Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read, and lately I have been digging Vikings! It is a goal of mine to read a completed series this year, and I have decided to read the Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell. I really enjoyed the series on Netflix and Bernard Cornwell is an excellent author. He does a tremendous amount of research, and I love learning as I am entertained.
The Last Kingdom is the story of Uhtred son of Uhtred – a Saxon – and his battle to regain his homeland of Bebbanburg. Uhtred is taken by the Danes, but is treated well by them. He then loses his Danish family and begins fighting for the Saxons. Back and forth, Christian against Pagan, Saxon against Dane the story goes, and I love it! The book is written in first person, from Uhtred’s point of view.
This book was very rich in English history. In it I learned about Alfred the Great and how he handled the occupation of the Danes, and in it I am also learning some history of my Christian faith. This time in history is known as the Dark Ages and admittedly, I do not know much on it. Reading about the struggles of the faith at this time, and what so many endured at the hands of each other, I feel grateful to be living in an age of so many comforts and so much knowledge.
I am giving the Last Kingdom a 4.5 rating out of 5 stars. I love how Mr. Cornwell writes and how I am carried off to the land of the Saxons so easily. I cannot wait to see how Uhtred handles what destiny has for him in the next book! The series is composed of 13 books in all.
If you love Vikings, the Dark Ages, Saxon wars, or historical fiction, I definitely recommend this series! If you like the Netflix series and like to read, this will also be a fun read.
At The Shire Bookstore, all kinds of books come in as donations and I am always so grateful for them! I saw this book and thought it would be a fun read, and it was! The book is titled “Kentucky Ghosts” and is written by William Lynwood Montell. It is composed of 6 short stories and each one mentions the county of where the ghost story originated.
I am not a Kentucky native, but I have grown to love this beautiful state. In my home state of Texas, there is hot and hotter when it comes to weather, but here in Western Kentucky I get to enjoy the four seasons. I love the massive trees, the array of birds, the wildlife, and just how close to nature I can get to. The temperatures are not extreme and the people are friendly. It is my prayer that God will keep us here until I draw my last breath. My family has cultivated and grown roots here, and that is what I want to briefly talk about in this blog.
One way that we can grow roots and love for an area is to read about its local history. I know that after I read “Drowned Town” by Jayne Moore Waldrop, I did grow a reverence for the lakes that are minutes from my house. I met the people affected by the flooding of the rivers. I visited sites with my children and walked along the shores of the lakes looking into their vastness trying to imagine a town under there. Reading Kentucky Ghosts helped my roots here get just a little stronger. Two of the six stories spoke of counties I recognized (Trigg and Muhlenberg). The stories in the book weren’t scary per se and they spoke of haints and ghosts in a positive light. I may not believe in ghosts, but the stories told me more about the living than about the dead. It spoke of the connection to family and how love surpases all. One of the stories was a bit silly as it was meant to be. I believe the author of the book wanted this book to feel as if grandma or grandpa was telling you their story around a campfire or the house hearth. That is what the book felt like.
If you like local folk tales or history written in a very simple form, then I believe you would like this book. This book can be read in one sitting. It is only 64 pages long. I only have one copy of this book at The Shire and it is $5. You can also buy this book if you click here.
I first heard of Alisa Childers when she spoke as part of the documentary American Gospel. I loved her eloquence and the story she gave about her faith, so I wrote her name down on my notes. When I looked her up, I was elated to find out that she has a podcast and a YouTube channel. Her book then was “Another Gospel” and spoke on progressive Christianity. In that book, she speaks about how she struggled in her faith, and how doubt reigned most days. She also spoke on the dangers of what has now been coined as “deconstruction”. Deconstruction is when church leaders and other outside sources deconstruct a person’s faith, to then build up a more progressive Christianity/idealogy. Desiring God puts it as ” Deconstruction is a critical dismantling of a person’s understanding of what it means to be an evangelical Christian. To read more about this, you can visit this link.
