Brief "Aloha" Greetings, from the Islands of Hawaii

Yes, if anyone has been wondering about my silence here on the blog, this should explain it. My wife and I are spending this week on the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Oahu. Actually, this is a business trip for my wife who, along with one other person, is consulting with a Christian school that has the desire to make some changes and expand. My wife is the Upper School Principal and, this year, Acting Head of School for a K-12 classical Christian school in the Harrisburg, PA area. As a dutiful and supportive spouse, I decided not to let my wife travel such a distance alone!
:-)
And while here, I plan to make a few visits this next week to a number of Banner of Truth accounts, including Covenant Books and Coffee, 1142 12th Avenue in Honolulu. I'm actually quite excited about visiting them; I'm not sure if someone from Banner has ever dropped in for a visit before! They seem to have established an interesting ministry by combining solid Christian literature with good coffee and even a lite cafe menu with soups, etc.
But that's next week. For now, it's the beaches of Maui and the hiking trails near Haleakala volcano (Oh, the mud that we got into during yesterday's hike as you can see in this picture with my wife in the distance!).
Blessings to all.
Steve

Galatians 4:4

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.
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Wishing you ample time to worship and focus on all that's behind this verse in the coming week or so.
Blessings to you all.
Steve

Just heard from another church ...

... that is issuing a Puritan Challenge to its congregation for 2008. Nice.

This Is Going To Change Some Lives!

If you haven't given solid consideration to "The Timmy Brister Challenge" below, read this letter from one U.S. pastor, and then give it some serious thought. You CAN do this! I urge you to do this! Let me know if you decide to.
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Steve -
Six people from my church signed up to do the Puritan Challenge.... I am following Timmy's reading schedule below (except, I will need to substitute the Reformed Pastor with something else...I have not decided yet).
January: The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes (128 pp)
February: The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel (221 pp)
March: The Godly Man's Picture by Thomas Watson (252 pp)
April: Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices by Thomas Brooks (253 pp)
May: Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ by John Bunyan (225 pp)
June: The Mortification of Sin by John Owen (130 pp)
July: A Lifting Up for the Downcast by William Bridge (287 pp)
August: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs (228 pp)
September: The True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton (224 pp)
October: The Christian's Great Interest by William Guthrie (207 pp)
November: The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (256 pp)
December: A Sure Guide to Heaven by Joseph Alleine (148 pp)
3 Individuals will foot their own bill (two are a couple who will share). I'm taking money out of my "[Special] Savings" program (a somewhat unsuccessful and now longstanding attempt to acquire [a certain] multi-volume set) and my wife and I will be purchasing a set for another, and one of our deacons (who fell in love with the Valley of Vision) is providing 6 months worth for another individual. I have one young mother of three who would like to be part of it and needs assistance. Any help (to any degree) from Banner would be most appreciated. Being a congregation of about 90-100 this time of year, I am tickled by the response. I can't wait to see what the Lord will do.
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That is so incredible! I would LOVE to hear from at least one other pastor who did likewise and pulled together a 2008 Puritans Reading Group. I, too, "can't wait to see what the Lord will do" with this group of believers!
Blessings to you all.
Steve

Why Read the Puritans?

As a great follow to "The Timmy Brister Challenge" (scroll down for earlier post), I pass along Pastor Josh Gelatt's answer to the question recently asked of him - "Why do you so often recommend reading the Puritans?" If you haven't considered Timmy's challenge yet for the new year, it makes you really think about it, doesn't it?
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The following is from Josh Gelatt, pastor at Indian River Baptist Church in northern Michigan.

QUESTION: "Why do you so often recommend reading the Puritans?"

ANSWER: Actually, I recommend many different types of books. In my church's monthly newsletter, I generally recommend and briefly review at least three books each issue--and only rarely will one of these be a Puritan author.

However, I do heartily (and often) recommend that everyday, average Christians read Puritan authors. A few years ago, just as I was finishing my first Seminary degree, I "stumbled" across a Puritan author. For my M.Div, I attended Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and during my time there I ran the school's book store (the pay was horrible, but I got to study while I worked and buy all the books I wanted at the school's cost). Though we rarely ordered from them, ... [I have since forgiven him for this! :-) ... Inserted comment from Burlew!] ... we regularly received a copy of The Banner of Truth Trust' book catalogue. On a whim, I ordered a copy of The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter (thinking it was a book about being theological Reformed). I thought it might interest some of the more Reformed students in our institution.

