What's On My Shelf

I don't know about you, but I love scrolling through social media and coming across someone sharing an image of the books they are currently reading. I enjoy reading book reviews and personal reactions to a book. Of course, this means my book wish list only continues to grow!

Periodically I share on here my own list of books I am currently reading. I often read multiple books at once. This helps me read more and to read widely. 

So here's what's on my shelf right now. Many of these I am in the middle of reading:

Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications: In my graduate program, I studied the DSM inside and out. I memorized much of it in preparation for licensure. It's been almost two decades since I started my Master's program and much has changed in our culture and in the church regarding how people view and understand mental illness. Often, in dicussions on mental illness there are varied opinions and beliefs. This book presents a balanced approach, helping the lay-person understand some of the basics of the DSM, psychotropic medications, and a Biblical response to both. The author put into words many of my thoughts on the subject from my experiences working with the mentally ill. If you work or serve in ministry or have had questions about this subject, I highly recommend this book.

Embodied Hope: A Theological Meditation on Pain and Suffering: Kelly Kapic is a professor and theologian at Covenant College, my alma mater. But this book isn't an academic treatise on the subject of suffering; rather, it is written by someone who knows suffering personally, particularly physical suffering. It's a book that doesn't try to explain God but rather shows us how to suffer with hope by pointing us to Christ, the one who suffered for us. It encourages honest lament both personally and in the context of community. "If we never lament, then it is legitimate to wonder if we have every truly loved. Biblically we discover that lament is a legitimate, even necessary, form of fellowship with God when we are in a place of pain. The Bible repeatedly affirms lament to be an honest and expected expression of our battle with the brokenness of ourselves and the rest of the world."

Big Picture Parents: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life: This book is written by an Australian writer who I previously was not acquainted with but she reached out to me and sent me her book. I was intrigued by the title and concept. So many parenting books are based on the author's personal experience and advice on what parenting methods worked for their family, so obviously it will work for you too (insert sarcastic tone of voice). I appreciate Harriet's intention to develop a theology of parenting through God's word. She covers themes in Scripture that help parents see the Big Picture of parenting such as : how God created us and our children, the effect of the Fall both in us and our children, our mutual need for a Savior, God's moral commands, our need for community, etc. She uses these themes from Scripture to tie together a Big Picture for parents on what it looks like to raise our children for God's glory. The tone of the book seems to be for those who are newer to Christianity, but that doesn't mean a seasoned Christian wouldn't benefit from reading it.

The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World (Focus for Women): Envy of Eve is written by a friend of mine, Melissa Kruger. We are going through this book in our women's ministry at church. I don't think there is a single person who doesn't battle with the sin of envy and the subsequent result of such envy, discontentment. This book gets to the heart of the matter and challenges us to find our contentment in Christ.

A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter: This is a missionary biography on Lilias Trotter, missionary to the Arabic people. I had not heard of her until a friend of mine sent me this book as a gift. So far, it is a fascinating look at her life and ministry. Whenever I read a missionary biography, I am challenged in my faith. This book is no exception.

C. S. Lewis and the Art of Writing: What the Essayist, Poet, Novelist, Literary Critic, Apologist, Memoirist, Theologian Teaches Us about the Life and Craft of Writing: I love this book! In fact, it may just displace my other favorite writing books—it's that good. In fact, I'm savoring it, reading a little at a time so I don't finish it too soon! This book provides a peak into Lewis' writing life, his growth as a writer, his habits and practices in writing, his relationship with other writers, and even his reading habits. It also provides writing prompts based on the lessons learned. If you are a writer looking to grow in your writing, you'll love this book too.

So, that's what's on my shelf these days. What are you reading?

Note: I am a member of the Amazon Affiliates program and links to books in this post are connected to my affiliates account with Amazon.com. 

When Life is Hard

I've been in this world long enough—I won't say how long—but despite my years of experience here, I am still surprised when things are hard. I still feel thrown off when life is difficult and things don't go smoothly. As though I didn't see it coming.

You know what I'm talking about. Like one of those Mondays where everything seems to go wrong. The alarm fails to go off. The kids are slow to get ready and end up late to school. At some point during the day, the car battery dies, you can't find your wallet, and the school calls to tell you to come and pick up a very sick child. You open the mail box to find an unexpected bill you know you can't pay. Days like that seem to compound themselves, adding one irritation upon another. Maybe throw in a broken dishwasher or plumbing issue to the mix and your Monday turns into a no good, terrible, very bad day.

On days like that, I grow increasingly frustrated and find myself mumbling, "Why does everything have to be so hard?"

