As a new year begins, I think this is a good time to encourage you to read a book that I love. What better goal to have for 2012 than to find the purpose for your life and begin living out that purpose? 

(Originally posted April 2011)

Today I was reminded how much I love this book - The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. About seven years ago, a friend lent me his copy and said, “I think you’ll like this book.” The copy he gave me came with a journal. Not being the journaling type, he said I could keep the journal but he wanted his book back when I was done. So I read the book, worked through the journal, and I did, indeed, like it. I liked it very much.

The reasons I like this book are myriad. However, most of what I love about this book can be expressed in just one word: simple. Its simple, easy-to-understand theology does not take a Doctorate of Divinity to understand. Just the word “theology” conjures up all sorts of connotations, some of which may be negative. A simple definition of theology is a study of God and God’s relation to the world. Sometimes theology is expressed by theologians in words and thoughts that are difficult for everyday people to understand. But in The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren presents the teachings of the Bible and ideas about God in ways that everyone can understand. He simplifies the message of the Bible without sacrificing the truth found there.

The Purpose Driven Life is a wonderful book for people new to the Christian faith as well as people who are seeking meaning and purpose in their lives. It is written in simple, down to earth language and explains basic doctrines of the Bible in a way that anyone can understand. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever asked the question, “What on earth am I here for?” However, I also recommend it to those who may not struggle with this question but who are interested in helping others find a meaningful answer to it.

I love The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I really do. In this post I told you all the reasons that I think this book is special. But I recently discovered that there is a QR Code Enhanced Edition! If you don’t know what a QR Code is, then read no further. This post isn’t for you. Actually, I take that back. Keep reading. You may learn something! (In this post I discussed my love of QR Codes. I still haven’t stitched that pillow. I need to get on that.)

If you have a smartphone, then you know what QR Codes are. They are those nifty squares scattered throughout magazines that encourage you to scan it and view a video related to the article you are reading. Wikipedia has an easy-to-understand definition: “A QR Code is a matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code), readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smartphones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.” Well, sort of easy to understand.

Now this book that I love to give as gifts to seekers (and recommend that every Christian read) has 40 unique QR Codes within its pages. When scanned by your smartphone, the codes link to videos of author Rick Warren. What a great way to incorporate technology in this treasure of a book and bring even more illumination to its reader. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of this technology included in books, magazines, and newspapers.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Technology – for such a time as this.

In this post I told you about Hannah Hurnard’s book Hind’s Feet on High Places. As I have said before, I highly recommend it. And when you finish it, you need to read its sequel, Mountains of Spices. This book continues the story of Much Afraid who journeyed to the High Places of the Shepherd and whose name was changed to Grace and Glory. Written in allegorical form, Mountains of Spices compares the spices found in the Song of Solomon with the fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5: 22-23. For example, it is on the Mountain of Saffron that Grace and Glory learns of longsuffering from the flowers bearing that name and growing on this mountain.

As different members of Grace and Glory’s family renew their acquaintance and relationship with her since her transformation at the High Places, one by one they, too, are transformed as they enter into friendship with the Shepherd. Just as He did with Grace and Glory, changing her name from Much Afraid, the Shepherd changes the name of each one as a sign of how He has changed their character and their hearts. Mrs. Dismal Forebodings becomes Mrs. Thanksgiving, Spiteful is given the name Compassion, and Grace and Glory’s cousin, Craven Fear – the one who in large part drove her to the Shepherd in Hind’s Feet – is given the name Fearless Witness.

You may see yourself in many of the characters of Mountains of Spices - perhaps even before their transformations. But hopefully, you will change even as they did – as they got to know the Shepherd better and made a decision to enter into a relationship with Him. Hurnard herself sums up her book best: “I have tried to show as clearly as possible that the very characteristics and weaknesses of temperament with which we were born. . . can be transformed into their exact opposites and can therefore produce in us the loveliest of all qualities.”

Yes, transformation is possible. But only by God through the power of the Holy Spirit and through a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:19

*This post originally appeared here last year. But I am currently reading the sequel to this book and will post a review soon. So I thought it would be a good time to re-post and encourage you to read this wonderful book in preparation for reading the sequel!