When it arrived, however, instead of putting it on the self I decided to skim through it first. This little book "caught" me. By the time I was done reading it was so worn, marked up, underlined, and coffee-stained that I had no choice but to buy it.

From Baxter I moved to Jonathan Edwards, back through Bunyan, Owen, Flavel, Sibbes, Rogers, Bolton, Bridge, Watson, Brooks, Burroughs (and the list goes on). In these Puritan authors I saw a faith unlike my own. They saw something in Christ that I didn't see, and I instantly realized they had possessed a depth of relationship and love for their Savior to which I only gave lip-service.

In today's Christian landscape, we are plagued with superficial faith, skin-deep commitment, shallow knowledge of Scripture, and rather cursory engagement with the mission Christ left for His people. While the Puritans had glaring mistakes of their own (not to mention excesses in some of the rigidity), certainly our modern culture is guilty of excess in how we champion the notion of Christian liberty.

I recommend serious, continued, and daily reading of the Puritan authors for the following reasons:

1. They understood the reality of sin in their personal lives. "Sin" is something that contemporary Evangelical churches do not discuss. The Fundamentalist churches see sin as something that "others" do (like liberals & homosexuals). The Emergent churches won't touch it, and the seeker movement have long moved past this troublesome doctrine. It is either denied outright, ignored, or quickly moved past in order to get on to 'nicer' discussions. Pastors (of all varieties) would rather speak on (and people would rather hear) sermons on our value, worth, and importance. The Puritans agreed, but understood that we can only truly understand our value when we understood the depth & ugliness of our sin, and what our Savior needed to do to remove it from us.The Puritans also refused to move "past" their sin. The more they grew in Christ, the more real their sin (even their former sin) became to them. Newton, for example, never got over his involvement in the slave trade. On his death bed, he reportedly said that he can only remember that he is a great sinner, and that Christ is a great savior. Luther (whose theology, along with Calvin, eventually produced Puritanism) is reported to have mutter "we are beggars, this is true" as his dying words. By focusing on their sin, they were able to see the true beauty of the Cross.

2. They understood, and were gentle towards, the human condition. The Puritans were masterful doctors of the soul. They were the 17th century version of a Professional Counselor. They understood the intricacies of the human soul, and took great care to study conditions such as depression. They systematically refused to 'write-off' depressed persons as those who just needed to shape up. Indeed, many of these Puritans suffered with depression themselves. During this period, several masterful works were produced--either analyzing the phenomenon or offering sound, practical wisdom in counseling individuals struggling with this depression.

3. They were thoroughly soaked in God's Word. These men lived and breathed scripture. Many of them would study Scripture for hours (8, 10, and even as much as 18 hours) per day. Their works are choke full of Scripture quotations, and subtle allusions to scripture abound in their writings. They truly sought to think God's thoughts after Him, and understood this was only possible with an intimate knowledge of the Bible. They believed in the divine power of Scripture to change lives, shape minds, and convert souls.

4. They were profoundly God-centered. The Puritans understood that life was ultimately about the glory of God. Their happiness, their activities, their joy, their purpose, their goals were all to be found (and fulfilled) in the giving of glory to the great King of Kings. John Owen's classic book (Communion with God) is about a believer's communion (relationship) with God as father, Jesus as Savior, and the Spirit as Comforter. Their lives revolved around the Triune God, and they saw all of life as being radically and completely centered on Him, and Him

5. They had the right priorities in their daily lives. The Puritans understood that the activities of our daily life were designed by God to bring glory and honor to Him. One Puritan author said "God's smile is my greatest reward". Thus, they sought to incorporate every aspect of life into their faith. They recognized that many Christians lived as "practical atheists". That is, individuals who believed in Christ, but lived the majority of their daily lives as if no God existed. While the Puritans did vigorously write against this mode of "Christian" (or rather, "Christ-less") living, they were fare more concerned with living as "full-fledged theists" themselves.

