Tag Archives: Christian living

Book Review: Laugh it Up!

15 Monday Oct 2018

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Though I hadn’t watched the viral Facebook live video starring Chewbacca Mom, I ended up reading Candace Payne’s Laugh It Up! for and online bible study. I didn’t expect her backstory, not only in terms of actual experience but in vulnerability either, but I appreciated her openness. Like everyone else, she experienced tough circumstances. Though hers differed from mine, I could relate to a childhood of worrying about needs children shouldn’t have to contemplate. Her testimony and angle of overcoming and maintaining joy share a message of hope. She kept her focus on her purpose, and God delivered her and her family. It reminded me that I too can overcome my obstacles past, present and future and fulfill my God-given purpose as I maintain joy and hope.

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Fill Your Cup, Share the Fruit

06 Saturday Oct 2018

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This morning I read Genesis 40 during my prayer time, and I remembered not only that I read it during another morning’s devotion about a week ago but that Joseph’s story in Egypt offered examples beyond his character we can apply to our lives now.

I have read Genesis 40 during my prayer time twice in the last two weeks. This story of the cupbearer and baker in prison with Joseph, who finds himself imprisoned innocently due to Pharoah’s wife not succeeding with her sexual interest in Joseph, reminds me that not only does Joseph’s character serve as a model for our lives today but so do the people he meets. The cupbearer and baker each share their dreams with Joseph, and Joseph interprets them through God. Joseph tells the cupbearer of the fortune that will soon come to him and implores him to remember Joseph.

The cupbearer’s fortune comes to fruition during Pharoah’s birthday celebration, but he forgets Joseph. It seems that because he has no worry anymore he need not remember the support he needs. He forgets to use his good situation to restore the person who helped him get there. All too often we forget the same details. We finally find ourselves meeting a goal, and we neglect the fact we did not arrive at success alone.

God plants a purpose in us when He makes us. We owe it to Him to follow His will; we cannot succeed without taking those steps of our own volition. However, He still marks the path and gives us success for His glory. This happens in community as we “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). This encouragement helps us build each other up (1 Thessalonians 5:11) to stay on the path for with more than one together, they will have someone to pick them up when they fall (Ecclesiastes 4:10). We want to remain steadfast on our path, not forgetting the community of believers God gave us or forgetting to remain on His vine so He may prune and develop us.

On our own, we don’t get anywhere. Let’s not forget that in the good times or the bad. Remain close and trust like Joseph. He continues to follow God’s Law and later finds himself working with Pharaoh to find success for himself, Pharaoh and the whole Egyptian community. We too can fulfill the role God gives us, share that hope with those around us and see fruit available for our community.

Monday Motivation: Little Choices

17 Monday Sep 2018

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In Exodus 16, we find the Moses leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. They have escaped slavery in Egypt and have spent many days and nights moving toward this new place. As they start to tire, they wonder if the trek is worth the cost; they feel uncertain about the unknown future and place ahead. They start to complain that they had it better in their previous situation. Essentially, they find it hard to let go of their bondage.

Part of their difficulty stems from a fear of the unknown. Though they despise their slavery situation, they know what to expect. This journey has brought them through numerous new difficulties, and overcoming those obstacles requires a lot of trust in Moses’ leadership and in God as He guides them. As a lot of us do even today, they have trouble believing God’s promises and that He will fulfill them.

We may not face a physical desert journey as part of God’s plan for us. Yet following God’s will does require trust and difficult steps. Each choice we make can move us forward, no matter how seemingly small. The Israelites have to make a choice daily to continue in the direction of the promised land. As they go, they must trust that God will provide for their basic needs. Sometimes it feels easier to go back to the familiar pain; sometimes we do take a step back after taking one forward. Let’s not let that deter us. After a step back or a mistake, we can still choose to take the next step toward our goal. We can release any bondage we may have from guilt, shame, sin. God continually washes us clean as we seek His grace and follow His path. We can accept freedom and live in His fulfilled promises.

