New year, new books! As a new year begins, publishers have been hard at work with new releases. I sorted through the many options and arrived at this list of new and notables. In each case, I’ve provided the editorial description to give you a sense of what it’s all about. I hope there’s something here that’s of interest to you!

How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books by Andrew M. Davis. “Andrew M. Davis helps readers commit to extended Scripture memorization so they may grow in holiness, resist temptation, and share the gospel with others. In this brief guide, he offers an accessible, time-tested pattern for studying Scripture that includes simple daily procedures and tips for long-term retention. By building up a storehouse of biblical truth in their hearts, readers will strengthen their prayer life and intimacy with Christ as they prepare to share God’s truth with others.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Just Be Honest: How to Worship Through Tears and Pray Without Pretending by Clint Watkins. “Suffering often causes deep spiritual agony. You might be left thinking, “Where is God? Why is he allowing this? Why doesn’t he do something?” And then guilt whispers to your soul, ‘Am I allowed to say these things? Shouldn’t I trust God without hesitation? Am I just a faithless Christian?’ This honest, warm and personal book shows us that we don’t need to wrap up our stories of suffering with lessons and silver linings or suppress our pain. Being honest with God, and with others, about our heartache is not only “allowed” but encouraged in the Scriptures. In fact, lament is authorized by God as an act of worship. Weaving in his own story of pain and loss with biblical reflections, Clint Watkins shows us how lament is permitted by Jesus, shaped by Scripture, fueled by grace and filled with hope. And when we lament as communities through worship and testimony, we minister hope to a hurting world.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded: A Liturgy for Daily Worship from Pascha to Pentecost by Jonathan Gibson. “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded by Jonathan Gibson presents a 48-day devotional liturgy to help readers effectively prepare their hearts from Pascha to Pentecost. Following the same format as Be Thou My Vision, each daily reading includes applicable Scripture readings, hymns, prayers, creeds, and prompts for petition and confession to enrich personal meditation and family worship. This devotional will help individuals and families establish a posture of remembrance and gratitude as they reflect on what Christ has done for us through his temptations, life, trial, passion, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Following Jesus in an Age of Quitters: The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards for Today by John D. Gillespie. “In 1722, an 18–year–old Jonathan Edwards began setting down seventy resolutions, personal statements of intent, to which, by the grace of God, he held himself accountable for the rest of his life. He read them prayerfully once a week until his death in 1758. John Gillespie here examines each resolution in the light of scripture and encourages modern readers to meditate on how they could apply Edwards’ resolutions to their own lives. Each of the 70 short readings begins with the resolution in question and a passage from the Bible, and ends with a verse or quote to meditate on. The devotionals expound on Edwards’ words and call 21st century Christians to think about how they could apply his resolutions to their lives today.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Our Radiant Redeemer: Lent Devotions on the Transfiguration of Jesus by Tim Chester. “This devotional looks at the transfiguration of Jesus in depth, giving readers a glorious lens through which to view Jesus during Lent and Easter. Tim Chester says: “The transfiguration is a light that illuminates the meaning of the cross and resurrection. As we look deeper, we’ll discover that it’s not just Jesus who is transfigured. His promise is that we, too, can be transfigured by the light he brings to our lives.” As we see Jesus in all his glory, we will be reminded of how marvellous he is and how brilliant our future with him will be. We will be moved to worship Jesus with our whole lives, giving thanks for all that he is and all that he has done. Each of the devotions includes prompts to reflect and pray.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The God Who Draws Near: Life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Michael A G Haykin. “The God Who Draws Near seeks to retrieve the key elements of a biblical spirituality and what they mean for our daily lives. Spirituality is very much a positive buzz word today; but in so many of the ways that it is used, it muddies the waters as to the nature of true spirituality. By going back to the sources, as the sixteenth-century Reformers would advise, namely, the Scriptures, this book draws together the main threads of a biblical spirituality and provides foundations for believers to anchor their lives in truth, love, and a growing relationship with the living God–that very God who has drawn near to us in love and grace through Jesus Christ. May these pages help you to draw near to him.” (Buy it at Amazon)

