Audiobook Review – A Sweet & Bitter Providence

I recently finished listening to the audiobook version of A Sweet & Bitter Providence by John Piper. The audiobook is available through Christianaudio.com for purchase either on CD or in digital download form.
The book, which is narrated by Grover Gardner, is an exposition of the Old Testament book of Ruth told in a very readable (or in this case listenable) form. I downloaded the audiobook from Christianaudio.com and listened to it on my iPod during longer drives in the car and while sitting at my desk in my office. The chapters are bite sized enough to enjoy one section at a time.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was how the author showed this ancient book to be so very relevant in today’s world. Piper does a wonderful job of showing that this is no mere ancient love story. As the book’s subtitle suggests, Ruth is a story that speaks to our human struggles and to our understanding of God’s sovereign rule over this world.
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook version of A Sweet & Bitter Providence. I would recommend this audiobook especially to those who may be new to audiobooks due to the relative shortness of this work.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Christianaudio as part of their Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

I Like Pipe(r)

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What do you get when you cross scholarly wisdom with a gospel-centered, passionate, pastoral heart? You get men like John Piper. I know that not everyone is a Piper 'fan', but regardless of your theological bent it's hard to argue that God isn't truly blessing the church today with JP's wisdom.

Case in point, take a look at his YouTube channel. There's some great stuff there. Some of the videos tackle very deep subjects. But there are also videos where JP answers questions I've never heard a pastor or theologian take the time to seriously consider from a biblical perspective. These are short videos so take a few minutes and watch a few that catch your eye. Even if you disagree I guarantee they will make you stop and think.

Two Quotes on The Cost of Discipleship

Sunday's sermon was on the cost of discipleship from Luke 14:25-35. Here are two quotes that made it into the sermon that I found especially fitting.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, p. 45)

“Following Jesus is so supremely important that it calls for behaviors that are sometimes going to look like hate to the world.” (John Piper, What Jesus Demands from the World, p. 72.)

Ask Pastor John

Whether or not you are a John Piper fan (an I am) you should check out his "Ask Pastor John" videos on YouTube. They are very short but there is a lot of truth packed into just a couple minutes. The topics are various as they are answers to questions submitted to Piper to answer.