M U S I C G O O N

The CSB Connecting Scripture New Testament is a study Bible that highlights biblical allusions, quotations, and illustrations throughout the New Testament. It is an excellent Bible study tool, featuring an outstanding cross-reference system that traces Old Testament allusions, quotations, and parallels found in the New Testament.

Edited by Gregory K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd, this volume helps readers see the grand narrative of Scripture and the overarching story of God's redemption. You'll gain a sharper understanding of how the New Testament authors use the Old Testament.

Explore Extensive Theological Connections

For example, John 1:1 alludes to Genesis 1:1. Throughout the New Testament, the study notes identify these types of connections and explain their significance, making this an excellent resource for sermon preparation or in-depth Bible study.

In Made to Rest, Aimee Joseph shows where to find true peace in a world that never stops. This book guides readers to Christ—the cure for our restlessness.

Assurance and Peace

In Chapter 1, Joseph shares how this book is personal, explaining her failed attempts to find rest through striving for complete control. She shows how assurance and peace are tied to the character and sovereignty of God.

I was most moved by Chapter 2, where Joseph explores God's rightful jealousy when we seek satisfaction in idols—Amazon packages, vacation plans, and new shoes. I was reminded that our deepest and most enduring pleasure must be rooted in God and enjoyed through his people.

Union and Freedom

The book is also challenging. Joseph addresses pain, explaining that "the only way out of the pain his providence allows is through it with his presence and promises." Our union with Christ means that although we live in a broken world, our lives and our rest remain hidden and secure with him. He also gives us freedom from having to prove ourselves, inviting us instead to rest in his righteousness.

I was particularly interested in how Joseph connects rest with repentance and Sabbath-keeping. This was especially convicting because I can sometimes frame "resting in God" as a strictly theological endeavor. In fact, God invites us to rest. Sunday mornings are not wasted time when they are spent resting with God and his people.

Appreciation and Confidence

Toward the end of the book, Joseph teaches that rhythms of rest provide the long-term resilience needed to make it all the way home to our Redeemer. Daily liturgies, breath prayers, and keeping pace with the Spirit are practical ways to incorporate rest into the workweek.

In The Pleasures of God, John Piper proclaims God's delight in being God. Henry Scougal said that the worth and excellency of a soul are measured by the object of its love. Piper takes this quote and applies it to God. If the pleasures of God are the measure of His excellency or glory, then meditating on these pleasures holds out great hope for being changed into His likeness.

An Exuberantly Happy God

Chapter 1 begins by examining God's pleasure in His Son. With contagious joy, Piper presents Jesus as our true treasure and King. Because their relationship has existed from all eternity, we see that God is, and always has been, an exuberantly happy God.

In characteristic Piper fashion, he shows how God can take pleasure in His sovereignty over suffering. He demonstrates that, in one sense, God does not delight in the death of the wicked, yet He does all that He pleases. God is sovereign over all suffering and sin. We can be confident that God is in control, that He is good, and that His ways are wise.

Deep Joy

This book covers a wide range of topics. Chapters 3 and 4 address nature and missions. In Chapter 5, Piper presents one of the best defenses and explanations of election that I have read. In Chapter 6, he carefully explains God's pleasure in bruising His Son. The chapter ends with a parable penned by Piper that left me in awe of our Lord's great love and deep joy.

Piper employs wonderful, poetic language throughout the book. Piper describes what he imagines to be the sound of God singing as the roar of the sun mingled with the tender, warm crackling of logs in a living-room fireplace on a cozy winter's night. He says that God's joy in His people is like a bridegroom's joy over his bride, with honeymoon-intensity pleasure, energy, excitement, enthusiasm, and enjoyment forever.

God Does As He Pleases

In The Church Behind Barbed Wire, Tom Sugimura shares the true story of faith, family, and dignity among Japanese Americans during their incarceration in World War II.

This story is personal for Sugimura, as his grandparents were incarcerated at Manzanar. He writes openly and honestly for children while showcasing the hope that God gives to his people.

Faith Like a Child

The story is told through the eyes of Johnny as he tries to make sense of what is happening around him. With childlike innocence and faith, readers journey alongside him as he navigates and comes to understand his circumstances.

Amy K. Lam's illustrations are brilliant and beautiful, making a difficult subject easier for children to grasp and visualize.

