Nothing short of total transformation
So I guess I had the flu. What I thought was a looooong cold took a sharp downturn and landed me flat on my back for days and I’m just finally coming up for air and headed to speak tonight (pray for no more crazy coughing fits!), so it’s been quiet here on the online front. But, my laundry’s done and everyone’s fed. Glory!
The upside of the flu (!) is that it forced me to the couch, and while my children played happily in this week’s glorious sunshine, I had time to read, pray, and pound out a few chapters on the book. Hooray! As I was revising the chapter on prayer, I flipped back through A Praying Life and was blessed all over again by the simplicity and power of this book. In the current journey we’re on, I’m once again floored by the Father’s relentless love, that He stops at nothing short of total transformation in our lives. It reminded me of this from last year …
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I wish I could send a copy of A Praying Life to every single one of you.
This book is resonating with the deepest part of my Spirit. You know the feeling, right? That internal Yes! that makes all those loose fragments come into focus and your heart “gets it.” I don’t mean we understand prayer in the sense that we dissect how it works, but we “get it” in the sense that it’s made accessible. There is still profound mystery (and, inevitably at times, profound frustration!) but we’ve waded into the waters of effective prayer and we’re learning to dive down deeper and deeper into its glorious depths. That’s what this book has been for me.
What’s struck me again and again is the fresh awareness that through prayer, God is seeking nothing short of total transformation.[bctt tweet=”Through prayer, God is seeking nothing short of total transformation.”]
While we may be tempted to believe that we’re asking God for “too big,” the truth is that God is always doing something so much bigger than I can even imagine. He’s changing me in the process. So the last few weeks I’ve been considering: What are the characteristics of prayers that I’m most often seeing answered, in the Scriptures and in my life? So far I’d say …
1. Faith. Scripture is crystal clear on this—if we ask with doubt, we cannot assume we will receive anything. Faith is the key that unlocks miraculous and astounding “results” in prayer. There is just no getting around this. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The more than we drench our lives in the truth and promises of God’s Word, the more we will believe He is who He says He is, we will know His heart and His will, and we will ask in accordance with it, for His glory. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!
2. Repentance. Probably the most significant answer to prayer I have seen recently is in direct response to repentance. God showed me a clear area of sin in which He wanted to me to practice repentance—daily bringing this area to God, acknowledging my “bent” toward it, and asking Him to forgive me and deliver me from evil. To my everlasting amazement, He has! He is, and even did some other awesome things like removing the behavior in another person (i.e. a child of mine!) that was triggering that sin issue. A huge praise, and it all started with repentance.
3. Requests firmly rooted in Scripture. As we saw in Jesus’ radical promises regarding prayer, if we are Christ’s Ambassadors, performing His work for His sake, we need to know clearly what He wants us to do. I’m finding that unless I’m convinced this is the kind of thing my Master would want, my prayers are weak because I lack confidence of His will. Studying the Scriptures helps clarify the Stuff Jesus Does, and gives us greater confidence for praying prayers of faith.
4. Honesty. God sees what I really want, not just what I say I want, so it does no good to doll up my requests with Scriptur-y language if I don’t really mean what I say. We don’t let God work in the real part of us until the real part of us is exposed and laid bare to God during prayer. Whenever we are hiding the “real us” behind churchy language, we forfeit the real transformation that God can work through our honest pleas.
5. Heart. I do not mean mere emotionalism; we don’t have to muster up tears or put on a show. But Jesus was moved with compassion during His days walking this earth, healing people and performing miracles. Again, we can’t fake this or conjure it up on our own, but we can humbly ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His. The more we seek His kingdom during our day, with our time and energy and money, the more our hearts will be turned toward the things of Him.
{Ready to dive deeper? Whether you’ve been praying for five minutes or 50 years, let’s continue to grow in our pursuit of prayer. Thanks so much for reading.}
Nourish your soul.
Why is it that when we’re sick we crave sugar? It’s strange that when our bodies most desperately need nourishment, we’re most likely to reach for a quick pick-me-up.
And that’s just it, right? We crave sugar because we’re tired and we feel lousy and sugar is the quickest “high,” the fastest way to feel (temporarily) better.
But, of course, then there’s the crash. We always feel worse afterward. While everything God created is good in moderation, refined sugar is notorious for its addictive quality and destructive effect on our bodies.
But it feels so good at the time.
What we really need, though, is nourishment, not a quick high. We need bone broth, loads of hot (unsweetened!) liquids and, of course, rest.
Our souls are the same.
Lately I have been struck by how critical it is that we nourish our souls. That we feed our spirits. It is when we’re “sick” spiritually, when we’re feeling low or discouraged or even physically run-down that we reach for whatever gives us that quick “high.” We reach for twaddle or turn on triviality. We are strangely energized by reading or watching people rant. Drama gives us a little rush.
