The flu bug has bitten my house! (Specifically the people in it, not so much the house itself.) Tricia has been feeling bad since Wednesday, and was running a 102-degree fever for a couple of days. Her fever has gone down, but she's still not back at full strength. (Special thanks to all of Ethan's grandparents for helping out by watching him at different times over the past few days so Tricia could rest!)

As of yet, Ethan and I seemed to be untouched by sickness, although he did wake up crying about 4:30 this morning. But he didn't seem too out of sorts -- and he's sleeping well as I type this (around 5:45). It was nothing like two Saturday nights ago, when he work up at 10:30 screaming and literally did not stop until 3:30, despite our best efforts to calm or comfort him. That was a tough night. (Especially since I was due to start teaching a church-wide Sunday School class the next morning at 9:30!)

So, we're hoping that Tricia make a full, speedy recovery from the flu and that Ethan remains safe from it. As usual, we'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, check out the two latest book reviews (and keep watching for some big news about the book reviews page as well...)

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This brief study examines the book of Jonah and its meaning for Christians. Ferguson avoids the trap of treating Jonah as an allegory or mere parable, and deals with the redemptive-historical ramifications of what transpired in the prophet’s life and times. As usual, Ferguson’s emphasis is on the practical outworking of the Bible’s sound doctrine in day-to-day living. Another helpful tool for those seeking to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. B-

Five quotes from Man Overboard!:

Activity is a poor substitute for obedience. [13]

God communicates His will fundamentally and primarily through His revealed Word. It is a mistake to look for God’s guidance in more immediate and mystical ways – through subjective impressions on our spirits, through circumstances, through ‘signs’. Jonah’s error teaches us: Do not be guided by providences when you are refusing to be guided by God’s Word. Do not take the events of your daily life as your instructor when you have not taken God’s Word as a lamp to your feet and a light to your path. [22]

Where there is no obedience there can be no assurance. [26]

Few principles are more important in the Christian life than the practical recognition of the sovereign God, and His gracious determination to draw us near to Himself, whatever the cost may be. When His purposes involve afflictions and suffering of any kind, the knowledge that He is sovereignly over-ruling is the only thing that can preserve us from a craven fear or a sense of despair, and bring us a measure of joyful and willing acceptance of our situation. Only when we recognize that God’s aim is to make us like Christ, and that He works all the events of our lives together for this purpose, will we begin to rejoice in the good that is produced out of tribulation. [39]

Revival is needed, and we must pray for it. But evangelism is the divine command, and we must be obedient to it. [61]

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Buoyed by the success of the 50 State Quarters program, Noles takes a look at what each state selected for their quarter and, one state at a time, discusses the historical meaning of the image and occasionally goes into the selection process itself. The shortness of the chapters only allows for a surface-level investigation, but Noles does well in giving each state equal time. Although, as you might guess, some stories are more interesting than others. B-

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Goldsworthy challenges us to see prayer as our response to what God has said and done, not simply as a means of requesting things from Him. Although full of practical implications, Goldsworthy’s goal is to first provide a proper foundational understanding of prayer that will then affect the way we pray. He places a strong emphasis on the necessity of Christ’s mediation in making prayer possible and discusses the role of faith. A powerful, thought-provoking read. A

Five quotes from Prayer and the Knowledge of God:

Questions about who God is, what He is like, and how He has acted to save us should be considered prior to questions about who we are and how we should live and pray. The latter questions will be totally out of focus if we do not seek to answer them in light of the former. [16]

When faith is lacking the antidote is not introspective self-examination but contemplation of the object of our faith: Jesus the Lord, our sufficient Savior. [71]

Praying when the mood takes us does not make peace with God. Nor does the conviction that we are essentially decent people. Peace with God is firmly grounded on the work of Christ and that alone. [136]

Faith is nothing less than taking God at His word and having complete confidence that He will not, and cannot, deceive us. [137]

It is clear that some prayers are not granted, not because we lack faith, but because the sovereign will of God is expressed in another way. God has a wisdom that, from time to time, uses our sufferings and even martyrdom for His glory. Whenever such an answer is received it throws us back onto trust in the goodness of God and the fact that He often chooses not to reveal the details of His plan for us. [171]

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We've been trying to get Ethan to crawl for several weeks now. He can roll over fine; he can push himself backwards without any trouble; he can even get up on all fours and rock back and forth -- but he can't crawl yet. What makes it tough is that he wants to crawl. We see him trying to figure out how to move forward, and when he can't, he begins to cry.

As parents, our first instinct is to pick him up when he gets upset like that. But we also have come to realize that if we always pick him up he may be comforted but he won't learn how to crawl.

I think a lot about how much I must seem like that to God. I cry out to Him every time I get frustrated or don't know what to do, asking Him to just do it for me. And God could. He could instantly solve every problem or calm every fear; it is certainly within His power to do so. But He usually does not. Why? Because there may be something that he wants me to learn how to do -- something that is as necessary in my spiritual development as crawling is to Ethan's physical development.

