Several on sale in the "Perspectives" series ($3.49 each)
Above all other things that are worth doing in the world of music today, I hope you will STREAM FREE the new Champs album, Down Like Gold. Can't buy it in the U.S. yet, but I can't wait for it to get here!
There's yet another new list of $5 albums for the second half of March.
Miranda Dodson: Ascend EP -- This is getting a lot of play in my house. Really love "King Rise" as it takes us through the story of Jesus. It's streaming now. The album begins streaming tomorrow (Tuesday, March 18th).
Kristen Gilles: Parker's Mercy Brigade -- Kristen's new song "Chase Away My Unbelief" is a remarkable song about doubt and faith. While the background is tragic, the song is ultimately hopeful and comforting.
If you are like most people in America, you are still singing Frozen songs. One that I woke up singing today, "Love Is An Open Door," as someone performed in a van...
I really shouldn't have to say anything but thanks to Richard Bailey for making me aware this exists...
Here's an honest Frozen trailer. It's brilliant. If you love the movie and can't laugh at this, then you are a Blindy McBlinderson Frozen Over-Lover. And I say that as someone who enjoyed the movie.
I haven't used Logos until the newest version, Logos 5, came out. Completely new to me except for the time I saw Logos explained at a conference years ago.
I've experienced two main feelings as I've learned how to use Logos 5: overwhelmed & excited. First, I'm overwhelmed. The power of Logos sounds amazing and yet I didn't find it simple. But I'm learning more each time I use it and I'm finally getting to that place where I know what to do. I've not only learned how to use it in a basic way, but I'm also learning how to use a few more advanced features and realizing the potential of having a large library within Logos. That's why after a little work I'm really excited to own Logos. This may be the best tool not only for studying the Bible but for studying any number of topics in theology and even culture. I'm excited because with further investment it can be a significant replacement of much of the research section of my library, making those resources far more useful than when owned in paper.
Here's how I got started with Logos and a few things I've learned about this great tool.
Early Mistakes -- I've made two big mistakes starting out. First, in the last few years I've created two different Logos accounts. I didn't realize it since I only created them try out the free app. I was logged on to one account on my MacBook and the other on my mobile devices, which made my library available on mobile but not on my MacBook. But one call to Logos for help and they had it fixed quickly by merging my accounts. Helpful, personal service.
My second mistake was trying to "wing it" with Logos. I'm sure there are some who have learned to use it by just sitting down and figuring it out, but it wasn't working for me. I needed help.
Starting With Videos -- Logos offers a number of videos on YouTube, of which I've viewed several. Most are very short and to the point. There's also help on Logos community forums, which I've used a few times. But the best starting place for me and I assume for everyone is the 13 minute "Getting Started" video on the Logos website. I've watched it more than once. It's an overview of the program with what to do as well as what to do when you don't know what to do. Playing it and pausing to try out Logos worked well. Next for me will be watching Advanced Training videos.
Things I Love About Logos...
Basic Features -- I'm not going into this too much because there's so much I could talk about. Watch a Logos 5 introduction to get a better explanation than I can give. What I will say is that there is so much Logos can do. I'm still only scratching the surface. Because of the kind of preaching I do I've used the passage searches more than topical. But the topic guide is a nice feature.
I really like the Bible Timeline tool where you can see on a timeline what happened in history alongside biblical history, when biblical books were written, and so forth. What I'm usually scouring for in commentary introductions on one timeline.
Look at the most interesting and helpful features in Logos 5 here.
Resources -- There are many great resources available for Logos. The first four I searched for are Grudem's Systematic, IVP Essential Reference Library, Tyndale commentaries set, and the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. All there. But Logos isn't just books converted to digital. You can also get resources like Tim Keller's library of sermons to search through. That's pretty amazing.
Bible Reading -- I've just started a Bible reading plan through Logos - 21 Days on Faith. Logos is one of the most complex and complete ways to study the Bible, as well as a way to read the Bible devotionally. There are adjustments than can be made to plans, they can be made into group plans, etc.