But it really doesn’t nourish our spirits. We desperately need the bone broth of truth, of life-giving spiritual nourishment. Recently I had a cold so I curled up on the couch to finish Robby Dawkins’ Do What Jesus Did. I knew the Father was urging me to physical rest, and I knew my heart needed it too. Once I had cared for my babes and my man, I nestled under a quilt and sipped up some life-giving, soul-nourishing, no-nonsense, Jesus-exalting truth.
Completely void of hype, drama, or finger-pointing rants, this book just urges us gently back to do what Jesus did. Sadly, we’ve flippantly put “health & wealth” together because they rhyme (?) and sloppily stuck it all together under the term “Prosperity Gospel.”
But Jesus didn’t do that. He healed every person who came to Him for healing. He sent exactly ZERO of them away. He was always urging people to give away their wealth, but He granted them healing whenever they came to Him in need. He brought deliverance to every person who was oppressed by the devil. All of His commissions to the disciples and the 72 includes preaching the gospel and healing the sick. This WAS evangelism. It is impossible to miss this in the gospels.
He sozo‘d (saved) people left and right by bringing forgiveness of sins, healing to their bodies, deliverance for their souls, and showering them with such life-changing love that they were compelled to leave all and follow Him.
The love of Christ compels us! The love of God is so much more than we can comprehend! His love empowers us to move beyond our limits, our comforts, our control, our cynicism and hopelessness, His love is all we so desperately need and this love will lead us to do things beyond our wildest imagination.
Please, if you ever come across a book that is, essentially, Do What I Do, put it down. It’s sugar for your spirit. I have been convicted by how often I write things that are just that. What we most need is to feed our hearts and souls and spirits with the bone broth of Who God is. What is He like? What did He do? What is His heart? This truth will strengthen us long after the sugar-high has left.
Please, Nourish your spirit. Or, as God’s Word says,
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.
Prov. 4:23
May we nourish our spirits this week with the truth of who God is! He is life to our souls! Thank you for reading.
Good Reads: Top 15 from ’15
You are what you eat? I say you are what you read. You are far more influenced by what you feed your mind than by what you feed your body. Both are important, but making a commitment to a healthy diet of soul-food is a powerful way to shape your life this year. Here are my 15 favorite reads from 2015. Most of the books I read are recommendations (or gifts) from others, so please take a moment and share your favs in the comments (or send me a copy!). If you’re in a hurry, you can skip down and see the TOP 5 at the bottom.
*1. A Praying Life by Paul Miller. One of my top 4 favorite books ever on prayer. (Two others are below.) Simple, straightforward, practical. Miller manages to make powerful prayer accessible and gives honest examples from his own life. Worth buying. This is a great book for small group study as well!
2. His Healing Power by Lilian Yeomans. A friend bought this for me, and I’m so grateful! I had only searched the scriptures in my journey of trying to understand God’s will for healing, but it was profoundly encouraging to read someone else (from almost a century ago!) confirm these truths and share many examples from her experience.
3. Good to Grace by Christine Hoover. I love Christine Hoover, and was honored she sent me a copy of her book to review. Christine writes in a straightforward, Christ-exalting way that always draws attention to Him and not her. I love that about her. She shares her journey from pursuing the goodness-gospel to resting in true grace, an adventure through Galatians that I had also experienced while immersed in that book of the Bible. If you find yourself still struggling with perfectionism, this is a great read.
4. Every Bitter Thing is Sweet by Sara Hagerty. A friend bought this for me, and I’ll confess: At first I was suspicious. I wrote at length about it here, but I ended up enjoying this book a lot, and was grateful for Sara’s honest account of wrestling with God during a season of suffering. This is a great book to help someone through a season of confusing, and specifically addressing the issue of infertility.
5. Supernatural Power of a Transformed Mind by Bill Johnson. A friend bought this for me as well and … Wow! I had never read anything by Bill Johnson, and this book was hugely encouraging to me on my journey of understanding healing. I kept saying out loud, “Yes! Finally someone who’s SEEING the things we’re believing God for!” It was so encouraging for my faith. It’s a quick read, and worth it!
6. Complete Guide to Asperger’s by Tony Attwood. Again, a friend bought this for me. Admittedly, this isn’t going to appeal to most of you, 😉 but if you have a child with Asperger’s it most certainly will! For me, this was like reading a textbook about my son. I only skimmed some sections that didn’t apply to him, but it helped me understand why he does what he does, and gave me lots of encouragement and ideas for ways to help him thrive. Not a thrilling read, but so helpful!
