Book Highlights for January 2022

(1) Insecure by John Perritt. Normal $9 now $6. OUT OF STOCK

(2) Let the Children Worship by Jason Helopoulos. Normal $9 now $6.

(3) Long Story Short (The Bible in 12 Phrases) by Glen Scrivener. Normal $10 now $7.

(4) Singing the Songs of Jesus (Revisiting the Psalms) by Michael Lefebvre . Normal $9 now $6. OUT OF STOCK

(5) Teaching 1 Samuel by Andrew Reid. Normal $14 now $9.

Worry, doubt, and fear get the best of us all sometimes, and often there is no way to get rid of them. Anxiety, like any other negative emotion, is a twisted version of something positive from God since we live in a fallen world, we may never have full victory over it.

However, Bob Kellemen proves that we can have victory in our anxiety—can learn how to use it when it strikes and avoid the temptation to sin. In this biblical study, he lays out a proper Christian view of anxiety, from creation to fall to redemption to consummation. Along the way, he helps us to apply the gospel to our daily lives and reclaim anxiety for what it should be—vigilance to motivate us to do God’s work.

Christians tend to polarize. Some have intellectual faith, while others are more emotional. Some focus on structure, while others focus on freedom. And some champion evangelism, while others advocate social action.

John Stott's clear-headed and classic statement of balanced Christianity shows how we can hold these tensions together in ways which are biblical and faithful.

Sorrow and suffering are unavoidable facts of life. but in our modern society they are so deeply feared that few of us ever think or talk seriously about them. Occasionally we may see someone show great faith in the face of severe trials, and yet never ask how that faith comes about.

Behind a Frowning Providence talks openly about these things. It shows why faith is able to triumph in the face of all obstacles: it is focused on God’s character and his promises to his people.

John J. Murray writes out of his years of experience as a Christian minister and counsellor, using the wisdom of God’s Word to give guidance and direction. But Behind a Frowning Providence also bears the marks of a precious stone, quarried from the deep and dark places of the author’s own experience of pain and sorrow. It speaks to the mind, giving wise counsel it also speaks to the heart, and brings a message of encouragement which points to the way of true peace.

"God knows the human mind can’t contain the fullness of truth so God grants to us a series of both–ands. The dearth of theology among so many is addressed in this short, snappy book that examines baskets of these tension points in our faith and it examines them fairly, clearly, and sensitively. What a wonderful idea for an introduction to Christian theology!" --Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Lisle, Illinois

Huge Discount Item

If any one thing had to be selected to characterise our time, the rapid advance of technology would have to be high on the list. The touch screen is everywhere: in our pockets, on our desks and inevitably in our homes. Children seem to take to touch screens naturally, accelerating their use in every part of life. All this is not without advantages—rapid communication, easy contact between family members almost anywhere in the world, online shopping made convenient.

But no-one can afford to ignore the danger signs, including the rapid spread of pornography across a wide age range, resulting in the sexualisation of young children. These things are in one sense the tip of the iceberg: there are measurable declines in true literacy and a decreasing ability to take in information that is not on the screen, or that moves away from ‘snippets’ and ‘sound bites’ and quickly accessible videos. And why do major Silicon Valley personalities who are producing these devices limit their use in their own families?

John Fesko tackles the essential question: what is the Christian response to all this? As he says, ‘In the end, we need not flee from technology but we must understand it in order to use it well. One of the primary themes of this book is encouraging us to look past technology and dig into our own hearts. It encourages us to ask whether Christ so fills us that nothing else can drag us away from him.

Huge Discount Item

“This book is a must for all those starting out in pastoral ministry and essential for all those wishing to continue in it. By a combination of superb biblical exposition and sensitive application reflecting a wealth of personal ministerial experience, the author not only shows how to endure criticism but flourish through it. I really enjoyed and benefited from reading this. I could have done with it 40 years ago! A little gem of a book.” -- Melvin Tinker

Suitable for pastors, and also other office bearers in the church.