Incomparable: 50 Days with Jesus by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. “Get to know this Jesus by joining beloved author and Bible teacher Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth on a fifty-day journey, inspired by J. Oswald Sanders’ classic volume, The Incomparable Christ, to explore His one-of-a-kind story. From heaven to earth. From birth to death. From resurrection to right this minute. From before time to all time. In these meditations, you’ll spend time reflecting on the person of Christ—His humanity, divinity, childhood, adulthood, and more. You’ll consider the work and words of Christ. And you’ll contemplate His preexistence, prayer life, majestic silence, anguish, atoning work, post-resurrection ministry, and promised second coming. Find in Jesus—fully God and fully Man—everything you will ever need. He alone is able to save you to the end and understands you to the core. Able to forgive and befriend you, challenge and change you. This book can be used at any time of the year but serves as an ideal devotional companion for the season leading up to and immediately following Easter. As you walk through these days, you will be reminded that there is no one else like Jesus. He is quite simply . . . Incomparable.” (Buy it at Amazon)

More to the Story: Deep Answers to Real Questions on Attraction, Identity, and Relationships by Jennifer Kvamme. “What does the Bible really say about identity and gender, dating and sex? Are its teachings out of date and repressive? Or are they the way to joy and contentment? Long-time youth worker Jennifer Kvamme knows teens are grappling with these questions. In this book she helps readers cut through the cultural confusion and find answers to questions like: Why does God care what I do with my body (if I’m not hurting anyone)? Why does it matter what pronouns I use? Why is sex ‘good’ in marriage but “bad” before it? Isn’t love love? Is the Bible really against gay marriage? Rather than listing dos and don’ts, this book looks at the whole story of God’s love for us to give readers an essential backdrop for the Bible’s teachings on sexuality. It will help you navigate wisely complex issues around dating, sex and gender. You’ll not only learn how to honor Jesus in this area of life, but why he can be trusted to bring the kind of lasting joy and contentment that “sexual freedom” can’t. You’ll discover there’s hope even if your experience of sexuality has been painful, complicated or filled with shame.” (Buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

The Tinker’s Progress: The Life and Times of John Bunyan by Jacob Tanner. “Known primarily for his allegorical work, The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan was also a preacher, a gifted theologian and interpreter of Scripture. Academically, he was not a learned man, but when it came to practical and experiential mastery of the Scriptures and their theology, he was as gifted as anyone. His writings have a beauty and practicality not often found. He teaches that the greater the Christian’s understanding of truth, the stronger their own passion for Jesus will be, and the greater their worship and doxology will become. Jacob Tanner’s enlightening biography traces Bunyan’s life from his humble beginnings to his calling home to the Celestial City. From his debaucherous youth to glimpses of grace and eventual calling to ministry. There are lessons here for any twenty–first century Christian. He can teach men to be mature, fathers to be loving, husbands to be faithful, pastors to be tender, saints to suffer well, Christians to be steadfast. One of his greatest lessons to modern Christians is how to live faithfully for Christ in a world that is antagonistic to God.” (Buy it at Amazon)

We can tell a lot about ourselves by what we long for, by what we desire, by what we dream about, by what consumes our thoughts when we lie in the quiet darkness of night. You can tell a lot because what consumes our thoughts is a good indication of what consumes our hearts which is, in turn, a good indication of what we value most. If we dream of riches it shows that we have set our hope on money. If we dream of sexual pleasures it shows that we have raised sex to the status of an idol. And so we should often ask ourselves: What do I dream about? What do I long for? And what does this tell me about myself? Our God or “gods” are never far from our desires.

