Barnabas Piper's Blog
October 6, 2025
Fear Not
One of the most oft repeated commands in the Bible is “fear not” (right up there with, “remember,” which says a lot about us). Two things stand out about this.
First, the frequency of the command indicates our propensity for worry, anxiety, and fear. We are prone to be like Peter when he tried to walk on water (Matthew 14): we step out in faith and immediately take our eyes off Jesus and look instead at the storms around us. So we fear.
Second, what is nearly always paired with the command “fear not” is a statement of who God is and what He is doing.
Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 118:6 – “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Isaiah 41:10 – “Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Despite our constant fearfulness and worry, God makes it so clear that he is our perfect loving Father. He gently, firmly reminds us over and over again that he is with us, he is stronger, he is able, he is victorious, and he will always be so for us.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
Kindle Deals for October 6
Answering God: The Psalms as Tools for Prayer by Eugene Peterson – $1.99
Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life by W. David O. Taylor – $1.99
The Psalms: Language for All Seasons of the Soul edited by Andrew Schmutzer & David Howard Jr. – $3.99
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges – $3.99
Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word by Voddie Baucham Jr. – $4.99
The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson – $1.99
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown – $1.99
Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World by Evan Thomas – $2.99
Being Nixon: A Man Divided by Evan Thomas – $5.99
Anxious People: A Novel by Fredrik Backman – $3.99
A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel by John Irving – $1.99
Underworld: A Novel by Don Delillo – $1.99
The Bourbon Thief: A Novel by Tiffany Reisz – $2.99
Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99
Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99
These links are Amazon affiliate links.
October 3, 2025
3 Things I Like This Week – October 3
Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1) John Randle HighlightsIf I had to name one football player who is my all time favorite, it would be John Randle. He was a larger-than-life character, a fierce pass rusher, a motor mouth, a mad man, and someone who really loves the Twin Cities community. He was Aaron Donald 1.0. He looked like he might eat opposing QBs instead of sacking them. His mouth never quit. And his face paint was iconic.
2) Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
Chris Farley is one of the funniest men to ever walk the earth, and this clip is arguable his funniest. Maybe the best part is how these other professional performers and comedians all break; they cannot hold it together. It still resides in my mind and lines flow out of my mouth with regularity all these years later.
3) “Faithful is our God” by Hezekiah Walker
My soul needs this. Your soul needs this. Turn it up and be blessed.
Kindle Deals for October
Each month Amazon runs deals on a TON of ebooks from a variety of genres. You can see the full selection here. The titles below are ones I particularly thought worth highlighting. (Full disclosure: I haven’t read them all, but they are all ones I would like to read if I haven’t.)
FictionUnderworld: A Novel by Don Delillo – $1.99
Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan – $.99
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings – $.99
The Bourbon Thief: A Novel by Tiffany Reisz – $2.99
Lost in the City: Stories by Edward P. Jones – $2.99
ChristianityKnowing God by J.I. Packer- $4.99
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem – $3.99
The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate by John H. Walton – $3.99
Christian History Made Easy by Timothy Paul Jones – $3.99
The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God by Dan Allender & Tremper Longman Jr. – $3.99
The God-Shaped Brain: How Changing Your View of God Transforms Your Life by Timothy Jennings, M.D. – $3.99
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix – $2.99
God Does His Best Work with Empty by Nancy Guthrie – $3.99
Praying the Names of Jesus by Ann Spangler – $2.99
Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age by Alan Noble – $3.99
God Is Red: The Secret Story of How Christianity Survived and Flourished in Communist China by Liao Yiwu – $1.99
Grace Beyond Salvation: Revealing God’s Love from Genesis to Revelation by Kyle DiRoberts – $4.99
Bio/MemoirThe Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man by David Non Drexel – $3.99
Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South by Elizabeth Varon – $3.99
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs – $7.00
The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz – $2.99
Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin – $2.99
All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists by Terry Gross – $2.99
Mud, Sweat, and Tears: The Autobiography by Bear Grylls – $3.99
I’m Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons – $1.99
Baby, Let’s Play House: Elvis Presley and the Women Who Loved Him by Alanna Nash – $2.99
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Unlikely General: “Mad” Anthony Wayne and the Battle for America by Mary Stockwell – $3.99
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne – $2.99
HistoryThe Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790 by Ritchie Robertson – $2.99
Lincoln’s Lieutenants: The High Command of the Army of the Potomac by Stephen Sears – $2.99
Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz – $1.99
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan – $1.99