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Spurgeon’s great commentary on the Psalms, The Treasury of David, has never lost its value. It is a true treasure, rich with Spurgeon’s own comments and the collected wisdom of Puritan and other commentators. In this updated and condensed edition, James Renihan has worked carefully with Spurgeon’s material to create a concise and cohesive devotional. As far as possible the original wording is retained and, where necessary, updated for the modern reader.

Each daily devotional includes a section of a psalm, a suggested further reading and a short comment for meditation, usually from Puritans authors. The book also includes a helpful biography of Spurgeon by Professor Michael Haykin. The Treasury will guide the reader through the whole Psalter—the riches of the Word of God—but will also provide him or her with bountiful material for profound spiritual reflection. May the spiritual legacy of the ‘Prince of Preachers’ live on through this distilled edition of his wonderful work.

In this book, Sharon James has brought together a collection of well-loved hymns, Bible readings and other writings on the theme of heaven.

If you or someone you love is enduring trials or even facing death, this book will help to provide courage to persevere in the faith and hold on to the hope that the believer has in Christ. It will also help and encourage all of us to prepare for eternity.

Who would want to be a theologian? Many people react negatively to the word theology, believing that it involves dry, fruitless arguments about minute points of doctrine. They prefer to focus on the basic truths of Scripture and may even declare, “No creed but Christ.”

But as Dr. R.C. Sproul argues, everyone is a theologian. This is because any time we think about a teaching of the Bible and strive to understand it, we are engaging in theology. Therefore, it is important that we put the Bible’s varied teachings together in a systematic fashion using proper, time-tested methods of interpretation so as to arrive at a theology that is consistent and founded on truth.

That is precisely what Dr. Sproul does in Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology. This book is anything but a dry discussion of minute points of doctrine. Instead, Dr. Sproul, again demonstrating his trademark ability to make complex subjects easily understood, surveys the basic truths of the Christian faith, reminding us once more of what God is like and of what He has done for His people in this world and the next.

Huge Discount Item

There are other books on Creation and dealing with the issues of Genesis 1, but this one is different. Rick Phillips takes us through the first chapter of Genesis with an absolute confidence that this is the plain, accurate Word of God, describing creation in six literal days of 24 hours. He looks at the alternatives offered and explains clearly and simply why they are inadequate. The science-based criticisms of the Word of God are considered and dealt with. The language used is accessible to most readers, and at each stage the Gospel is clearly explained.

Christians generally will find this book a great encouragement amidst the deluge of pro-evolution propaganda, school students will find themselves strengthened to take a biblical stand against the pressures of the education system. If your evangelistic outreach leads you to someone who wants a clear and rational explanation of why the Bible should believed over against the common understanding of evolution presented in the media, this is the book to give them.

We need one another. Yet we don’t always know how to develop relationships that help us grow in the Christian life. Spiritual mentoring offers a way for younger believers and more mature Christians to grow together through intentional discipleship and accountability.

If you’re looking for a place to start, Melissa Kruger presents a guide for discipleship conversations that span a variety of topics for spiritual growth. Each lesson encourages both mentor and mentee to focus on the hope of the gospel as they learn together from the truth of God’s word.

Suitable for general bible study groups too.

In this instructive and immensely practical book, David Murray demonstrates that behind the thirty to forty-five minutes we see and hear on a Sunday morning are many hours of mental, spiritual and practical labour. Like all pastoral labour, it involves head, heart and hand.

Yet this book is not just for preachers. It will also be extremely helpful for students, Bible class teachers, or anyone who has to prepare a Bible message. Above all, however, it is the author’s desire that this book will be read by those who do not preach. He wants to give non-preachers an insider’s look at sermon preparation. By taking readers behind the scenes and asking,‘How do they do that?’ Murray wants to supply answers that will increase respect for pastors and their preaching.