Now onto Alisa’s second book – Live Your Truth and Other Lies. Alisa does great in explaining how a lot of humanistic cultural concepts have crept into the church. She affirms that truth is not subjective (my truth, your truth), but objective (the truth). She does so well in telling us the disservice we do to society and to other Christians when we let them “follow their heart” or go with “what feels right”. So many times, I “amened” what she had to say. She put to words so many things I have thought and worried about when it comes to nominal American Christianity. Sometimes the truth hurts, and the only way to make it not hurt is to lie, and that benefits no one.
Here are some quotes from the book:
There’s a big difference between live your truth, and live the truth.
So many of the lies we cover in this book begin with the foundation of self. To be authentic, I must belong to myself. To be happy, I must put myself first. To be fulfilled I must be enough for myself. To be successful, I must control my own destiny. All these ideas build upon the starting point of “self”. But as we look at each lie, we’ll see the self is a faulty foundation. It’s a structure with cracks in it; it’s broken.
Our culture is brimming with slogans that promise peace, fulfillment, freedom, empowerment, and hope. The problem? They are lies.
I do recommend this book to all Christians! I really enjoyed it and learned so much from it. I will forever be a fan of Mrs. Childers.
I gave this book 4.5 stars out of 5. The only reason I did not 5 star this book was because Alisa likes to give examples to help explain her position, and sometimes those examples were unrelatable to me and maybe a bit juvenile. Thankfully, this may have happened only twice, but enough for me not to 5-star it.
You can buy this book at my bookstore The Shire or order it on Amazon.
This year I was able to read 60 books. Here is my list with short comments on some of them!
The rating is to the right of the book title and author.
* = did not like. Had trouble finishing. ** = it was okay. Sometimes felt like a waste of time. *** = not bad. Some parts were annoying. **** = good book, recommend if you like that genre ***** = excellent book. totally recommend for all. May have changed my life!
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak ***** This book brought back a lot of memories. The illustrations are still impacting, and I so enjoyed reading it again!
John Wycliffe: A Life From Beginning to End by Hourly History ***
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch **** This book was very interesting if you like books about parallel universes. It took a couple of chapters to figure out what is going on, but my oh my what a wild ride!
Irreversible Damage by Abigail Shrier ***** Book on the affects of transgender ideology on our young girls. This book is fair to both sides and raises excellent questions.
Tilly by Frank Peretti *** A book about a woman dealing with an abortion.
Post Mortem by Patricia Cornwell ****
A Gospel Primer for Christians by Milton Vincent *****
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner ***** Total fan-girl of Skippyjon Jones now!
Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch ***** Great book if you are a Christian who struggles with any kind of addiction.
Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston **
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides ** This was nothing like the Silent Patient. Ugh!
Where the Crawdads Sing *****
Eating Disorders by Edward Welch *****
Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier ** Too much teenage drama for me to care.
Fractured by Karin Slaughter ****
Help! I’m a Slave to Food by Shannon McCoy ****
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James ****
The Premature Burial by Edgar A. Poe **** This one was actually good, and cracked me up. Who knew Poe could be funny!?
The Long Walk by Stephen King *** Mr. King and his horrible endings! Great story though!
Piercing Heaven by Robert Elmer ***** Excellent book on prayer! WOW!!
Oliver Twist: A Graphic Novel by Charles Dickens & Dan Johnson ****
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins *** It was okay. Not as good as the Hunger Games. Knowing that Snow isn’t going to die, somewhat removes the suspense for me. Interesting history though.
Endless Love by Scott Spencer **
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary ****
Naughty Mabel by Nathan Lane **** Laughed. Cute book!
Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdup-Thygeson ****
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry ****
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen ****
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman ****
Verity by Colleen Hoover *** Not my type of book. Not into relationship drama!
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein ***** Very emotional book.
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin **
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ***** Excellent book! I couldn’t pick up another book for days because I was still processing this one!
House of Shadows by Darcy Coates **** First time I have read this author. Very gothic. I will be reading her again.
The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R.R. Tolkien *** Mr. Frodo would agree, it is a long journey of a book.
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson ***** Suprised at how much I liked this book. Definitely recommend! There are some very uncomfortable scenes of pain and torture though.
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson ***
The Crucible by Arthur Miller ***
Drowned Town by Jayne Moore Waldrop *** Great resource if you want to know more about our local history of Western Kentucky. Historical Fiction though.
