Barnabas Piper's Blog
November 21, 2025
3 Things I Like This Week – November 21
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) The Reading Life by C.S. Lewis
Few people deserve our attention as brilliant readers to the degree that CS Lewis does. He was profoundly intentional, voracious, broad, deep, and constantly delighted as a reader. This little collection is wonderful selection of excerpts from on various aspects of reading. It samples many of his longer works, giving a taste test for those who haven’t had a chance to read them. It also draws on his mountain of correspondence (Lewis was a prolific letter writer), adding a wonderful personal flavor. Maybe my favorite feature is that it leaves you more inspired and eager to read rather than being pretentious and discouraging. If you have read much Lewis then you will love this as a sort of “greatest hits”collection. If you have not read much lewis then this is a delightful, light, thoughtful place to start.
2) Micron 005 pens
I write in nearly every print book I read. And while most books are printed on heavy enough paper to handle a Pilot G-2 .38 (yes, that’s a pen, not a caliber of weapon) or a Uniball Vision Elite .5, most Bible sadly are not. Ink bleeds through the thinner pages and that is simply unacceptable. So I have searched high and low for the best Bible writing pen, and I think I have found it. While I believe Micron pens are designed for sketch artists, they work wonderfully for underlining and marginalia in a Bible. They come in various sizes, and I have settled on the 005 for this purpose since it allows for the finest of writing in small spaces. Is this all a bit nerdy? A tad wonkish? Absolutely, and with great satisfaction–becaus tere are few satisfactions like finding the perfect tool for a very particular job.
3) “The Real Blues” by the Ray Brown Trio
Ray Brown is a legendary jazz bassist whose work you absolutely know from various collaborations. This here is a nearly perfect groove to start your weekend right.
Kindle Deals for November 21
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:From Nothing: A Theology of Creation by Ian McFarland – $5.99
The Word Made Flesh: A Theology of the Incarnation by Ian McFarland – $5.99
The Triune God by Fred Sanders – $3.99
The Holy Spirit by Christopher R.J. Holmes – $3.99
Lord Jesus Christ by Daniel J. Treier – $6.99
Understanding the Bible by John Stott – $6.99
Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns by D.A. Carson – $1.99
God’s Glory Alone—The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life: What the Reformers Taught…and Why It Still Matters by David VanDrunen – $5.99
Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson – $4.99
The Nine: The True Story of a Band of Women Who Survived the Worst of Nazi Germany by Gwen Strauss – $2.99
Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors by Stephen Ambrose – $1.99
Last Stand: George Bird Grinnell, the Battle to Save the Buffalo, and the Birth of the New West by Michael Punke – $1.99
Shotguns and Stagecoaches: The Brave Men Who Rode for Wells Fargo in the Wild West by John Boessenecker – $2.99
The Day Freedom Died: The Colfax Massacre, the Supreme Court, and the Betrayal of Reconstruction by Charles Lane – $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.
November 20, 2025
Kindle Deals for November 20
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:Gather: Loving Your Church as You Celebrate Christ Together by Tony Merida – $2.99
Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive by Thom Rainer – $4.99
The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology by Kevin Vanhoozer – $5.99
Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine by Kevin Vanhoozer – $5.99
Acts: The Power That Changes the World, Study Guide with Leader’s Notes by Howard Brown – $3.99
A Giant among Giants: The Baseball Life of Willie McCovey by Chris Haft – $2.77
Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella by Neil Lanctot – $1.99
Brooks: The Biography of Brooks Robinson by Doug Wilson – $2.99
The Bird: The Life and Legacy of Mark Fidrych by Doug Wilson – $2.99
Son of Havana: A Baseball Journey from Cuba to the Big Leagues and Back by Louis Tiant – $2.99
K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kepner – $5.99
The Grandest Stage: A History of the World Series by Tyler Kepner – $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.
November 19, 2025
Kindle Deals for November 19
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle by Alistair Begg – $2.99
Ephesians: An Expositional Commentary by R.C. Sproul – $6.99
Suffering Is Never for Nothing by Elisabeth Elliot – $4.99
Encounters with Jesus: Unexpected Answers to Life’s Biggest Questions by Tim Keller – $4.99
Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not about You by Sharon Hodge Miller – $3.99
She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a World That’s Passing Away by Rachel Myers & Amanda Bible Williams – $4.99
The Church: An Introduction by Gregg Allison – $2.99
CSB Christian Standard Bible: Faithful and True – $3.03
NKJV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible – $3.99
War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line by David Nott – $3.99
The Fall of Japan: The Final Weeks of World War II in the Pacific by William Craig – $3.99
Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage by Noah Andre Trudeau – $4.99
The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin – $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.