Invisible: The Forgotten Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America’s Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen Carter – $2.99
FDR At War: The Mantle of Command, Commander in Chief, and War and Peace by Nigel Hamilton – $4.99
The Boys of ’67: Charlie Company’s War in Vietnam by Andrew Wiest – $3.99
Writing/Creativity
Studies in Words by C.S. Lewis – $1.99
Lectures on Literature by Vladimir Nabokov – $2.99
General Non-FictionThe Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New by Annie Dillard – $1.99
Essays After Eighty by Donald Hall – $1.99
One Man’s Meat by E.B. White – $2.99
Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy – $2.99
Sports
The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski – $1.99
Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics by Jeremy Schaap – $2.99
The Sweet Science by A.J. Liebling – $2.99
All links are amazon associate links
October 2, 2025
Kindle Deals for October 2
Grace Beyond Salvation: Revealing God’s Love from Genesis to Revelation by Kyle DiRoberts – $4.99
Christian Beliefs: Twenty Basics Every Christian Should Know by Wayne Grudem – $3.99
The Gospel-Driven Church: Uniting Church Growth Dreams with the Metrics of Grace by Jared C. Wilson – $1.99
Friendship with the Friend of Sinners: The Remarkable Possibility of Closeness with Christ by Jared C. Wilson – $4.99
When God Seems Gone: Finding Hope When Nothing Makes Sense by Adam Mabry – $2.99
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix – $2.99
In His Hands : Prayers for Your Child or Baby in a Medical Crisis by Eric Schumacher & Jessika Sanders – $2.99
The Cry of the Soul: How Our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God by Dan Allender & Tremper Longman Jr. – $3.99
Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God’s Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage by Abbey Wedgeworth – $2.99
Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb by Jessalyn Hutto – $5.99
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War by Katherine Landdeck – $1.99
A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II by Shannon Monaghan – $1.99
The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau by Alex Kershaw – $1.99
Voices of the Pacific by Adam Makos – $5.99
Legend: The Incredible Story of Green Beret Sergeant Roy Benavidez’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines by Eric Blehm – $1.99
Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America by James Webb – $1.99
The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough – $1.99
The Fatal Shore: The epic of Australia’s founding by Robert Hughes – $1.99
Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard – $1.99
A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin – $1.99
Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99
Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99
These links are Amazon affiliate links.
October 1, 2025
Kindle Deals for October 1
Psalms (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary) by Willem VanGemeren – $5.99
Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church Is Influencing the Way We Think about and Discuss Theology by Timothy Tennent – $7.99
Logic and the Way of Jesus: Thinking Critically and Christianly by Travis Dickinson – $4.99
Holier Than Thou: How God’s Holiness Helps Us Trust Him by Jackie Hill Perry – $4.99
Knowing God by J.I. Packer- $4.99
The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski – $1.99
Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments by Joe Posnanski – $5.99
The Football 100 by The Athletic Staff – $3.99
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner – $7.99
Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon by Mirin Fader – $2.99
Why So Serious?: The Untold Story of NBA Champion Nikola Jokic by Mike Singer – $1.99
KG: A to Z: An Uncensored Encyclopedia of Life, Basketball, and Everything in Between by Kevin Garnett – $3.99
The Prince of Tides: An Award-Winning Southern Drama by Pat Conroy – $1.99
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy – $1.99
The Hobbit Illustrated by the Author by J.R.R. Tolkien – $3.99
The Silmarillion: Illustrated by the Author by J.R.R. Tolkien – $3.99
Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99
Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99
These links are Amazon affiliate links.
September 30, 2025
Kindle Deals for September 30
God’s Book of Proverbs: Biblical Wisdom Arranged by Topic – $4.99
Proverbs For You: Giving you wisdom for real life by Kathleen Nielson – $2.99
The Ultimate Commentary On Proverbs: A Collective Wisdom On The Bible – $.99
Understanding the Bible by John Stott – $6.99
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told by Harrison Scott Key – $1.99
Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri – $6.99
Carroll Shelby: The Authorized Biography by Rinsey Mills – $4.99
Mother Teresa: An Authorized Biography by Kathryn Spink – $3.99
Henry David Thoreau: A Life by Laura Dassow Walls – $2.99
Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator by O.V. Khlevniuk – $2.99
One Ranger: A Memoir by H. Joaquin Jackson – $2.99
Service: A Navy SEAL at War by Marcus Luttrell – $2.99
American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History—A Navy SEAL’s Memoir of War and Family by Chris Kyle – $1.99
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) by Patrick Rothfuss – $4.99
The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 2) by Patrick Rothfuss – $4.99
The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss – $4.99
100 Years of the Best American Short Stories edited by Lorrie Moore – $3.99
The Castle of Kings by Oliver Potsch – $2.99
Golden Hill: A Novel of Old New York by Francis Spuffiord – $1.99
Crazy Heart: A Novel by Thomas Cobb – $2.99
100 World’s Greatest Short Stories – $4.99
Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99
Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99
These links are Amazon affiliate links.