Ruckkus on the Ranch bya Texas Tenors **
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart * I can’t stand teenage drama! I wanted them all to die!
Lord of the Flies by William Golding ****
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid *** She is a good writer, but lots of gay relationships, and frankly that just not my cup of tea.
Gild by Raven Kennedy **
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell * Too woke!
The Bald Bandit by Ron Roy ***
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah Maas **** Ms. Maas is an excellent writer, but just not a fantasy fan.
Hearth-Shaped Box by Joe Hill ** Not into old man, young woman relationships!
Exalting Jesus in Ecclesiastes by Daniel Akin ***** Excellent Bible study!
Queens Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle ** Queen Kathering Parr was not woke!
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Stevenson **** Wonderful classic!
Knowing Sin by Mark Jones ****
Thinner Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews ***
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom ***** Everyone needs to read this book! WWII non fiction.
A Cat’s Life by Gemma Correl ***
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica *** Great book until the ending! Hated the ending!!
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey ****
Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Durham *** Great characters except the main characters.
Zoo by James Patterson ** Sorry, I’m not a James Patterson fan. I don’t like his writing style. Its too typical!
The Unsaved Christian by Dean Inserra **** I just finished this book today. Great read! Recommend to all who live in the USA. There are a lot of unsaved Christians.
In the month of September of 2022, the Netflix series Dahmer came out. According to many critics, this series was the closest production of the actual story that had ever been created. Many people talked about how uncomfortable the series made them feel and that it was very dark and frankly just plain gross. I really battled with watching it because as a child of the 90’s, I had an inkling of an idea of what the series was going to portray. I wasn’t sure how graphic the necrophilia, cannibalism and sex would be.
This next part contains spoilers.
After much thought, I went ahead and watched the series. I really don’t have that much time to binge, but I was able to finish it probably in a week. The series starts off slow and intense. There is a lot of awkward silences and scenes, and the lighting feels dirty and grimy. The movie did live up to what people had said. It was vile. It was depraved and there were plenty of scenes that I did skip or close my eyes to. I don’t remember there actually being gay or corpse sex or much nudity, but there was a lot of male/male dancing and kissing. The series also does show Dahmer eating human flesh and there are gory scenes.
I write all this just to point out that Dahmer was an immoral man. He was totally depraved and acted out things that many of us have probably never even though of. He was a predator, a murderer and an awful human being. But in prison, Dahmer sought out Jesus, repented and was saved. He was also baptized and according to his pastor, spent his last days reading and learning about his Bible. The last episode of the series, to me, almost brought tears to my eyes.
I wasn’t going to write anything about this series until I saw several Facebook posts warning Christians not to watch the series, not because of its vulgarity, but because it was demonic. According to the post, there was a demon entity in the movie that brought about fear. The woman said that she felt it’s evil presence and warned people not to watch it. But that was the opposite of what I felt at the end of the series.
The series left me uncomfortable because but for the grace of God, there go I. Dahmer’s utter and total depravity, was also my own. His past, was my past. I may have never eaten human flesh, but I have eviscerated the soul’s of image bearers with my judgmental words. I may have never had homosexual sex, but I have lusted and committed adultery in my heart. I may have never murdered, but oh boy is my anger murderous sometimes. Jesus raised the moral standard, and all have fallen short of it. Both Mr. Dahmer and I needed a Savior, and both Mr. Dahmer and I called out to Him for salvation. (Romans 10:13) But these truths left me uneasy, because comparatively speaking, he’s worse than me right? Maybe, but the Gospel is the great equalizer. Here is what Romans 3:10-18 says about all of us:
There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
and it continues
Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
All of us are like Dahmer, and if you turn your nose up to that thought, you may not have a true grasp of just how awful your sin is. May I gently warn you not to be that Pharisee. (Luke 18:9-14)
The series is a harsh physical manifestation of what all of us were spiritually (1 Corinthians 6:11). I would argue with the Facebook lady that it’s not a demon in the movie, but us. The series holds a mirror showing our natural state – our default condition. And that in the end, the movie isn’t demonic, but redemptive.