Important Questions & Concerns About Logos...
What's the Cost? -- I encourage you to look over the Logos 5 Base Packages. Logos as a whole isn't cheap and buying digital resources isn't like buying Kindle books, where you almost always can spend a few dollars less (sometimes far less) for a digital book. Not the same for individual books on Logos. The paper and Kindle copies of Grudem's Systematic are both under $30 and Logos lists for $40. Yet I've seen some sets that are significantly cheaper to get as a whole on Logos (49 Tyndale commentaries for $225). The question is really how you will use these resources and what makes the best use of them.
I thought about Logos like I thought about most Bible study software, that I'm paying for the ability to study the texts, original languages, etc. It's much more than that and the costs I believe are worth it. I'll say more about that in a little bit.
Let me add that Logos gives away a book every month and regularly has other giveaways. I just entered one today. There's also community pricing, pre-pub specials, and more.
Logos is Slow? -- I've seen people say (and at times felt myself) that Logos is slow. And to be sure...upgrades, downloads, and indexing take some time. But every moment of "slow" is speeding up something else. You get to search those books and have more resources to use in less time than it takes to look up each paper book. Those things that take time are necessary to create one place to conduct one search and have every resource listed. You can always pause indexing and such for a time when it works better for you. The tradeoff is one of the best tools you could have for Bible study. I'll take that tradeoff.
Paper vs Screen? -- I'm a huge fan of paper books. I'm also a big (and growing) fan of iPad and Kindle for books. While I don't ever see me replacing paper books completely, the helpfulness of being able to search a library is too good to pass up. Sure if I want to read a book from start to finish I'll often get paper or Kindle. But I can already see doing the majority of any prep work for teaching on Logos and the need to begin adding collections to my base package of resources.
I have a big personal library with many physical resources for sermon prep and Bible study and I just can't search through every book I'd like to for every sermon. I can see replacing large sections of my library with Logos. It makes each resources much more useful.
Logos vs Other Digital Books? -- The crucial difference between Logos and other searchable, digital formats is that Logos indexes your books for one big search of your whole library. This is why a Logos book is worth more. You will use books more and at times you may not consider its usefulness because searches will find things you will never think of looking up in a number of your resources. It's hard to explain the full value of this.
Let me put it this way: Every book you own (paper, Kindle) is searchable by you. Paper using an index, table of contents, looking up highlights, or oven using a filing system by which you record helpful passages by topic. With Kindle you can search for words. But with Logos its one search through every resource at once, do more complex searches, etc. It's not even comparable as far as ease of use, time consumption, or getting best use of a resource. With my 2,400 volume library I essentially have 2,400 books I can search individually. Now imagine one search through 500 or 1,000 of the most key resources with one results list. I can imagine it, and I want it. I've only gotten started.
Conclusion -- I'm a big fan of what Logos is doing and what it can do as I continue to add resources. I encourage you to look deeper at Logos. Compare cost to things like time, fuller usefulness of resources, and similar judgments and I think it's well worth the money. I love paper books too, and how they feel in my hands and how they smell. But what I like best about books is the content and Logos makes the most of it. See more at Logos.com.
Crossway offers a nice list of really cheap Kindle books on salvation, atonement, resurrection...
Gladwell and others...
Also check out other Kindle sale books here.
One of the best experiences of my Christian life was Soma School. I've talked about it before. Jeff Vanderstelt has become someone I trust at a high level as a teacher. After spending time with him at Soma School he also became someone I deeply trust as a disciple of Jesus, a man, a pastor, a husband, and a father. If he had 50 books on Amazon, those would be the next 50 I'd buy. If I was forced to pack up today and choose another church to belong to for the rest of my life, Soma (Tacoma, WA) is in my top two. They aren't perfect. Far from it. But I've rarely been around a group of people that made me want to follow Jesus in everyday life, to know His Word, and to follow His Holy Spirit.
