John Piper's Desiring God is such a ubiquitous classic that there is almost nothing new I could hope to say about it. Yet here I am, and here you are.
The Desiring God DVD Set is a 10-part series for personal or group study. Between the two DVDs there are ten segments of video of John Piper teaching through the content of his book in a workshop/seminar format. He is still preaching with all the conviction and passion of John Piper in the pulpit, so don't expect it to be your typical dry seminar.
The grand theme of Desiring God is the concept of "Christian Hedonism." This is Piper's philosophy that the supreme purpose of life is to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Far from living a dry, joyless, prim and proper life, the Christian is called to pursue God...and in that pursuit we find greater pleasure and enjoyment than we could ever find in a life pursuing worldly pleasures. That is to say: God is greater than the greatest drug, than a night of getting wasted with your friends, than the pursuit of self-satisfaction through self-service. It is only through the pursuit of God and His intention for our life that we can experience true joy and pleasure like we were intended. And Piper wants to encourage Christians to unashamedly pursue that joy and satisfaction. Christian Hedonism.
Throughout the DVD set Piper introduces and explains this concept, then discusses its implications in areas such as worship, love, prayer, money, marriage, missions, suffering, and more. The intention is that a group of people would watch the DVDs together to discuss them in a small group setting. I'd say you can also easily use it with your family for family devotional time, with a group of friends informally, and so on. There are tons of ways to digest the content and discuss it.
Piper's ministry is popular for a reason. He is a compelling speaker and there is no subject more dear to his heart than this. There is much to be gained from going through this classic content with others and letting it influence your walk with God.