I never felt fear watching the movie, but I did feel grossed out. Grossed out at Dahmer’s sins, then of my own sins, knowing full well that Jesus drank the wrath that was meant for us so we may now rest in our salvation – rest in the finished work of Jesus. Somehow it doesn’t seem fair, that maybe the men Dahmer killed are in hell, and that he is in Heaven. What a mind blowing thing grace is. (Matthew 20:1-16). It goes against our sense of justice. But then I am reminded that if justice had its way, I would be guilty too.
The series isn’t for all Christians. It is very violent and offensive, but demonic it isn’t. Sometimes we think it is the devil, when in reality it is just us.
I encourage you to watch this YouTube interview of Dahmer’s prison pastor. After listening to this, I do believe Dahmer was legitimately saved.
The earth, the planets, the waters and the expanse divided
The oceans, the land, the trees, and the animals, You provided
The galaxies turning, the stars burning, as creation is yearning for your returning.
God of Heaven and of Earth. God of death and God of birth
God of the ocean and of the sky. God when there is much and God when it is dry.
You are great. You are awesome. You hold us in your hand and have lost none.
THEN
The word became flesh and bone. Then was crucified all alone, but on the third day He removed the stone and commissioned us to leave our comfort zone
Christian don’t just sit there and wait. Always criticizing how there’s so much hate, while petting your sin you yourself create. Am I loud enough? Does this resonate?
Nothing will happen if you just sit in your pew. Living in the past and all you’ve been through. Wondering who’s judging or looking at you. Have you forgotten that you have been made new?
Who cares what people think about you?
You are worse than they know
Kill that sin of yours and go, go, go. Don’t wait for anyone else, they’re too slow. God has breathed life in you and there should be some to show.
Just remember though. You can’t expect fruit, if there’s nothing to grow.
So.
Proclaim the Good news, there’s nothing to fear. All men can be saved if He is drawing them near. His Spirit is in us, He is right here. We cannot wait for someone else, we know that much is clear.
Don’t you see the urgency
That those who die without Christ are bound to Hell! To wake you up, how loud do I have to yell? Maybe I should stomp or ring a bell. There is so much more that I want to tell!
But I wont . . . Don’t worry . . . I’m almost done.
But
Time is running out. I wont scream any more nor am I going to shout. Don’t waste your salvation, Oh Christian.
Every Summer without fail, we get them. Evidence of the fall. Proof that life here on this earth is marred by the sin of Adam. When infested by them, we call out for the quick return of our Savior! Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, spiders, bed bugs, lice, horse flies, chiggers. These awful critters are more than eager to bite at our flesh and drink up our blood. The itching, the scratching, the bleeding is a menacing reminder of their violation upon our skin. Here is where my mind went as I was finishing up The Hiding Place written by Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch watchmaker who was arrested, along with her father and sister, for hiding Jews and conspiring against their Nazi occupiers.
In the book, Corrie and her family opened up their home to foster children, the mentality disabled, Jews and any who needed of any help. They shared their Christian lives to all, and when the Germans came to occupy their country, they continued to be a light in the darkness of WWII. They soon came in contact with a famous architect who designed a special hiding place in Corrie’s room where, when the time came, the Ten Boom’s could hide the Jews they were keeping in the their home. The hiding place was so well built that when the Germans did come to look for Jews, they did not find them. Corrie, along with her family were arrested, beat and mistreated by their German captors, but they never betrayed those they had hidden in their home.
