Tag: Recommended

“Thriving at College” by Alex Chediak

~ Bob Hayton ~ 2 Comments

For high school graduates everywhere, just a couple months remain before that first year of college kicks off. After the accolades and the fun are over, the sense of accomplishment and new-found responsibility will set in. Then everything that you still have to prepare for and do prior to moving into the dorm will come crashing down. I know, I’ve been there.

With all the textbooks you’ll soon be purchasing, wouldn’t it be nice if there was just one textbook for how to survive the college years? Well, now there is. Alex Chediak, a college professor and true “insider”, has given us a new book, Thriving at College. The book is designed for Christian young adults in particular as they prepare for college. Alex doesn’t just want you to survive, he hopes to help you thrive.

The book is laid out in a helpful format. It’s clear, easy to read, and very practical. He discusses such matters as finances and choosing your major, as well as relational items like how you shouldn’t stay too connected with your old high school friends, as that can distract you from your real purpose. He also deals with navigating relationship issues, prioritizing your time and classes, who to befriend, and how much time to spend on your homework — warning, we’re talking a lot of time!

Sprinkled throughout the book are his own personal experiences, real life stories shared from others, questions and answers, and various facts and figures. Did you know that more than 40% of college grads are still living with their parents three years later? Or that 70% of young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly in high school will stop attending church at all for at least one year between the ages of 18 and 22?

Going to college, as a Christian, can really be a test of your faith (as the above statistic indicates). Chediak’s book will arm you with practical advice and answers to common criticisms of Christianity. He also offers sound biblical teaching on how to own your own faith.

I’ve met Alex, and can attest that he’s a great guy. He’s also written one of the most helpful books on singleness and marriage that I’ve read (see my review here). His advice on dating and relationships in college is extremely helpful. Alex also speaks from years of experience both in the college setting and in other venues working with Christian young people.

Thriving at College covers the whole gamut of the college experience. It truly has something for everyone. Study tips, schedules, eating advice, how to deal with your parents — all of this and more are addressed. Yet the book isn’t very long, and doesn’t have to be read in order. The chapter contents are clearly enough indicated that it can be used as a manual, to be referenced when needed. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter allow for its use as a book that parents read along with their children, or for use as a small group study in the summer before college.

I have no hesitation in recommending Thriving at College for any high school graduate. It would make a great gift for a graduate you may know. And if you’re the soon-to-be college student, use some of that graduation money and pick up a copy of this book. It will be one of the most helpful textbooks you’ll buy, and the cheapest!

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Tyndale House Publishers for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

You can pick up a copy of this book from any of these fine retailers: Westminster Bookstore, Christianbook.com, Amazon.com, or direct from Tyndale House.

Fighter Verses Song CD and Giveaway

~ Bob Hayton

Some friends of mine have been involved in putting Bible verses to music to help aid Bible memory. At my old church, Bethlehem Baptist Church, where Pastor John Piper ministers, they developed a Bible memory system called the Fighter Verse Program. Over the last several years, several church members have been writing songs to accompany the verses and the result has been a series of Bible memory song CDs.

I wanted to spread the word that they will be giving away five copies of their most recent CD. You can go to the Fighter Verse Songs blog for details on the giveaway. At their blog, you can listen to song samples, subscribe via RSS to the verses and songs, and learn more about the Fighter Verse Program.

40% Discount on KJB: The King James Bible – The Book that Changed the World (DVD)

~ Bob Hayton ~ 5 Comments

Westminster Bookstore has a special deal on the DVD documentary: KJB: The King James Bible – The Book that Changed the World. This DVD is a first-rate and tells the story of the making of the King James Bible well.

I have reviewed the DVD in full here.

At 40% off the regular retail price, this may be the time to pick up this DVD. You can also compare the price at ChristianBook.com and Amazon.com.

Here is the trailer:

~cross posted from my group site: KJVOnlyDebate.com

The Reformed Expository Commentary Series, 50% off at WTSBooks.Com

~ Bob Hayton ~ 1 Comment

I highly recommend the Reformed Expository Commentary Series from P & R Publishing. The commentaries are written by superb pastor-teachers from a Reformed standpoint. They deal with the exegetical questions but make sure to apply the text pastorally. And the series explicitly aims to be Christ-centered in its approach.

