Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself

Joe Thorn (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founding and lead pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, Illinois. He is an active blogger at JoeThorn.net, a contributor to The Story ESV Bible and The Mission of God Study Bible, and the author of Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself and Experiencing the Trinity: The Grace of God for the People of God. He and his wife, Jen, have four children.

Sam Storms (PhD, University of Texas at Dallas) is the founder and president of Enjoying God Ministries and serves on the council of the Gospel Coalition. Sam served as visiting associate professor of theology at Wheaton College and is a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society. He is the author or editor of 37 books and blogs regularly at SamStorms.org. Sam and his wife, Ann, are the parents of two daughters and grandparents of four.

I know of no other book that deals with the issue of preaching to yourself directly, and I can't imagine another book will come along to fill this void better than Note to Self. Pastor Joe Thorn offers a richly pastoral, theological, and practical guide for thinking through the Christian life. After reading Note to Self, you will not only have Joe’s notes on how to preach to yourself on issues related to God, others, and yourself, but also you will have a model for practicing the discipline on your own.
-Ed Stetzer, President, LifeWay Research

Note to Self is a gospel-guided smart bomb scoring a direct hit on our strongholds of emptiness. But the explosion it detonates is life giving. It clears the way for Christ to enter in with powers of salvation where we really need help.
-Raymond C. Ortlund Jr.,
Lead Pastor, Immanuel Church, Nashville, Tennessee

I am thoroughly engrossed with Joe Thorn's personal meditations on preaching the gospel to oneself. He combines a clear biblical knowledge with an excellent grasp of doctrine from a historical Reformed perspective and is able to press home a rich application of each aspect of truth to the development of personal holiness. These applications are not trite, but arise from knowledge of the church’s best soul doctors. My wife and I have been reading this each evening and have profited greatly. Each chapter can be managed in less than five minutes but provides an evening’s worth of rich reflection.
-Tom Nettles,
Professor of Historical Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said that most of your unhappiness is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself. Joe Thorn brings this truth to bear on a new generation in Note to Self. It's filled with pastoral concern and practical advice packaged as brief notes. I've been looking for a book like this my entire Christian life, and it's every bit as good as I hoped it would be. I'm buying a copy for everyone in my church.
-Steve McCoy,
Pastor, Doxa Fellowship; blogger, Reformissionary

Joe Thorn's gift to our spiritual well-being is a contemporary, practical example of what the Puritan pastor Richard Baxter called 'discursive meditation.' At once both convicting and exhilarating, Note to Self is a great resource for cultivating the godly habit of preaching to oneself.
-C. Ben Mitchell,
Graves Chair of Moral Philosophy, Union University

Joe Thorn has not only given us a good piece of writing, he's given us a great idea! Note to Self is a series of brief notes in which Joe preaches the gospel to himself on a wide range of topics. The notes offer memorable insights on our view of God, others, and self. Everyone should write 'notes to self.' Read this book and learn firsthand how to write the gospel into every nook and cranny of your life!
-Jonathan Dodson, Lead Pastor, Austin City Life, Austin, Texas; founding leader, The GCM Collective; author, Gospel-Centered Discipleship

I talk to myself. Joe Thorn wants me to talk to myself more. And I need that. Regardless of one's theological view of Law and gospel, these biblical repasts are a good chew.
-Jim Elliff,
Christian Communicators Worldwide

Joe Thorn is my favorite kind of pastor--a theologian and a shepherd. Even better, he is a serious follower of Jesus Christ. Listen to him 'talk to himself' and you will discover that he is doing more listening than talking. Read Note to Self and it will help you to hear God's Word and discern the gracious moving of his Spirit in your own life.
-John Koessler,
Professor and Chair of Pastoral Studies Department, Moody Bible Institute

Joe Thorn has written a series of devotions that are concise and clear but also profound and penetrating. This is just the sort of resource that frazzled and frayed people (like this pastor!) need to read to come back to center and be refreshed by the wonder of the gospel and the beauty and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ.
-Chris Brauns,
author, Unpacking Forgiveness; Pastor, The Red Brick Church, Stillman Valley, Illinois

Note to Self teaches you a skill that will permanently change your life: the skill of preaching to yourself. This is a forgotten habit in our day, and Joe Thorn winsomely models how to resurrect this lost art. Note to Self models what I want to see more of in my life and in the lives of the people I pastor. Practice what this book preaches and your life will be different.
-Justin Buzzard,
Lead Pastor, Garden City Church, San Jose, California; blogger, BuzzardBlog

It's not enough to simply call people to the gospel. We must help them make the connections between the gospel and their everyday living. Joe Thorn's Note to Self is gospel proclamation and application at its best. I will put this in the hands of my people.
-Daniel Montgomery, Lead Pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky