I've been wanting to write about the books I've read this past summer/fall, to add to my first post I've already shared. I love reading, and don't take enough time out of my days to read. That is one of my resolutions this year, to make time for reading. Maybe heading to bed a little sooner, so I can spare a few minutes to read, would be a good change for me! :) I wanted to share these few with you, as I thought they were great reads, and would recommend them to anyone. So here goes:
1) The Sacred Search by Gary Thomas
I came upon this book from a friend that sent me an article about "good vs great." The book was mentioned at the end of the article, and I was intrigued by the article, so thought to try the book. It was phenomenal. I recommend it to read if you are single, dating, or even married. Female or male. As it's such great information to pass on to your children too. It taught me more about "seeking the kingdom of God" first (Matthew 6:33), and if we do that, then any relationship we have, we will be in it for the right reasons, not for selfishness. That way we find someone with whom we can
share a mission instead of an emotional infatuation. It gave lots of questions to ask oneself, when relationships form. There is so much I highlighted in the book. :) And I want to read it again. But here are a few things that I marked.
"Ask yourself, what will you most desire in a man ten years from now, when you have kids and a house and are sharing a life together and the infatuation has faded? Find that."
"Acts 6:3 sums it up perfectly; "Choose... men... who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.""
"To seek someone who will inspire us toward godliness, who will confront us when we go astray, who will forgive us when we mess up, who can encourage us with wisdom when we are uncertain about how to proceed."
"Right now, today, start becoming a man or woman your kids and future spouse can respect. Make this a season of growth."
"Be honest: what do you really want? Be careful about compromising on it, because if you make an exception, you will likely regret it. Lying about what you want out of marriage going in because you're afraid you'll lose the relationship if you are honest is one of the worst kinds of fraud you could ever commit. Be honest with yourself. Be honest with each other."
"A good marriage isn't something you find, it's something you make. It has to be built"
"Humility is the cornerstone of character and the foundation of a growing, intimate relationship."
I feel like these few highlights don't even begin to give the book the credit it deserves. I think there was so many parts in it, that I could relate to, that helped me think about what is on my heart, and helped me be more honest with myself.
2) The CrossRoads by WM. Paul Young
If you have ever read the book "The Shack," it is similar in the way it really makes one think. It is about a man named Tony, who becomes very ill, and in his comatose state, he gets the gift to see his heart through the eyes of God and Jesus. It is very eye opening, of looking at our own heart, of it as a home for Jesus. And what does it look like? Are the walls up or down? Is is bright and beautiful and full of love and hope, or is it dark and gloomy, full of hatred and anger? And Tony gets one gift, the gift of life, who will he keep it for himself, or give it to someone else? It's an easy read, and so full of insight. Here are a few things I highlighted. :)
"Hold on to Jesus. You can never go wrong by holding on to Jesus. And know this, He will never stop holding on to you."
"Pain may well remind us that we are alive, but love reminds us why we are alive. ~Trystan Hughes"
"There is nothin' fair in a broken world full of broken people. Life is not about granting the fair reward for the right performance. Focus on living words like mercy and kindness and forgiveness and grace."
"Home is not as much about a place you belong as people you belong to."
"In one's hurry to knock walls down, one can cause them to fall on those they love. Freedom can become a new justification for disregard and a lack of compassion for the bondages of others. Roses have thorns. Walls divide while boundaries honor."
"It is an honor to be trusted. Faith takes risk, and there is always risk in relationships, but bottom line? The world has no meaning apart from relationships. Some are just messier than others, some are seasonal, others are difficult, and a few are easy, but every one of them is important."
I wrote a little bit about this book earlier, in my blog
Roses and Thorns. Check it out.
3) Voyage of the Heart by Soraya Lane
This book was a little lighter reading, a story of four women traveling to America. They were traveling to meet their husbands they met in Europe during WWII. The story goes on to describe each of their lives as they start them new, in a new country, and with new families. Leaving behind all they knew. I liked it because, it wasn't all "happy ever after." It was real life, that not everything turns out how we hope and dream. To work hard for what is right and fair and honest. And that friendship is so so important. Everyone needs friends, and within those best, true friends, it's so important to be honest with them. There may be times when one is embarrassed about situations that are going on in their life, or scared to admit that life isn't "picture perfect" like we all hope and dream. But being vulnerable and honest with those close to us, those we can trust, can help us in more ways than one could ever imagine. And learning to let go, and strive for joy can make so much difference. Here are some highlights.
"It was better to have loved once and lost, than to never have loved at all."
"She'd realized that she didn't need to be pampered, she just needed to be loved."
"To succeed in life, you have to believe in yourself."
4) My Sisters the Saints by Colleen Carroll Campbell
This book I heard from a friend of mine, Erin, who talked about it on her blog too. You can read it here:
Something Beautiful from God. And there was so much I marked in this book. So many things that I want to reread. The author talks about her trials in her life, and how she looked to different saints at different times, looked at their stories, their crosses they had. The women she looked to were St. Teresa of Avila, St Therese of the Child Jesus, St Faustina, Edith Stein, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and our Blessed Mother Mary. They, over and over again, offered each hardship, each trial, each cross to Jesus. Many times, we think of Saints, as people who are way better than we are, like there is no way I could be a saint. But then you read what troubles Saints had, what they fought with internally in their hearts and minds, that they are so much like us, and how they overcame that all. And offered it all to Jesus, trusted Him completely. Here are some of my highlights.
"The surest way to cultivate and express this childlike abandonment to God was to offer him small, everyday acts of love."
"Jesus cares more about the love we put into our acts than the acts themselves"
"The link between trust and humility. It takes humility to assent to follow God even when he refuses to install floodlights on your path or tell you where it will lead."
"The belief that God does not abandon us in our suffering but uses suffering to draw us closer to him."
"The focus is not on the suffering. The focus and the important thing is the love with which that suffering is accepted and lived."
"As important as it is to feel love, in the end, love is not in feelings. It's in the will: in what I do, how I act, and what I choose. And Mother Teresa is a great example for reminding us and teaching us, once more, what love is."
"The waiting is the cross. He was not asking me to understand my cross. He was asking me to carry it. Offer that day's sufferings and joys for whatever purposes he wished to use them. He wanted me to joyfully embrace my daily duties and leave the big picture to him."
So much we can learn from the saints, from those so close to Jesus. Remember, God's love, His grace, His peace, His love will be with us no matter what storms come upon us.
What books have you read, that you would recommend? I always love new titles, new authors. Share them with me. :) Last thing, a quote I recently came upon, something to think about...
"You will be the same person 10 years from now except for the books you read, the places you go, the people you meet, and the scripture you memorize." ~Jay Strack