November 18, 2025
Kindle Deals for November 18
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels by N.T. Wright – $1.99
Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God by Timothy Keller – $4.99
The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges – $5.99
A Place for Weakness: Preparing Yourself for Suffering by Michael Horton – $1.99
Counsel for Couples: A Biblical and Practical Guide for Marriage Counseling by Jonathan Holmes – $1.99
Catching Foxes: A Gospel-Guided Journey to Marriage by John Henderson – $4.99
When Sinners Say “I Do”: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey – $4.99
Master of One: Find and Focus on the Work You Were Created to Do by Jordan Raynor – $1.99
The Sacredness of Secular Work: 4 Ways Your Job Matters for Eternity (Even When You’re Not Sharing the Gospel) by Jordan Raynor – $5.99
Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea by Marcus Rediker – $1.99
The Desert War: The classic trilogy on the North Africa campaign 1940-43 by Alan Moorhead – $.99
Ghost Patrol: A History of the Long Range Desert Group, 1940-1945 by John Sadler – $2.99
Beaufighter: The Untold Story of a Wartime Icon by Chaz Bowyer – $5.99
Wing Leader: The Incredible Story of the Top-Scoring RAF Fighter Ace of WWII by Johnnie Johnson – $3.99
Duel of Eagles: The Classic Pilot’s Account of the Battle of Britain by Peter Townsend – $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.
November 17, 2025
Peace from Above
Philippians 4:6-7
6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When I am anxious or angry or afraid my tendency is either to lean into those feelings and let them overwhelm me as I wallow in them. Or I try to engineer a version of peace for myself. Sometimes I do this by trying to change my circumstances or environment. Sometimes I focus on changing my perspective. Most often it means that I frantically pour my energy into fixing whatever I perceive my problem to be . . . which in the end just makes me more worn out and in a worse state than when I started.
So often I forget to bring my needs, my feelings, or my fears to God. I try to play the role of God in my own life and act as if I can grant myself peace. What foolishness. What a waste of time and energy. I’m reminded of those lyrics from the old hymn:
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pains we bear
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
It is needless pain because God has told us what to do when we are overwhelmed. 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. He has assured us of peace that is not tied to circumstance but tied to him in all his love and power and goodness and faithfulness. When we come to God with needs, he offers peace that makes no earthly sense–calm, serenity, true perspective on what matters, true hope for the future.
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 November 17
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity by Rebecca McLaughlin – $3.99
Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers by Dane Ortlund – $4.99
The Heart of Jesus: How He Really Feels about You by Dane Ortlund – $6.75
What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord?: “How the Fear of God Delights and Stengthens” by Michael Reeves – $6.21
Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life by Mark Vroegop – $4.99
Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional by Paul Tripp – $4.99
God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies by Costi Hinn – $1.99
The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch – $1.99
The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between by Gregory Koukl – $4.99
40 Questions About Biblical Theology by Jason DeRouchie, Oren Martin, & Andre Nasseli – $2.99
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: A Lisbeth Salander Novel by Stieg Larsson – $6.99
The Girl Who Played with Fire: A Lisbeth Salander Novel by Stieg Larsson – $1.99
The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst by David Nasaw – $1.99
Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by Andrew Morton – $1.99
A Man of Iron: The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland by Troy Senik – $1.99
Eleanor Roosevelt: In Her Words: On Women, Politics, Leadership, and Lessons from Life – $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.
November 14, 2025
Kindle Deals for November 14
Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:Exalting Jesus in Hebrews by R. Albert Mohelr Jr. – $4.99
Stump Kingdom: Isaiah 6-12 by Dale Ralph Davis – $2.99
Matthew: A Call for Unity and Responsibility in the Church by John Hannah – $2.99
Know the Theologians by Jennifer Powell McNutt & David W. McNutt – $1.99
Athens and Jerusalem: Philosophy, Theology, and the Mind of Christ by Gerald Bray – $6.03
The Tinker’s Progress: The Life and Times of John Bunyan by Jacob Tanner – $2.99
James Madison and the Making of America by Kevin Gutzman – $2.99
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis – $1.99
American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis – $4.99
American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation by Jon Meacham – $5.99
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles Mann – $2.99
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford – $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.
November 13, 2025
Tempted to be Exceptional in Ministry
Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods stood alone in their fields as cutthroat geniuses. General Stanley McChrystal, Jocko Willink, James Stockdale and other fine military men offer lessons on leadership in extreme circumstances. Winston Churchill was the Last Lion. Teddy Roosevelt was the man in the arena who walked softly and carried a big stick. FDR reminded us that the only thing to fear is fear itself. And if you are anything like me reading about such leaders is compelling and thrilling. And if you are anything like me you are tempted to model yourself after them (not so much as a genius as in habits).
We do the same with great spiritual leaders of the past, reading of their prolific writing, the speed with which they could produce a sermon, the number of times they preached in a day or a week. We read of their call to ministry in their teens and the decades of productivity thereafter. We see that they spent years expositing a single book of the Bible or that they preached through every book in the Bible. And again we are tempted to model ourselves after them, this time with a little more piety.
