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Pierced by the Word: Thirty-One Meditations for Your Soul | 
 enlarge | Author: John Piper
Publisher: Multnomah Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.99
Buy New: $10.39
You Save: $2.60 (20%)
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 378241
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 144
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7 x 5 x 0.6
ISBN: 1590521730
Dewey Decimal Number: 242.2
EAN: 9781590521731
ASIN: 1590521730
Publication Date: September 11, 2003
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Product Description
Pierced by the Word takes up thirty-one subjects as unique as a€œHow to Be a Refuge for Your Children,a€ a€œHow to Drink Orange Juice to the Glory of God,a€ and a€œEmbracing the Pain of Shame.a€ Some are longer, some shorter, like the real-world conversations they so closely resemble, and each comes from the fertile mind of John Piper and is written in his own inimitable style. Together, the readings will lead to a deeper understanding of God and a cleaner, clearer relationship with Him. Most of all, Piper's approach shows how meditating on God's powerful Word can affect every aspect of our lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 A Warning About Piper's Emphasis September 2, 2005
20 out of 29 found this review helpful
This is a general comment on Piper's books and ministry. I deeply appreciate the work of John Piper--especially his emphasis on missions and on living God-centered, Christ-exalting lives of worship. And I am Augustinian, so I love Piper's theology and am thrilled that he has become so popular. But I do want to provide a warning. Piper's main emphasis is (and you'll read this over and over again) "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him"--or when we "savor" Him or "delight" in Him. (You can tell from the titles of his books that Piper uses numerous terms to describe this same principle.) This is a biblical and wonderful proposition that Piper became aware of through the writings of Jonathan Edwards. And to Edwards, this was one small part of his theology.
But Piper has taken this idea, which he calls "Christian Hedonism," and built his whole life and ministry around it. The problem is that if you read enough Piper, you will begin to focus on the FEELING of being delighted in Christ, rather than on Christ Himself. And when your feelings don't match what you want them to be, you will become disheartened. (And let's face it, few of us have the emotional intensity of John Piper.) At that point, your feelings (of being delighted in God) become the object of your desires and, thus, an idol. Yes, they are feelings TOWARD God--but those feelings are NOT GOD. And when the focus of your life has become your emotions, it has deceptively become an idol.
I know Piper fights against this tendency. But I'm afraid he is often unsuccessful. The fact is, the Christian life is not going to be one of unending joy in God. Read the Psalms to see how often the psalmists cry out in agony and desperation and sadness to the Lord. Read Romans 7 to find out how tough and discouraging the Christian life can really be.
According to Piper, our happiness in God should be the driving motivation in our life. But when Christians are inevitably not overflowing with delight in God, then under Piper's framework, the only solution is to seek that feeling of joy rather than just do our duty. There are times when duty and obligation (which Piper hates) are the only motivations for the Christian to be obedient and live a life of faith. I agree wholeheartedly with Piper that delight in God is a much better motivation for the Christian than duty. But when that delight is not there, we still must be faithful and obedient, and we can't always wait on our feelings to drive us on toward the prize. (I suppose one of the reasons Piper has become so popular is the fascination we post-modern people have with our own feelings and subjective experiences.)
Read Piper's books. And enjoy his passionate and Christ-exalting preaching. But beware and repent when your emotions--rather than the Triune God Himself--become the focus of your life.
 Food for the soul May 2, 2004
11 out of 12 found this review helpful
John Piper is a deep thinker and deeply in love with God. Combined together, his writings are always solid food for the Christian seeking ways to draw closer to God. As a devotional, this work dishes out pastoral thoughts in bite-sized form. But though each day's reading is about 2-3 pages long, trust me, you'd want to mull over and meditate over it, as it is "solid meat''. You'd read here deep truths that will prod you to live a life that is spent on God.
I discovered John Piper only last year. Let me say that his books, particularly the full-length "Pleasures of God'' have transformed my life. They have a heart-piercing quality to them, which can only come from a man who has thought through his faith and is sold out to it. If you have more time, these full-length books will be worth every cent. I am buying "The Pleasures of God'' and giving it away as gifts.
But this bite-sized devotional also has a place on the shelf. As I said, the writings are brief, but thought-provoking nonetheless. And they come from a pastor's heart.
Bite sized morsels April 15, 2004
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
John Piper is my favorite contemporary Christian author, so it was no surprise to me that this would be another engaging, worship inspiring work from him. His longer works such as "The Pleasures of God" are amazing when you have a bigger stretch of time for devotion, but this provides a perfect alternative when a larger work might put one off from even getting started. Each meditation is a bit longer than a given entry from say "My Utmost For His Highest" (quite possibly the quintessential daily devotional book), but still easily manageable in a single sitting.
Critical Thinking January 13, 2004
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
John Piper has a way of making scripture relavant to daily life. This book challenged my thinking and demanded critical thinking of life and scripture. As with all of Piper's writtings, I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a closer realtionship with Christ.
God-centered theology in bite-size form November 9, 2003
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
These thirty-one meditations follow the pattern of Piper's other excellent God-centered books in directing us both in mind and heart to the piercing words of Scripture. Join Piper in meditating on the practicality of Scripture for all of life, including: parenting and praying, fighting lust and anger, embracing the pain of shame, gaining assurance of salvation, and a score of other topics, in which God is shown to be the main reality. This is an easy to read book (a little less daunting than some of Piper's longer, meatier books) and would make a great gift to a new believer or non-reader.
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