I don’t think I’m wrong in suggesting that few of us spend much time dreaming about Heaven. Most of our longings extend little farther than what we can see, have, and experience here on earth. And yet the consistent message of the Bible is that there are treasures and blessings beyond this earth that are so beautiful, so wonderful, so desirable, that the best of earth’s joys will pale by comparison.
This longing is the subject of Stephen Morefield’s book Always Longing: Discovering the Joy of Heaven. He, like so many of us, has always known that Heaven is good, but has still preferred to focus his thoughts and desires on this world and this life. He has always known that Heaven is a wonderful place, but he still didn’t want to go there because he had other plans, other dreams, other things he wanted to accomplish. “Sports, college, ministry, marriage, kids—those sorts of things. I had too much to do to want to go to Heaven. I also had a healthy fear of death. Who wants to die? Not me. No thanks.”
But as time went on he came to understand some very good news. “I was completely wrong about Heaven, and you probably are too.” He was wrong in what he understood about Heaven and wrong about wanting to be here more than he wanted to be there. He realized that we live best when Heaven consumes our thoughts and fills our desires. We live best when we live with a longing to be absent from the body and home with the Lord.
He begins the book by asking simply, does Heaven matter? He follows Randy Alcorn in showing that we were made for both a person and a place, and “that person, experienced in the presence of that place, will meet every single need we could ever have. Complete satisfaction is possible. All of our longings tell us it must be. But only in this divine gift of a person and a place will we ever find it.”
The second chapter faces the reality that we must all die and considers what happens after death. He balances the horror of death with the beauty of finally being in the presence of God. “For the Christian, death is used by God for a greater gain, despite its wicked advent.” He distinguishes here between the intermediate Heaven—Heaven as it is now—and the New Heaven and New Earth—Heaven as it will be after Christ’s return. He dedicates one chapter to considering how history will end—a chapter (and follow-up appendix) that is beautiful but may not make him a lot of friends among those who hold to a Dispensational perspective. As the book continues he considers where Heaven is, what we will do there, and the posture we should maintain as we await our time. The final chapter deals with the reality of Hell which leads to a conclusion that includes a strong call to trust in Christ.
We would be lying if we said that this world is only full of sorrows and woes, for that is not the case. We experience many blessings here and enjoy many pleasures. And it is good and honoring to God when we embrace them. Yet these pleasures are not meant to captivate us, but to point us to the fulfillment of our longings—to the presence of that person in that place. And this book does a commendable job of directing our longings in just that way. “Cheer up,” Morefield says. “And as you cheer up, make sure you don’t turn back, sit down, or tread water. Press on. Hit heaven in stride. Jesus’s grace is not only enough to save you now; it’s enough to bring you home and to do so with joy and faithfulness. Run, and run hard. And as you press on, smile. You were made for a person and a place, and both of them will be yours by his grace alone.” And that is worth longing for…
Buy from Amazon

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a deal on an interesting new academic-level book.
Today’s Kindle deals include a few interesting titles.
The Elephant’s Trunk (Video)
This is a really neat video about the elephant’s trunk—a masterpiece of design.
Problems with Preferred Pronouns
“All we’re being asked to do is change one word. It’s a simple request. Just use a different pronoun. It might seem like a no-brainer for a believer to comply. Why cause unnecessary tension by refusing a request to be courteous?” Alan Shlemon gives a list of problems with ceding to preferred pronouns.
What Happened to the God-fearing Leaders?
In Leading from the Foundation Up, David Cook and Shane Parker offer the only book focused on Christian leadership philosophy and practice rooted in reverential awe. (Sponsored Link)
Delighting in the Trinity
“Love for others, then, cannot go very deep in them if they can go for eternity without it. And so, not being essentially loving, such gods are inevitably less than lovely. They may demand our worship, but they cannot win our hearts. They must be served with gritted teeth. How wonderfully different it is with the triune God.”
Not afraid of bad news
Here’s an explanation of how the righteous do not need to be afraid of bad news.
To Confront or Not to Confront? That Is the Question
“In everyday life, there are interactions with loved ones that are difficult. Issues of life that are impacted by personal sin and hardships create tension in relationships and could directly harm others. The question often asked is, ‘Should I confront this issue or overlook it?’ That is a good question, and as we look to the Bible for God’s revelation on the issue, there seems to be visible tension on how to answer it.”
The Inefficient Church
“I’m all for certain kinds of efficiency. I just placed an online order to save a trip to the store. But I’m for the right kind of inefficiency: the inefficiency of caring enough to slow down and treat people like people, to know their names, and to actually care.” But ministry can’t be efficient…
Flashback: The King Is Within Earshot
If you would simply consider how much God loves that other person, you would never speak ill of him. If you would consider the work God has accomplished for that person and in that person, you would only ever speak words that esteem him.

The righteous are those who are willing to disadvantage themselves for the advantage of others, the wicked are those who are willing to advantage themselves at the disadvantage of others. —Bruce Waltke