I ask that even though I know the answer. 

Or do I really?

I do know that this is a fallen and broken world. I am a sinner and live among sinners in a land groaning from the impact of sin that has permeated every square inch. So I really should not be surprised by frustrating events in my day. After all, things do not work as they should in a fallen world. Objects break down. People get sick. Accidents happen. Not only that, but everyone else has hard days and in our sin, we take it out on one another. We are also limited by our humanity and our weaknesses. Whether it's a tendency to run late, be disorganized, or forgetful, or simply just being tired out, these weaknesses exacerbate and contribute to the challenges of our days. In some ways, our frustrations in the midst of hard days reveal a longing to return to the way life was before the Fall.

Many of us might look at the comedy of errors in our day, shake our head, and become science nerds for a moment saying, "It's just Murphy's Law." You know, the one commonly known as "if anything can go wrong, it will." Sometimes we look at hard and challenging days as just that, a compounding of bad things happening all at once. We see them as random and purposeless. They become disruptions and obstacles to overcome. Things we have to push out of our way to get where we are really going.

But for believers, hard days are more than that. They are not random. They don't happen just because we "woke up on the wrong side of the bed" or because it's a Monday or any other colloquialism we want to claim. Hard days are Divinely placed opportunities for us to learn and grow in our faith.

And this is the part I often fail to remember or realize in the midst of my hard days, but it is crucial to how I respond: God is sovereign over all things. He controls every event, every circumstance, every irritation, every moment— even determining when a piece of hair falls from our head. So when hard days come, it's not because God has stepped away and taken a break from his work of Providence. Rather, he has orchestrated the series of events and we have an opportunity to learn more about ourselves, about God, and ultimately, to be changed by it. 

How is that? 

It's in those hard days where we are pressed and pushed and prodded beyond what we think we can do that we learn who we really are and how much we need God's grace. We see areas of sin in our life we might not have noticed before and have an opportunity to repent and turn from it. We might come face to face with idols we worship—the things we turn to for hope and life, things like control, comfort, and success. Hard days become opportunities for us to accept the Spirit's conviction and turn to Christ for grace, forgiveness, and help.

It's also in those difficult moments where we experience God's grace in profound ways, where we are strengthened by the Spirit, and enabled to do more than we ever thought. It's in those trying times where we see the real fruit of obedience, trust, and reliance upon God. Those hard days become opportunities for us to stretch our spiritual muscles and live out what God has taught us and called us to do. 

Above all, God uses hard days—whether they are days consisting of small but irritating inconveniences or long drawn out days of hardship—to change us into the likeness of Christ. That's the ultimate goal: our holiness. God is not concerned about us living comfortable, carefree lives in the present. He is about making us holy and preparing us the future to come—eternity with him. More often than not, that means facing hard work in the midst of a hard day. But we're not the only one at work; the Spirit tirelessly labors in us and uses every moment of our lives to strip us of sin and remake us into the image of our Savior. 

Hard days should not surprise us because we know who rules and reigns over all things. So when hard days do come, we need to turn to the One who placed that day before us. We need to yield to the opportunity to glorify God in how we respond. As we do, we can rejoice, because we know that one day, we will be perfected in glory, made like Christ, and be with him forever where hard days are no more. 

 

God's Grace in Our Fears

A  new year is always a time of reflection and thinking back about what took place in the prior year. We often think about what we learned and hopefully how we want to grow and change as a result. For me, last year held a season of fear. You may remember I dealt with a health problem. I had a growth on my thyroid that the doctor's thought might be cancerous but were not able to determine from the biopsy. At the end of July, I had thyroid surgery to remove the growth (and half my thyroid).

The entire situation was disconcerting, worrisome, and at times, frightening. Certainly, all the medical procedures were no fun. But also the thought of cancer was frightening. It was a fresh reminder of my age, stage of life, and of the way time continues to sift through my hands. 

There is much to fear in this fallen world. Sickness, natural disasters, violence, job loss, relational conflict, just to name a few. The unknown future can be frightening. Such fear paralyzes. It's like a heavy cloud that envelopes us, suffocating, and blinding us to everything else.

Tracing Grace

Situations like mine, and perhaps like the one you are in right now, require extra grace. Grace to know that God is with us and will not leave us. Grace to believe and trust in his goodness. Grace to rest in God's sovereign care.

So that was my prayer last year: for God to give me grace. I needed him to guide me in the unknown. I prayed that I would see his hand at work—that I would trace his grace, gathering it together like a strand of lights to light the way in the darkness. 

