Saturday, August 30, 2014

"The Dawning of Indestructible Joy" Book Review

Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year!  So advent reading collections and other Christmas-themed books (books that talk about the true meaning of Christmas) are very important to me!  "The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent," by John Piper is a great addition to any advent collection!



I'll be the first to admit, John Piper's works can often be very deep.  Not to say that they are too complicated to read - not at all.  But many of his works take a certain level of concentration that the mom of 2 toddlers doesn't often get to enjoy.  This book, however, isn't that way.  Each "day" takes just a couple of minutes to read and yet is ripe with theological meat and potatoes.  This is definitely more of an "adult" advent book, as it probably would be "over the heads" of young children, but at only 1-2 pages a day it would be very easy to do a children's advent reading for the kids and also read this one for yourself.

I particularly love some of the mind-blowing statements that John Piper makes in this book. Many of the readings have caused me to rethink some of my past assumptions about Jesus and the Word.  For example, on Day 17 - "He Came to Serve," Piper states:
"Here is a general truth to ponder and believe: every time Jesus commands something for us to do, it is his way of telling us how he wants to serve us.  Let me say it another way: the path of obedience is the place where Christ meets us as our servant to carry our burdens and give us his power.
When you become a Christian - disciple of Jesus -you do not become his helper.  He becomes your helper.  You do not become his benefactor.  He becomes your benefactor.  You do not become his servant.  He becomes your servant.  Jesus does not need your help; he commands your obedience and offers his help.
Christmas. He came to serve, not to be served.  He came to help us do everything he calls us to do."
I received a digital copy of this book free of charge from Beyond the Page in exchange for my honest review.

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