In prison, the faith of Corrie and Betsie, was unbelievable. There were many moments throughout the book that were inspiring, but I will only write about two moments that I hope I will never forget. The first one is when Corrie and Betsie are transported from the prison, to the infamous all-women’s concentration camp called Ravensbruck. Upon arriving, they are sent to their barracks where Corrie and Betsie soon find out that it is infested with lice and fleas. There are so many fleas that they can see them writhing in the beds. Corrie is besides herself in horror – rightfully so. Here, is where Betsie pipes up and reminds Corrie that God says in His Word that in all things we should give thanks and that includes giving God thanks for the fleas. Corrie can’t believe what she is hearing. I can’t believe what I am reading. Give God thanks for those pesky critters that torment us? She must be joking. But Betsie was not, and then and there, both Corrie and Betsie give thanks to God for those fleas. I, am not that good of a Christian. Throughout the book, Corrie is able to keep with her a New Testament Bible, and every night, after 11 hour work days, she reads to all the women in the barracks. They pray, they tend to wounds, they rub cold feet and hands back to life, they pick out lice from their matted hair all without interruption. Later, we find out that other women in other barracks aren’t that lucky. Those women are bullied by the guards, called to do extra things, they are sicker because of their lack of rest, and do not hear the Word of God every night since Bibles are not allowed in concentration camps. Corrie finds out that she and her barrack mates are very privileged, and they are very privileged because not even the tough German guards want to get near Corrie’s barracks, for those barracks are known to be riddled with fleas! Corrie chuckles in the book, I put the book down and think.
When I read the section where Betsie encourages Corrie to give God thanks for the fleas, I thought Betsie was ridiculous, and frankly overdoing the whole Christian piety thing. Who does that?! I thank God for my delicious food, for a steady income, for my friends. I have never thanked Him for the annoying things in my life like my jittery van with the blinking check engine sign. Like the fruit flies all over the place. Like the allergies that come with fall. Here is the verse Betsie quotes:
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
“In everything” means “in every thing”. I was so humbled by that. God used those fleas to keep the German guards out, allowing Corrie to read aloud Scripture to women in horrendous living conditions. “Jesus, teach me to be thankful in every situation”.
The second scenario that I want to mention is at the end of the book, Corrie visits and speaks at a church in Germany after the war, and there meets the German soldier that got her and her family arrested. He is now a believer and asks for Corrie’s forgiveness, and Corrie cannot forgive him. She refuses to shake his hand and asks God to give her the strength to forgive this man who caused her so much pain and devastation. She lifts up her hand and as she touches his hand to shake, Corrie mentions that a jolt was felt from her hand, up her arm and into her heart. And there she felt a Christian love for this man. She mentions that God provides for us the forgiveness we cannot give. He gives us what we cannot give. He does what we cannot do. He provides what we cannot provide. He is faithful when we are not. What ever impossibility we are facing, we can trust that He provides to us what is required from us. Praise God!
In this season of Thanksgiving, this book was a pealing bell in calling me to a Christian life of humble service to all and thanksgiving. I have become too worldly, and this book has shined a blaring light on that. I am grateful for this book and encourage all Christians to read it. I plan to read it aloud to my children.
I have several copies of this book at The Shire, but you can also buy it here.
Is there a certain scent that just floods you with good memories? Is it the freshly cut grass of an early summer? The smell of apple pie in the fall? Is it freshly washed sheets or the scent of the soft hair of a newborn? This book is so descriptive that sometimes I felt I was there in the small Mexican town of Linares. I could smell the beautiful nature it described!
The book is set in the early 1900’s, but also goes back and forth in time. It tells of the story of a baby found underneath a bridge covered in bees that seem not to hurt him. I would say that the genre is magical realism. It also had a lot of history on Mexico right before their revolution. The book gives the perspectives of the baby’s caretakers, family, friends and enemies. There is also tragedy in the book, but also lots of places that made me smile and sigh with nostalgia. The characters are deep and developed very well. I loved Simonopio, who is one of the protagonist, and his innocence and loyalty. And like so many of my favorite movies and books, I was sad and happy in the end.
I deeply enjoyed the book and losing myself in the story Sofia Segovia, the author, wrote.
The book was originally written in Spanish. It was translated by Simon Bruni and I believe he did an excellent job. I can only imagine how beautiful the book would be to read it in its original language!
I highly recommend this book if you like magical realism like The Alchemist or Beloved. If you want to lounge around and have a long good read, this is a great book to escape to. The book is very clean and has no sex scenes. There are some times where the sadness and evil is very raw and real, but Ms. Segovia does it in a way that doesn’t assault the senses. I loved this book and 5-starred it on my Goodreads account.
The book is 471 pages long. As of right now it is free if you have Amazon unlimited. You can buy the book here.
