I have been using this in my devotional time for the last week or so and it is a gem of a book. Motyer walks you through the Psalms of Ascent and combines a scholar’s eye for detail with an artist’s creative use of language. Motyer is a brilliant communicator and the whole thing oozes the warm faith of its author.

I love spending time in the Psalms, and just like his earlier volume Treasures of the King on Psalms from the life of David, this is a wonderful companion to help you savour their nourishment.

I recently had the privilege of attending a day on prayer run by Paul Miller and his team. It was a hugely encouraging and liberating day – great to know that I’m not the only one who struggles with prayer, and wonderful to have some helpful theological reminders and practical tips on how to pray.

Perhaps most helpful was the insight that the gospel affects prayer too. We don’t come to Jesus as people that have everything sorted, but as the weary and heavy-laden seeking rest, as the broken and sinful needing cleansing and redemption. So why should we expect our prayers to be perfect? The day was a wonderful reminder about the way we can approach God as His children – with messy and imperfect requests – and a loving Father who delights to give good gifts to His children.

And Paul has written a book which largely covers the same ground as the day seminar – called A Praying Life. I can’t recommend it enough!

This week I’m preparing a sermon all about ‘Why Christians Sing’ and have been considering the whole area of the ‘worship’ life of churches (and yes – I know that ‘worship’ is an all of life thing and not just about singing, but it is a helpful label here!). An outstandingly good book on the whole area of ‘Worship’ is called Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin.

Full of good theology and practical advice from someone with oodles of experience in this area. Well worth a look if you are involved in leading worship in church in any way – as a musician, pastor, service-leader etc.

In many ways this is a book length treatment of the topic of my last post (Why things in this world aren’t enough). Keller combines rasor-sharp cultural observation and analysis with warm and wonderful Biblical exposition making this a must-read as far as I am concerned.

But be warned – this might be a painful read as our own idols are exposed. He spares no punches for those of us who make an idol out of doctrinal accuracy, or popularity, or security etc. etc. A helpful reminder of keeping the main thing the main thing. And a sermon series waiting to be ‘borrowed’…?

I have been reading this book in my daily devotional times recently and it is all that you would expect from Dale Ralph Davies as he tackles the first 12 Psalms. He handles the text carefully and brings it to life vividly and with pastoral sensitivity.

Wonderful stuff!

The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift That Changes Everything

Others are far more able to give comprehensive reviews than I am, but a few summary observations:

• I love the focus on people and gospel growth (=maturity as well as conversion) rather than structures
• I love the emphasis on the ‘team’ nature of ministry – the role of the whole body of Christ to be involved in disciple-making – though using different gifts and with certain individuals particularly set apart for the work of teaching
• I am challenged by the changes which would need to take place in order to effectively disciple the few (and the reactions that might be provoked)
• I was helped to re-consider Matt 28:19-20 as a commission to disciple more than a commission to go (though the former may involved the latter in certain contexts – not least the context in which it was originally given)
• I was reminded of the need to be a ‘talent-spotter’ – in terms of those with the gifting and character to be fellow vine-workers

I was also profoundly thankful for the way in which some of these principles have been modelled and taught to me as I have worked in various churches. I can still hear a former colleague encouraging me to “Feed the hungry” which is a very T&V injunction. I am thankful for the gospel-heartedness of the church where I was an apprentice who not only invested in me for the 4 years I was with them, but were prepared to contribute towards the funding of my training even though I was heading into ministry in a different denomination. And of course, I am thankful for my current minister who encouraged me to read the book.

So the bottom line – definitely worth a read if you invovled in paid Christian ministry, and also worth a read if you aren’t!

As the book’s subtitle suggests, this is a book about “How the Resurrection changes everything.”

One of the central arguments of the book is that we Christians often spend a lot of time talking, singing and preaching about the death of Christ, without carrying on to talk, sing and preach about the vindication which followed. He demonstrates from the Bible how the two concepts of ‘death’ and ‘resurrection’ go together, and notes how much more air time ‘resurrection’ gets in New Testament preaching than ‘death’.

As such, this is a really timely reminder (in fact there seem to be a spate of such books – Sam Allberry’s Lifted: Experiencing the Resurrection Life being another example).

The book is saturated with Scripture which is a joy – barely a page goes by without us being pointed to some truth from the Bible. Dave Bish notes Adrian’s fondness for quoting Martin Lloyd Jones, and to this I would add Spurgeon and John Piper. But they are all Godly preachers worth hearing from and help us to see that this isn’t some novel doctrine he is presenting.