I say all that to say that Soma has now put Soma School teaching videos online. 1. Go to Soma School. Seriously. Highly recommend it. 2. In the mean time, watch these videos. The videos can't replace actually going and being immersed in the life of Soma. But they are a great start. I've put them all in this post for you to watch. If you need a short introduction to Soma, check out the last video extra. It's not a part of this video series, but it a helpful starting place to understand Soma.
1. What Is The Church -- Gospel Foundation
2. What Is The Church? -- Gospel Identity Pt 1
3. What Is The Church? -- Gospel Identity Pt 2
4. What Is The Church? -- Gospel Rhythms Pt 1
5. What Is The Church? -- Gospel Rhythms Pt 2
6. Building A Missional Community Pt 1
7. Building A Missional Community Pt 2
Extra: What Does A Missional Community Look Like?
Beards make me want to journal!
Adam Feldman's new book, Journaling: Catalyzing Spiritual Growth Through Reflection, may be just what you need to spark a new discipline of journaling. Or maybe your love for journaling has grown cold and this book can be a refresher for you. Either way, Journaling is only $0.99 for Kindle right now and I want to encourage you to check it out. Simple with lots of tips and ideas and questions to prompt you on.
I've found journaling difficult, but I'm eager to press on. I bought the book before it got this cheap! From the book...
You can expect journaling to be difficult for many reasons. For instance, journaling takes a chunk of time, so you may initially resist letting go of something in order to start journaling. Journaling is also highly reflective, and this may bring up some difficult or disturbing thoughts that you have previously been afraid to acknowledge. Journaling is also a means to catalyze spiritual growth, so you can expect the enemy, Satan and his emissaries, to throw every kind of distraction at you and to whisper every sort of “reasonable” excuse for why you “cannot” journal today.
Just sit down and start writing.
Get Journaling.
The soil in which the prayer of faith takes root is a life of unbroken communion with God, a life in which the windows of the soul are always open toward the City of Rest. We do not know the true potency of prayer until our hearts are so intently fixed on God that our thoughts turn to Him whenever they are set free from the consideration of earthly things.
The Hidden Life of Prayer (Kindle) by David M'Intyre, pg 29.
$5 Albums for March. Here are the ones I recommend...
I have yet to figure out how to buy and enjoy a St. Vincent album. But she (Annie Clark) is continually getting rave reviews, so I keep paying attention. Part of the reason for her art-rocker genius is that she is thinking a little deeper than many. Follow along as sings on The Colbert Report. The song is "Digital Witness" from her new self-titled album, St. Vincent.
Digital Witnesses
What's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, you can't see me
What's the point of doing anything?
This is no time for confessing
I want all of your mind.
People turn the TV only looks just like a window
Yah..
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window
Yah..
The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Video Archive
Trust me. Click play.
Last week I was in a conversation with a church member I got to thinking about how John Piper's books are somewhat unique for me among the many books I've read. As I talked it out here's what I discovered but never really verbalized before.
When I read a John Piper book I come away with memorable sentences like I don't get from most other books. For example...
God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. (Desiring God)
Missions exists because worship doesn't. (Let the Nations Be Glad)
The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever. (Desiring God)
"This much, O God, I want you." (A Hunger for God)
I read these books well over a decade ago and these sentences have been a part of me since. I couldn't shake them off if I wanted to. Notice that none of Piper's statements are cheap, cute, or clever. Piper's aim is the sharpness of the quote, not the cuteness. It's not that Piper is somehow a better guy, but he simply understands the importance of sharp, memorable sentences. Elsewhere Piper wrote...
I have often said, “Books don’t change people, paragraphs do — sometimes sentences.”
This may not be fair to books, since paragraphs find their way to us through books, and they often gain their peculiar power because of the context they have in the book. But the point remains: One sentence or paragraph may lodge itself so powerfully in our mind that its effect is enormous when all else is forgotten.