Every year I choose to do the Tim Challies book challenge and if you want to know what I have been reading here is the list so far. I will put the challenge, the title and a quick note of what I thought about it.
A book published in 2020 or 2021 – Piranesi by Susanna Clarke This book was weird. I somewhat enjoyed it, but probably will not read another book by this author. If you like fantasy with minimal characters and slow builders, then you may like this book.
A memoir or autobiography – Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom This book was full of quips and ways to live. It has a lot of wisdom in it, but it is worldly wisdom. There was some religious aspects to it, but like all self-help books, they fall short to the wisdom given in the Bible. It’s a good book for older teens.
A classic novel – The Curious Life of Benjamin Button by F. Scott FItzgerald This was another weird novel. It was somewhat Kafkaish and I didn’t really like it. I liked the Great Gatsby, so I thought this would be a good novel, but I was left feeling confused and wondering why I even started it.
A book by a pastor – Something Needs to Change by David Platt I recommend this book to all Christians! Phenomenal book about taking our faith seriously and shaking off the clutches of complacent Christianity.
A book about a book of the Bible – Colossians He is Enough by Asheritah Ciuciu Great devotional book! I recommend reading her!
A book published by Zondervan – Case for Faith by Lee Strobel The book was informative but I had forgotten that Ravi Zacharias was one of the men Lee interviewed, so the book didn’t sit well with. It also seemed a bit too permissive when it came to sin and grace. Case for Christ was better.
A book the word “gospel” in the title – Another Gospel by Alisa Childers What a great book on the dangers of what is now called deconstruction. Every Christian needs to read this book. Alisa, also has a youTube channel that I enjoy watching. She is a great theologian.
A book with an image of a person on the cover – Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel This is the second book to the Wolf Hall series. I love the way this woman writes and I love Tudor historical fiction! If you love this era and historical fiction, you will love this book, bur read Wolf Hall first.
A book about a current social issue – (A)typcial Woman by Abigail Dodds This was a good book, the author did a good job in describing Biblical womanhood. She used Scripture well and I encourage you to read it if you are a Christian woman.
A book for children or teens – Wingfeather by Andrew Peterson Loved this book. Adventrure, Pirates. Villans. My kids really enjoyed this book It is a series that we may continue. I read this book aloud to my kids.
A book about theology – Royal Deception: Exposing the KJV Only Conspiracies by Fred Butler This book was lacking in what I really wanted to know. There is so much about KJV onlyist that I wanted to know about and this book did not provide it. I think James White does a better job.
A book about Christian living – Full by Asheritah Ciuciu I loved this book! I got in on audio, but bought the actual book after I listened to the audio. I plan on re-reading it this year! If you struggle with food addiction, this is a wonderful book full of the Gospel and freedom!
A book of your choice – The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware I love the way this woman writes. This was a good thriller, mystery book.
A book written by a puritan – Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards Puritans love their descriptions of hell. I am so glad I am saved and this motivates me to keep giving the Gospel to my loved ones.
A book recommended by a friend – Nightingale by Kristin Hannah This book is set in occupied France. Great book about the love between sisters and the courage of the people who suffered under the Nazis. This book is long, but it does submerge you into this time.
A book about social justice – Why Social Justice is Not Biblical Justice by Scott David Allen Totally recommend if you are Christian wondering what to think about the culture in the US right now.
A novel that won a Pulitzer prize – The Moor’s Account by Laila Lalami This book was actually a runner up to the Pulitzer, but still it was beautifully written. It is about the Spanish conquest of the Americas and their exploits. It is harsh and sad. This book was about a slave of one of the Spaniards, one of only 4 survivors.
A book with 2 or more authors – Gay Girl, Good God by Jackie H. Perry and Nancy DeMoss The book was good, but not my kind of taste. JHP is very artistic and was a bit too long winded about colors, fashion partying and her relationships. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. When it comes to this particular genre, I prefer Rosaria Butterfield.
A book with at least 400 pages – Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel Tudor Historical Fiction again. This book was harder to read than Bring up the Bodies because HM uses the pronoun “he” quiet a bit and sometimes I forget what “he” she is talking about. She does better in her second book. I can’t wait to read the third and final book about Mr. Thomas Cromwell.
