Books I’m Reading • Second Edition

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Last month I shared my first Books I’m Reading blog post and I decided to do the same again this month. Desiring to always be a student, always be teachable, and always growing up in who I am called to be, I sincerely believe that reading is one of the best ways to accomplish this. I hope that by sharing what I have been reading, you get some books to add to your “to read list” or exposure to authors that you haven’t heard of before. Below you will find my February and March reads, so far.

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To Seek And To Save: Daily Reflections On The Road To The Cross

Author: Sinclair B. Ferguson

Thoughts: To Seek And To Save is a daily devotional for 46 days, written for the season of Lent, concluding on Easter Sunday. Each devotional is very short and packed with intentionality. The author leaves you with a reflection question and a few lines to respond to the question. I have very much enjoyed reading this each morning and taking a few moments to set my heart on Jesus and what He did the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday.

Mentionable Quote:

On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus encountered a wide variety of people. There was something they all had in common: they were either drawn to him in their need or repelled from him by their pride. No one was neutral.

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How Did I Get Here: Finding Your Way Back to God When Everything is Pulling You Away

Author: Christine Caine

Thoughts: Christine shares in this book that after multiple challenging years of ministry and loss she had hit a wall and questioned if she wanted to keep going. That drew me in, as I too have wanted to “throw in the towel” at times, or the analogy that Christine uses, “ring the bell” from U.S. Navy SEAL training. This was a very encouraging read and I recommend it.

Mentionable Quote:

If we’re thinking more than we’re praying, posting more than we’re praying, venting more than we’re praying, even asking others to fray for us more than we’re taking things to Jesus ourselves, then we’re drifting – and it’s time to run to Jesus once more.

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Nothing To Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard

Author: Jennie Allen

Thoughts: Jennie shares her personal story of trying to live up to expectations and carry the weight and burden of life, of leading in ministry and how the Lord showed her that she was doing a lot of work for Jesus, not necessarily with Jesus. I am about half way through this book and it has been an encouraging read and it’s message is something that I need to be reminded of often.

Mentionable Quote:

I am realizing it’s not my curse that I believe I am not enough; it’s my sin that I keep trying to be.

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Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything

Authors: Katherine and Jay Wolf

Thoughts: I listened to this audiobook while going on walks. The authors are a married couple and when Katherine was 26 years old she suffered a near fatal brainstem stroke. They share about their life of discovering purpose following a devastating and forever, life-altering experience. If you would like the perspective of a couple who have suffered greatly to encourage you to turn your suffering into purpose, I highly recommend this book.

Mentionable Quote:

God’s works are powerfully evident in His healing of our hurts, but perhaps even more profoundly in the not-yet healing. That’s why how we suffer matters. Suffering strong offers a unique testimony to all who witness it, unveiling an “in the midst of” God who is too big and too good not to be worshiped, whether or not our longed-for outcome materializes.

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Living Forward: A Proven Plan to Stop Drifting and Get the Life You Want

Authors: Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy

Thoughts: The authors encourage us all to see life as a gift and not let it slip away. This book is a lesson on going through your priorities and making a plan of how to spend your time. I listened to the audio version of this book while walking, however, it is one that I am purchasing the hardcover of as well, as it is too good and too much information to only process audibly. Multiple times I had to stop walking and take notes on my phone. I highly recommend this book.

Mentionable Quotes:

Unless we take the time to regain our perspective and face the reality that life is short, we risk arriving at a destination we didn’t choose—or at least one we wouldn’t prefer.

 

One of the best questions you can ask when something negative happens is this: What does this experience make possible?

 

In planning anything, the best place to begin is at the end. What outcome do you want? How do you want the story to end? How do you want to be remembered when you are gone?

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Living Fully: Dare To Step Into Your Most Vibrant Life

Author: Mallory Ervin

Thoughts: I really like Mallory Ervin and her joyful disposition about life. If you are not familiar with her, she was runner up to Miss America in 2010 and then appeared three times on The Amazing Race. In her book she shares her story of overcoming unhealthy patterns in her life; her story is encouraging and she shares openly how much her Catholic faith was key in overcoming her struggles. However, because of chapter 12 in her book entitled Hocus-Pocus? I cannot recommend her book.

Mallory encourages her readers to incorporate into their lives an idea called “manifesting.” Although I was not familiar with this before reading the book, my takeaway from her chapter as well as some googling, manifesting is essentially practicing faith in oneself to bring things into existence and it is centered around self. When manifesting, one can believe for a specific amount of money to be in their bank account by a certain date, believe for a specific dream home, believe for a specific spouse with a specific occupation and looks. I believe goals are great and blessings are wonderful, but as followers of Jesus, we are blessed to be a blessing. It’s not about us. By practicing manifesting, it seems that I make myself my own provider and I am my own god. I have learned that my prayer as a follower of Jesus needs to be, “not my will, but Yours be done”.

Mentionable Quote:

All of your life experiences have been leading you to this exact point in time, and to this exact place where you are. Every single thing that has happened to you, every single choice you’ve made, everything you’ve thought was a mistake or a misstep, every decision that you regretted, every person who has impacted you negatively or positively, every dark corridor you’ve had to walk down or bright spot you’ve stood in – it has all led you here. That time was not wasted. That’s merely information for reformation. What you do next is what counts the most.

 

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Scripture: One Year Bible Reading Plan – CBS Notetaking Bible

Thoughts: As I shared in my first Books I’m Reading blog post, I’m starting each morning with Scripture. No other book has the power to transform my life like Scripture does. I’m currently reading in Matthew, Romans, Psalms and just finished reading the book of Numbers, and I have been reminded how important it is to understand the context of Scripture. The books of the Bible have genres, primarily falling into one of these seven categories:

Narrative, Poetry, Wisdom, Prophecy, Gospels, Epistles, Apocalypse (I’ve linked a helpful article if you’d like to read more about the genres of Scripture).

A resource that I use regularly to help bring context as to why a book of the Bible was written and what it’s purpose is, is called The Bible Project (linked here).

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I’d love to hear from you! What have you been reading?