Based on the number of "hits" each month, here are the top 5 posts here on the Brookside Institute blog for each month, since June 2014.

Did you miss any of these?  Click on any of these "Top Posts by Month from 2014" to be taken to the post, and check 'em out!

I ran across this image a few days ago on twitter - it captured my attention right away, and led to all sorts of fresh appreciation and worship as we approach Christmas.  You'll see the tweet mentions 2 Corinthians 5:19 - I'd also recommend you read 2 Corinthians 5:21, Genesis 3:15 (or read all of Genesis chapter 3 for some important context) and Luke 1:1-2:21.

Just like this image captured my attention and stirred my worship, hopefully it'll do the same for you:

If you're like me, you've perhaps seen some "Top Reading Lists of 2014" floating around the internet and social media.  Rather than adding my own such list (which, honestly, I'm realistically not going to take the time to do this year), I figured this year I'd create my 2014 Top 5 "Top Reading Lists of 2014."   
In other words, check out these book lists and you'll find some books that are worth reading.  Of course, keep in mind that not every book is created equal, remember to read discerningly, and always remember that a careful and responsible reading of the Bible should be our final authority.  But I generally think these "sources" are worth listening to for some worthwhile reads (I know I'll hope to be reading many of these I've not yet!) - and to see what's current in publishing today.  

If you're still looking for some Christmas gift ideas or want some reading material for yourself while taking some vacation days, these lists can come in handy that way too!

Here are my top 5 "Top Reading Lists of 2014" - in no particular order:

• Christianity Today's 2015 Book Awards


• TGC [The Gospel Coalition] Staff Cite Best Books from 2014

• Kevin DeYoung - Top 10 Books of 2014

• Desiring God - 14 Best Books of 2014

• ECPA [Evangelical Christian Publishers Association] 2014 Christian Book Award - Click here for finalists, and click here for winners

What are the best books you've read in the last 12 months, that you'd recommend to others?

Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial (or at least thought-provoking!) in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: 

Earlier this semester Jack Archer, Brookside's Director of Middle School Ministries (called "Tribe"), offered a sort of "Tribe Institute" where he gave Middle Schoolers the chance to "Dig Deep" in a certain area of discipleship.  He did great!!  Listen to what Jack has to say about it: 

And then just last weekend, 25 Middle Schoolers attended the December course that Jack offered for Tribe students, "The Uniqueness of Christianity."  

I love to hear about this stuff going on, and am excited to see how these students - equipped with a strong foundation in these areas - will continue to grow themselves and be used by God!

What's the relationship between Bible intake and prayer?

Too often, I can approach these two things as roommates - they both live under the same "roof" of the spiritual disciplines, but apart from that they can live pretty normal lives independently of each other.  Sure, communication doesn't hurt and some level of interaction is needed.  But most roommates also want a fair amount of personal space as well, right?

But what if prayer and Bible intake should be approached more as a healthy marriage?  Sure, there are still things that distinguish one from the other - but ongoing communication and shared space are essential.  When one spouse isn't around, the other "feels" their absence in marked ways.  The other spouse is missed, because of all they add to the interactive relationship.

Seeing Bible intake and prayer as a marriage (instead of as roommates) has done as much to breathe life and health into my practice of these disciplines as anything else.  Instead of reading the Bible, then shutting the Bible, then changing gears in my mind, and then trying (struggling?) to pray, I now look for ways my careful reading of God's Word invites me into responding to God in certain ways.  I look for how God's Word can send me into biblical prayers for myself, my family, those around me, and faithfully living in the ways God wants me to be living.  

And (like most things) this idea isn't original to me.  Here are some passages from helpful books that have helped guide me into seeing this connection between Bible intake and prayer - seeing them not as roommates but as a marriage:

Christmas is right around the corner - just a couple of weeks away.  Stated differently, Advent - the coming of Christ to earth as the baby Jesus - is approaching quickly.  As Advent approaches on the calendar, how are we approaching it?

I was reading through Matthew chapters 1 and 2 earlier this week, and was struck by a few different ways the characters in this passage approached the coming of Christ to earth.  As I briefly draw attention to these different characters, prayerfully consider which describes how you are ARE currently approaching Advent.  Which describes how you WANT TO BE approaching Advent?

Here's a sampling of some of the things I've been reading and reviewing this week.  The hope is that these bite-sized sections of books, articles, blog posts, etc will stand on their own and be beneficial (or at least thought-provoking!) in-and-of-themselves.  But I also hope that some of you will like these excerpts enough that they pull you into the larger work from which they've been taken.

Let's start sampling: 

Last Sunday as part of Brookside Church's "Heard" series, co-lead pastor Jeff Dart tackled the question, "Why Pray?"  His short answer was this: We pray because of who God is, who we are, and the relationship that prayer invites us into.  (To access the full sermon, click here and find the sermon preached on December 7, 2014).

In other words?  Prayer is important.  It's the communication that helps cultivate a full-orbed relationship with a Christian's heavenly Father.  But prayer can also be difficult.  After all, for some (many?), a rich prayer life doesn't come naturally.  Therefore, prayer must be learned.

For those wanting to learn to pray, the best place to start is by actually praying -don't wait till you feel like you're an expert before you take initial steps of application.  (Nothing works that way, right?)  Read the Psalms (kind of like a prayer book to God, in lots of ways), and spend lots of time reading and reflecting on Jesus' teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:5-13.

But there are also lots of great resources that can help you learn to pray.  When people ask me for recommendations on prayer, here are the five books I point them towards first:

Awhile back, I posted a couple of entries on something called "catechesis" - what it is, and how it benefits the local church.  To summarize those posts, catechesis is intentional teaching in foundational areas of Christian formation and discipleship.  And it's really important for a healthy and flourishing church.  I encourage you to go back and read these posts to get a fuller picture of what I'm talking about.

I want to keep championing this priority of catechesis, though, and so figured it was time to add to this growing body of posts.  (For a bunch of other posts more broadly related to catechesis, be sure and check out the "catechesis category" on this site.)

In this entry, I simply want to make it plain that catechesis is a (very!) biblical idea by summarizing a chapter in J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett's helpful resource, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old Fashioned Way.