God was faithful. 

I found friends and family who prayed for me and told me so.

I discovered kind doctors and nurses who spoke with confidence and reassurance.

I felt peace when I least expected it.

God provided even the smallest details like friends to watch my kids while we were at the hospital.

Not only did I see his grace in my circumstances, I also remembered his love and faithfulness to me in the past. I've experienced many fearful events and unknowns in my life and God has never failed me. He has been a rock and fortress time and time again. In all the little challenges and the big trials of life, God has repeatedly proven himself faithful. And in my greatest need of all, forgiveness of sin, he gave me his own son.

Because he gave me Jesus, how could I think he would fail to be faithful in anything else? 

Psalm 46 and Fear

As you know, I love the Psalms. One psalm I've always paused at in reading is Psalm 46. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling."

For someone who is often weakened by fear, it's hard to imagine not having any fear in the face of something terrible. The important thing to notice is that the psalmist doesn't say, "even when the very worst happens, if you have strong faith and believe really hard, you won't have any fear." Rather, the psalmist says that because God is our refuge and strength and help in trouble, we will not fear.

The psalmist also remembered who God is in his power and holiness: "There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." God's presence keeps his church safe. This passage reminds me of Paul's assuring words that nothing can separate us from the love of God for us in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

The psalmist then remembered what God has done in the past: "Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire." 

Because God is faithful and gracious, because he is our Rock and Refuge, because of who he is and what he has done, the psalm concludes: "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of  Jacob is our fortress. Selah."

Soon after my surgery, I learned that I did not have cancer. (In case you were wondering). But I know that life in this fallen world will include more unknowns and more fears. The psalmist reminds me that God is with his people. He is our help. He is our refuge. Even when the world seems flipped upside down and even when the worst happens, God rules and reigns. He is faithful. The God of Jacob is a covenant keeping God; we belong to him.

God's grace is always present in our fears. 

Where do you seek life?

Psalm 119:25-32, “25My soul clings to the dust;
give me life according to your word!
26When I told of my ways, you answered me;
teach me your statutes!
27Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28My soul melts away for sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word!
29Put false ways far from me
and graciously teach me your law!
30I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
31I cling to your testimonies, O LORD;
let me not be put to shame!
32I will run in the way of your commandments
when you enlarge my heart!”

When life is hard when obstacles block your way, when burdens weigh heavy, and when the reality of your sin threatens to undo you—where do you seek life? Sometimes we look for life in things, sometimes in our circumstances, and other times in passing pleasures. This passage from Psalm 119 reminds us where life is found—in God and his word.

Seeking Life

VV 25-27: Whether David was in the midst of a trial or simply acknowledging the reality of life in a fallen world, he felt the weight of something. In verse 25, David asked God to give him life. This isn’t a reference to physical life; rather, David sought a spiritual life. In the face of his troubles, David sought God and his word. Unlike any other written word, God’s word is a living and active (Hebrews 4:12). It is the truth which sanctifies (John 17:17). It is used to bring us to faith (Romans 10:17). It changes and transforms us (2 Timothy 3:16). As Moses wrote, it is our very life (Deuteronomy 32:47).

To read the rest of this devotional on Psalm 119, visit Servants of Grace. 

Favorite Devotional Books

I love devotional books. I do. I have more than I could ever need and still accrue more of them. I love old ones from Puritan writers and new ones from favorite contemporary authors. I love ones based on specific books of the Bible and others based on books by current pastors, teachers, or theologians. I have devotionals for each day of the year, for particular seasons of life, and even holiday seasons.

As much as I love my devotionals, they are a supplement to and not a substitute for Bible reading. I use them in addition to reading God's word. They help increase my love for God and his word. They point me away from myself and to the One who gives me life.

Not everyone likes to use devotionals but if you do, here are a few of my favorites.

For the Love of God: A Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God's Word, Volume 1: I read through the Bible each year in my quiet time and last year discovered this devotional by DA Carson. It uses the M'Cheyne reading plan which has you read about four chapters a day in the Bible, from the Old and New Testament. The devotional picks one of those chapters to focus on each day.

Heart Aflame: Daily Readings from Calvin on the Psalms: As you know, I love the Psalms. I also love John Calvin's commentaries. (In fact, his commentaries are almost devotional in themselves). This book pulls from his commentaries on the Psalms.

Voices From The Past - Puritan Devotional Readings: If you love Puritan writers, you'll enjoy this devotional. It includes readings from a number of Puritan writers, covering a number of topics such as prayer, holiness, suffering, and trust in God.

