Have you tried this new ice cream place? (subtitled: John Piper and Me)

I don't actually know John Piper. But the former pastor at my former church (United Evangelical Free Church, Ballard WA) was a big fan. He (my pastor) knows how to have JOY in living for Jesus, and he recommended that I read "Desiring God" a couple years ago.

MAN is that book a good'un.

The way I feel about living and about how to live is so well articulated in that book that rather than tell people myself I sometimes want to just refer them to the book!

Ever since then I've been a John Piper FAN. I read "Let the Nations Be Glad" before I went on my first mission trip (to Chile in '02) and its a great treatment of why Christians should be missions-oriented (whether local or foreign). {basically that if we really have joy in following Jesus, then it automatically overflows to us talking about it - like a good restaurant or ice cream parlor - which is evangelism in its purest form}

So today is a great day - because not only did I get a care package from Kess' mom (M & M's and good homemade cookies) but I also received 3 books that I recently ordered, written by Piper.

They are:
1) A Hunger For God (desiring God through fasting and prayer)
2) The Pleasures of God (meditations on God's delight in being God)
3) (the purifying power of living by faith in...) Future Grace

I'm reading "The Four Loves" by C.S. Lewis right now (thanks, Larina) and so I'm going to double-time it to finish it this week so I can start a new book on the road trip to Benedictine this week! woohoooooo!

Blessings to you!