A book cy CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien – The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis Must read for all Christians. What a wonderful and smart man is Mr. Lewis. This book is about a “younger” demon learning the ropes from his uncle Screwtape on how to ruin the lives of Christians and people.
A book that has a fruit of the Spirit in the title – Sovereign Joy by John Piper This book was about the lives of Augustine, Luther and Calvin. I loved reading about them and because of this book I have added Augustine’s “Confessions” to my reading list.
A book on the New York Times Bestseller list – Dream Big by Bob Goff Like always, this man inspires. This is a good book to get you motivated to dream big and pursue your dreams.
A book about prayer – Dangerous Prayers by Craig Groeschel This was a good book. I was pleasantly surprised though that I already pray dangerous prayers. If you want to grow in how you pray, this is a good book. I just need to pray more often!
A book about theology – Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers by Dane C. Ortlund This is by far the best book I have read so far this year. What a breath of restful air this was. This book made me cry and reminded me of what a gentle and loving Father I have in God. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
A book of your choice – Outsider by Stephen King The book started off really good, but what a cop-out for an ending. I wasn’t too happy with the sci-fi cop out. SK does write well though, but the ending was so disappointing.
A book from a theological viewpoint you disagree with – Recovering from Biblical Womanhood by Aimee Byrd She has a chip on her shoulder and her illustrations and allegories were awful. I also listened to this book on audio and the author reads it and she sounded a bit to “karen” for my taste. Maybe if I read it instead of listening to it, it may be better.
A book by someone whose ethnicity is different than yours – Fault Lines by Voddie Baucham Jr. Great book. So needed for our times right now. It is a book about the dangers of critical race theory and social justice.
A book that won an award – Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman This book won the Edgar Award. It is about a young detective solving a case in a small town. It was a great crime/suspense novel.
A book by Charles Dickens or one of his contemporaries – The Woman in the Black Veil by Charles Dickens This is one of his first books ever written and what a plot twist. Good short book. It was only like 35 pages long.
A book about leadership – 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey There was a lot of insight and great advice in this book. Highly recommend for all people who want to get their life together and do more.
A book based on a true story – Beneath Devil’s Bridge by Loreth Anne White Good mystery book and great twist at the end.
A book with an illustration on the cover – A Court of Thorns by Sarah J. Maas This book was a bit too romantic for me. So not my genre at all. If you the Twilight series you will like this. SJM writes extremely well and there were some scenes in the book that were outright scary and frightening, but just not into the romancy parts.
A book with one word in the title – Heaven by Randy Alcorn Great book about the subject of Heaven. It makes me want to go there already. Death is hard for us to understand, but in the light of the Bible, physical death is what God uses to bring us to Him. Long book, but I definitely recommend.
A book whose title comes from a Bible verse – Filling up the afflictions of Christ by John Piper Great book on suffering and why we suffer and how God uses our afflictions to make us more like Him. This book is short but very impactful. If you are struggling through a painful time in your life right now, this is a good read. Full of Scripture and grace.
A book by an author 30 years or younger – Angel Killer by Andrew Mayne This book was great! Its about an FBI agent who happens to also be an ex-magician. The book was fun to read, but also mysterious. Great book for a summer read. Andrew Mayne is also a professional magician.
A book about theology – Knowledge of the Holy by AW Tozer A good book about why we should not just feel our faith, but know why we believe. It also has a lot to say about the character of God and who He is. Why we should know about the God we worship.
A novel set in a country that is not your own – The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler and Ann Long This book is set in Sweden and was annoying. The main characters were not very deep and the way they behaved was erratic and odd. I don’t recommend this book, and will not read any more of their novels.
37 books so far!! It is my hope to read 54 books this year and I think I will be able to make it. From now on, I hope to do book reviews on each of the books I read. Let me know what you think and tell me about some of the books you enjoy reading.
