The Friends of the Blog program is well underway. Already many of you have chosen to join and to take advantage of the deals. Friends of the Blog is a subscription program that allows readers to help offset the costs associated with this site while gaining some great benefits. Among the items available through the…
A few days ago I wrote up a blog post welcoming Westminster Books to Canada. A lot of people left comments, which means that Westminster Books has now issued a coupon code for 15% off any order to Canada. The code is valid until November 1, so you will want to get shopping ASAP if…
At long last, WTSBooks is beta testing shipping to Canada! They wanted to launch the service sooner rather than later, and I’ve been told that by early 2012 improvements like a shipping calculator and one-screen checkout will be in place. To give a picture of how WTSBooks stacks up to the competition, I went back…
Today several hundred people are gathering in Phoenix for the 2011 Together for Adoption conference. This year the focus is on missional living, the gospel, and orphan care. There is a whole team of people liveblogging the event (you can see a complete list here). Speakers at the event include Dan Cruver, Darrin Patrick, Tullian…
In May of last year I created a Christian Readers survey. This was an attempt to answer some questions I had been asking myself about where we buy our books and why we buy them there. I started with the question, “Why do people shop at one e-commerce store and not another” and went from…
This week’s Free Stuff Fridays sponsor is Missional Wear. Missional Wear provides quality apparel that is inspired by reformed theology and missional living. We are trying something new for the prize packages by adding a social element. Missional Wear is offering 5 packages that each include a t-shirt of the winner’s choice along with a…
Today is a great day to find bargains, not just in stores but also online. I’ve got a post that contains a long list of great deals that will be of interest to Christians–lots of Christian books, music, DVDs and so on for really good prices. I’ve also got information about the amazing Kindle deal…
Some time ago I told you that I was involved in beginning a new publishing company called Cruciform Press. Well, I’m glad to say that at long last we are official–our new web site has gone live and our first books are available for purchase. If you are at the Desiring God conference this weekend,…
A few weeks ago I introduced you to Professor Horner’s Bible-Reading System in a post I titled Ten Chapters Per Day. As you remember Professor Horner’s system is simple but unique–“every day you read ten chapters of the Bible. That seems like a lot, so stick with me as I explain it. Each of the…
A few months ago my friend Tim Kerr, pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Toronto gave me permission to share Take Words With You, a prayer manual he has written. It is a small book that contains over 1600 scripture promises and prayers meant to help God’s people pray more effectively. The promises are arranged…
As a book reviewer I am constantly receiving new books in the mail, the majority of which are unsolicited (which is to say that they just show up). Sometimes publishers send them, sometimes authors or publicists, sometimes just people who really want to see a review of a book they’ve enjoyed. For sake of interest…
Today is known as Victoria Day up here in the Great White North. Way back in the middle of the nineteenth century Canada declared this day, May 24, a holiday, in honor of Queen Victoria’s birthday. And after she died it was officially established as a national holiday. Since then, “May Twenty-Four” as it’s known…
How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read is a book by Pierre Bayard, a professor of French literature at the University of Paris. In what is a bit of a provocative book and one that relies on more than a small measure of wit, Bayard argues that not having read a book does not…
Yesterday I spent some time thinking about how and why and where we all buy our Christian books. I started with the question, “Why do people shop at one e-commerce store and not another.” And from there I just found more and more questions that were asking for answers. I started writing out such questions…
This morning I want to provide a few updates on life, books and web sites. First off, I owe you an update on The Next Story, the book I’m writing. To this point, progress has been slow–discouragingly slow, really. Yet I’ve got hope that things will pick up soon. I have been focusing on gathering…
Over at 10MillionWords I’ve been working hard, reading all of the New York Times bestsellers that have been on the list so far this year. Just yesterday I posted a review of one that I found particularly interesting because it deals with a topic that is innately theological. Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert is a book…
Jerry Bridges has long been a great gift to the church. His books, especially the classics like The Pursuit of Holiness and The Discipline of Grace, have impacted millions of Christians. His speaking ministry has taken him across the world, allowing him to bless countless thousands more. A couple of years ago I was privileged…
Seven years into blogging and six years into daily blogging, I’ve decided to try something, well, completely different. Today I want to introduce to you a new blog I’ve begun. It is called 10MillionWords. First, though, let me say that, as far as I see it, not much is going to change here at challies.com.…
I dedicate a fair amount of attention on this blog to conferences. This is the first time I’ve done so for a conference my church is hosting. We are thrilled to announce that registration for the 2009 edition of the Toronto Pastors Conference is now open! If you are a pastor or a church leader-or…
Almost eight months after my review of The Shack I continue to get daily emails about it. This is proof, I suppose, of the book’s continued success. I do not know if the novel’s popularity has peaked yet but can see that it is still at the top of its category on many of the…