As Christians, we are a blessed people today. God has blessed in numerous ways, but one exampe is that we have so many resources available to us that can aid in our pursuit of Christ. First of all, we have the Word of God. Many of us have multiple copies of the Word and in several different translations. This contrasts much of Church history where many Christians never had the privilege of even owning even one Bible. This precious book is all we really need and should be the book that we spend the most time in – reading, meditating, studying, memorizing, and sharing with others. But we also have all kinds of Christian books available to us. Some of these books can be very edifying and valuable to us in our Christian walk, however, many books are what Stephane and I often call “fluff.” They encourage us to be content with little, and quite honestly are not Christ-centered. Thus, we need discernment when we walk into our Christian bookstores. Christian bookstores are businesses and they will stock the books and resources that sell. As you know, the books that sell are not necessarily the most edifying and theologically sound books out there. The recent success of “The Shack” is evidence of this. Millions of Christians are buying and reading this book, even though it is filled with heresy. Discernment is also needed when we turn on the radio or TV to listen to a Christian program. Some of the programs are committed to glorifying God and proclaiming the unchanging truth of God’s word, and some are not. Finally, discernment is needed when we log onto the internet and search the world-wide-web for Christian resources. Again, there are all kinds of excellent resources available to you and me on the net that can aid us in our pursuit of Christ. However, there are also all kinds of resources that claim to be Christian but they are Christian in name only. In light of all this, let me give you some recommendations.

Authors: John Piper and R.C. Sproul – these two men have both written dozens of books and have great websites that offer tons of free resources: desiringgod.org and ligonier.org

Preachers: John MacArthur and Michael Youssef – John and Michael are two of the best preachers on the planet and can be found on most Christian radio stations.

Blogs: albertmohler.com and challies.com – these two blogs are updated on an almost daily basis and offer insightful commentary from a Christian perspective.

Other notable websites:
– spurgeon.org – the Charles Spurgeon archive is an excellent resource for the prince of preachers and much of his works
– ccel.org – the Christian Classics ethereal Library is an excellent resource for many of the classic works from centuries past. It literally has hundreds of free books available online.
– thegospelcoalition.org – this website offers great resources and it is all free. One example is the over 2500 free seminary courses – just in case you want some serious study.

We are indeed a blessed people to have so many Christian resources, but we must constantly exercise discernment. Anyway, have fun as you check out some of these links and resources. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!