From the Foreword by Geoff Thomas:

I’ve read this book, every word. I couldn’t put it down. I have known its author for forty years, and also his wife for those same long and happy decades. There are few people I have admired as much. A year after Sue died my own dear wife Iola also died. I have walked the same valley as Graham …

I will read the book again. It will be a delight to do so. It will strengthen my hope, and deepen my trust in God, learning how Graham Heaps was given strength and wisdom when confronted with the greatest test of his life, walking with the one he adored right up to that river, across which there is no bridge, and see her slip away to glory unable yet to go with her any further.

There are observations on every page that humbled me, but also strengthened me in trusting a living personal Father in heaven who can never wrong me, nor mine, in anything he does. I am so thankful for the courage and honesty of Graham as he shares this pilgrimage with us.

From the Foreword by David F Wells:

I welcome this fine book. I appreciate the fact that Melvin Tinker has gone to the heart of the matter, to the very center of our faith.

Evangelical faith is never going to be renewed by better marketing techniques, or more cultural accommodations, slicker presentations, or better business acumen. It will be renewed only when our knowledge of God is deepened, our walk with him becomes more genuine, our faith more authentic, and our churches more biblical. This is exactly what this book calls for. It sets up the doctrinal structure of Christian faith and lays out with great clarity the truth that these doctrines declare. And he shows that as pressing, and sometimes as novel as our challenges seem to be today, they are actually the recurring challenges that God’s people have faced in every generation. Here, though, he deals with those challenges from within the biblical period and lays out the biblical answers.

If we would but listen we might be quite surprised at the results! We would see the gospel making inroads into our Western world, the Church finding new life, and Christians living with greater confidence and more hope. May it indeed be so!

Being the wife of a pastor or an elder is a joy—and a challenge. These devotional meditations encourage and equip wives of church leaders by pointing them to the Word of God for refreshment and counsel.

Whether you are new to being a pastor’s or elder’s wife or have been in that role for decades, the truths in these pages will speak to you amid the complexities of ministry life and testify that the Lord is unfailingly good.

Also suitable for the wife of an elder.

Renowned author Jerry Bridges takes you into a deep look at the corrosive patterns of behavior that we often accept as normal, in this established and impactful book.

Practical, thought-provoking, and relevant at any stage of life, Respectable Sins addresses a dozen clusters of specific “acceptable” sins that we tend to tolerate in ourselves, such as jealousy, anger, judgementalism, selfishness & pride.

Writing from the trenches of his own battles with sin, Bridges offers a message of hope in the transforming grace of God to overcome our “respectable sins.”

Recommendation by Paul Washer:

We should avail ourselves of any book, sermon, or conversation that sets the realities of eternity before us and pleads with us to respond.

This brief work does just that. The book is not only doctrinal, but also pastoral and evangelistic. Although the author writes much of hell, it is clearly a means to an end—he longs for his hearers to flee from the wrath to come and embrace Christ by faith. Although this book sets forth the doctrine of hell clearly and emphatically, it is primarily a book about the gospel and the sufficiency of the Scriptures! It will convict and motivate pastors to think and preach on eternity. It will encourage believers to live their lives in the light of Christ’s work and the world’s need. It will warn the unconverted about the dangers of hell and instruct them in the free offer of grace. Finally, this book will be a most beneficial read for those brought up in a Christian home who demonstrate little reality of Christ.

Our culture is changing, and the church seems to be under increasing pressure.

But these dangers are not new—and God’s word shows us how to meet them head on. In this book, discover how Jesus’ messages to seven first-century churches in Revelation 2 – 3 is his message to your church today too.

Chapter by chapter, seasoned pastor Juan Sanchez opens up each Bible passage with warmth and clarity. He offers helpful historical details on circumstances faced by the early church, and pushes you to ask the hard questions about your own church and ministry in the light of each message. He turns the tables to show that the most deadly dangers come from within the church, not from outside of it.

But more than anything, this book will help the stressed and the struggling to fix their eyes on the risen and reigning Lord Jesus—who holds your local church in his hands.

This is a book for every pastor and elder, and anyone committed to playing their part in helping their local church thrive in an increasingly hostile environment. Together, you can live as Christ’s faithful, hope-filled people in a changing culture.