 

If you tell me I have to go on a quest through a vast desert land to get to my better situation, I would definitely have a hard time believing you. I certainly would not follow you out the door in simple trust.

Book Review: Keep It Shut

06 Monday Aug 2018

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Recently, I started buddying reading Christian living books with a fellow Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club member so we could encourage each other to have regular reading time devoted to God. Our first book was Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All by Karen Ehman.

I really enjoyed Keep It Shut as Ehman gave it an authentic, humble voice, practical application and knowledge rooted in scripture. The book flowed smoothly, and every bit of advice and accompanying scripture applies to everyday life. I found myself considering my interactions and how I could adjust the words that left my mouth and the ones that floated in my mind in response to people or situations. Ehman made it a reminder to everyone and even humbly shared her own flaws and experiences. She struggled with this concept herself, and that made her a prime candidate to share what she had learned (and still needed to learn). Her examples resembled ones anyone might have; even though I didn’t have children trying out for sports, I could understand how the other gossipy or pushy parents could trigger frustration. As Ehman described, everyone’s days fill with opportunities to use words.

This book applies to everyone, and I recommend it for everyone. It has a message I will continue to reflect upon. I wrote down her prayer to say daily requesting God to guide out words on a notecard to use as a bookmark while reading this book and continued to use it in the subsequent books we read. We would all do well to reflect upon our words to make sure we use them wisely.

Book Review: Becoming Resilient

10 Tuesday Jul 2018

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I received a copy of Becoming Resilient: How to Move through Suffering and Come Back Stronger by Donna Gibbs from Revell in exchange for a review.

This book covers a lot of necessary content for my life. Walking through numerous topics related to suffering, Gibbs offers explanations, examples and sound biblical advice. The format follows the same flow each chapter, making it easier to know what to anticipate. Various phases of feeling stuck feel less cumbersome when explanations and hope exist. It also makes the sufferer feel less alone to know these problems have persisted since biblical times. Then the chapter endings with their Victory Verses and reflection questions, provide support to the reader as starting points for healing and recovery. Overall, the book offers hope and a platform for transformation.

I have read this book slowly to fully soak up all the information, and I have saved the reflection questions to continue to evaluate my healing process. The background gives me confidence of its biblical foundation, and the information is accessible. Now I just need to adopt one of Gibbs’s Victory Verses as a mantra as  I continue moving forward with this as a tool for transformation.

Book Review: The Whole Bible Story

04 Wednesday Jul 2018

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I received The Whole Bible Story, Illustrated Edition by Dr. William H. Marty from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

Overall, I enjoyed the concept of this book. The writing upheld an accessible, plain language that made the bible story easy to understand. Complex stories had a new simplicity to them. They even had accompanying pictures of the real sites mentioned to provide a more realistic picture. I particularly enjoyed getting that extra context and accuracy. However, I sometimes found myself wanting to cross check with my bibles to see if they included some of the situations found here. I wondered how accurately the Word transferred to this particular edition. Overall, it made a nice starting point for making the stories and information easier to understand, but I cautioned myself against using this as an ultimate true source.

Book Review: Mrs. Oswald Chambers

02 Monday Jul 2018

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I received a copy of Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman behind the World’s Bestselling Devotional by Michelle Ule from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

This book provided great insight into the life of a well-respected Christian writer, his marriage and the fruit of following the path God sets. Oswald Chambers’ work would not have gone as far as it has without the dedication of his wife Biddy. She attended Oswald’s lectures and took meticulous notes, which she ultimately used to produce the popular devotionals. While that aspect might have seemed fairly straight forward, I didn’t expect the time the family spent immersed in the military culture and Egyptian culture while stationed in Egypt. The book also gave context to other literary figures of the time. Surprisingly, I related to hearing mentions of Agatha Christie, C.S. Lewis and more, and I loved to see she adored her daily trip to the mailbox as much as I do. Biddy Chambers had a unique strength, and she demonstrated the power of what God can do through someone who devotes her time and effort to following the path He has set before her. Without her dedication, those books would not have been printed, and they would not have changed so many people’s lives.