You can read my detailed review of Daniel Doriani’s commentary on James here. After reading that commentary, I have wanted to get the whole series. With this new sale at Westminster Bookstore, just announced, I was able to pick up the last volumes I don’t already have.

Here’s the scoop: if you purchase three or more titles, you can get a 50% discount. If you purchase the set, it’s 52%. Individual volumes are discounted 45%. Plus, if you purchase a few volumes you can qualify for the $1 shipping with UPS. On my order, it was only 1 buck total for shipping — you can’t beat that.

Check out the sample pages from the latest volume in the series, 1 Kings by Philip Graham Ryken.

Watch the trailer below, and read the series description, then go check out Westminster Bookstore’s sale.

Reformed Rap: The Sound of the Reformed Resurgence

~ Bob Hayton ~ 4 Comments

Christianity Today recently highlighted Reformed Rap and Hip-Hop. Click here, to see a PDF of an entire page describing the key Reformed artists and this new phenomenon.

Some of the key rappers include: Trip Lee, currently a pastoral intern under Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church; Marcus Gray (Flame), studying for a master’s degree in biblical counseling at Southern Seminary; Curtis Allen (Voice), an assistant pastor in Maryland; Shai Linne; Timothy Brindle; and LeCrae. All of these men are involved in ministry beyond their music, and all are affected deeply by Reformed Theology.

Here are a few excerpts from CT’s write-up.

SPOTLIGHT: Reformed Rap and Hip-Hop

Not since Maranatha! and contemporary praise emerged from Chuck Smith’s Calvary Chapel in the 1970s has a genre of Christian music become so associated with a specific stream of evangelicalism. And while not all Christian rappers are Reformed, nor do all see themselves as preachers and teachers working in a musical medium, the growing edge of the movement is explicitly taking its cues from Calvinist leaders. Several tracks have included direct references to (and even sermon clips from) John MacArthur, John Piper, C. J. Mahaney, and other pastors, and Curtis “Voice” Allen’s recent rap on the Westminster Catechism (with theologian D. A. Carson) went viral in March””as did his Heidelberg Catechism rap last October.

Is it the sound of Reformed resurgence?

While hip-hop has become a staple of young Reformed conferences, it’s not yet the dominant sound and it rarely appears in Reformed churches, said D. A. Carson. “I doubt that hip-hop with Reformed lyrics will ever become a primarily congregational corporate worship medium. It is a performance medium, and as such it is very useful for communicating with certain groups of people. . . . But that does not make it inappropriate for the more limited goals that it achieves quite strikingly at the moment.”

“The genre allows the rapper to cram loads of biblical and theological content in a single verse. I think we love hearing the Scripture “˜preached’ lyrically. Second, there is a “˜cool factor,’ which has helped bridge generational and cultural divides. But we can’t explain this without acknowledging the sovereign workings of God.” “” Thabiti Anyabwile, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman

“Reformed hip-hop is a theologically driven masculinity movement. It says no to the prom songs to Jesus in CCM, no to whiny emo Christian music for hipsters, and no to empty, shallow, individualistic Christian music lacking theological content produced out of Nashville.” “” Anthony Bradley, associate professor of theology and ethics at The King’s College and author of Liberating Black Theology

Many conservative Christians, and fundamentalists in particular, refuse to endorse rap music or hip-hop of any kind. They cannot think of the genre without its cultural associations with a sinful lifestyle. But conservative evangelical leaders see the value in this music and the movement under-girding it. John Piper has interviewed LeCrae personally, and Desiring God has produced a three part video interview of him as well. Desiring God partnered with LeCrae’s Reach Records for a Don’t Waste Your Life tour. Mark Driscoll has interviewed LeCrae too, and Mark Dever interviewed Voice and Shai Linne (see the video here).

I’ve highlighted this musical phenomenon before (here and here), and I encourage you to listen to the music before rejecting it out right. I have a CD by Timothy Brindle entitled Killing Sin, which is basically John Owen’s On the Mortification of Sin translated into a new medium. Shai Linne has a CD called The Atonement which explains in depth the intricacies of limited atonement, substitutionary atonement and more. The music requires a high degree of lyrical intricacy, poetry and a command of language, not to mention an artistic sense. The songs these men are producing are excellent and filled with God honoring lyrics. Check out Reach Records or Lampmode Recordings for audio samples and lyrics.

I pray the Reformed Rap movement will continue to pick up steam and influence the hearts and minds of many people for Christ.