Good Places to Learn to Know and Enjoy God
By: Pastor Russ Ramsey
I love books—especially used books.
I love the feel of a well bound volume in my hands, the musty scent of old paper, the markings of discovery or disagreement left by someone else who had, at some point I’ll never know, settled down with the same volume to read the same words.
I wonder how the words hit them. I wonder if they liked it.
I love being surrounded by my own shelves lined with all the different colored spines facing out, asking me to read them as though the shelves themselves were volumes telling the story of the educational paths and pop culture trends I’ve followed over the years.
A room full of books, at least for me, commands quiet, even if I'm the only in there. In return, the books still my mind and invite me to reflect, learn, and want to learn more.
I’ll probably remain a book guy, even though technology is advancing determinedly into the realms over which the printed page once held a monopoly.
However, when it comes to learning to know and enjoy God, there are many great resources on the web—sites where you can study most anything you can think up with just a few clicks of the mouse.
Here are a few sites I’ve found to be helpful in my study of Scripture.
• Monergism.com – If you’re leading a study, preparing a talk or just wanting to dig deeper into doctrine or the Scriptures, this site is very easy to navigate and wonderfully informative. Their mission statement says they exist “to proclaim the truths of Scripture as reiterated in the 16th century Reformation that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, as revealed in the Scripture alone to the glory of God alone.
• Desiringgod.org – As John Piper’s online resource, this site has well over a thousand sermons and countless articles and books by Piper and others. As a pastor, I have personally benefitted greatly from Piper’s pastoral heart and craft found here. Hearing him preach has shaped me. He has been my primary teaching pastor over the past four years. I’m grateful for this site. Also, most everything here is free.
• Biblegateway.com – I love this site for the time it saves and the accuracy it ensures. From their site: “The Bible Gateway is a tool for reading and researching scripture online—all in the language or translation of your choice! It provides advanced searching capabilities, which allow readers to find and compare particular passages in scripture based on keywords, phrases, or scripture reference.”
Pastor Russ