6. They saw the beauty and worth of Christ. Thomas Adams wrote: "Christ is the sum of the whole Bible, prophesied, typified, prefigured, exhibited, demonstrated, to be found in every leaf, almost in every line, the Scriptures being but as it were the swaddling bands of the child Jesus." In other words, they were radically centered on and devoted to Jesus. Thomas Goodwin wrote, "If I were to go to heaven, find that Christ was not there, I would leave immediately, for heaven would be a hell to me without Christ." The eminent Presbyterian James Durham also wrote, "If Christ is altogether lovely than all else is altogether loathsome." Jesus was something excellent to be savored, something beautify upon which to gaze, something prized to be possessed, and someone wonderful with whom to be friends.

7. They saw the excellency of God even in the midst of trials. They were individuals who suffered great persecution. Most (in the mid-17th century era) lost their pastorates as the government shut them out of their pulpits. The attempt was (1) to stop their ideas, and (2) to starve them to silence. Others were imprisoned, banished, tortured, disfigured, and killed. Yet instead of crying foul, and calling down curses upon the "establishment", these men saw the guiding hand of God. They understood that what 'men had intended for evil, God had intended for good'. Thomas Watson said, "God’s rod is a pencil to draw Christ’s image more lively on us,"while John Flavel wrote that if Christian goes "...two or three years without an affliction, and he is almost good for nothing." In another work, Flavel said "Grace tried [i.e. experiencing times of great difficulty] is better than grace, and more than grace. It is glory in its infancy." As we experience difficulty and trials in our contemporary lives, may we come to think as these men and see the graceful, loving hand of God in the midst of our most difficult moments.

8. They were some of the best thinkers of the age. Yes, the Puritans included all sorts. Men like John Bunyan, and uneducated tinker from the lower class, came to be hailed as one of the great writers and preachers of the era. However, Bunyan was an exception. For the most part, the Puritans were "divines", and antiquated term indicating that they were men who studied Divinity in the university. They fluently spoke Latin, were almost equally good in Greek and Hebrew, and were among the best educated men of the era. Many held top posts in Oxford (and other academic institutions) before being removed. By reading the Puritans, you are reading the best minds of that era.

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To access this post from Pastor Josh's blog, CLICK HERE
To see a complete list of Banner of Truth's Puritan Paperbacks, CLICK HERE.

Are You Up For "The Timmy Brister Challenge"?

Timmy Brister, over at his Provocations and Pantings blog has called us all to a new challenge for 2008 - Get acquainted with the Puritans - and he's gone so far as to give us five reasons for doing so AND a specific and workable plan to make it happen.

Timmy's reasons:
1. The Puritans had a relentless pursuit of God.
2. The Puritans were physicians of souls.
3. The Puritans possessed genuine piety because they knew how to fight the fight of faith.
4. The Puritans were pacesetters in church history.
5. Reading the Puritans will provide you a healthy perspective so as to prevent chronological snobbery.

Timmy's plan:
1. Get a copy of The Valley of Vision and meditate on the prayers as part of your daily devotions.
2. Commit to reading one Puritan Paperback a month - Check out Timmy's blog because he has specific books for specific months; it's great!
3. Read about the lives and stories of the Puritans - Again, Timmy has specific books that he's recommending; check them out.
A number of people have already left comments at Timmy's blog accepting his challenge. Without a doubt, this could be a life-changing year if you really follow through with this. Here's a complete list of Banner of Truth's Puritan Paperbacks, with Web links - they can be ordered at http://www.banneroftruth.org/ or by calling us here at the Banner of Truth office: 1-800-263-8085.
Happy reading!
Steve
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Acceptable Sacrifice, John Bunyan – $8.00
All Loves Excelling, John Bunyan – $7.00
All Things for Good, Thomas Watson – $8.00
Apostasy from the Gospel, John Owen - $9.00
Art of Prophesying, William Perkins - $9.00
Bruised Reed, Richard Sibbes - $7.00
Christian Love, Hugh Binning - $6.00
Christian’s Great Interest, William Guthrie – $9.00
Come & Welcome to Jesus Christ, John Bunyan – $9.00
Communion with God, by John Owen – $9.00
Doctrine of Repentance, Thomas Watson – $8.00
Dying Thoughts, Richard Baxter – $9.00
Glorious Freedom, Richard Sibbes – $8.00
Glory of Christ, John Owen – $8.00
Godly Man’s Picture, Thomas Watson – $8.00
Great Gain of Godliness, Thomas Watson – $10.00
Heaven on Earth, Thomas Brooks – $9.00
Holy Spirit, John Owen – $9.00
Jerusalem Sinner Saved, John Bunyan - $10.00
Justification Vindicated, Robert Traill - $6.00
Learning in Christ’s School, Ralph Benning - $8.00
Letters of Samuel Rutherford, Samuel Rutherford - $7.00
Lifting Up for the Downcast, William Bridge - $9.00
Lord’s Supper, Thomas Watson - $7.00
Mortification of Sin, John Owen - $9.00
Mystery of Providence, John Flavel - $8.00
Prayer, John Bunyan - $7.00
Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Brooks - $9.00
Puritan Treasury of Quotations, Thomas - $12.00
Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Burroughs - $9.00
Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter - $9.00
Secret Key to Heaven, Thomas Brooks - $10.00
Shorter Catechism Explained, T. Vincent - $9.00
Sinfulness of Sin, Ralph Venning - $9.00
Spirit and the Church, John Owen - $9.00
Sure Guide to Heaven, Joseph Alleine - $7.00
Temptation: Resisted & Repulsed, John Owen - $10.00
True Bounds of Christian Freedom, S. Bolton - $8.00