A Light in the Dark

The church remained a shining light in the darkest of times. What I loved most was reading about Christians from different denominations coming together and seeing how faith sustained the Japanese American church.

J. C. Ryle's Expository Thoughts on the Gospels is an outstanding collection of wisdom and insight. Throughout these volumes, Ryle demonstrates an excellent ability to make profound biblical truths both accessible and memorable.

Brief, Punchy, Memorable

Ryle's words have been modernized, and the result is a smooth, eloquent, and straightforward read. His observations are both cutting and convicting: "The poorest person who understands their Bible knows more about religion than the wisest philosophers of Greece and Rome." "Intellect and money are worth nothing without grace."

While these volumes are brilliant commentaries, they also serve as wonderful devotional reads. Ryle's reflections are not lengthy, but brief, punchy, and memorable -- stemming from the clarity and directness that characterized his famous tract-writing ministry. His reflections come with solid theology and sound interpretation.

Rich in Biblical Insight and Wisdom

The seven-volume box set features a high-quality, quarter-bound artisanal design. The collection is a work of art, and my wife even stopped to remark on how stunning it was.

Gathered Today helps families grow stronger through simple, Scripture-centered tools for meaningful conversation and connection. I love their mission and found their cards to be a wonderful way to connect with my kids!

Family Conversation Cards

The Family Conversation Cards consist of 150 questions that were fun for my family. While I usually get "I don't know" answers when I ask my children about their day or their thoughts, these pointed questions got them talking quickly.

When I asked my daughter, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" she said, "A princess!" I was able to remind her that she is already a princess because she is God's daughter. She then said she wanted to be a mom, and that warmed my heart. At the bottom of the card was a prompt to read Jeremiah 29:11 and reflect on God's good plans for his people -- a word I was happy to share with my daughter.

Family Theology Cards

The Family Theology Cards consist of 150 Christian concepts with clear definitions and accompanying Bible verses. I appreciate that these definitions are short, succinct, and grounded in Scripture. I enjoyed running through them myself and brushing up on my theology.

When I selected a card on fellowship ("spending time with other Christians to encourage and build one another up"), I was able to talk to my kids about going to church and why we have small groups to share, encourage one another, and pray together. The accompanying Bible verses were Acts 2:42 and 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

Simple, Strong, and Strategic

In All of Me, Cheryl Marshall writes on pursuing a life wholly devoted to God. This is a book about how you can dedicate your entire life to worshiping the Lord.

She begins the book by explaining why whole-life worship is both biblical and a blessed way to live. I was especially interested to read about the offerings in the Old Testament: the guilt offering, the sin offering, the peace offering, the grain offering, and the burnt offering. She culminates in Romans 12:1, which calls us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

Throughout the book, Marshall details how to devote yourself to God. What challenged me most were the five principles she gives for approving the will of God. Using these tests helps us make choices that are in line with God’s Word. They include daily renewing your mind with Scripture, remembering that God’s will is always good, knowing that God has given us the commands and principles of Scripture for all of life, and understanding that we must be people of the Book.

Pleasing to God

Toward the end of the book, she shares five wills of God that are worthy of our wholehearted pursuit: be filled with the Spirit, pursue sexual purity, give thanks, submit to authority, and suffer righteously.

After reading this book, I am motivated to examine every area of my life and give it over wholly to God. Understanding the concept of whole-life worship was pivotal for me as a young Christian. Realizing that worship extends far beyond what we do on Sunday and encompasses every aspect of life transformed the way I thought about following Christ.

In The Weightiness of Preaching, Doug Logan, Jr and Matt Cohen help you apply Francis Grimké’s enduring wisdom to your preaching. Francis Grimké’s legacy as a Reformed Black preacher is esteemed, and this book offers timeless wisdom for modern preaching.

Powerful

One of the most moving ideas for me in the book is the belief that every failure to carefully and thoroughly prepare for preaching is ultimately a failure to grasp the significance of the God-given moment. Yet, even with thorough preparation, we still depend completely on the Holy Spirit. Passion, preparation, and dependence on the Spirit are my greatest takeaways.

This book emphasizes that the real power and touch of God in the pulpit comes from experiencing God outside of the preaching moment. If I may put it in my own words: you must walk with God before you can walk with Him into the pulpit.

I must most convicted to read how preaching should draw attention to Christ rather than to ourselves. The book warns against being concerned with receiving invitations to preach outside your church and instead urges ministers to focus entirely on exalting Christ. This serves as a strong challenge to today’s event-driven speaking culture, especially in an age of celebrity pastors and preachers.

