Sex matters

by Jonathan McKee
2015 / 122 pages
Condition: new
Number: I have maybe 15

A book for parents to give to their teens to discuss. It includes discussion questions. It is short. It is godly. You can read a review of it on ReformedPerspective.ca here, and below I share some quotes.

IS IT WISE TO BE SO UP FRONT WHEN TALKING WITH OUR KIDS?
“I’ve never met a parent who engaged in conversations with their kids about sex too much. Not one. Ever. But in my over twenty years of youth ministry, and a decade of writing and speaking to parents, I’ve met thousands of parents who have done the exact opposite and looked back in regret….The world is full of explicit lies. Sadly, very few people are telling our kids the explicit truth. But we need to. I need to. You need to. If we don’t, our kids will look for the answer somewhere else…”

“SIN CAN BE FUN…FOR THE MOMENT”
“[In a recent Psychology Today article Dr. Mark] White defined two types of sexual ‘happiness’: the animalistic thrill-of-the-moment happiness you can experience when you are promiscuous (sleeping with whoever you want) and a deeper, longer-lasting, more fulfilling happiness when you are monogamous (have one partner for life). Which do you think sounds better in the long run? Can a monogamous person experience both the quick thrill of sex and the longer lasting happiness?”

DON’T LOOK FOR LOOPHOLES
“Some people still try to find a loophole. Maybe porn is okay, right? Because then we aren’t actually have sex with anyone else. We’re just sort of…pretending to have sex! During the time Jesus was walking around on earth he encountered some people like this. They were thinking, So long as I don’t have sex, it’s okay. I’ll just think about it in my mind! Jesus himself decided to address this, calling it lust and labeling it just as bad as adultery ….(Matthew 5:27-29) Jesus wasn’t pulling any punches here. If you’re thinking about it, you’re no better than someone who is doing it.”

ON FLEEING TEMPTATION
“Fact: Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush….How many of are going to store it right next to the toilet by the toilet paper roll? ….Most of us will probably store our toothbrush about twenty feet away if possible…. There is a principle here: If we discover danger to be within a certain proximity, we avoid that proximity completely. Why don’t we do that with sexual temptation?”

THE “PROCESS” IS DESIGNED TO BE CONTINUED
“Any teen who has been alone with someone they are attracted to and allowed the process to start knows that it is like trying to stop a forest fire after a drought! So why is it so difficult to stop? Because it’s not supposed to be stopped!”

Five $5 offerings for January

This is, once again, an offer available only for those in and around Lynden - basically anyone who is willing to come by and collect, because we don't deliver. And if you don't know where my house is, then this isn't for you :)

As will be the rule, all offerings below are listed at $5, and I will take down an offer when/if it sells.


5 Credenda Agenda issues x 2

This is a magazine put out by the folks in and around Moscow, Idaho and over the years has featured contributions by Douglas Wilson, Ben Merkle, Roy Atwood, and Peter Leithart.

I have two 5 issue "sets" to offer

Set #1 - Issues: Vol 11 #1, Vol 12 #2, Vol 14 #1 & #2, Vol 15 #4

Set #2 - Issues: Vol 16 #1 & #2 & #4, Vol 18 #1, Vol 19 #3

Condition only all of them is good (they've been read, and are all still holding together)


Randy Alcorn mystery trilogy: Deadline, Dominion, & Deception
 I enjoyed these, but don't see myself reading them again. Randy Alcorn might be best known for his book Heaven, in which he makes some educated guesses about what heaven will look like. There is a bit of that in these books.

Good condition, with two of the three books looking practically new


The Silver Chair - Radio Theater version
by C.S. Lewis
2000 / 3 CDs
Condition: New
Copies: I have a few

Another brilliant audio production of the book. The audio production is, once again, just fantastic - this is put out by Focus on the Family, who spared no expense.


Winston Churchill
by John Perry
158 pages / 2010
Condition: new

Churchill had been dead more than 50 years now, but if the man himself is gone, the myth is enjoying a revival. Churchill has made recent appearance in the big screen productions Churchill and Darkest Hour, and has also shown up on the small screen in the British drama Crown. Of course, we all know the camera distorts, and it's not just the ten pounds it adds, so if you want a more accurate understanding of the British Bulldog, why not turn to  print instead?

Most Churchill biographies are the size of dictionaries, and since that exceeded my interest in the man I was pleased to discover John Perry's Winston Churchill was of a more reasonable size. Since it's part of Christian publisher Thomas Nelson's 16-book Christian Encounters biography series, I wondered if that meant Churchill himself was Christian. But, no, sadly it isn't so.

It turns out that while Churchill knew his Bible, and would sometimes speak of God – particularly in rousing speeches to the British public – he thought that, if there was a God, then God owed him heaven. So no, Churchill wasn't Christian.

As Perry makes clear, Churchill had a spiritual type of fatalism. Early on Churchill came to understand that no man is in charge of his own fate; the fact that one man lives through a battle and another dies has little to do with the men themselves. So when Churchill survived a number of dangerous encounters in his youth, he grew in his conviction that he had been destined for something great. Destined by Who? The answer to that question wasn't all that pressing to Churchill. But this conviction gave him confidence, and even a certain sort of humility... but it didn't result in worship. Churchill seemed to be the greatest being that Churchill knew.