Of course, we don't let Ethan cry forever. And we certainly don't walk out of the room and abandon him to his own devices. We try to help him learn: we move his arms and legs the way they should go; we encourage him to come to us; we even get on our hands and knees and show him how to crawl.

Isn't that what God does for me? He uses the difficult times in my life to teach me things that I otherwise would not learn. He doesn't leave me alone or ignore my plight. Instead, He uses the difficulties to help make me more like Christ.

That doesn't make it any less difficult or frustrating, but it does make it a little more bearable. To know that there is a point to it all, and that God cares for me and my family -- even more than I do. Most times, I tend to be concerned only about comfort, but my Father knows that character is more important.

And God will provide comfort in His time; and when He does, it will be exactly what is needed. Earthly comforts come and go (and mostly go) but there is an eternal comfort that He can provide -- once I am ready to receive it. In the meantime, I'm still learning how to crawl.

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Written by preachers for preachers, this instructive work details the value of proclaiming God’s Word -- as it is written -- without ceding to the temptation to modernize or minimize what it says. It also addresses what makes preaching effective and what must be avoided. As with any compilation, some chapters are more helpful than others, but the whole volume remains a benefit to those called to preach (or to those wondering what biblical preaching entails). A-

Five quotes from Feed My Sheep (I’ve also identified the author for each one since this book is a collection of individual chapters):

The general absence of church discipline in our age has often made the church just another volunteer association. [14] Albert Mohler

People today do not like the words of the Bible because they do not like the Bible’s God. They say, “If only God would say something; if only God would speak to me.” But God has spoken. They do not accept it because they do not like Him. [20] James Montgomery Boice

Thinking and reflecting are good things, but action is needed in the end. God never gave us His Word to simply think about, but to obey. [121] Don Kistler

The first thing you will learn to say to your people is that they will suffer. You will make it a theme running through all your messages: They will get sick, they will be persecuted; and they will die. They must be reminded of these things again and again, because almost all forces in the culture are pushing them away from those realities and trying to get them not to think about it and therefore not to be ready for it, and certainly not value it when it comes. [143] John Piper

Someone deeply impressed with his own value isn’t going to see value in the gospel. So God chose peasants, fishermen, smelly guys, and tax collectors – clay pots chosen to carry, proclaim, and write the priceless treasure we call the gospel. [154] John MacArthur

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For the past 10 years, I've spent nearly every New Year's in Gatlinburg, TN as part of Xtreme Winter. It's a youth conference that features speakers and bands at each session. Since public speaking isn't a very photogenic profession, here's some shots I took of some of the bands that we saw:

I always enjoy these three-day trips, not just for the music and messages, but also for the time I get to spend with the youth group. Over the years, we've taken 45 different people on this winter trip, and I still look back on many of them -- and their Xtreme Summer counterparts -- as my favorite times with the youth. I'm already looking forward to Florida this summer!

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A most common question about knowing God’s will receives a refreshingly uncommon treatment in the hands of Ferguson. Instead of a thinly veiled self-help book or insisting on a formulaic mantra in order to discover God’s will, we are reminded that the Bible tells us to seek God’s will by obeying His clear commands and trusting in His character. Practical issues like career and marriage are addressed in the context of personal holiness. Very highly recommended. A

Five quotes from Discovering God’s Will:

Very often when people say they are having problems about guidance, what they are really faced with is a problem about obedience. The issue at stake is whether we will walk along the paths of righteousness in which God will lead us. Are we willing to go through valleys of deep darkness, so long as He is with us? [36]

Obedience to the will of God involves us in a life which is a stark contrast to the life of the world. There is no sincerity in our profession to want the will of God in our lives if we are not in tune with His will for personal holiness. [58]

Be delivered from the mistaken idea that guidance is something which comes like a bolt from the blue and overtakes us. It is not. Guidance is the way in which God leads us as we think through the implications of it in our lives. It involves using our minds to think through the path which God wants us to take in His service. It requires familiarity with Scripture, and fellowship with the Spirit, who alone knows the mind of God. [61]

God is not in a hurry. That is what you must learn. That is what you can learn from the exhortations in the Psalms to wait for the Lord. He has long ago prepared the good works in which He wants you to walk. There is no need to panic or be anxious. He is not only your Life-Planner. He is a Father; He knows what we need before we ask Him; He has numbered the hairs on our heads! We, who lack the patience for such an enterprise, should learn to trust the all-knowing wisdom of God. [79]

Appearances can be deceptive. The fact that we cannot see what God is doing does not mean that He is doing nothing. The Lord has His own timetable. It is we who must learn to adjust to it, not vice versa. When God’s time comes nothing will stand in His way. [114]

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For most people, I would imagine the idea of listening to more than one sermon a week would rank right up there with going to the dentist or scrubbing toilets. But if we start to think of hearing God's Word as nourishment to our souls, we'll soon have to ask: is one meal a week enough to live on?

