I graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1995 with a Major in Human & Organizational Development. I almost minored in Geology. I really enjoyed studying the earth, and at that time bought into the geologic epochs, millions of years, and so on.

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Gossip... Definition...1. Casual unrestrained conversation about another person who is not there..conversation that is demeaning or slandering. 2. Idle talk. Well, boy, am I guilty of this. So many times in my life. And my idle talk has caused so much hurt. Gossip is a weapon of destruction. We don't see it that way because we don't see the souls of those we are destroying. We cannot see the deep wounds that our talk causes and many times we cannot see the horrid scars left behind. I am so thankful for grace that has forgiven me time and time again while it also works to change me. Why in the world do I ever gossip? I think the only reason that makes sense is that I love it. Have you ever gotten an adrenaline rush when you heard something that made you go "oh my?" Well, that is pretty much why we gossip because it fuels us. It makes us feel better about ourselves. But really holy people (like me and I suspect many of you) have learned to clothe gossip in robes of righteousness. We say things like this:

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It was nearly two years ago that the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School took place. Precious young lives were snuffed out by a man whose heart was evil and deranged. May God spare us another such tragedy and show us mercy.

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A wise Christian lady in the church I serve was recently sharing with me how much God had used genuine biblical accountability to grow her husband in godliness. It was a very encouraging message for this pastor to receive. I've been and will continue to try to convince the men of our church, every man in our church, to join what we call Disciple-Making Disciple Groups (or DMDs). These are gender-specific groups where 2-3 men or 2-3 women gather together to:

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The Hope of Glory: 100 Daily Meditations on Colossians by Sam Storms is an interesting hybrid of a daily devotional and a commentary. He walks through every verse of the book of Colossians, but he does it and bite size meditations perfect for someone to start their day thinking deeply about the truth of the Word of God. The title Hope of Glory is drawn from the text of Colossians itself as is most of the book. Storms is not trying to be exceptionally creative but rather simply helping the reader to understand the Scripture. He provides an excellent help to a careful reading of Colossians. It is stylisticly simple yet theologicaly substantial. I regularly read commentaries and enjoy having studied theologians walking me through the text, but often they can get rather technical and sometimes chase rabbit trails, or use unnecessarily large words. This book does get technical at some points and even makes reference to the Greek a couple times, but always in a well explained little chunk and only to make the text even more clear. The 100 daily meditations on the other hand are a breath of fresh air. They can each be read in ten minutes or less so that even the busiest person can take time to read them. The result is a reliable guide to walk you through the entire book of Colossians slowly as you read each of the manageable meditations that encourage and instruct. This is a great resource for anyone wanting to dig into the Word of God.

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I loved reading Sam Crabtree's Practicing Affirmation and found it to be one of the most practical books I have read in the long time. It's one of those books I'm sure to reread again and again. He convincingly argues for the necessity of praising others in a way that glorifies God while being careful not to flatter or build up pride. His convincing arguments are clearly from the Scripture. I came across this book while trying to understand the fine line between speaking words that build up and flattering others. I see value in giving compliments, but I've certainly seen how complements can go to people's heads. I remember listening to a highly acclaimed speaker at a photography conference. He was giving detailed instructions on how to flatter people, so that they look better in pictures, but I could not help but see how this pride producing speech was sinful. Sure I want people to look their best in my pictures of them but I'm not willing to flatter in order to make that happen. In Ephesians 4:29 Paul writes, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." I want to speak words that build up and encourage, yet I must be very careful because I certainly don't want to build up pride.

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I've read several books by Paul David Tripp and every time I both love it and hate it simultaneously. I hate it because it is so convicting and shows me my sin and I love it because when I see my sin for what it is I can start to kill it. Tripp thinks deeply about the practical matters of life and how the Bible affects ordinary mundane moments. I recently read Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp an unsurprisingly I have to give it a high recommendation. Below are some of my favorite quotes from the book. I believe they will give you a taste of why this book is worth reading.

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The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith? by John F. MacArthur is a thorough and refreshing look at how the Bible teaches that truly trusting in Jesus means following him as Lord and Savior. We don't really trust Him if we don't trust Him enough to obey His commands. MacArthur goes through passage after passage to demonstrate the overwhelming fact that Christianity is not just a ticket to heaven, but rather a radical life change in which we submit to Lord Jesus each day. We cannot have Jesus as our Savior if will not repent and have Him as our Lord.

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Delighting in the Law of the Lord: God's Alternative to Legalism and Moralism by Jerram Barrs made me think. Here are just a few quotes from the book.

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Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Gregory Koukl is a very helpful book for engaging with those who disagree with you. It's focused on speaking with unbelievers who have an entirely different worldview, but the tactics described here are helpful in any disagreement or debate in which you want to stay cool tempered and speak with love and grace. This is one I will certainly reread. Kindle ebook Price: $1.99 (Feb 23-Mar 2)

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