*7. The Purple Pig and other miracles by Dick Eastman. Again, a gift from a friend. Actually, she loaned it to me but I loved it so much I refused to give it back! 😉 Wow! This is another of my top 4 favorite books on prayer. Truly AMAZING. Hugely encouraging for my faith. The title’s sort of lame, but if you can get past that, read this! So eye-opening regarding the power we have through prayer and ability to truly shape our world and influence our culture. Worth buying!
*8. The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun. How on earth had I never heard of this book until this year?! MUST READ. Again, a friend loaned it to me, but I had to buy my own copy, it’s that good. Every Christian should read this book. Challenging, inspiring, faith-building. It gives you a heart for God’s world and puts life into perspective in an amazing way. As one reviewer wrote, “You might begin this book sitting down, but you will finish it on your knees.” Read!
*9. The Gospel of Healing by AB Simpson. In my opinion, this is the briefest, clearest, most Scriptural overview of the theology of healing in the Scriptures. No fluff here. Just a clear overview of the Scriptural accounts and commands regarding this topic. You can get the whole text here for free. If you have any interest in learning more about healing, this is a great place to begin!
10. Healing by Father Francis MacNutt. What a surprise this book was! I stumbled upon it tucked away on a shelf at my mother-in-law’s house when I had nothing else to read, and sat down not expecting much … boy was I wrong! This is a powerful, thoughtfully laid out look at how and why we have neglected the biblical practice of pursuing healing. He looks at the progression in church history, drifting from this practice, and gives numerous real-life examples from his own experience. I also appreciated reading something from a catholic, whose experience and wording is often so different from my own. A huge learning experience. Grateful for this book.
11. The Power that Changes the World by Bill Johnson. This was also given to me. It didn’t strike me quite as much as his transformed mind book, but this definitely helped me understand the hope we have in Christ and how we are called to influence culture with that power and hope. For anyone tempted to embrace an escapist mentality, Johnson helps call you back to Christ’s mission of changing the world for God’s glory.
*12. Intercessory Prayer by Dutch Sheets. Another book I stumbled upon, this time at my mom’s house, tucked away on a shelf. The cover didn’t appeal to me, so I sort of dragged my heels on reading it, but oh my! Must read! Some people don’t like his conversational, informal way of writing, but this book inspired me to pray! This is another of my top 4 favorite books on prayer. I bought copies for our elder’s wives; it’s that good! I decided that anyone who regularly prays for me I want to have this book because I want them to pray for me like this! Worth buying.
13. As it Was in the Days of Noah by Jeff Kinley. Again, this was my mom’s book I snagged while at her house. This book gives an overview of the story of God throughout history, culminating in these days and specifically how we are living in the last days that are exactly like the days of Noah. I didn’t necessarily see anything
new presented in these pages, but it’s a a good reminder that we most certainly are in the last days!
14. Habits by Charlotte Mason. I have already raved about this book here. I love it! It influenced our home and homeschool life more than anything else. It’s become a helpful template for plotting our course in life and becoming more purposeful in how we spend our hours and days. I think it’s helpful for anyone, not just parents. We are what we repeatedly do! (kindle version is only 99-cents!)
15. Outdoor Life of Children by Charlotte Mason. Another 99-cent kindle book, this inspired us to begin our daily practice of a nature-walk with the kids. We already spend much time outdoors all day, but this helped me understand why it’s so important, and make it more of a priority in our days.
So, my top-5 recommendations from 2015 are: A Praying Life, The Purple Pig, The Heavenly Man, The Gospel of Healing, and Intercessory Prayer.
{With all the options out there, thank you for reading THIS!}
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Looking ahead, here are a few books I hope to read in 2016. Please leave me your recommendations in the comments!
- The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Aquinas
- Christian Fellowship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
- For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer McCauley
- The Soul of Discipline by Kim Payne
- The Mother at Home by John Abbott
- Visions of Vocation: Common grace for the common good by Steven Garber
- The Invention of Wings by Susan Monk Kidd
- Called to be Saints: A call to Christian Maturity by Gordon T Smith
- The Measure of Success by Carolyn McCulley
- Wingspread: AB Simpson, study in spiritual altitude by AW Tozer
Stories to fight the (spiritual) summer slide
Educators are always working to fight the “summer slide” for kids. That is, to keep kids from regressing in their academic progress during the summer months. Whether or not I agree with this (I think summer is the best time for learning!), a commitment to reading is the widely accepted as the best way to prevent this so-called summer slide.
But I think the summer slide happens spiritually as well, for adults. I feel it. I get hot and tired and lethargic and I don’t have much routine, the strenuous schedule of speaking and teaching (that usually keeps me on my toes!) is paused, and the next thing I know I really want a spiritual vacation.