Everyday Prayers: 365 Days to a Gospel-Centered Faith: My copy of this book is quite worn, I've used it so much! Scotty Smith writes prayers for his blog on TGC and this book contains many of those prayers. Each prayer is based on a passage of Scripture and always points to Christ and what he has done.

New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional: I love Paul Tripp's books and have many of his devotional books. This one is my favorite though. This gospel centered book is perfect to help orient your heart to what you need most each day.

Diamonds in the Dust: 366 Sparkling Devotions: I have several of Joni's devotionals. She has long used the suffering in her life to show readers the love and grace of God. This devotional does just that.

Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version: Spurgeon's writings have impacted my life in significant ways. This devotional is a classic and one I turn to time and time again. Each daily reading is inspired by a Scripture passage. You can access it free online as well at morningandevening.org.

Do you have a favorite devotional?

Note: I am a member of the Amazon Affiliates program and links to books in this post are connected to my affiliates account with Amazon.com. 

What the New Year Brings

The new year comes bearing gifts.

For some, it is the gift of relief—relief that the last year is over. For others, a new year brings hope—hope for the future and for a better year than the last. A new year can also bring anticipation for what's ahead. Perhaps there's a new adventure to look forward to. Or maybe we have goals for this year and look ahead to their completion. 

Often, when we consider our expectations for the new year, we tend to plan for and look forward to good things. We anticipate fun activities, new experiences, and increased blessings. We set goals and make plans to attain the things and experiences we've long desired. We resolve to make things better and improve ourselves and our lives.

Sometimes though, like the ugly sweater or new appliance we never wanted, the new year brings gifts that aren't desired. Fear. Uncertainty. Dread. Just the thought of the unknown future can bring worry or paralyzing fear. If that last year was especially hard, we may dread the thought of another difficult year. Or maybe we do know what to expect in 2018. Maybe we have a dreaded medical test or procedure scheduled. Or we are certain a relationship we've tried so hard to keep together will finally fall apart. Or that bill will finally come due and we know we have no way to pay it. 

When I consider my own thoughts about this new year, part of me accepts the gift of sweet anticipation and looks forward to the experiences that lie ahead. Yet another part of me trembles a bit with fear at the unknown. The truth is, I know that life is filled with hardship and challenges. I don't expect 2018 to be easy and carefree. And maybe that's why there's fear, because I know some challenge, obstacle, or hardship likely lie ahead.  

But what if this year you and I embrace all that the new year brings? What if we looked forward to everything God wants to do in and through us in 2018?

Even if it's hard?

And even if the story He's written for us this year involves more challenges, obstacles, and trials?

James tells us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." (1:2) As we look ahead into 2018, anticipating what God has planned for us, we need to face that future with joy. Not because trials are fun. Not because we want additional heartache in our life. Rather, we rejoice in what those trials produce in us, "the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:3,4). 

We find joy in knowing what trials produce in us. God uses challenges and hardships to make us more and more like Christ. And what did our Savior's life look like? One of suffering. Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 4:10-11, NIV). Paul was willing to do whatever it took, even enduring trials, to become like Christ. May that be our goal as well for this year, to pursue Christ and become like him, no matter what it takes.

We face the new year with joy also because we know who rules and reigns over our trials. We can trust that each and every obstacle, whatever trial we endure, and any heartache we face, are all given to us by God for our good. He doesn't use challenges or trials in a willy-nilly way, with no purpose or meaning. He doesn't even do so out of anger and punishment. Rather, he uses trials for our discipline and training. They are used to strip away the remaining sin in us and shape us into the image of Christ. Such trials show us our need for God and his grace. They teach us humility and dependence. They are opportunities for us to grow in faith. They also show to a watching world the power of God in weakness, bringing him honor and glory. 

Challenges and trials come to us from a good and righteous Father who only does what is good and right. We can trust his purposes and plans for us because he is holy and just. He knows exactly what we need to teach and train us in the way of righteousness. He knows just what we need to be made holy.

After all, we are his children, adopted through the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. We are his beloved—loved by God as much as he loves the Son. He is gracious to us and no matter what the future holds, we are not left alone in it. He is with us, giving us peace in anxiety, strength in the face of suffering, and grace to endure. He also gives us brothers and sisters to walk with us: encouraging us when we stumble, helping us when we fall, and remaining with us to the finish line.  

As we open this gift of a new year, may we accept it with hope and joy, rather than fear and despair. Because we know the sender of all gifts. And since he gave us the greatest gift of all—life through his Son—how can we not trust him with the gift of a new year? 

How about you? What are your thoughts about the new year?