September 29, 2025
Kindle Deals for September 29
Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon – $1.99
Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Education in Serious Joy by John Piper – $5.99
Do Not Be True to Yourself: Countercultural Advice for the Rest of Your Life by Kevin DeYoung – $4.94
The Expulsive Power of a New Affection by Thomas Chalmers – $2.99
How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books by Andrew Davis – $2.99
Suffering Is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot – $4.99
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot – $6.64
The Allure of Gentleness: Defending the Faith in the Manner of Jesus by Dallas Willard – $1.99
The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship by Dallas Willard – $1.99
The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn by Nathaniel Philbrick – $2.99
Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black In Nazi Germany by Hans Massaquoi – $4.99
Five Chimneys: A Woman Survivor’s True Story of Auschwitz by Olga Lengyel – $2.99
Holocaust: A Jewish Survivor Testimony: The Truth of What Happened in Germany of World War 2 by Dan Myers – $2.99
The Bourbon King: The Life and Crimes of George Remus, Prohibition’s Evil Genius by George Remus – $3.99
Wyatt Earp: A Vigilante Life by Andrew Isenberg – $2.99
Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99
Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99
The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99
Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99
The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99
These links are Amazon affiliate links.
God Moves In A Mysterious Way
William Cowper (1731-1800) is one of the greatest Christian poets and hymn writers who has ever lived. He was also one of the most tortured, suffering from severe depression for the entirety of his adult life. (Here is a wonderful, brief biography of his life and work by my dad.) From the depths of his suffering and darkness he wrote magnificently of God’s sovereignty in his beautiful hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.” May these words calm our hearts in faith and expand our imaginations for what God is doing today.
God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform; he plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines, of never-failing skill; he fashions up his bright designs, and works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds that you much dread, are big with mercy and will break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace; behind a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour; the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville , in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
September 26, 2025
3 Things I Like – September 26
Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1) Swedish Fish
I remember distinctly when I was introduced to Swedish Fish. It was my freshman year of college by a newly minted friend named Pete. We were heading to a movie (or some such even where one smuggles in contraband refreshments) and he suggested Swedish Fish. I remember picturing in my mind some kind of actual fish–something akin to sardines or pre-packaged smoked salmon–and began to second guess my standards for friends. But when he served me a handful of these gummy, delicious, mild, vaguely fruity candies I was smitten. Since that day they have sat firmly as candy royalty in my heart and pantry. And it is only fittig I share this with you now because this weekend is my 20th vcollege Reunion, where I will see Pete. And because Swedish Fish are a delightful road trip candy and I will be driving several hours to said reunion.
2) The Cross of Christ by John Stott
Comparatively few books deserve the label of “classic.” Often such books are more old than good (you remember high school English class). The truest classics, though, are those that have proven timeless in their relevance, appeal, and influence of subsequent authors. The Cross of Christ is such a book. It’s not, in fact, all that old by literary standards, having released in 1986. (To be fair, I was released into the world in 1983, so I am obliged to consider this book not old.) In it’s four decades of life, it has become a theological staple, a bedrock work, in beautifully explaining the centrality of the Cross to all of Christianity and defending substitutionary atonement. It is deeply theological without being academically dense. It is clear and precise without being pedantic. And it exemplifies Stott’s singular ability to be utterly clear about the truest things with gentleness and dignity. The Cross of Christ is a book I thin every Christian would benefit form reading.
3) Amazing Grace performed by Ralph Stanley
John Newton’s hymn, Amazing Grace, transcends genre. I sang it in four part harmony with a pipe organ’s accompaniment in my childhood. I’ve sung it a capella around a campfire. It is a gospel music (and southern gospel music) staple. It is a lullaby for children and funeral send-off. I’ve heard it wailed by bag pipes and wailed on a Hammond B3 organ. And this magnificent, simple old rendition by Ralph Stanley is one of my favorites.