CAUTIONS

As a rule I don't recommend (or even review) books that take God's name in vain – why would I praise someone who is mocking God?

This is especially true when it comes to fiction, however, a case can be made for exceptions when it comes to history. In detailing Churchill's agnostic attitude towards God (and his son Randolph's especially arrogant view) it would seem unavoidable that some of Churchill's blasphemous quips and comments would need to be shared. But while these quotes do seem necessary, this is an instance where less is more, so we can be grateful with the restraint in which Perry shares them.

CONCLUSION

Why, then, is Churchill being profiled in this Christian series of biographies? Because we can see God's hand on the man. From birth God was preparing him to be the right man, for the right time. And He so arranged things that Churchill was in the right place too, as the war time prime minister. This was all beyond Churchill's arranging, but looking back, we can see how God laid out events, and how He can use whomever he will because, whether Christian or agnostic, all are a part of His plan.

That's the real reason to read this biography – it is a treat to see how God has acted in history to preserve His Church. Churchill was a great man in ways, but he was also a petty one in others. Had he lived today, there might even have been unfavorable comparisons made between him and our least favorite politicians: he blew through taxpayer dollars to fund his own high living, and he was known to indulge in "alternative facts" in his writings. At a different time, this great man might have been run out of politics. That's the lesson here – the greatness of this great man can't be found in the man himself. Instead what's on display is God's gracious providence in providing for us the response we need to Hitler's Third Reich.


Winston Churchill is a quick, eye-opening read that both my wife and I enjoyed. I would recommend it to anyone, teens and up, interested in learning more about one of the pivotal figures of the 20th century.

$5 book offerings for November

This is an offering, only for folks in Lynden (or nearby) who want to pick the books up at my house. If you don't know where my house is, then this isn't for you :)

As the name of the blog suggests, all these offerings are $5. Some are a single book, some are a few packaged together, some are new, others used, but the price is always $5.

I will take down the offer when/if it sells.



Clear Winter Nights
by Trevin Wax
160 pages / 2013
Condition: New
Copies: half dozen or so

This isn't your typical novel – Clear Winter Nights describes itself as "theology in story" – so the author isn't trying to be subtle about the intent of his book. He is here to teach, and he does so with flourish. Here are ten great quotes:

Don't trust in your strength, because there is such a thing as pride. Don't despair in your weakness, because there is such a thing as forgiveness.

"Are you saying that you can't be gay and Christian?"
"No, I'm saying you can't be a Christian without repentance."

"He would think I'm attacking him personally. It would be like I'm saying there's something wrong with him."
"That's just the point. Look at what King Jesus says about sex and you'll quickly realize there's something wrong with all of use. Something wrong that can only be fixed by what Jesus did for us on the cross and in His resurrection."

"There are only two ways to resolve the pressure you're feeling about being a hypocrite. You can do away with the ideal. Stop fighting your sin and abandon your faith. Or you can admit your failures. Strive in the power of the Holy Spirit and look to Jesus. Some people want to resolve hypocrisy by lowering the ideal. But instead, we ought to take the hand of Christ and move higher."

"It doesn't matter how tightly they closed her coffin. They encased it in bronze, locked it up tight and dumped six feet of dirt on top of it. But it doesn't matter. The casket will be no match for the power of the resurrection on the Last Day. Those locks will be undone. The decomposition of her old body will be reversed.... It may be winter, but spring is coming."

"The minute you think your faith is better than someone else's, you start down the path of having a superior attitude. What if we said no religion is superior? What if we said all religions are on equal footing? That would keep people from having an attitude of superiority."

 "You don't lose the attitude of superiority by saying no religion is superior. You get even more reason to feel superior. Now you're standing over against all the religions of the world, saying none is better than another. Don't you find it a wee bit prejudiced to say that we're the only ones who've figured out all religions are the same? All the while there are poor, mindless Christians or Muslims or Buddhists or Hindus across the world still groping around in the dark. Poor souls. They think their religions are better."

"No Christian who truly understands grace can feel superior to anyone else. Grace shatters any sense of superiority."

"Truth is not a formula... Truth is a Person."

Chris took a deep breath and nodded. "Sounds like you got ahold of grace."
"No," Gil said, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes. "Grace got ahold of me."

How to Argue with a Liberal and Win!

by Joel McDurmon
250 pages / 2009
Condition: New
Copies: at least a half dozen

Great book - a Reformed guy took the book "Cliches of Socialism and revised it. There are 76 chapters in all, each one 4 pages or less, and each tackling a specific liberal argument. For example:

"I prefer security to freedom"
"There ought to be a law."
"If we had no social security, many people would starve."
"Equality should be enforced by law."

John Bunyan
by Kevin Belmonte
165 pages / 2010
Condition: New
Short readable biography of the man who wrote Pilgrim's Progress.

The Horse and his Boy - Radio Theater version

by C.S. Lewis
2000 / 3 CDs
Condition: New
Copies: I have a few

Brilliant audio production of the book. Of the seven Narnia stories, I think this one is our family's favorite, and the audio production here is just fantastic - Focus on the Family went all out with the sound effects and great narrator, and actors.