Helpful

Interestingly, the book also argues that helpful preaching, not great preaching, should be our goal. Unhelpful preaching may still be eloquent, entertaining, or even highly academic, yet still fail because it draws attention to the preacher rather than to Christ. The response of the congregation can help us discern whether our sermons are truly helping people or merely impressing them.

Toward the end of the book, readers are reminded that preaching is a privilege. Preachers are encouraged to see ourselves as representatives of God, standing between the living and the dead. Preaching is both a sacred responsibility and a God-given opportunity.

In Culture Care, Makoto Fujimura writes about reconnecting with beauty for our common life.

The book helps readers cultivate practices that care for the soul of our culture. Fujimura writes, "Culture is not a territory to be won or lost but a resource we are called to steward with care. Culture is a garden to be cultivated."

Beauty

Culture Care begins by addressing the problem of isolation. Community is difficult, and there is a need to build bridges between people. Art can help accomplish this.

Fujimura next explores the role of beauty in culture care. Beauty cultivates an appetite for the best things of the soul. Like good food, beauty requires time to absorb and digest.

He defines beauty as a quality connected with things that are inherently appealing and desirable. Beauty is a delight, a refreshment, and a pleasure. It invites us in and is worthy of our attention. It connects us with lasting satisfaction. He points us to a Christian understanding of beauty that includes gratuity, stewardship, justice, and sacrifice.

Border Crossers

I was most moved by Fujimura's discussion of mearcstapas—border crossers. I learned to embrace my identity as an artist and to see how that identity helps me as a leader. I better understand how I can preach not merely as an academic, but also as an artist.

I was most challenged to view art not simply as something practical, but as an expression of love. Art allows us to become more fully human. I was also challenged because I am deeply aware of the commercialization of Christian books and the temptation to turn ministry into a means of financial gain. I do not want to be a peddler of the gospel, and Fujimura's work calls me back to that conviction.

Alongside other artists, I am resolved to focus on creating "Genesis moments" that are generous and generational. The book concludes with an encouragement to till gospel soil. In many ways, culture care is the work of cultivating the soil in which the gospel can flourish.

Wonder

This second edition has been newly revised with relevant discussions on culture wars and artificial intelligence. New material includes reflections on generative thinking and culture care as a form of public theology.

In Thirty-Second Theology, Sinclair B. Ferguson uses a clear question-and-answer format to help readers build and strengthen their faith. The book presents foundational Christian doctrines in a concise and accessible way.

The book is divided into six broad sections: (1) What We Believe, (2) Becoming and Being a Christian, (3) Living for God and His Glory, (4) The Bible and Prayer, (5) The Church, the Sacraments, and Our Witness to Christ, and (6) The Future. You can read it straight through or use it as a devotional or teaching resource over time.

Help Students Grow

One of my favorite features is the memory verses included with each Q&A. They help students ground what they are learning in Scripture and allow those truths to take root in their minds and hearts.

In Jonathan Edwards: The Boy Who Sparked Revival, David Mathis introduces young readers to one of the most influential pastors and theologians in American history.

The book traces Edwards's love for God's Word and his lifelong commitment to studying, writing, and preaching the Scriptures. It shows how God used an ordinary boy with a deep love for truth to play a significant role in the revival known as the Great Awakening.

Study and Teach Scripture

I was most interested to read Edwards's disagreement with his grandfather's view that people could participate in the Lord's Supper without a genuine faith in Jesus Christ. Edwards believed the church should uphold the importance of a credible profession of faith.

In Elisabeth Elliot: The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love, Ellen Vaughn introduces young readers to the life and legacy of one of Christianity's most influential missionaries.

I was most moved on its emphasis on forgiveness. Through Elisabeth's response to the Waorani people who killed her husband, Jim Elliot, readers see a powerful picture of the forgiveness and love that Jesus extends to sinners.

Forgiveness and Frontier Missions

I appreciated how this book celebrates the work of women in God's kingdom, showcasing Elisabeth as a pioneering frontier missionary, author, and teacher. It concludes by sharing how she wrote more than 40 books and taught people around the world about trusting God, even when life is incredibly difficult.

In All About the Bible, Alison Mitchell shares more than 100 amazing facts about God's Word. As a child, I loved reading encyclopedias like this, and All About the Bible captures that same sense of discovery and wonder.