MAIL - I think you should read this!

The following came in from one pastor, like many, who has a ministry at his local county jail. You probably know how encouraging this is for us to read! Many thanks. Steve.
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I just returned from visiting an inmate at our county jail. His name is Jason [name changed]. A couple of months back I gave Jason a copy of Right with God by John Blanchard. Jason has not only read it three times but is now deeply involved in personal Bible study, prayer and is faithfully attending worship at the jail even though others tease him about it. Jason just told me he had another inmate read John’s book and said the man had a positive reaction to it. I just wanted you to know the help such a small book is continuing to have. I bought the book months ago out of curiosity and just took it to the jail thinking it would help. It has and continues to do so. Thank you so much for your work and Merry Christmas!
Together for Christ,
Allan

OUTSIDE SOURCE BOOK REVIEW: Three New Children's Titles from Banner

BOOKS REVIEWED: "A Bible Alphabet," "A Bible Alphabet Activity Book," and "The Work of His Fingers" ... all authored by Alison Brown
REVIEWER: Fermanagh Herald
THE REVIEW (his words, not mine): "Primary school teacher publishes three Bible books for children ... Three new titles for children, written and illustrated by former Enniskillen primary school teacher, Alison Brown, have just become available in time for Christmas.
'A Bible Alphabet', which has been beautifully produced by The Banner of Truth Trust is a 32 page, full colour, large format paperback with a difference.
Rather than referring to adult concepts such as 'L is for Love' or 'F is for Forgiveness', it begins with those more tangible Bible objects (a basket, a donkey, a fish, a needle, a raven) to introduce small children to well known characters from Scripture.
With large eye-catching illustrations, it is designed to whet the appetite of young readers for finding out just who did what in God's Book! And, to make it even more enjoyable there's also A Bible Alphabet Activity Book. Letters and pictures which match the originals can be coloured to help enhance the learning process.
Alison is originally from Florencecourt, and is a past pupil of Enniskillen Collegiate School. She began her teaching career in Jones Memorial Primary School (1983-1986) and, following her marriage, spent several years in Gibson Primary School, Omagh. Her love for drawing combined with the 'unforgettable fun' derived from sharing books with her own children in their early years led naturally to the desire to teach through the medium of words and pictures.
She is indebted to The Banner of Truth Trust who, following a conversation at the Christian Resource Exhibition in Belfast in February 2005, expressed an interest in publishing her work.
The third new title, 'The Work of Her Fingers', uses rhyming text, along with black line drawings and full colour illustrations, to draw the older child's attention to the fact that Earth is the only planet perfectly created by God to sustain human life. The evidence of design in the provision of energy, atmosphere, daylight, oxygen, ozone, seasons, water and food could be nothing other than the handiwork of a loving and intelligent Creator!
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To access this review directly, CLICK HERE.
For information or to purchase these books at 25% off from Banner, CLICK HERE, but be sure to see the ORDERING DEADLINES on the right of this blog site.

A Prayer Request from a Friend ...

I received word this morning from a good friend of mine, recent graduate of RTS-Charlotte who is currently managing the RTS bookstore there, Jake Hunt. Apparently there's been an outbreak of ebola in Bundibugyo, Uganda, where World Harvest has a medical missions team. Jake has "a post on his "Wiser Time blog" with a summary of what’s going on, a call to prayer, and an invitation to join believers in Uganda in a day of fasting Wednesday. Check it out, and please pray. I was in Uganda a number of years ago and share a special interest for the people there. Thanks.