I enjoyed this book and its insight into a person, a marriage and family, a writing process and life in general. Though Biddy lived many years ago, a lot of these situations exist for people now. She served as a model for how to interact with those around us and how to follow God’s will and discern His purpose.

Book Review: Women Who Move Mountains

29 Friday Jun 2018

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I received a copy of Women Who Move Mountains: Praying with Confidence, Boldness, and Grace by Sue Detweiler from Bethany House Publishers in exchange for a review.

This book serves as a reminder and guide through any season of life. Detweiler encompasses the depth and range of prayer, describing its effects, approach and connections. She outlines how prayer can heal us from hurt we experience or hurt we have caused others. Through a description of how it reaches us and how we can ask for it, she shows us we can have peace. She also reminds us how Jesus came to save us and connect with us. As God’s chosen people, we can go to God in prayer. We have His presence open to us.

As practical and accessible as it is deep, Detweiler writes a book rooted in biblical truth and life application. I recommend this for as a boost of confidence in your prayer life.

Book Review: Reading People by Anne Bogel

22 Friday Jun 2018

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I received a copy of Reading People: How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel from Baker Books in exchange for a review.

I love this book and , even more, I love that this book has led me to Anne and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. Reading People appeals to my interest in understanding personality and people on a deeper level. While it covers a lot of information I have already read (I’ve read numerous books about the Myers-Briggs personality typing), it gives a wonderful overview of various approaches. I recommend it as a place to start and as a resource for books to continue research. I agree with Anne that understanding these can help you understand yourself better and therefore know your strengths and tendencies and how to cater to those as you structure your life for success. Anne makes this information accessible and interesting for anyone, an accomplished feat considering the complexity of the subject. Her voice welcomes readers into this informative world in an enlightening way that truly highlights the wonderful aspects of understanding personalities and ourselves. I love how she does this.

Again, I love this book. From here, I plan to continue reading more in-depth books on each approach as I make my way through her resource list to add to my current collection of similar books. I recommend it as a refresher and as a place to start whether you want to explore all the approaches or just certain ones.

 

As a side note, this book led me to Anne’s Modern Mrs. Darcy website, What Should I Read Next podcast and Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. My book arrived the day I moved from Houston, Texas to Bowling Green, Kentucky. I read the author bio on the back and noticed she lived in Kentucky too. Then I saw the pages in the back that led to her websites. I ended up joining the book club and meeting some wonderful people and books as I got settled in my new city. Last night I even had the pleasure of meeting Anne and some of the book club members in the Nashville area, and we had great bookish conversation and a book swap. In short, I recommend checking out Anne’s resources and recommendations. She has a gifted eye for those.

Book Review: Living the Spirit-Formed Life

15 Friday Jun 2018

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I received a copy of Living the Spirit-Formed Life: Growing in the 10 Principles of Spirit-Filled Discipleship by Jack Hayford from Baker Publishing in exchange for a review.

Jack Hayford’s book offers a practical and sound way to approach habits to lead a spirit-filled life. Each chapter focuses on a specific discipline, outlining ways to follow it and providing evidence of its importance. I find it flows well and contains easily accessible information. Almost anyone can benefit from this as a way to tweak their habits or to develop new ones. Personally, I find a confidence boost in the reminder that some of my habits do serve a greater purpose and truly keep me closer to God and His way of life. Then I get encouragement to add greater depth to my disciplines, including adding more to continue on the proper path.

Overall, this book provides important insight and advice that we all need. It reminds me of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline except maybe a little more accessible. This can serve as a starting point for younger Christians or as a refresher and enhancer to all Christians.