For me biographies and memoirs and true stories are especially helpful during summer months, when we are prone to this spiritual slide. I find a great story has a particular power to lure me out of my self-focused stupor and give me hope, perspective, fresh faith, and a renewed passion for life, for people, for the Lord. I’m neck-deep in The Heavenly Man right now and it’s incredible! Every short chapter is a shot for my spirit. Here are a few of my favorites, and I’d love if you’d share yours too! The most impacting books I’ve ever read have all been recommendations from others.
I also love how biographies open our eyes to what God has done and is doing around the world. International travel is great, but international biographies are definitely the next best (cheaper!) thing.
The Heavenly Man by Brother Yun with Paul Hattaway (China)
Rees Howells, Intercessor by Norman Grubb (Europe)
The Purple Pig by Dick Eastman (USA and Russia)
No Compromise by Melanie Green (USA)
Running for My Life by Lopez Lamong (Africa)
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret by Howard and Geraldine Taylor (China)
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom (Nazi Germany)
{What are your favorite stories? Please share! Thanks for reading.}
From Good to Grace
Why am I so burnt out on church?
What does it mean to be a “good Christian”?
Is it enough to just believe in Jesus?
Where does the gospel end and individual conviction begin?
Why do I feel like what I’m doing is never enough?
Why am I consistently jealous of or competitive with other Christians?
What’s the point of all this?
At one time or another, most of us have asked one of these questions. As Christians, we “know” the clear gospel, that Jesus died for our sins, making us accepted to God and giving us the gift of eternal life to all who receive Him, but after that sometimes things get muddied up.
What next? Often what’s next is that we find ourselves making a mental religious checklist of all the things we must do to be a good Christian. As we grow older The List gets longer. As we get married, The List gets longer. When we have children, The List gets longer. As new authors and books and movements develop, as we read more and hear more and look around more, The List gets longer.
The List wraps itself around my neck: Basically, unless I’m a TOMS-wearing, gluten-free, homeschool mom of 8 (6 of which are adopted from Africa), and my husband and I have weekly romantic date-nights, and I lead a Bible study and have one-hour quiet times from 5-6am each morning, and I make all my food from scratch and wear jewelry made my Noonday and drink fair trade coffee … there is just no hope of me being a good Christian woman. *smile* (Note: I love all those things, by the way, it’s just fun to glob them all together into one.)
The List varies widely based on our geographic location and church culture, so even if you happen to conquer it all, you might move across town and have to start all over. *sigh*
So, if you’ve ever struggled with convictions, comparisons, and Christian-life complications (who of us hasn’t?) …
… meet Christine.
Christine Hoover is one of the most gospel-centered, grace-saturated writers I’ve ever read. What strikes me about Christine is her wholehearted devotion to elevate Christ, not herself. Never have I left her site (or her books), struck by her. She always points people to the Savior. She may not always have you laughing out loud or always bring you to tears, but she will always bring you to Jesus. (And that’s my highest compliment to give.) She writes in a clear, straightforward manner that’s refreshing. Her first book, The Church-Planting Wife came out just 6-months into our church-planting adventure, and let’s just say the timing was impeccable!
Her new book, From Good to Grace, exposes what she calls the “goodness gospel” — a subtle skewed version of the true gospel, which traps us into performance, pride, comparison, depression, and burn-out. She humbly and vulnerably shares her own struggle with perfectionism and performance, and how God gently let her out of this endless cycle and into a place of freedom, grace, and joy.
Theologically rich and saturated with scripture, Christine takes readers on a journey of identifying the “goodness gospel,” and exposing where it deviates from the true gospel of grace. She then leads readers on a journey seeing how this freeing gospel of grace leads us to receive, and then how it leads us to respond.
I especially appreciated the last section of the book, highlighting how the gospel leads us to respond. She uses such relatable examples of how finding our hope, security, joy, and identity in the gospel frees to truly love others and serve, pursuing our God-given passions and using our God-given gifts for His glory, without pandering to the flesh’s constant craving for people’s approval and praise.
For anyone looking for a book that will draw them back to the pure and simple gospel, that will lead them by the hand back to the simplicity in Christ, that will refresh them and bring the big picture back into focus, I highly recommend From Good to Grace.
{May your weekend be filled with His life-giving grace. Thanks for reading.}
Nothing short of total transformation
I wish I could send a copy of A Praying Life to every single one of you.
This book is resonating with the deepest part of my Spirit. You know the feeling, right? That internal Yes! that makes all those loose fragments come into focus and your heart “gets it.” I don’t mean we understand prayer in the sense that we dissect how it works, but we “get it” in the sense that it’s made accessible. There is still profound mystery (and, inevitably at times, profound frustration!) but we’ve waded into the waters of effective prayer and we’re learning to dive down deeper and deeper into its glorious depths. That’s what this book has been for me.
What’s struck me again and again is the fresh awareness that through prayer, God is seeking nothing short of total transformation.[bctt tweet=”Through prayer, God is seeking nothing short of total transformation.”]