I finally caught up to my Bible reading plan. I started reading the five day reading plan with a group of friends back in January. I started off with lots of enthusiasm, but the past several weeks I have been playing catch up by reading massive chunks when I am “not busy”. That’s not how the plan is set up and I am not learning a new habit when I do that. But as I was pummeling through Ecclesiastes to catch up yet again on the reading plan, a certain verse stood out to me, and this is the verse:
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
I live in the South. We say this all the time. My mom says this, heck even I remember the 90s as better than today. But Solomon in all his wisdom says we shouldn’t say this. But why? Why should we not focus on the “good ol days”? Let’s brake it down. What emotions does comparing the past with your present produce? What fruit of the spirit does it bring forth? A good way of feeling out a command in the Bible is to walk it through in your mind and see what some of the possible outcomes would be if you didn’t obey. In this case, if I live in the past complaining about the present. I get stuck there. I become less thankful. I become less grateful. I can easily conjure up a sense of hopelessness, and what is even more sad is that those around me will never measure up to my warped nostalgia of how things used to be.
As a wife, me remembering of how romantic my new groom was my first year of marriage compared to now, does me and my husband no good. None. It makes us bitter. Comparing him to how I THINK he was in the past, is not fair to him and will make me miserable. My attitude will not be sweet towards him when I think/say how “the good ol days of being a newly wed were so much better”. No, he doesn’t write me poetry anymore, but he sure as heck works his tail off so I never have to worry about paying the bills. And let’s be very honest, I’m no longer the blushing bride I was either. Thinking right now about how we were when we dated makes me giggle. I am so glad I no longer talk to him on the phone for 4 hours a day. Or pass on doing my homework so I can instant message him (yes, I am dating myself). Or not eat because the butterflies in my stomach are in a fluttering frenzy! Eeek! (I should eat less though!) He still surprises me and I surprise him, but he is not the Nathan I married and neither am I the Anna he married, and that’s a good thing. We are more sanctified. Wiser even. Closer to meeting our Maker and learning to die on bigger hills.
Paul encourages us when he writes: Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. (Phil. 3:13). The word “forgetting” here means “to no longer care for” or “to not focus on.” Sometimes focusing on those good ol days keeps us from focusing on the best day that is ahead. Instead of wishing for the return of our Lord, we are wishing for the return of a lost loved one, or a lost moment, or a lost emotion. We begin to play with the idea of what could have been or what should have been. We begin to complain about our current circumstance forgetting the cost of our salvation, forgetting our position before the Throne, forgetting how much closer we are to Heaven, forgetting how much God has done for us.
Nostalgia can be a good thing, but only in the light of our future hope as Believers.
If you struggle with not letting go of the past you will struggle with sadness and even depression. You will unknowingly nurture an ungrateful spirit. My dear brother or sister, God encourages us when he says: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19) The good thing is springing forth, but sometimes we are blinded by the lingering thoughts of nostalgia or of our past life. See how God says, “do you not perceive it”. There is a blindness to good things that happens when we stay stuck remembering the good old days. God then calls our past a wilderness and a wilderness can be admired and breathtaking, but staying there too long can lead to death. God also calls our past a wasteland, and sometimes that is what it is. It does us no good to live there. God has new things for us, even a new you! He is constantly renewing our mind and our thoughts. Focus on Him.
God sent His only begotten Son to die for you not so you would live in the past, but for you to live life now according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28) remembering what He has in store for those who love Him. (I Cor. 2:9) Let your thoughts (Phil. 4:) float towards the realization that you, my fellow Believer, have been selected to be His co-heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:16-17). And what you do for His Kingdom matters tremendously (Matt. 6:33)because He uses us to call and disciple His elect. (Romans 10:14, Acts 8:31).
What should we not forget: *God – Remember Him, focus on Him, learn about Him, think about Him, thank Him, love Him (Jer. 29:13) * The Gospel – Remember what Christ has done for you. (Eph. 2:11-12) * The Saints – Remember what others do or have done for Christ to help you cultivate a spirit of boldness (Heb. 12:1, Romans 16) * The Church – Remember the Christians God has placed around you. Love them radically. (I John 2:10) * The Word – Remember Scripture all the time and let it nourish your soul. (Psalm 119) * The World – Remember those around you. Show them the love of Christ. (Heb. 13:2, Matt. 25:40)
Isaiah 26:3 says: You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You. Trust Him, even with your past.
