Barnabas Piper's Blog
January 28, 2026
Kindle Deals for January 28
Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church by Paul Tripp – $2.99
Freedom from Sin’s Dominion by John Owen – $2.99
The Pastor’s Family: Shepherding Your Family through the Challenges of Pastoral Ministry by Brian & Cara Croft – $1.99
The Pastor’s Soul: The Call and Care of an Undershepherd by Brian Croft & Jim Savastio – $6.99
Praying with Jesus: Getting to the Heart of the Lord’s Prayer by Adriel Sanchez – $2.99
Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller – $1.99
Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was, and Who God Has Always Been by Jackie Hill Perry – $4.99
Born Again This Way: Coming out, coming to faith, and what comes next by Rachel Gilson – $2.99
Transgender: Christian compassion, convictions and wisdom for today’s big questions by Vaughan Roberts – $2.99
The Queen Mother: The Untold Story of Elizabeth Bowes Lyon, Who Became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother by Lady Colin Campbell – $1.99
Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography by Agathe von Trapp – $3.99
After Stalingrad: Seven Years as a Soviet Prisoner of War by Adelbert Holl – $2.99
Operation Underworld: How the Mafia and U.S. Government Teamed Up to Win World War II by Matthew Black – $1.99
A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace – $2.99
The Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money by Bastian Obermayer & Frederik Obermaier – $.99
The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A.J. Jacobs – $1.99
Consider the Lobster: And Other Essays by David Foster Wallace – $4.99
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen – $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.
January 27, 2026
Kindle Deals for January 27
The Reason for God Discussion Guide: Conversations on Faith and Life by Tim Keller – $1.99
God of All Things: Rediscovering the Sacred in an Everyday World by Andrew Wilson – $1.99
Unbreakable: What the Son of God Said About the Word of God by Andrew Wilson – $2.99
Enjoy Your Prayer Life by Michael Reeves – $2.99
Disrupted Journey: Walking with Your Loved One Through Chronic Pain and Illness by Nate Brooks – $4.99
When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey – $4.99
The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship by Jared C. Wilson – $6.99
Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri – $6.99
Every Believer Confident: Apologetics for the Ordinary Christian by Mark Farnham – $4.99
The Afternoon of Life: Finding Purpose and Joy in Midlife by Elyse Fitzpatrick – $4.99
The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories by Christopher Booker – $3.99
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell – $5.99
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport – $7.99
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey – $2.99
The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever by Mark Frost – $4.99
The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney – $6.99
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.
January 26, 2026
Sovereign In Your Suffering
Isaiah 45:7
I form light and create darkness;
I make well-being and create calamity;
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
God is sovereign over and through our suffering. He is working even if we cannot see or imagine how.
And while this is daunting, and even confusing, it is the best news. Because what if God wasn’t sovereign? Who then would be in control while we are suffering? Who could we turn to? What purpose would there be in all this pain? The answers, no matter what you come up with, are dire. So while we may wrestle with the reality of God’s sovereignty in suffering, we also depend on it. We depend on it even if we don’t realize it or even if we resent it. Because it is the sustaining, guiding, controlling reality that gives purpose to our suffering and grants us reason to keep living, to keep going, to keep clinging and to not give up.
You’ve heard people say, in times of difficulty or confusion, “Everything happens for a reason.” Really? Does it? That can only be true if there is a Mover (with a capital M) who has a purpose and design. As Christians, we absolutely believe everything happens for a reason because we believe that God is at work in all things and nothing sits outside of his total, loving, wise, omnipotence.
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 January 26
12 Truths Every Teen Can Trust: Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith That Will Change Your Life by Paul Tripp – $4.99
Systematic Theology for Kids – Finding Jesus in the Old and New Testaments by Chuck Brooks – $6.99
10 Questions About Pain and Suffering: 30 Devotions for Kids, Teens, and Families by Beth Broom – $3.99
Spiritual Gifts: What They Are and Why They Matter by Thomas Schreiner – $4.99
Turn Your Eyes: A Bible Study on the Psalms by Winfree Brisley & Sharonda Cooper – $4.99
Rethinking Retirement: Finishing Life for the Glory of Christ by John Piper – $4.42
Leap Over a Wall: Earthy Spirituality for Everyday Christians by Eugene Peterson – $6.99
On the Worship of God by John Owen – $3.99
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor – $3.99
The Autobiography of George Müller – $.99
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor: The Life and Reflections of Tom Carson by D.A. Carson – $4.99
The History of the Hobbit by John Ratliff – $2.99
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London by Judith Flanders – $1.99
Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London by Nigel Jones – $1.99
The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party by Daniel James Brown – $4.99
Miracle at Midway by Gordon Prange – $3.59
The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World by A.J. Baime – $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.