A much-loved passage of Scripture found in Habbakuk 3:17-19 says:

Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.  The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places.

What a glorious anthem of trust to our God! His ways are so far above our ways that oftentimes we must simply trust in Who He is even when our circumstances seem bleak and hopeless. The book Hinds’ Feet On High Places: The Original And Complete Allegory With A Devotional For Women by Hannah Hurnard obviously gets its title from these verses in Habbakuk. Originally published in 1955, it is an allegory that has become a Christian classic.

In the style of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character Much-Afraid journeys to the High Places of the Shepherd. She is accompanied by two guides: Sorrow and Suffering. Much-Afraid learns many spiritual lessons along the way about herself, but, more importantly, about the Shepherd. There are many spiritual lessons that we can learn as well within the pages of this special novel.

Please read Hinds’ Feet On High Places. I know that you will be blessed and encouraged. And I believe you will also be able to sing along with Habbakuk and his hymn of praise to our great and glorious God who gives us hope when there seems to be no hope.

Today I was reminded how much I love this book - The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. About seven years ago, a friend lent me his copy and said, “I think you’ll like this book.” The copy he gave me came with a journal. Not being the journaling type, he said I could keep the journal but he wanted his book back when I was done. So I read the book, worked through the journal, and I did, indeed, like it. I liked it very much.

The reasons I like this book are myriad. However, most of what I love about this book can be expressed in just one word: simple. Its simple, easy-to-understand theology does not take a Doctorate of Divinity to understand. Just the word “theology” conjures up all sorts of connotations, some of which may be negative. A simple definition of theology is a study of God and God’s relation to the world. Sometimes theology is expressed by theologians in words and thoughts that are difficult for everyday people to understand. But in The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren presents the teachings of the Bible and ideas about God in ways that everyone can understand. He simplifies the message of the Bible without sacrificing the truth found there.

The Purpose Driven Life is a wonderful book for people new to the Christian faith as well as people who are seeking meaning and purpose in their lives. It is written in simple, down to earth language and explains basic doctrines of the Bible in a way that anyone can understand. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever asked the question, “What on earth am I here for?” However, I also recommend it to those who may not struggle with this question but who are interested in helping others find a meaningful answer to it.

At Precept Camden we are currently studying the Precept Upon Precept Bible study called Covenant: Knowing God’s Covenant. (For more information on joining our study online, click here.) As I’ve said before, it is my favorite Bible study.

The first mention of covenant in the Bible is found in Genesis 6. God makes a covenant with Noah to save him and his family from the destruction of the worldwide flood that He is going to send to destroy the whole earth because of the wickedness of the people. This covenant is confirmed and expanded in Genesis 9. The sign of the covenant was, of course, the rainbow. The covenant was with Noah and his descendants which obviously included his sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Thus the concept of covenant was carried to other cultures as Noah’s sons reproduced and migrated to other parts of the world (Genesis 10).

In his book Peace Child, Don Richardson tells of his discovery of an analogy of redemption within the culture of the Sawi, a Stone Age people of New Guinea. Using this analogy already present in their cultural understanding, he was able to translate the message of redemption through Jesus Christ found in the Bible.

Where did this redemption analogy come from within Sawi culture? Where do other redemption analogies – including covenant – come from in separated and isolated cultures all over the world? They were certainly passed down through the ages from their ancestors. But where did they originate? I believe there is a common thread that goes back to Noah. As his sons spread out over the earth, they took with them the covenant that God made with their father. They took with them the promise of redemption through the seed of the woman (Eve) promised in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:15). They carried with them the knowledge of God that they gained through their father’s relationship with Him as well as the knowledge that He Himself placed within them (Romans 1:19).

Read this fascinating book and see if you can see the common thread that we share with Noah since we are all his descendants. It is a compelling addition to a study of covenant in the Bible.

If you want to better understand the concept of covenant taught in the Bible, then you need to read both of these books: The Blood Covenant by H. Clay Trumbull and The Two Covenants by Andrew Murray. Both are great companions to the Precept inductive Bible study called Covenant: Knowing God’s Covenant which Precept Camden will be starting on August 31, 2010. For information on how you can join us in person or online, go here.