The first half of the book covers ’standard’ ground – but is a helpful summary and reminder of the Biblical teaching on resurrection, the apologetic defence of the resurrection, union with Christ etc. I am sure that I will come back to much of this again in my own studies and teaching.

The second half of the book seeks to work out some of the implications of the resurrection in our life as believers. I was delighted to be encouraged to reflect on what this ‘looks like’ in the Christian life, and challenged about how little of this ‘resurrection power’ I seem to experience day by day. Adrian’s theology would be more ‘charismatic’ than my default position, but he kept leading me back to the Scriptures to support his arguments and there was plenty to make me think.

I would certainly recommend this book. It will encourage you to look forward to the day when we will be finally raised with Christ and be like Him in our resurrection bodies; it will challenge you to think about the implications of that same power which raised Christ from the dead being at work in our bodies even now; and it will remind you that we worship a living, vindicated and raised Saviour. And hopefully it will help me with my Easter Sunday sermon too!

(you will find some more resources related to the book at http://raisedwithchrist.net/)

It also brought the opportunity to finish reading Tim Chester’s excellent:

What is so special about this book, is that it looks to dealing with the underlying sinful tendencies, thoughts, and processes, rather than simply being a self-help book dealing with the externals. It is honest, Biblical and extremely challenging. And worth reading, and then reading again. Thanks Tim.

I found the reminder of our Lord’s example when Satan tempted Him to feed Himself most helpful:

“Jesus knew that he could use his power to provide food. He would do that later on two occasions and feed five thousand and then four thousand hungry people. But he refused to use this ability for his own gratification, listening to Satan and missing God’s call. We too are called to a cross. Like Jesus, we also give up our rights for a greater ultimate good (Phil. 2:5-11). How many lose their spiritual credibility and authority by using the ministry and its privileges for temporary personal gain!” (p75)

As ever, Fernando provides some very helpful practical examples to bring all his teaching home and the chapter as a whole is a powerful call to Godly living and personal holiness – themes I repeatedly need to be reminded of in this world we live in.

There is a very helpful (and again challenging) discussion of our ‘uncrucified desires.’ But as ever, Fernando avoids the easy trap of legalism in his discussion, for which he is to be commended.

Here’s a big aspirational quote to end:

“When we habve a biblical vision of God, we will measure success not by earthly standards but by the extent to which we conformed to the principles and the will of God. This standard will deter us from trying to achieve ambitions with the wrong methods, but it will not discourage godly ambition. When we see that God is glorious, we are fired by an ambition to do great things that reflect his glory. So we too will dream big. But in achieving those ambitions, we will not do things that will diminish his glory. The vision of glory will give us the courage to pay the price on the path to victory. This price is the way of the cross, which Christ embraced at his tempation by refusing the crown Satan offered him.” (p87)

As ever, looking to the model of Jesus, Fernando points out how regularly Jesus took time out, especially before particularly significant moments in His ministry, to fast and pray and spend time with God. How I need repeatedly to be reminded of this. If my Lord took time out, how much more should I.

Fernando gives several personal examples of the benefits of mini or more extended ‘retreats’ and includes a brief and balanced discussion of fasting at the end of the chapter (encouraging Christian leaders to take advantage of this form of spiritual discipline, though helpfully showing it is not a command).

Top quote:

“Our ministry is not a reaction to people’s rejection of us but a response to God’s acceptance of us.
So in times of crisis, we should develop the discipline of retreating to God’s presence in order to get our strength from him. Then we can return to act as his representatives who have been called and strengthened by him.” (p68)

I would characterise this chapter as ‘Biblical Common Sense.’ This is a category I sometimes use of preachers who teach truth, but where the truth they are teaching does not necessarily come from the particular Scriptures they are exegeting.

Fernando’s main model is the affirmation Jesus receives from His Father during His ministry. It is wonderful to reflect on this, but to my mind less easy to apply this directly to our own experience. He gives other OT and NT examples of cases where God graciously provides affirmation for one of His servants, but the lingering question as to whether these should be read normatively for us, or whether they are in themselves the means of our encouragement is not addressed in this brief chapter.

Nonetheless, there is much practical wisdom in the chapter. In particular there is a very helpful set of warnings about the dangers of ministering without a sense of our security in Christ – and I am sure every Christian minister can think of occasions where insecurity fuels unhealthy models of ministry.

Ultimately, Fernando’s encouragement to find our identity and encouragement in Christ is extremely timely, and his challenge to wrestle with God – in prayer, in the Scriptures, and in song – is Piper-esque in its Biblical and passionate wisdom.