…‘you can’t talk about that’…‘that’s dirty’…‘that’s not in the Bible’ – comments we may hear people mention under their breath on a subject that God devoted not just a passage to, not just a chapter to but a whole book of the Bible to – the Song of Solomon. This book is dealt with in the above-mentioned title along with many pieces of practical advice from a godly man married 31 years.
The best way to give an overview of this book is, I believe, to share the chapter titles, namely –
Ch. 1 - Great sex to the glory of God
Deeply satisfying intimacy is the inheritance of every Christian couple.
Ch. 2 – The divine purpose for your marriage
A profound mystery, revealed for all to see.
Ch. 3 – Learning, leading and loving
Before you touch her body, touch her heart and mind
Ch. 4 – How to make it all happen
Seven surefire ways to kindle romance.
Ch. 5 – The language of romance
Winning your wife with carefully composed words.
Ch. 6 – The gift of marital intimacy
A holy immersion in erotic joy.
Ch. 7 – Strong as death
The enduring power of covenant love.
Personally, I think this book does not go far enough in its exposition of Scripture from Song of Solomon and various other relevant passages. It also makes a number of statements that I would disagree with, such as “Is there a case to be made from Scripture that lovemaking is in any way less important to a marriage than praying together, studying the Bible together, or even attending church together? I don’t think so.” I don’t mean to sound prude, old fashioned or critical in this paragraph but I believe in Isaiah 26:8 and that through the Word God might sanctify us…however, I also believe sex is a God-given pleasure that may be experienced to its fullest in marriage for His glory and reflecting His union with His Church.
The book is extremely practical for husbands (of course wives are fully entitled to read this book), however I would recommend they just read the last chapter by C.J. Mahaney’s wife Carolyn, which (perhaps I am now being hypocritical) I read and thoroughly enjoyed – Carolyn exposits much more from the Bible in her short chapter and would be extremely useful to wives and wives to be who earnestly pursue holiness by the blood of your Bride Groom and the Holy Spirit.
This is a subject that remains taboo in many Christian circles within Northern Ireland…‘you can’t talk about that’…‘that’s dirty’…‘that’s not in the Bible’ – comments we may hear people mention under their breath on a subject that God devoted not just a passage to, not just a chapter to but a whole book of the Bible to – the Song of Solomon. This book is dealt with in the above-mentioned title along with many pieces of practical advice from a godly man married 31 years.
The best way to give an overview of this book is, I believe, to share the chapter titles, namely –
Ch. 1 - Great sex to the glory of God
Deeply satisfying intimacy is the inheritance of every Christian couple.
Ch. 2 – The divine purpose for your marriage
A profound mystery, revealed for all to see.
Ch. 3 – Learning, leading and loving
Before you touch her body, touch her heart and mind
Ch. 4 – How to make it all happen
Seven surefire ways to kindle romance.
Ch. 5 – The language of romance
Winning your wife with carefully composed words.
Ch. 6 – The gift of marital intimacy
A holy immersion in erotic joy.
Ch. 7 – Strong as death
The enduring power of covenant love.
Personally, I think this book does not go far enough in its exposition of Scripture from Song of Solomon and various other relevant passages. It also makes a number of statements that I would disagree with, such as “Is there a case to be made from Scripture that lovemaking is in any way less important to a marriage than praying together, studying the Bible together, or even attending church together? I don’t think so.” I don’t mean to sound prude, old fashioned or critical in this paragraph but I believe in Isaiah 26:8 and that through the Word God might sanctify us…however, I also believe sex is a God-given pleasure that may be experienced to its fullest in marriage for His glory and reflecting His union with His Church.
The book is extremely practical for husbands (of course wives are fully entitled to read this book), however I would recommend they just read the last chapter by C.J. Mahaney’s wife Carolyn, which (perhaps I am now being hypocritical) I read and thoroughly enjoyed – Carolyn exposits much more from the Bible in her short chapter and would be extremely useful to wives and wives to be who earnestly pursue holiness by the blood of your Bride Groom and the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, 4 March 2007
Sex and the Supremacy of Christ
I bought this book yesterday, more or less for one chapter in it. The book itself is the compilation of the messages preached at the Sex and the Supremacy of Christ conference, and as i'd listened the messages from it I didn't really feel the need to buy the book.
Except for the chapter by Justin Taylor "Martin Luther's reform of Marriage" ...Read More
Friday, 26 January 2007
Abide in Him
I don't know what's going on...my head is spinning these days...so much information - truths from the Bible, audio messages from Piper, Giglio, Reidhead, Beth Moore and from reputable books is going in to be processed. This, in addition to a number of various 'works' i have been involved in, has led to the beginning of a number of radical steps. Reidhead's 'ten shekels and a shirt', Piper's 'God is the Gospel' and Joshua Harris' 'Stop Dating the Church' have aided me greatly. Reidhead's sermon can be downloaded/streamed from sermonindex.net and I would encourage anyone reading this blog to download/stream it and give it a few listens in a still place. Given that this is posted in Bottear's 'Books to Read' section I shall concentrate on the two books I have referred to. Read more here.
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