Jesus faced incredible challenges and suffered agonizing trials, but there was simplicity in His relationship with His Father that we can emulate. And in that simplicity, we can realize our greatest fulfillment as believers. If your Bible study seems tedious and your prayer life wearisome, stop and rediscover how rewarding the simple Christian life can be.

Nearly half today's adult population is unmarried. Most churches, however, emphasize marriage and family in a way that leaves many Christian singles feeling like second-class citizens. Although Jesus himself was single, the single state is often regarded as a problem in itself (rather than as having problems, as marriage does).

By contrast, 'The Single Issue' sets out a positive, biblical view that honours singleness as a status equal to marriage. Avoiding trite advice on how to suffer through the single life, it offers practical insights on key concerns such as sex, celibacy and the constructive use of solitude - and points the way to a Christian community in which all members are equally valued.

Ann Benton says: ‘I wish someone had given me this book when I was just embarking on the adventure of motherhood. It manages to be positive without being dewy-eyed. It is funny, warm, honest and Christ-centred and in addition is superbly practical about everything from the indignities of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding to the annoyances of nits and everlasting laundry. And yet it is neither prescriptive nor preachy, just very readable and helpful.'

For many young adults, the college years are an exciting period of selfdiscovery full of new relationships, new independence, and new experiences. Yet college can also be a time of personal testing and intense questioning— especially for Christian students confronted with various challenges to Christianity and the Bible for the first time.

Drawing on years of experience as a biblical scholar, Michael Kruger addresses common objections to the Christian faith—the exclusivity of Christianity, Christian intolerance, homosexuality, hell, the problem of evil, science, miracles, and the reliability of the Bible.

If you’re a student dealing with doubt or wrestling with objections to Christianity from fellow students and professors alike, this book will equip you to engage secular challenges with intellectual honesty, compassion, and confidence—and ultimately graduate college with your faith intact.

New Item

Pastors’ kids have it hard, feeling the weight of undue expectations and the observing world around them.

In Surviving the Fishbowl, Catherine J. Stewart assembles an experienced group of authors to give advice for those feeling the pressure of life lived in the scrutinized house of a minister. With contributions from pastors and their wives, as well as from former pastors’ kids, this book gives sage advice for those navigating difficult waters. Whether you are pastor’s kid struggling to understanding your identity, dealing with troubling social pressures, or just wishing you could escape it all, read this book and see that these trying days are survivable and even attended with blessings you may not have considered before.

Also suitable for children of church elders

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As Christians, most of us know we should be being transformed into the image of Christ by concentrating on things above. However, if we don’t know how to implement that practice in our daily lives, the biblical command can become frustrating and unattainable. Worse still, the media driven world in which we are immersed constantly focuses our minds on things below. Transformed investigates the process God uses to makes us more like Jesus through the renewing our minds.

Discover how the Holy Spirit helps us think in obedience to God’s word so that more Christlike behavior follows - and our feelings and desires align more with God’s will.

"Finding answers to questions like the nature of God, his sovereign control in life, evil, and suffering, is what makes up a person’s worldview. In this book, where faith is seeking understanding, these and other subjects are probed with care, sensitivity, and faithfulness to the truth of Scripture." --David F. Wells, Distinguished Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Christian Identity can sound like a strange concept, but Terry Johnson rightly points to the importance of defining Christian faith by what the Bible teaches.

Building on the Scripture teaching of the creation of the human race and the effects of the Fall, he shows that we need a proper theologically balanced understanding of the elements of salvation, and a clear understanding of how the biblical pictures of the Christian need to be held together. How can the Christian be both saint and sinner, and an adopted son, a servant and a sheep all at the same time? How do these images (and others found in Scripture) work together to enable us to serve and obey God faithfully?

These are questions that every Christian needs an answer to: this book provides the answers clearly, simply and helpfully, providing much understanding and great encouragement in living a fruitful Christian life.