One lesson I learned from a few influential preachers like Mark Dever and Herschel York (as well as in preaching books) is to be able to boil down a sermon's point to one sentence. If I can't say the sermon in one sentence I'm not ready to preach it. At least, that's the idea. It's a similar principle.
For all who desire to change hearts, convince minds, to influence and teach, it would be good to consider the example of John Piper and his memorable sentences, with sharp barbs that lock them deep into our minds and hearts. We don't need to make every sentence memorable. But the rest of our sentences should serve our best sentences. It takes more work, but it deepens our impact.
"Afterlife" is one of my favorite songs from Arcade Fire's newest album, Reflektor. Enjoy their performance from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. What a great way to start the weekend! Crank it up.
There has been debate on whether this is real. I'm pretty sure it isn't, but it's still awesome. When you get to the end of Flappy Bird according to this video, you face a famous video game character.
Two albums are out today that I've been enjoying for a couple of weeks while they were streaming free -- Phantogram: Voices and Angel Olsen: Burn Your Fire For No Witness.
Reviews -- Voices: 85/100 combined score at Metacritic is really good, including a Pitchfork "Best New Music" tag
Reviews -- Burn Your Fire: Paste 8.5/10 & Pretty Much Amazing says "a strong collection of 11 dark, pulsing tracks brimming with energy, humming with a persistent groove, driving with a head-bopping beat."
If you don't have time to listen now, please save this post somewhere and come back to it. This song may be a tremendous blessing to you or to someone in your family or church who is suffering. I encourage you to find time to really listen. I don't often find songs that hit me so deep and make me long to share it with others (especially those in pain).
I received the new album from Kristen Gilles in the mail and have listened to a little. Now I'm completely stuck on one song, "Chase Away My Unbelief." This is from the website of Kristen Gilles...
After our son Parker was stillborn, we cried out to God. Many of those cries came together in the form of this new song from our upcoming album Parker’s Mercy Brigade, “Chase Away My Unbelief.” This is a song for everyone who is broken by the thought of what might have been. A child who was never born. A child who was, but whose stay on earth was all too short. A broken home. A broken heart. A chilling medical diagnosis. A betrayal. Bankruptcy. Addiction. An inner conflict that causes you to say, “God, if you’re up there, if you’re powerful, and if you’re good, then why is everything so messed up?”
If you ever feel like God is far away, that he won’t answer you, let this song be your cry. If you ever feel like you’ve become a slave to your current circumstance, or that you have trouble seeing a larger perspective, let this song be your cry. If you ever hear about children starving and evil raging around the world, and your spirit groans, let this song be your cry.
Let me be honest: I don't cry easily. Partway through "Chase Away My Unbelief" I did begin to cry with the Gilles' over their loss and was provoked to cry out to God concerning the brokenness all around and in my own life and family and church. I think I have a lot more to cry over in my life that I have been avoiding. This song is helping me do so. What a beautiful lament for our time. Listen below and follow along with the lyrics. Hear more and pre-order Parker's Mercy Brigade at KristenGilles.com.
"Chase Away My Unbelief"
Lord, when I think You’re far away
Returning silence for my prayer,
When I’m reminded of old doubts
That You still reign, or that You care,
Teach me how to doubt no more,
To know You’re found by those who seek,
And my emotions can deceive;
Chase away my unbelief.
In the face of deepest loss,
Blinded by my bitter tears,
Broken by what might have been,
A slave to things as they appear,
Then whisper peace into my soul
In midst of pain and piercing grief.
My own perspective’s incomplete.
Chase away my unbelief.
When I suspect You’ve lost control
Or You’ve forsaken what You made,
When children starve both near and far
And love has wilted under hate,
Remind me of Your promises:
A kingdom full of life and peace!
Help me to trust eternity.
Lord, chase away my unbelief.
Cause my emotions can deceive ...
My own perspective’s incomplete ...
Help me to trust eternity,
Lord, chase away my unbelief.