While we may be tempted to believe that we’re asking God for “too big,” the truth is that God is always doing something so much bigger than I can even imagine. He’s changing me in the process. So the last few weeks I’ve been considering: What are the characteristics of prayers that I’m most often seeing answered, in the Scriptures and in my life? So far I’d say …
1. Faith. Scripture is crystal clear on this—if we ask with doubt, we cannot assume we will receive anything. Faith is the key that unlocks miraculous and astounding “results” in prayer. There is just no getting around this. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The more than we drench our lives in the truth and promises of God’s Word, the more we will believe He is who He says He is, we will know His heart and His will, and we will ask in accordance with it, for His glory. Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!
2. Repentance. Probably the most significant answer to prayer I have seen recently is in direct response to repentance. God showed me a clear area of sin in which He wanted to me to practice repentance—daily bringing this area to God, acknowledging my “bent” toward it, and asking Him to forgive me and deliver me from evil. To my everlasting amazement, He has! He is, and even did some other awesome things like removing the behavior in another person (i.e. a child of mine!) that was triggering that sin issue. A huge praise, and it all started with repentance.
3. Requests firmly rooted in Scripture. As we saw in Jesus’ radical promises regarding prayer, if we are Christ’s Ambassadors, performing His work for His sake, we need to know clearly what He wants us to do. I’m finding that unless I’m convinced this is the kind of thing my Master would want, my prayers are weak because I lack confidence of His will. Studying the Scriptures helps clarify the Stuff Jesus Does, and gives us greater confidence for praying prayers of faith.
4. Honesty. God sees what I really want, not just what I say I want, so it does no good to doll up my requests with Scriptur-y language if I don’t really mean what I say. We don’t let God work in the real part of us until the real part of us is exposed and laid bare to God during prayer. Whenever we are hiding the “real us” behind churchy language, we forfeit the real transformation that God can work through our honest pleas.
5. Heart. I do not mean mere emotionalism; we don’t have to muster up tears or put on a show. But Jesus was moved with compassion during His days walking this earth, healing people and performing miracles. Again, we can’t fake this or conjure it up on our own, but we can humbly ask God to break our hearts for the things that break His. The more we seek His kingdom during our day, with our time and energy and money, the more our hearts will be turned toward the things of Him.
{Ready to dive deeper? Whether you’ve been praying for five minutes or 50 years, let’s continue to grow in our pursuit of prayer. Thanks so much for reading.}
2014 Booklist & 5 Favs
Happy New Year! One of the most powerful ways we shape our future and determine the direction we will go is by choosing who will pour into our lives. If each of our responsibilities and resolutions is a straw, drawing on us, each of the books we read (and sermons we listen to, etc. etc.) is one of the sources flowing into our lives, filling us up. Those who draw on our lives will either get garbage or goodness based on what we’re full of. If we pour in twaddle and TV, we won’t have a very nutritious or delicious milkshake for our families and others to draw from. But if we fill our lives with the truth of God’s Word, healthy relationships, Bible-based preaching and teaching, and quality books, we help ensure that what we’re giving out to others is only the good stuff!
Each year I enjoy composing my “nightstand” list for the following year, and for the past few years, you’ve been helping me! Thank you for your recommendations from last year. Here are the good books (i.e. I’d recommend them) I read in 2014. I’ve put * by my favorite 5.
- Quest For More by Paul David Tripp. Fabulous books about letting go of our small Kingdom (which often masquerades as His Kingdom) in exchange for something bigger–the Kingdom of God. Excellent, challenging read.
- Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Historical Fiction about a little girl in France during 1942 roundup of Jews in Paris and journey into the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
- *No Compromise by Melody Green. GAH! This book is so good I can’t even talk about it.Challenging to the core. Must read.
- Quiet by Susan Cain. Wow! Fascinating look at introversion/extraversion and how our culture has elevated the “Extroversion Ideal” equating it with success and health, even in the church! A fabulous, freeing read. Caveat: The book has 3 parts. I recommend the 1st and 3rd parts.
- Making All Things New: An invitation to the spiritual life by Henri Nouwen. Quick read with classic Nouwen depth.
- 84 Charing Cross by Helen Hanff. Oh I love Helen! Literary lovers: read this. Quirky and clever, charming. So fun. If you love literature, curl up with this and a cup of tea and be delighted.
- *Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber. Oh this book! I wish I could buy a copy for every person I know. A captivating and honest look at a non-believer’s journey to Oxford and the authentic Christian community she encountered there. Please, read this!
- Loving Our Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk. A quick, great parenting read. Silk basically takes Parenting with Love and Logic and teaches this method from a Christian perspective, explaining how God our Father parents us. This was very helpful not only in our parenting this year, but in how we “parent” adults who are in recovery from addiction or dangerous behaviors. Very helpful.
