John Piper challenges fellow baby boomers to forego the American dream of retirement and live out their golden years with a far greater purpose in mind.

They say it's a person's reward for all those years of labour. 'Turn in your time card and trade in your IRAs. Let travel plans and golf-course leisure lead the way.' But is retirement really the ideal? Or is it a series of poor options that ignore a greater purpose - and will kill a person more quickly than old age?

John Piper responds: 'Lord, spare me this curse!' And his resounding message is for anyone who believes there's far more to the golden years than accumulating comforts. It's for readers who long to finish better than they started, persevere for the right reasons (and without fear), experience true security, value what lies beyond their cravings, and live dangerously for the One who gave his life in his prime.

With this brief book, Piper is sure to spur fellow baby boomers in their resolve to invest themselves in the sacrifices of love - and to grow old with godly zeal.

John Piper is pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. His many books Stand (from which Rethinking Retirement has been extracted), Don't Waster Your Life and Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die.