From One Degree to Another

Phil Auxier's Blog

Connect

What’s Been Read or Being Read…

by

It’s been a while since I’ve updated my reading list, so I thought it was a good time to do so:

I continue to use Carson’s For the Love of God, Vol 2, Water of the Word, and the ESV Study Bible during devotions. I’m also enjoying Nancy Guthrie’s Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, which is a series of collected writings from old and modern authors on Advent. I just picked up Bryan Chapell’s Christ Centered Worship, and try to get a chapter of it read during devotions as well.

I’ve been working through Chris Wright’s Knowing Jesus Through The Old Testament, which has really helped open my eyes to some OT expectations and realities about Jesus coming.

I finished A Praying Life and was really helped by it. The Heart of Anger really helped me recognize some sinful tendencies on my part as a parent. Feelings and Faith helped me not to fear affections so much. Gospel Powered Parenting was a nice read, but didn’t say too many things you can’t read elsewhere. The End of the Law was cumbersome (it was Biblical theology) but helpful in establishing some good foundation in interacting with Moses. Mohler’s latest, Words From The Fire, has nearly compelled me to do a series on the 10 Commandments in 2010.

As for what’s on the docket:
Finally got Our Boys in today. Will be an enjoyable read.

Just got in CrossTalk (WTS was selling it for $5 last week), subtitled Where Life and Scripture Meet by Mike Emlet. Published by the publishing arm of CCEF, I think it will be a helpful book in practical theology.

Also got in two books after listening to Dever’s latest interview with Iain Murray: A Bio of John Murray and collection of bios on Scottish believers.

I’m still working through the Mission of God and hope to read through the Pilgrim’s Progress again.

Good news, though. Winter is coming! More time to be inside reading :).

Current Reading List

by

It’s been a while since I’ve updated everyone on what I’m currently reading, so here goes:

I still use D.A. Carson’s For the Love of God, Volume 2 for my morning devotions (I also use an ESV Study Bible).

Speaking of devotions, I am reading Global Prayer Digest this month (they sent me a free sample issue) and it is helpful in enlarging my view of the world.

I read a prayer from Water of the Word, which helps me remember my spiritual responsibilities toward Meghan.

During devotions I’m also reading A Praying Life by Paul Miller. I kept reading blog after blog comment and post snippets from this book. It really is helpful. We are all busy. Miller helps demonstrate what a life devoted to prayer looks like.

Besides devotions, I’m also reading The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo. This has really been helpful in calming me down in addressing my 3 and 1 year old boys. I noticed I was starting to demonstrate my authority through voice inflection. This is just one of the many benefits of this book and what it shows.

I’m enjoying Feelings and Faith by Brian Borgman. This book was written to encourage the “cultivation of godly emotions in the Christian life” and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. I’m in a culture in which emotions are subdued. This book has helped me see Biblical use of emotions. Very helpful stuff (and very biblically grounded).

I am still plodding through The Mission of God by Christopher Wright. Moving slowly through this has reminded me of God’s mission for His church and how we need to be involved in it.

Other books on the docket:
Gospel Powered Parenting comes highly recommended and will continue my being equipped in parenting.
The End of the Law is a theological discussion on the relationship between the law and grace. As Piper has said about this book: “For the last forty years of my ministry no biblical issue ahs proved more recurrent or more vexing than the nature of the Mosaic law as it relates to the gospel and the new covenant. The pastoral implications for how you preach the gospel, aim at sanctification, comfort strugglers, give assurance, and admit people to membership in the church are huge. Jason Meyer is a good guide. I found myself writing ‘YES!’ in the margins repeatedly. And there were enough ‘Aha’ moments of fresh discovery to make me want to keep going. I thank God for this young scholar. His book is a precious gift to the church.”
Words From The Fire is Al Mohler’s latest book on the 10 Commandments.
Crossway’s latest edition of The Pilgrim’s Progress, a classic tale with some amazing edits for readability and enjoyment.
Our Boys is my next book to check out of the public library, which highlights a season of high school football here in KS by a team that has won 5 consecutive state titles.

That’s the currently happenings, in terms of my bibliophilic tendencies. Hope it helps.

Serious Discipleship…

by

I’ve seen this resource (Fight Clubs: Gospel Centered Discipleship)numerous places on the internet, so when this afternoon presented an open season for fun reading, I took the free pdf download and gave it a read. Awesome stuff. What it really gets at is how accountability groups that make us feel bad aren’t what the Gospel is really all about in conforming us to the image of Christ. This is a better picture. It’s Scripturally-solid, full of practicality and bleeds Gospel. This is a great resource to consider. Download the free pdf or buy this book.

Reading Update…

by

I posted a reading update a while back and thought it was time for the latest…

As I mentioned in the previous post, I’m really being helped by Lou Priolo’s book Pleasing People: How not to be an “approval junkie”. I can always grow in my battle against pleasing men. And this book gives great help for the sanctification I need to be pursuing in this area.