January 23, 2026
3 Things I Like This Week – January 23
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) Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
Reeves has wonderfully blessed the church with this book. It is a remarkably clear, inviting, and worshipful exploration of the Trinity. More accurately, it is an exposition and delight in the triune God. He refuses to take “Trinity” as a mere theological concept, but rather delves into God‘s nature as triune and why that is so wonderful and matters so deeply for all of Christian faith and life. And somehow he manages to do this in language and in brevity that suits any semi-thoughtful Christian. This book now sits in my personal pantheon of “books every Christian would benefit from reading.”
2) Task
My wife and I recently finished Task, a show on HBO, and I have rarely been more caught off guard by the quality and power of a show. I had heard little o no hype about it and we watched it on a whim, more or less. It is a single season, eight episodes. It purports to be a crime drama, following the efforts of an FBI task force tracking down a gang of kidnappers and drug thieves. (while the gang of drug dealers also tries to track them down). All this is true, but none of this captures the layers of the show. Without giving away spoilers (of which there could be many) what makes Task so good is the human element: the revelation and development of its characters as people. The acting across the board is excellent, but three performances stand out. Mark Ruffalo plays Tom Brandis, a grieving, alcoholic widower FBI agent with a complex family story. Tom Pelphrey plays Robbie Pendergrast, a heartbroken blue collar family man who leads the gang of drug thieves. And Emilia Jones plays Maeve Prendergrast, Robbie’s niece who is the glue that holds the family together and wonderfully strong character. All three of these performances seem flat and tropey at first, but as their stories unfold the characters gain complexity and sympathy. After one or two episodes I told my wife “It’s a well-made show, but who am I supposed to care about?” By the last episode I was hanging on every word and action of these three. Task deserves to jump to the top of your to-watch list.
3) Georgia on My Mind performed by Oscar Peterson
Many artists have recorded “Georgia on My Mind.” Many artists have interpreted it in different ways with different sounds. Ray Charles famously made a soul classic. But Oscar Peterson’s musical rendition holds it down as my favorite. It’ll do you some good while you wat for Winterpocalypse 2026 to roll in.
January 22, 2026
Kindle Deals for January 22
Matthew: Kingdom Treasure: 9-Session Bible Study by Tim Chester – $2.99
Matthew For You: God with Us by Tim Chester – $2.99
Making Faith Magnetic: Five Hidden Themes Our Culture Can’t Stop Talking About… And How to Connect Them to Christ by Daniel Strange – $3.99
How to Reach the West Again: Six Essential Elements of a Missionary Encounter by Tim Keller – $3.99
Jesus, Justice, and Gender Roles: A Case for Gender Roles in Ministry by Kathy Keller – $2.99
How to Get Unstuck: Breaking Free from Barriers to Your Productivity by Matt Perman – $1.99
Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View by Garry Friesen – $4.99
Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto by Alan Stern & David Grinspoon – $1.99
The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell – $4.99
We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young: Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold G. Moore & Joseph Galloway – $3.99
Eyes Behind the Lines: L Company Rangers in Vietnam, 1969 by Gary Linderer – $5.99
Reluctant Warrior: A Marine’s True Story of Duty and Heroism in Vietnam\ by Michael Hodgins – $4.99
On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman – $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.
January 21, 2026
Kindle Deals for January 21
Shame Interrupted: How God Lifts the Pain of Worthlessness and Rejection by Edward T. Welch – $2.99
Shame is a Liar: Say Yes to God and No to Shame by Daniel Lancaster – $2.99
Fear is a Liar: How to Stop Anxious Thoughts and Experience God’s Love by Daniel Lancaster – $2.99
Death is a Liar: Living again after losing a loved one by Daniel Lancaster – $2.99
Satan is a Liar: Exposing the Greatest Narcissist of All Time by Daniel Lancaster – $2.99
Ephesians: The Love We Long For, Study Guide with Leader’s Notes by Scotty Smith – $2.99
The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis – $.99
A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis – $1.99
Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11 by Joseph Pfeifer – $1.99
Saved at the Seawall: Stories from the September 11 Boat Lift by Jessica Dulong – $6.91
A Wing and a Prayer: The “Bloody 100th” Bomb Group of the US Eighth Air Force in Action Over Europe in World War II by Harry Crosby – $2.99
Raised by a Serial Killer: Discovering the Truth About My Father by April Balascio – $1.99
Slash by Slash – $1.99
Freedom by Sebastian Junger – $1.99
Pieces of Me: Rescuing My Kidnapped Daughters by Lizbeth Meredith – $2.99
Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong by Gary Giddies – $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.