Granted, the problem that a lot of people have with preaching is that they find it a bit boring. And some of it is. I've preached a few clunkers in my day, and to be honest, I'm still learning how to prepare and deliver sermons that best honor God. But the truth is, even if we sit under a pastor who we don't find all that engaging, God has chosen to use the proclamation of His Word as a primary means of teaching, correcting, and encouraging His Church. We neglect the hearing of the Word at our own peril.

Of course, hearing God's Word should never substitute for reading and studying God's Word, but it should supplement it. In other words, don't stop reading the Bible to listen to someone else talk about the Bible. (And don't think that you can just listen to a few sermons online or on TV and not need to go to church...but that's another post.)

If you are interested in a healthier diet of hearing God's Word more frequently, you can try listening to the occasional sermon while driving or exercising. To help you get things started, here's some good resources I'd recommend:

I'd start at a site called Faith By Hearing. It has a huge archive of links to online sermons, and is consistently updated (unlike this website!) with new material. Alternatively, you can also look for specific preachers such as:

John MacArthur, who has recently opened up his entire vault of sermons for free listen/download. He's been preaching for more than 40 years, so there's quite a bit to choose from, and he's currently nearing the end of 200+ messages from the gospel of Luke.

John Piper has also made his entire catalogue of messages available for free. He also has a long-tenured history behind the pulpit, and has a wealth of materials online. He is also an excellent author, but when it comes to preaching perhaps his best known series is on Romans, which includes nearly 220 sermons!

Not every preacher takes the long road to get through the Bible. A good example of an expositor who paints with a broader stroke is Mark Dever of 9 Marks Ministries. He has a true gift for seeing things through a wide-angle lens, although I tend to prefer the more in-depth study that can come from spending a great deal of time in one place.

And I'd be remiss if I posted about sermons without mentioning a few of my other favorite preachers: Alistair Begg, Ligon Duncan, Sinclair Ferguson, and Johnny Hunt are all worth a listen. There are more I could list, but this ought to whet your appetite! Not all of these preachers have free messages online, but they each have some resources available. (You can also find most of these preachers -- and others -- by searching for podcasts from iTunes.)

While I would encourage you to try to find a preacher whose style you like, don't make delivery the ultimate deciding factor. There are a lot of preachers who sound smooth but don't say much of anything at all. Look for those who faithfully preach the Word of God, and I promise it will be worth your time.

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Watson maintains his reputation as the most readable of the Puritans with an accessible, often pointed discussion of sin and the necessity of repentance. Without turning from and forsaking sin, we should not expect to receive mercy or pardon – yet it is not our repentance that saves us: only Christ has the power to save. In this life everyone (even those in Christ) struggles with sin, which makes this a helpful, important, and extremely relevant book. A

We should hate sin infinitely more than ever we loved it. [52]

If prayer does not make a man leave sin, sin will make him leave prayer. [68]

Be as speedy in your repentance as you would have God speedy in His mercies. [86]

Delighting in sin hardens the heart. In true repentance there must be a grieving for sin, but how can one grieve for that which he loves? He who delights in sin can hardly pray against it. [102]

Sin feeds the sinner with delightful objects and then makes him mortgage his soul. Judas pleased himself with the thirty pieces of silver, but they proved deceitful riches. Ask him now how he likes his bargain. [110]

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For anyone who might be curious, here are 10 of my favorite albums of 2008. I'm not a music critic, so I doubt these were the 'best' albums of the year, but they are the ones I enjoyed listening to repeatedly (sometimes to my surprise!).

If you're not familiar with them, check out some samples on iTunes or the Amazon.com MP3 center. The albums are listed in alphabetical order by artist:

	Addison Road Addison Road		Opposite Way Leeland
	Never Going Back to OK The Afters		For the Love of the Game Pillar
	New Surrender Anberlin		We Need Each Other Sanctus Real
	Unbreakable Fireflight		Rock What You Got Superchic[k]
	Rebel Lecrae		Revelation Third Day

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If you haven't already done so, give Taco Bell's new Black Jack Taco a try. It's just like the normal hard-shell taco, except the shell is black -- which has no effect on the taste that I could tell -- and there is pepper jack cheese sauce on it. I've searched for a picture online, but no luck (I'm pretty sure this is just a regional promotion). You'll just have to use your imagination!

There's a bit of a kick from the sauce, but nothing that will make you stick your head under the Pepsi spout or anything. Plus, for only $.89, it's hard to beat the price. From what I've heard, it's limited time only, so you know what to do...

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The all-new se7enty6ix.com website design debuts today! It's still very much a work in progress, but I plan to keep tweaking it throughout the month. Let me know what you think! 

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