merry christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have spent some time thinking and rejoicing in the birth of Christ today.

I had many plans for the day. The only one accomplished?...Going to my brother and sister-in-laws for lunch. I was also planning the following:
1. Reading a good portion of Calvin's Institutes
2. Finishing my sermon for Sunday
3. Finishing these books (20 pages or less each) Brothers We are Not Professionals, Let the Nations be Glad, Cost of Discipleship, Fit Bodies Fat Minds.
4. Going over to Nigel's. (I came home to take a quick nap and just now woke up...8 hours later)
5. Going on a quick hike up the river.

Well, hopefully I can get some of that reading done tomorrow. I'm planning on working on my sermon until I fall asleep again.

-joe

a little something for ya

I don't update this blog every day (although I think about doing it nearly every day), so I have added a little feature.
To the left at the top of the column is a little spot with some links to blogs that I like on that day. I read about 50-100 blogs per day, so I usually have read something worthy to be noted.
So now you have something to read even if I don't have anything to say.
Happy Thanksgiving (that's your Christmas present, too).

-joe

reading

Albert Mohler, the current president of the Southern Baptist Seminary, had a good blog today about reading. (He reads several books a week...and I thought I was doing good with a couple a month). His main points, summarized:

1. Read in several different genres, and do so with regularity.
2. Read major parts of Scripture (in addition to devotional study).
3. Read the entire works of some authors (my suggestions: luther, edwards, spurgeon, piper)
4. Read some big sets of works (this is somewhat linked to point 3)
5. Read some fun books
6. Write in your books (i am very lacking in this...i never write in books)
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point 7, if I can attempt to add one to Mohler's thoughts...is to read good blogs daily...like Mohler's, and Justin Taylors and the desiring God blog.
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Currently on my reading table: Desiring God - Piper, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womahood - Piper & Grudem, The Sovereignty of God - Pink, Bondage of the Will - Luther
In Scripture: Romans, Jeremiah, Psalm 25, 1 Samuel
In blogs: too many to list

What are you reading lately? Has it inspired you to draw closer to our Lord and Savior? Has Scripture challenged you to become more Christlike?

We should all be spending more time with our nose in a book rather than elsewhere, where little is accomplished in sharpening our minds. No tv at Rob's place (well, except for the daily watching of Talladega Nights) has been good for dedication to reading, both online and off.

-joe