- Restless by Jennie Allen. Fun, quick read about taking all the “threads” of your life (passions, gifts, suffering, experiences, places) and going through a process of watching God weave together these threads into something beautiful. We went through it as a women’s Bible study this summer and it was helpful to share our “threads” with each other, and speaking into each other’s lives. A good small-group book.
- Undaunted by Christine Caine. Well, Christine Caine is just as legit as they come. Wow. I so enjoy her and to say her life challenges me is about the understatement of the year. This book is a one-sitting kind of thing. Read it for a powerful kick in the pants, GO FOLLOW JESUS PEOPLE! Caine is worth following.
- Birthing The Miraculous by Heidi Baker. And if Christine Caine doesn’t kick you in the pants enough, Heidi Baker will! Oh my. This book is just nuts. A lot of it is outside my realm of experience, and I don’t know exactly what I think about it all, but it’s just insanely challenging all the same. Reading this book dared me to dream again, to believe God for whatever He wants to do.
- Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Written almost 300 years ago, this book wins the Oldest Book of the Year award. Wow. Perhaps because of my passion for the Sacred Mundane, this book is one of my all-time favorite reads. But it might not be your cup of tea. My hope is that Sacred Mundane takes these age-old truths and presents them in a way that’s accessible and appealing.
- *Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin. Yay for Jen Wilkin! She has written a short, concise, clear text about how to study God’s Word. Fabulous overview of how to study Scripture.
- The Keys to Healing by Etty Blaney. I’ll tell you straight-up: I don’t understand miraculous healing. But this book certainly builds one’s faith and shows that yes, God does heal today. Helpful and biblical.
- The Christian Homemaker’s Handbook edited by Pat Ennis. I have to confess: This book was recommended to me by a woman I respect and admire, but when I got it I was like, “Really? A book on homemaking? What, is it going to tell me how to iron?” I was skeptical. And I kind of didn’t want to read it in public, “Oh I’m just reading some really meaty theological truth on … how to be a housewife.” ANYWAY, I was wrong (as usual). It’s a great book, and very challenging concerning the ways contemporary views of domestic life has caused us to overlook a sacred and holy calling.
- Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. I’m not sure how I’ve lived almost 35 years without hearing about this book! Apparently everyone knows about it. It’s fabulous. Written as a (shockingly honest) journal of a young girl struggling to follow Christ, it hits on pretty much every inward issue a women could face. It starts slow–stick with it!
- Look Me In The Eyes by John Elder Robison. I’ve debated whether to include this, but here it is. I’d just say I don’t recommend buying it, but if you have a child with Asperger’s, it is a helpful read, so maybe check it from the library. The beginning and end are good, but the middle is pretty dark. I could have gone without it. But the beginning chapters especially really helped me understand my son more.
- *Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. You’ve already heard me sing this book’s praises for long enough. I’ve written about it a dozen times. Just buy it and read it. Today.
- The Spark by Kristine Barnett. I’ve written about this too, but this is a fascinating read for any parent, not just those with kids on the spectrum. It starts slow also, but push through the first few chapters and you’ll be quickly enthralled.
- Platform by Michael Hyatt. More confessions–I had this book for 2.5 years before opening it. I don’t like the idea of building a “platform” for ministry, when ministering is serving. However, this book IS great at learning how to make content more accessible to people, and I learned a lot. I do recommend it to any of you writers or creatives who are seeking to better serve a wider audience.
- *Voice of Jesus by Gordon Smith. THIS is the hidden pearl of the year. Oh this book! I cannot believe it only has 5 review on Amazon because it is absolutely phenomenal. That said, it’s written by a theologian, so it’s not a quick read. I’ve actually been working on it for several months now. I read 2-3 pages almost every day and just chew on it. It is SO good. I keep it next to my Bible and read it during my quiet time. Wholeheartedly recommend!
- The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins. I’ve already written about this here–a fun, quick comic-relief read for any mom of littles. Snag it on your kindle and curl up for a treat!
*I also re-read two of my all-time favs: The Pursuit of God (free on kindle!) and Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman.
There you have it! What a fabulous year of reads! I am so grateful for authors who have labored over these pages, making them accessible to us. Again, my top 5 favs are: No Compromise, Surprised by Oxford, Women of the Word, Simplicity Parenting, and The Voice of Jesus.
{And thank YOU for faithfully reading here. May 2015 be a rich reading year for us all.}
PS Would you please share YOUR favorite reads from this year? (Comment here) I need to make my 2015 Nightstand list. Thank you!
