The Kings Cross by Tim Keller – OK, I love the way Tim Keller thinks.  This is a fairly new book and I have been using it as a primary source for our entire study of Mark.  Keller unpacks the Gospel of Mark, showing how every passage and story is leading us to the self-substitution of Christ for us.  I would strongly encourage this to anyone who wants to understand the atonement better and to go deeper into Mark’s Gospel.

The Cross of Christ by John Stott – An unbelievable work by one of the foremost theologians and pastors of the 20th century, this is an extensive explanation of the doctrine of the atonement.  Well worth the read if someone wants to dive in deep on the subject.

Death by Love: Letters from the Cross by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears – A very practical and application oriented book on the subject.  The authors give each aspect of the atonement (new covenant sacrifice, Christus Victor, redemption…) a chapter consisting of a counseling letter to a real person with a real life situation, demonstrating how Jesus’ death on the cross accomplishes something real for them, and that the true answer to their struggle is the Gospel applied deeply to life.

Vintage Jesus by Driscoll & Braeshears – OK, this book isn’t specifically on the atonement, but it has great chapters on the death of Jesus and the resurrection.  But this is a fabulous book explaining who Jesus is, why he came, and what he did.  I strongly encourage this for anyone who wants to learn about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

The Truth of the Cross by R. C. Sproul – A shorter and easier to read book on the different aspects of the atonement.

In My Place Condemned He Stood edited by J. I Packer and Mark Dever – A series of essays by some key Christian thinkers in our day on the cross, they also answer current day objections to the message of the substitutionary death of Jesus.

Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus by D. A. Carson – The book is based on four sermons Carson gave at Mars Hill Church in Seattle expressing some of the great ideas the Scriptures give about the work of Jesus on the cross.

Living The Cross Centered Life by C. J. Mahaney – A fabulous little book that applies the story of Jesus’ death to our everyday lives.  He shows how the event that happened 2000 years ago has impact and relevance, and gives real strategies how to take the cross deep in the soul and live out the implications every day.

We do want to honor dads.  We believe God has called husbands and dads to lead their families, to be the primary pastor of their kids and to set the spiritual tone in the home.  They do this as they love their wives as Christ loves the church, and they train and discipline their kids (Ephesians 5:25-6:4).

Our friends at the Resurgence have made a terrific resource available online for free. Mark Driscoll has written a short and easy-to-read book called Pastor Dad.  A great little resource and reminder of what it looks like for fathers to honor God in their roles at home on the day that our kids honor dads.

Published in partnership with Concordia Publishing House, this new full-color children’s Bible combines the complete ESV Bible text with more than 120 new, vibrant illustrations of major Bible stories.  Accompanying each full-page illustration is the Bible story itself, clearly and accurately retold for young readers—and for the parents, grandparents, and teachers who read to them.  Each story includes a Key Bible Verse to memorize, Additional Readings for discovering more of the story throughout the Bible, and simple Reflection Questions to help children begin to understand and apply God’s Word.  Colorful icons make it easy for young readers to see where each story is found in the Bible text and to locate the illustration that goes with it.

In addition, dozens of Bible characters are profiled throughout the pages, and color call-out sections provide illustrated facts about important Bible objects, structures, and places. Each Bible book begins with a child-friendly introduction, highlighting the important characters and themes found in it.

The ESV Seek and Find Bible is the ideal first “real” Bible for pre-readers and young readers, ages 5 to 9, to grow up with. It is also a wonderful resource for parents to use in family Bible reading and for teachers who teach the Bible to young children.

• More than 120 full-page, full-color illustrations
• Simple Bible story retellings for each illustration
• Age-appropriate introductions to each Bible book
• Key Verses to memorize
• Illustrated profiles of more than 50 major Bible characters
• Illustrated facts about Bible objects, structures, and places
• Reflections Questions for children, parents and teachers

Maybe we should rethink.  Let me strongly encourage you to spend a little time on this website – who are the Joneses from Compassion International.  Deeply challenging.