January 20, 2026
Kindle Deals for January 20
Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges – $3.99
Sins We Accept by Jerry Bridges – $2.99
Street Smarts: Using Questions to Answer Christianity’s Toughest Challenges by Gregory Koukl – $1.99
Jesus, the Only Way: 100 Verses by Gregory Koukl – $.99
Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring by Henri Nouwen – $6.99
Following Jesus: Finding Our Way Home in an Age of Anxiety by Henri Nouwen – $4.99
Glorious Intruder: God’s Presence in Life’s Chaos by Joni Eareckson Tada – $1.99
A Spectacle of Glory: God’s Light Shining through Me Every Day by Joni Eareckson Tada – $1.99
Warriors: Portraits from the Battle Field by Max Hastings – $4.99
Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-45 by Max Hastings – $6.99
A Quiet Company of Dangerous Men: The Forgotten British Special Operations Soldiers of World War II by Shannon Monaghan – $5.99
Skies of Thunder: The Deadly World War II Mission Over the Roof of the World by Caroline Alexander – $4.99
Decision in Normandy by Carlo D’Este – $1.99
Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-1941 by Ian Kershaw – $4.99
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah – $2.99
The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William Davis – $1.99
Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans by Winston Groom – $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.
January 19, 2026
Take Refuge in Him
Psalm 2:12
12
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Wrapped in that little word “blessed” is wholeness, gladness, happiness. It is all the things that we hope relationships, jobs, sex, money, retirement, accomplishment, and so many other efforts can bring us–except they never do. And here it is, the very thing our souls ache for. And we find it by taking refuge in Christ. How do we do this?
Jesus is our King! Serving him is taking refuge. Giving our lives to him, submitting wholly to him, staking all our hope on him, trusting in his perfect power and patience is refuge in every circumstance, come what may..
He is a refuge because he laughs in the face of a chaotic, rebellious world.He is a refuge because he does not forget our troubles or take evil lightly.He is a refuge because he sits on his throne in majestic holiness.And He is a refuge because he set aside that glory to step into this world of upheaval and unease and injustice and sin and anxiety and “made peace through the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:20)He is a refuge because at the cross he defeated sin and death.And he is a refuge because no man-centered, self-aggrandizing power scheme can touch him and he will deal mightily with every evil and injustice in his perfect timing. He is not a distant refuge, rather He is an “ever-present help in times of trouble” (Psalm 46:1) And he does not offer theoretical hope or peace, rather “he himself is our peace” (Eph. 2:14) and has “caused us to be born again to a living hope through his resurrection.” (1 Peter 1:3)Take refuge in Christ today, Friends.
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 January 19
Supernatural Power for Everyday People: Experiencing God’s Extraordinary Spirit in Your Ordinary Life by Jared C. Wilson – $1.99
Jesus, Continued…: Why the Spirit Inside You Is Better than Jesus Beside You by J.D. Greear – $1.99
Know the Theologians by Jennifer Powell McNutt & David McNutt – $1.99
Athens and Jerusalem: Philosophy, Theology, and the Mind of Christ by Gerald Bray – $5.23
From the Manger to the Throne: A Theology of Luke by Benjamin Gladd – $6.99
United to Christ, Walking in the Spirit: A Theology of Ephesians by Benjamin Merkle – $4.99
The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts by Patrick Schreiner – $5.99
The Joy of Hearing: A Theology of the Book of Revelation by Thomas Schreiner – $4.99
Intellectuals: From Marx and Tolstoy to Sartre and Chomsky – A Fascinating Portrait of Brilliant and Dangerous Minds by Paul Johnson – $1.99
Modern Times Revised Edition: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties by Paul Johnson – $1.99
Come on Shore and We Will Kill and Eat You All: A New Zealand Story by Christina Thompson – $2.99
The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada by Don Hollway – $3.99
Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe – $3.99
The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South by Radley Balko & Tucker Carrington – $4.99
Unlocking The Sky: Glenn Hammond Curtiss and the Race to Invent the Airplane by Seth Shulman – $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.
