Phil Gons

Bible & Tech

6 Tips to Help You Read More This Year

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Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading BooksI finished reading my first book this year, Tony Reinke’s Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books (Kindle | Vyrso). I read it on my Nexus 7 using the Vyrso app. If you want to read more books in 2013, you’ll find a lot of help and motivation from this fine book.

Tony gives six tips to help you read more books this year:

  1. Expect resistance from your heart.
  2. Make time to read, not excuses for why you don’t read. We all have good excuses.
  3. Cultivate a hunger for books by reading (and rereading) great books.
  4. Set your reading priorities, and let them drive your book selections.
  5. Stop doing something else in order to make time to read.
  6. Try reading three (or more) books at a time and take advantage of your environments.

On #5, I’ll be replacing some of my RSS reading with book reading.

Up next: Todd Billings’s Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church, which I’ll be reading in Vyrso.

What are you reading?

Boice’s Expositional Commentaries for $99.95

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James Montgomery Boice's Expositional CommentariesLogos is currently offering a huge discount on James Montgomery Boice’s 27-vol. Expositional Commentaries. Through Friday, July 13, it’s only $99.95 with coupon code JULYBOICE. That’s about $3.70 per volume.

These 27 volumes cover 24 books of the Bible. The print cost for all of these paperbacks at Westminster Bookstore is $409.08 with a list price of $620.64. So you’re saving a ton—both off the print price and the normal digital price (Logos normally sells the collection for $399.95).

Here’s the breakdown of what you get (with Westminster list and sale prices):

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The Works of Herman Ridderbos

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The Works of Herman RidderbosSince I first encountered Herman Ridderbos in seminary, I’ve been a fan of his writings and theology. I chose him as my theologian to study and present on in Advanced New Testament Theology. His writings changed the way I read and understand Scripture, helping me to see the more objective, redemptive-historical themes where I was inclined to see more subjective individualism. So I’m happy to see his works be made available to a broader audience who may not otherwise be acquainted with Ridderbos.

One of the great things about my job at Logos Bible Software is that I get to give input into what works we pursue and add to our offerings, which now number more than 26,000 resources (19,000 from Logos and 7,000 from Vyrso). I’ve been pushing for Ridderbos’s works for a while, so I was excited to see a collection go up on Pre-Pub earlier this week.

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Free Download—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

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Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

Logos Bible Software (my employer) is offering a free digital Christian book every month this year as part of its Free Book of the Month program. This month’s free book is John Bunyan’s Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, and it’s available for only a few more days. I’d encourage you to pick it up.

After you get the book, you can access it on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android phone or tablet with one of the free Logos apps—or online at Biblia.com.

You can also enter to win a free copy of the 3-vol., 61-title Works of John Bunyan.

Here’s how Bunyan concludes his personal account “of the exceeding mercy of God in Christ” to him:

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3 Free Francis Chan Books

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Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Download three popular Francis Chan books for free until tomorrow at midnight from Vyrso.com:

After you get all three, check out other Francis Chan books and other free books from Vyrso.

Vyrso is a free app that works on iOS and Android devices. Vyrso books also work with Logos Bible Software, the world’s leading multiplatform (PC, Mac, iOS, Android) Bible study software, and can be read online at Biblia.com. One of Vyrso’s unique features is displaying the text behind Bible references—something you don’t get from competitors like Kindle, Nook, iBooks, and Google Books.

Justification by Works and Faith in 1 Clement

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Clement of RomeWhile reading through 1 Clement, I found a nice example of justify (δικαιόω) being used in two different senses (in very close proximity), which nicely parallels its use in the New Testament.

Justified by Works

In this first example, Clement is calling his readers to personal holiness and speaks of their being justified by works (ἔργοις δικαιούμενοι). He seems to have in view a demonstration rather than imputation of righteousness.

30 Seeing then that we are the portion of the Holy One, let us do all the things that pertain to holiness, forsaking slander, disgusting and impure embraces, drunkenness and rioting and detestable lusts, abominable adultery, detestable pride. (2) “For God,” he says, “resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (3) Let us therefore join with those to whom grace is given by God. Let us clothe ourselves in concord, being humble and self-controlled, keeping ourselves far from all backbiting and slander, being justified by works and not by words [ἔργοις δικαιούμενοι καὶ μὴ λόγοις]. (4) For he says: “He who speaks much shall hear much in reply. Or does the talkative person think that he is righteous? (5) Blessed is the one born of woman who has a short life. Do not be overly talkative.” (6) Let our praise be with God, and not from ourselves, for God hates those who praise themselves. (7) Let the testimony to our good deeds be given by others, as it was given to our fathers who were righteous. (8) Boldness and arrogance and audacity are for those who are cursed by God; but graciousness and humility and gentleness are with those who are blessed by God.

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Download “Rid of My Disgrace” for Free

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Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual AssaultAs part of  Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Crossway is giving away Justin and Lindsey Holcomb’s Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault today and tomorrow. It’s worth picking up.

Description

The statistics are jarring. One in four women and one in six men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. But as sobering as the statistics are, they don’t begin to speak to the darkness and grief experienced by these victims. Because sexual assault causes physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual pain, victims need clear help, hope, and healing. In Rid of My Disgrace, a couple experienced in counseling victims of sexual assault explains how the grace of God can heal the broken and restore the disgraced.

Justin and Lindsey Holcomb outline an approach for moving from destruction to redemption. While avoiding platitudes and shallow theology, Rid of My Disgrace combines biblical and theological depth with up-to-date research. This book is primarily written for those who have been assaulted (either as children or adults) but also equips family, friends, pastors, and others to care for victims in ways that are compassionate, practical, and informed. Part of the Re:Lit series.

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