Explore and Learn

The book covers a wide range of topics, including the overall story of the Bible, the different books that make up Scripture, the people who wrote it, notable Bible characters, and even unusual Bibles throughout history. My favorite sections were those on Bible translations and how the Bible was preserved and passed down through history.

Designed by Andre Parker, the book is visually engaging and packed with timelines, maps, graphics, spotlight features, and full-color photographs. The layout is fun and inviting, making it easy for children to explore and learn.

Know, Trust, and Love

As a children's ministry leader, I often receive questions from students about the Bible's accuracy, how we got the Bible, and the geography of biblical lands. This book addresses many of those questions in an accessible and engaging way.

In Storing Up Treasure, Kyle Bjerga shares 30 memory verses to learn, live, and love. The book is divided into four sections: Moments in My Day, Moments in My Life, Thinking About Myself and God, and How I Feel.

This book is highly interactive, functioning much like a journal with a variety of prompts and activities. The "Go Deeper" sections help readers understand each verse. The "Go Wider" sections take readers across the Bible to explore each theme further. The "Get Creative" sections provide activities and ideas that help children engage with Scripture in meaningful ways.

A Chest Full of Gold

Storing Up Treasure includes verses from both the Old and New Testaments, and they are excellent selections. From Lamentations 3:22–23 to Colossians 3:12, these passages are among the most treasured verses in Scripture. It also includes passages that address temptation, sin, and confession—topics I was glad to see covered in a children's book.

In Daddy, How Much Do You Love Me?, Matt Markins shows how the love between a father and son can point us to the love of our heavenly Father.

Markins, president of AWANA, clearly sees the family as foundational. With tender emotion, he shares the story of a father and son spending the day together and making memories. Written for children ages 4–7, the book is filled with wonderful and engaging illustrations by Daniela Sosa.

Cherish Your Children

This book gave me words to speak to my own children about the joy they bring me and the love that I have for them. It helped me see how I can always point them to the greater love of our heavenly Father. It also challenged me to cherish and make the most of the time I have with them.

In Battling Unbelief, John Piper shows how to defeat sin with superior pleasure. Piper demonstrates how to apply the promises of God found in Scripture.

Future Grace

This book is an excerpt from his larger work, Future Grace: The Purifying Power of the Promises of God. It contains the application chapters—the ones that illustrate how faith in future grace severs the root of sin and sets free the stream of love. As a result, it is an intensely practical book.

Piper addresses anxiety, pride, misplaced shame, impatience, covetousness, bitterness, despondency, and lust. In each case, he shows how unbelief is a turning away from God in order to find satisfaction in something else—an inferior pleasure.

Interestingly, Piper argues that the unbelief of pride is the deepest form of unbelief because self-determination and self-exaltation lie behind all these other sinful dispositions. Wisdom, might, and riches often become sources of pride as we fail to see that God is better. Piper combats them with precision and skill.

The Fight of Faith

I was most moved by the chapter on battling covetousness, especially in a social media age where statistics, followers, and numbers are displayed for all to see. Piper walks readers through key biblical texts, culminating in 1 Timothy 6:6: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”

I was most challenged by the chapter on battling bitterness, especially when it comes to forgiving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Piper points us to the cross, where we see that vengeance still belongs to the Lord and has been satisfied in Christ, as the punishment for sin was laid upon Him.

In Written on the Heart, Stephen Steele shows how the law of God is still relevant and needs to be remembered today. In a world that increasingly disregards any fixed standard of law or morality, this book is a timely reminder that God’s commands are good, wise, and enduring.

I was most helped by his explaining of the threefold division of the law: the moral law (the unchanging core, summarized in the Ten Commandments), the ceremonial law (regulating Israel’s sacrificial system and matters such as ceremonial cleanliness), and the judicial law (specific laws to be obeyed by the nation of Israel in the Promised Land). While the last two have become obsolete, they are still relevant for understanding God. He uses the language of “expansion packs,” which is helpful for understanding how the later laws relate to the Ten Commandments.

God's Laws, Our Good

Chapter 5 gives eight principles for teaching the Ten Commandments to others. I was most moved to see that the believer receives them from Christ, who has kept them perfectly. And we can please God in faith. Interestingly, the book goes into errors of New Covenant Theology. I was most affirmed to read that progressive revelation does not require progressive morality.