2014 Booklist & 5 Favs
Happy New Year! One of the most powerful ways we shape our future and determine the direction we will go is by choosing who will pour into our lives. If each of our responsibilities and resolutions is a straw, drawing on us, each of the books we read (and sermons we listen to, etc. etc.) is one of the sources flowing into our lives, filling us up. Those who draw on our lives will either get garbage or goodness based on what we’re full of. If we pour in twaddle and TV, we won’t have a very nutritious or delicious milkshake for our families and others to draw from. But if we fill our lives with the truth of God’s Word, healthy relationships, Bible-based preaching and teaching, and quality books, we help ensure that what we’re giving out to others is only the good stuff!
Each year I enjoy composing my “nightstand” list for the following year, and for the past few years, you’ve been helping me! Thank you for your recommendations from last year. Here are the good books (i.e. I’d recommend them) I read in 2014. I’ve put * by my favorite 5.
- Quest For More by Paul David Tripp. Fabulous books about letting go of our small Kingdom (which often masquerades as His Kingdom) in exchange for something bigger–the Kingdom of God. Excellent, challenging read.
- Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. Historical Fiction about a little girl in France during 1942 roundup of Jews in Paris and journey into the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp.
- *No Compromise by Melody Green. GAH! This book is so good I can’t even talk about it.Challenging to the core. Must read.
- Quiet by Susan Cain. Wow! Fascinating look at introversion/extraversion and how our culture has elevated the “Extroversion Ideal” equating it with success and health, even in the church! A fabulous, freeing read. Caveat: The book has 3 parts. I recommend the 1st and 3rd parts.
- Making All Things New: An invitation to the spiritual life by Henri Nouwen. Quick read with classic Nouwen depth.
- 84 Charing Cross by Helen Hanff. Oh I love Helen! Literary lovers: read this. Quirky and clever, charming. So fun. If you love literature, curl up with this and a cup of tea and be delighted.
- *Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber. Oh this book! I wish I could buy a copy for every person I know. A captivating and honest look at a non-believer’s journey to Oxford and the authentic Christian community she encountered there. Please, read this!
- Loving Our Kids On Purpose by Danny Silk. A quick, great parenting read. Silk basically takes Parenting with Love and Logic and teaches this method from a Christian perspective, explaining how God our Father parents us. This was very helpful not only in our parenting this year, but in how we “parent” adults who are in recovery from addiction or dangerous behaviors. Very helpful.
- Restless by Jennie Allen. Fun, quick read about taking all the “threads” of your life (passions, gifts, suffering, experiences, places) and going through a process of watching God weave together these threads into something beautiful. We went through it as a women’s Bible study this summer and it was helpful to share our “threads” with each other, and speaking into each other’s lives. A good small-group book.
- Undaunted by Christine Caine. Well, Christine Caine is just as legit as they come. Wow. I so enjoy her and to say her life challenges me is about the understatement of the year. This book is a one-sitting kind of thing. Read it for a powerful kick in the pants, GO FOLLOW JESUS PEOPLE! Caine is worth following.
- Birthing The Miraculous by Heidi Baker. And if Christine Caine doesn’t kick you in the pants enough, Heidi Baker will! Oh my. This book is just nuts. A lot of it is outside my realm of experience, and I don’t know exactly what I think about it all, but it’s just insanely challenging all the same. Reading this book dared me to dream again, to believe God for whatever He wants to do.
- Sacrament of the Present Moment by Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Written almost 300 years ago, this book wins the Oldest Book of the Year award. Wow. Perhaps because of my passion for the Sacred Mundane, this book is one of my all-time favorite reads. But it might not be your cup of tea. My hope is that Sacred Mundane takes these age-old truths and presents them in a way that’s accessible and appealing.
- *Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin. Yay for Jen Wilkin! She has written a short, concise, clear text about how to study God’s Word. Fabulous overview of how to study Scripture.
- The Keys to Healing by Etty Blaney. I’ll tell you straight-up: I don’t understand miraculous healing. But this book certainly builds one’s faith and shows that yes, God does heal today. Helpful and biblical.
- The Christian Homemaker’s Handbook edited by Pat Ennis. I have to confess: This book was recommended to me by a woman I respect and admire, but when I got it I was like, “Really? A book on homemaking? What, is it going to tell me how to iron?” I was skeptical. And I kind of didn’t want to read it in public, “Oh I’m just reading some really meaty theological truth on … how to be a housewife.” ANYWAY, I was wrong (as usual). It’s a great book, and very challenging concerning the ways contemporary views of domestic life has caused us to overlook a sacred and holy calling.
- Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss. I’m not sure how I’ve lived almost 35 years without hearing about this book! Apparently everyone knows about it. It’s fabulous. Written as a (shockingly honest) journal of a young girl struggling to follow Christ, it hits on pretty much every inward issue a women could face. It starts slow–stick with it!