Studying the Bible inductively means that you use the Bible as your main text instead of books about the Bible. However, that doesn’t mean that other books cannot be helpful and enriching to your study of the Word of God. It just means that you should start with the Bible and dig every nugget of truth out of it before you turn to the opinions of man written in books by man.

The Blood Covenant and The Two Covenants are great additions to the Precept Study on Covenant. Both are available in Precept Camden’s store.

A little over a year ago, my church enacted its plan to connect its members to one another through Community Groups  - small groups which meet in homes during the week for fellowship, prayer, games, food (of course!), and the Word of God. Not a new concept, I know. Although the purpose of our CG’s is not in-depth Bible study, we still want the Word of God to be a part of our time together. All of our CG’s do the same study at the same time. It really brings a cohesiveness to our church body and allows people from different groups to share what they are learning.

Our Community Group Pastor decided that the first book we would do as CG’s would be Crazy Love by Francis Chan. How did it go over? Overwhelmingly, undisputably, unanimously we LOVED it. Loved it. L-O-V-E-D’d it. We would marry it if we could. That’s how much we loved it. We CRAZY loved it.

Francis Chan is awesome. He reminds me of the Christians that I grew up watching, admiring, following. The kind of Christianity he talks about is the kind that was modeled to me at home and at church as I grew up in a wonderful community of faithful family and friends. For many, Crazy Love was a call to a higher walk with God. For me, it was a call back to the fundamental truths of the Christian walk. For you, it may be a little of both.

If you are in a small group, please get the books and the dvd and do this study together. If you aren’t in a small group, please read this book yourself. I think you’ll love it, too.

The Crazy Love book and dvd are available in the Precept Camden Store under Small Group Studies.

A few years ago I picked up a small book by Amy Carmichael called If. I had been introduced to the writings of Amy Carmichael through the ministry of Elisabeth Elliot who had been greatly influenced by her. She wrote an excellent biography about Amy and her 55-year ministry in Dohnavur, India, called A Chance to Die. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

But the book I want to tell you about is If. It is only 94 pages long, but it is one of the most powerful and convicting 94 pages you will ever read. Each page begins with the statement “If I. . .” and ends with the statement, “. . . then I know nothing of Calvary love.” She cuts to the motives of the heart with each statement testing the true depth of our love and comparing it to the love of Christ – the love which led Him to give His life at Calvary.

Here’s one: “If I covet any place on earth but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” That convicted this Navy wife on more than one occasion when faced with orders to change locations. How about this one: “If I take offense easily, if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Ouch. That hurts.

If you want a better understanding of Calvary love. . . If you want to hold your heart up to a mirror. . . If you aren’t afraid of the ugliness you may see there. . . If you want to love like Christ. . . then get If. Read one page per week. Contemplate it. Meditate on it. Then love with a Calvary kind of love.

If and A Chance to Die are both available in the Precept Camden Store in the right sidebar.

Spiritual gifts are one of those topics that can either unite or divide theologians, Bible study students, or even friends. The subject of spiritual gifts is covered in 4 main Bible passages: 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4, and Ephesians 4. In each of these passages, unity in the body of Christ when dealing with spiritual gifts is emphasized . In Ephesians 4:3 – a key passage dealing with spiritual gifts – the Apostle Paul urges Christians to be “diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” So why is there such division in the body about this subject? I believe it is because many people have not actually studied the Bible to see what it says about spiritual gifts.

After studying through the 4 main passages listed above, a good commentary on this subject is Leslie B. Flynn’s book 19 Gifts of the Spirit. Easy to understand and thoroughly researched, this book provides excellent insight into each gift listed in Scripture. Other commentators may number the gifts differently – and you may, too, after you have thoroughly studied. That’s okay. Flynn’s book is still a valuable tool when studying spiritual gifts.

At Precept Camden we are currently studying this subject using the Precept Upon Precept workbook on Spiritual Gifts to guide us through the scriptures. If you’d like to study with us online, you can go here to see how to do that. Once you have learned everything you can about spiritual gifts, go here for help on how to find out what your gift is.