Manly Dominion by Mark Chanski is a helpful book (so far) on what it means to exercise our role as men and, even more basic, to be the people God created us to be.

Sent by Ed Stetzer will be our small group curriculum this Fall. I’ve read it twice and am going through it one more time very meticulously to get a better feel for how I can use this material in my small group.

I am also going through Elyse Fitzpatrick and Dennis Johnson’s book Counsel From The Cross for the 3rd time. Why? I am so encouraged to read this. Counseling is an area that I need to be consistently growing it. I am swayed that keeping the Gospel central is key to healthy churches and numerous other reasons. This time I am slowly working my way through again.

I also keep reading some in The Mission of God, giving the foundational Biblical and theological underpinnings of missionally reading the Scriptures.

Anything big I’m missing out there?

Update On Reading…

by

While I’m busy this week prepping for the weekend and getting ready for camp (next week) I thought I’d post on what I’ve been reading…

I’m doing lots of background work on Luke and specifically Luke 15 for sermon prep. Particularly helpful have been a couple of books by Kenneth Bailey: The Cross and the Prodigal and Poet & Peasant.

I just finished volume 2 (of 4) in Spurgeon’s Autobiography.

Along with the Elders, I have really been helped by Elyse Fitzpatrick & Dennis Johnson’s recent book entitled Counsel from the Cross, which gives us more practical ways to employ the Gospel in our interactions with others.

I’m almost done with Voddie Baucham’s What He Must Be, which has been helpful in reminding me of my role and my responsibilities as a father.

Mark Driscoll’s latest, Religion Saves, was quickly worked through. Lots of helpful things in here from birth control to worship to law & grace.

Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck’s recent Why We Love The Church has been thoroughly enjoyable. I’m still rather early in it, but the introductions alone drop a grenade of sorts on our preconceived ideas about the church and the casual relationship so many of us have with her.

I know that I struggle consistently with fear of man related tendencies, so I picked up Pleasing People by Lou Priolo to give me some godly counsel.

I think I was tipped off at Piper’s Pastor’s Conference to the book The Mission of God by Christopher Wright and it was a good tip off. It demonstrates how God has always been on mission and how we can know His heart for missions by looking at His Word. I chop away at this book to the tune of a chapter a week or so.

Also on the list to read soon are:
Manly Dominion by Mark Chanski (another book related to my role in marriage)
Get Outta My Face! by Rick Horne (book on parenting teenagers)

Also, I nearly forgot Broken Down House by Paul David Tripp, an excellent book on issues related to sanctification and living in a way the redeems what sin has destroyed.

That’s been all lately. I have some other books that I’ve finished and would highly recommend, but I’ll save those for another post.

Free Audio of Crazy Love Book

by

One of our adult SS classes is studying the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Over at Christian Audio, they are offering as their special for the month of July, a free download of the entire book in audio format, read by Chan himself. Here’s the instructions:

Add the download format of Crazy Love to your cart and enter the coupon code JUL2009 when prompted during checkout. This normally runs $13.99 but is free for the month. So enjoy!

DeYoung on God’s Will

by

Kevin DeYoung has written a helpful book on knowing God’s will. There are lots of books in this genre, but this one is practical and very helpful. I would highly recommend it. Here’s a review from Team Pyro. You can also check it out on Amazon and WTS Books.

From the back cover:

Hyper-spiritual approaches to finding God’s will don’t work. It’s time to try something new: Give Up.

Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung counsels Christians to settle down, make choices, and do the hard work of seeing those choices through.

Too often, he writes, God’s people tinker around with churches, jobs and relationships, worrying that they haven’t found God’s perfect will for their lives. Or–even worse–they do absolutely nothing, stuck in a frustrated state of paralyzed indecision, waiting…waiting…waiting…for clear, direct, unmistakable direction.

But God doesn’t need to tell us what to do at each fork in the road. He’s already revealed His plan for our lives: to love Him with our whole hearts, to obey His Word, and after that, to do what we like.

No need for hocus-pocus. No reason to be directionally challenged. Just Do Something.

You might also want to check out Kevin DeYoung’s breakout session at Next entitled, fittingly, Just Do Something.

Quest for More (Again)

by

I’m rereading Paul Tripp’s excellent book, A Quest for More. Chapter 1 is available online for all to read. Tripp does an excellent job highlighting how we tend to live for transcendent, kingdom building activity. Slowly we all naturally drift toward living for something. This book is a must read for us in our contemporary individualism. I would highly recommend it.

Another good tool just became available online, thanks to Justin Buzzard. He has a post highlighting the big truth and big question of each of the 17 chapters. This tool alone would be worth your time as a means to exposing your heart. Enjoy.