- Look Me In The Eyes by John Elder Robison. I’ve debated whether to include this, but here it is. I’d just say I don’t recommend buying it, but if you have a child with Asperger’s, it is a helpful read, so maybe check it from the library. The beginning and end are good, but the middle is pretty dark. I could have gone without it. But the beginning chapters especially really helped me understand my son more.
- *Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. You’ve already heard me sing this book’s praises for long enough. I’ve written about it a dozen times. Just buy it and read it. Today.
- The Spark by Kristine Barnett. I’ve written about this too, but this is a fascinating read for any parent, not just those with kids on the spectrum. It starts slow also, but push through the first few chapters and you’ll be quickly enthralled.
- Platform by Michael Hyatt. More confessions–I had this book for 2.5 years before opening it. I don’t like the idea of building a “platform” for ministry, when ministering is serving. However, this book IS great at learning how to make content more accessible to people, and I learned a lot. I do recommend it to any of you writers or creatives who are seeking to better serve a wider audience.
- *Voice of Jesus by Gordon Smith. THIS is the hidden pearl of the year. Oh this book! I cannot believe it only has 5 review on Amazon because it is absolutely phenomenal. That said, it’s written by a theologian, so it’s not a quick read. I’ve actually been working on it for several months now. I read 2-3 pages almost every day and just chew on it. It is SO good. I keep it next to my Bible and read it during my quiet time. Wholeheartedly recommend!
- The Homeschool Experiment by Charity Hawkins. I’ve already written about this here–a fun, quick comic-relief read for any mom of littles. Snag it on your kindle and curl up for a treat!
*I also re-read two of my all-time favs: The Pursuit of God (free on kindle!) and Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman.
There you have it! What a fabulous year of reads! I am so grateful for authors who have labored over these pages, making them accessible to us. Again, my top 5 favs are: No Compromise, Surprised by Oxford, Women of the Word, Simplicity Parenting, and The Voice of Jesus.
{And thank YOU for faithfully reading here. May 2015 be a rich reading year for us all.}
PS Would you please share YOUR favorite reads from this year? (Comment here) I need to make my 2015 Nightstand list. Thank you!
You made it! {Post-holiday comic relief}
You made it through!
My friend Janae and I always say December 26th is the best day of the year. This is no knock on Christmas, I love the holy anticipation, like a whole month of holding our breath, it’s just that the post-Christmas exhale is always my favorite part. Ahhhhh.
I love lounging in jammies with nowhere to go, sipping coffee while kids play happily with new toys and books. I love eating leftovers. I love this lull between the glorious Christmas frenzy and the inevitable big breath we must take to begin planning and preparing for the new year.
This lull isn’t long but I love it just the same.
So I thought for today it’d be fun to offer you some comic relief before we begin looking ahead to the new year: The Homeschool Experiment.
I mentioned before how much I enjoyed this book. Here’s why: the precious mama who wrote this book did so using a pseudonym so that she could safely divulge the truth. It’s brilliant! As you read it you think, “Oh my gosh is she really admitting this?” And she is! Why? Because you don’t know who she is! Haha. I love it.
I read it in one sitting, driving home from California. If you have any time to yourself this weekend, I wholeheartedly recommend snagging the kindle version and curling up for a good encouraging laugh. Even if you don’t homeschool, if you have smallish children I guarantee you will relate to her words. I recently recommended this book to a friend and, after starting it, she wrote back to me:
“I feel as if she is spying on me and has written this book about me!”
And, the awesome Mama-author has offered to give a FREE COPY of the book to one of you today. Isn’t she great? Just leave a comment on the FACEBOOK PAGE here (we’re having issues with my site, as you may have noticed, because of multiple hacks, so the comments haven’t been working for a few weeks. Anyway, I’m practicing my “whatever” mentality! :)) and we’ll pick a winner at the end of the weekend! (8pm PST Sunday 12/28) Or, just snag a kindle version and enjoy it over the weekend.
I hope you are encouraged and enjoy this blessed post-holiday weekend. Thanks for reading!
*You can chat with the author and find out more on her FB page here.
The Spark (must read for every mom)
The storm had come suddenly, sometime between sandwiches and schooltime, and the branches banged against the house, and the lightweight lawn-chairs did flips across the lawn. The storm was just severe enough to be fun.
“May we please go play in the wind before math?!”
It was respectfully asked, and there it was in his eyes, the spark.
I bent down and smiled straight into that spark: “Ten minutes. Ready? GO!”
A blur of boots (no time for a coat!) ran out the door, and I watched from the kitchen window as they ran across the yard, flapping arms and laughing, feeling the powerful gusts push them along.
I glanced back at the book there on the counter, ready to be returned to the library, and gratitude welled up in me again for Kristine Barnett’s message to all moms: {Read the rest over here … THANK YOU!}