Within Prison Walls, God Is Working

Daniel, from somewhere within a California prison, wrote us the following letter, which we received a short time ago. I thought you'd be interested in reading it, too.
In case you didn't know, each year, The Banner of Truth gives thousands of dollars worth of books away, to stock prison libraries, to support the work of prison chaplains, to minister to our troops overseas and at home, to assist missionaries and simply to enable someone without financial means to still get and read solid Christian literature ... all possible through the donations of individuals and churches to The Banner of Truth Book Fund. Email me if you'd like more information on how you might give, so that others, like Daniel, might grow.
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Dear Brethren,
As Thanksgiving approaches, my heart turns to God with thanksgiving for you. Banner of Truth is by far one of the greatest sources to me of our heavenly Father's love, kindness and grace. How I thank God for you brethren; and I pray that He will prosper and bless all that you do, both corporately and individually.
Being incarcerated, your books have been my chief source of sound doctrine and instruction. That is, in conjunction with the Bible. The fruit of your instruction in my life is evidenced in my call to be Ministries Coordinator and the mentor in an elder's mentoring program here at the prison. God alone has done this, but His means for equipping me has been Banner of Truth.
Thus praise, glory and thanksgiving is given to God for what He has done. And, as often as I pick up a book, thanksgiving will be given to God for all of you in the Banner of Truth family.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Daniel
2 Cor. 4:7
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Thank you so much for this, Daniel. You have encouraged us all greatly through you letter. May the Lord continue to meet your needs and use you for His Kingdom, as His servant within those walls. Grace & peace to you, brother. Steve

OUTSIDE SOURCE Book Review: "The Works of Andrew Fuller"

BOOK REVIEWED: "The Works of Andrew Fuller
REVIEWER: Allen R. Mickle, Jr., The Andrew Fuller Center For Baptist Studies
THE REVIEW (his words, not mine!): "Attention friends of Andrew Fuller! The Banner of Truth Trust has just released a new one volume edition of the Works of Andrew Fuller (1841 edition). This wonderful, hefty, volume is filled with over 1000 pages of the works of Andrew Fuller, the great Baptist pastor-theologian. In the United States you can order this book directly from The Banner here. If you are in Canada you can order it from the Canadian distributor, Sola Scriptura Ministries International. Don't pass this up! It makes a wonderful Christmas gift for the bibliophile in your home! Open up peoples eyes to the writings of this great but much neglected servant of Christ!"
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To access this review directly, CLICK HERE.
For more information, or to purchase this book at 25% off with free shipping from Banner of Truth, CLICK HERE.

OUTSIDE SOURCE Book Review: "Christ For Us," By Hugh Martin

BOOK REVIEWED: "Christ For Us: Sermons of Hugh Martin"
REVIEWER: Nick Batzig, Pastoral Intern at Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, PA (Just a note: I met Nick earlier this year during my visit to Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary - "Great seeing this, Nick; thank you, sir."
THE REVIEW (his words, not mine): "Hugh Martin, Nineteenth Century Scottish theologian, authored many worthwhile books, among which are: Jonah: A Commentary, The Life of Simon Peter, The Abiding Presence, and Christ For Us. The strength of Christ For Us is its short series of sermons and devotional writings. There are two sermons I would particularly like to recommend. The first is titled "The Plague of the Heart" and is taken from 1 Kings 8: 38. It is an exposition of one particular verse in Solomon's prayer of dedication at the completion of the Temple. The verse comes in the context of Solomon praying for the people of God. He asks the LORD to remove the plagues that He has sent on Israel when they realize the plagues in their hearts and pray to the LORD confessing their sins. The other sermon is titled "Heart Plagues Cured" and is the Gospel centered solution to the plague in the heart. These two sermons form a masterful pair of expositions on the Law and the Gospel. They are true gems of experimental religion and Christological Old Testament preaching. I think you will find that they reflect something of the value of Rev. Martin's work. Banner of Truth Magazine has included a great article on the life and work of Hugh Martin online. This can be found here."
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To access this review directly, CLICK HERE.
For more information or to purchase this book at 25% off from Banner, CLICK HERE.