Recommended Reading for What's Killing Me

Jon Ludovina, the author of this post, serves as a pastor at our Downtown church. He serves as one of our primary teaching pastors. To find out more about our leadership, visit our Leadership page.

There are many helpful books and resources available to dig deeper as our family works through the What’s Killing Me? campaign. As always with books, sermons and teachings we receive their instruction in light of 1 Thessalonians 5:20-22:

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.

Paul provides us with four aspects of gospel discernment:

1. Practice gospel humility. Don’t scoff at teaching with a critical spirit that thinks you know everything and are smarter than everyone.
2. Test everything. Do however take what is being taught and hold it up to the lens of scripture and the gospel.
3. Keep the good. Is it Biblically sound? Is Jesus the hero? Does it point to Jesus’ finished and final work for us in the cross? Does it stir your heart’s affections for Jesus?
4. Throw out the bad. Does it blatantly contradict scripture? Does it emphasize you as the decisive power for change? Does it encourage moralism instead of gospel dependency?

General help during What’s Killing Me:

• You Can Change by Tim Chester
• Counsel From the Cross by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Denis Johnson
• Death by Love: Letters from the Cross by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
• The Mortification of Sin by John Owen
• How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp

Week 2: Guilt & Shame

• Shame Interrupted by Edward T. Welch
• Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler
• Rid of My Disgrace by Justin and Lindsey Holcomb
• (specifically for shame connected to sexual abuse)
• The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes

Week 3: Envy & Greed

• The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
• The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
• Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller

Week 4: Anger

• Uprooting Anger by Robert D. Jones
• Anger: Escaping the Maze by David Powlison
• A Loving Life: In a World of Broken Relationships by Paul Miler

Week 5: Worry & Anxiety

• Overcoming Fear, Worry and Anxiety by Elyse Fitzpatrick
• Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Edward T. Welch
• All Things for Good by Thomas Watson

Week 6 - Apathy

• To Live is Christ: To Die is Gain by Matt Chandler
• Rescuing Ambition by Dave Harvey
• The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, and Self-Image by Jay E. Adams
• Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper

Week 7: Busyness

• Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung
• What's Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Stuff Done by Matt Perman

Week 8: Lust

• Undefiled by Harry Schaumburg
• Sex and the Supremacy of Christ John Piper
• Finally Free by Heath Lambert
• Purity is Possible by Helen Thorne (purity for women)

Week 9: Fear of Man

• When People Are Big and God is Small by Edward T. Welch
• Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend
• Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Some Help Reading Ecclesiastes

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To many Christians, Ecclesiastes is a very strange read. Throughout the book, Solomon often sounds depressed, incredibly cynical and at times he seems to say blatantly untrue things or Biblically false ideas. On top of all of that, there are times when he seems to contradict himself.

But hiding behind these initial frustrations and confusions lies a wealth of wisdom, insight and truth waiting for us. When we understand the literary genre and the nature of the task Solomon is accomplishing throughout Ecclesiastes, the light bulbs start to turn on with otherwise very dark passages. Wisdom literature graces us with some of the most helpful, beautiful passages in all of Scripture and simultaneously befuddles us with some of the most confusing passages in all of Scripture.

The reason for Solomon’s apparent pessimism throughout the book of Ecclesiastes originates from the nature of the task that he is accomplishing for us. Throughout the book, Solomon walks in a tension of two views of life:

1. Life with no view of God.
2. Life with God in view.

Solomon spends a majority of Ecclesiastes considering view number 1 which is why it tends to be so pessimistic, cynical and strange sounding. In brief moments throughout the book he expands his view to include God and we get breaths of fresh air. Whenever you find yourself stumped by a verse or a passage in Ecclesiastes, immediately ask yourself the question “Is he describing life with no view of God right now?” This is the case almost every time he is depressed sounding or seemingly wrong.

For example in Ecclesiastes 10:19, Solomon writes:

“Money answers everything.”

At first glance that is blatantly wrong. But here he is describing life with no view of God and saying at a practical level, money is an answer to an incredible amount of problems under the sun. It won’t fix the underlying brokenness but it can certain solve a lot of symptomatic issues. It’s a truism presented in a very specific context of life considered with no view of God.

Practical steps to interpreting Ecclesiastes:

1. Spend time praying and meditating on the tough passages asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate them to you.
2. Ask yourself the question, “Is he describing life with no view of God right now?”
3. If you are still stuck, talk to your LifeGroup and see if you can figure it out together.
4. In a pinch, consult commentaries, your LifeGroup coach or someone you know with more biblical knowledge.

Don’t let a confusing statement here or there and a seemingly pessimistic tone limit you from enjoying all that Jesus has to offer us in this book. When it’s the hardest to understand, rely on Jesus’ strength the most. When it seems too murky to press on, pray for Jesus’ light to illuminate it. And together as a family, let’s learn from Jesus through Solomon how to live The Good Life.