I use the word tempted because what we are often interested in gaining by modeling ourselves after these leaders is not what God has called us to gain. We are tempted to pursue their levels of productivity, to take up habits in order to produce results like theirs. And we fail to ask three significant questions pertaining to life and ministry.
What aspects of life and character did those elite producers have to sacrifice (or simply disregard) in order to be elite?Read enough biographies and memoirs of these leaders and an uncomfortable reality becomes obvious: they were largely unhealthy men at a relational and soul level. The elite producers and powerful leaders of the world (and, sadly, the church) have rarely been humble, loving, kind, gentle, patient men who prioritize family and care for the weak. They are commanders instead of caretakers and producers instead of shepherds. I am painting with a broad brush, but I don’t think I am painting outside the lines. Two facts define every one of us as pastors: we are called by God to be a certain kind of man in a certain kind of ministry (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1) and we are limited by our capacities. In order to be elite by the world’s standards we generally need to set aside some aspect of our call and apply what capacity we do have to things that aren’t primary in God’s sight.
Second, has God given you the same gifts and capacities he gave to them?God doesn’t distribute gifts and talents equally. This is profoundly obvious, and we are generally comfortable with it when comparing ourselves to people in different fields. I am not offended that a professional athlete received the talents to be faster, stronger, and have better hand-eye coordination than me. I am not offended that an engineer has a better mathematical and problem solving mind than I do. But the closer the comparison is to what I do, the more jealous I am prone to be and the more the comparison is offensive. I become insecure about someone who is a better public speaker than me, because that is what I do. I take offense that someone else writes better sentences than me, because that is what I do. I even get jealous when another pastor is praised for his sermons or his counseling, because I too do those things and want the recognition. And I am guessing I am not alone in this pettiness. We fail to recognize that God has given others different, and often greater, gifts than he has given us. Some pastors can prepare a great sermon in less time than others. Some pastors are more effortless speakers or intuitive counselors than others. And some pastors are given large ministries which come with notoriety–so they are perceived as elite. We must be both realistic about and grateful for the gifts God has given us lest we fall into temptation to compare and compete.
Third, what exactly is a pastor supposed to produce and what is a church supposed to produce?Elite leaders are measured by production of one kind or another, but how does this apply to the pastorate? Churches measure all sorts of metrics–attendance, baptisms, giving, group participation–but those aren’t rightly what the pastor or church is producing. At least I hope not. You could say that we are to produce disciples, but even that puts too much emphasis on the machinations of ministry rather than the work of the Holy Spirit. Is “productivity” even the right measurement for churches? When it comes to results, no. But if we consider context and environment, yes. The call of the pastor and the measure of the church is to produce an environment shaped by the gospel–grace and truth, mercy, welcome. We want to produce the aroma of Christ. (2 Cor. 2:15) Counterintuitively, this “production” is a byproduct rather than a direct result; it grows from affection for Jesus, faithful proclamation of Jesus, dependence on Jesus, and walking closely with Jesus. It is not measured in numbers but is seen in lived reality.
By all means, read biographies of prominent leaders. Listen to their podcasts. Enjoy them. Learn from them. But let’s be committed not to measure ourselves by them. They neither define pastoral greatness nor set the measure for ministry productivity. As is the case in all of God’s kingdom, the true measure of these things is perpendicular to what the world values. Let’s not sacrifice our call or character in order to be exceptional in ways that don’t matter to Christ. Let’s be grateful for our own gifts and for those God has given others which are greater than our own; all these gifts are from him and for him after all. And let’s remember that what is exceptional about the church–and about any good our pastoring produces–is the work of Christ among his people, no more and no less.
This article was originally published at NewChurches.com
Kindle Deals for November 13
Repeat the Sounding Joy: A daily Advent devotional on Luke 1–2 by Christopher Ash – $2.99
Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson – $2.99
The Dawn of Redeeming Grace: Daily Devotions for Advent by Sinclair Ferguson – $2.99
Enjoying God: Experience the power and love of God in everyday by Tim Chester – $2.99
Why Trust the Bible? by greg Gilbert – $4.04
The Purity Principle: God’s Safeguards for Life’s Dangerous Trails by Randy Alcorn – $5.99
The Treasure Principle, Revised and Updated: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn – $5.99
What Do I Say When . . . ?: A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Cultural Chaos for Children and Teens by Andrew Walker & Christian Walker – $4.99
Gospel-Shaped Marriage: Grace for Sinners to Love Like Saints by Chad & Emily VanDixhoorn – $4.99
Blessed Broken Given: How Your Story Becomes Sacred in the Hands of Jesus by Glenn Packiam – $1.99
Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World by Rich Villodas – $4.99
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson – $1.99
The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose – $1.99
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Stephen Ambrose – $3.99
Churchill’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat by Giles Milton – $3.99
The Nazi Hunters: The Ultra-Secret SAS Unit and the Hunt for Hitler’s War Criminals by Damien Lewis – $2.99
Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Croke – $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.
