books…

i’m talking about books today to continue with some more Q&A’s! i had a few questions regarding books, like:

i’d love to know what you’ve learned about couples’ devotions…have any great secrets?

and

what are your fave authors/books that you’ve enjoyed and would recommend reading?

i love to read…just wish i had more time to do so! but to answer your questions, here’s a stack of some recent reads:

so here’s the breakdown:

the top book, The Irresistible Revolution, is written by a guy named Shane Claiborne. its the kind of book that challenges you to get off your rump and do something in the name of Jesus. its edgy, and cool, both of which i am not, but i see myself in this book, as it speaks to the heart of social justice and simply caring about and living amongst people in need. my heart beats for stuff like that…life just seems to get in the way! like me, you may not agree with everything, but its definitely caused me to stop and ponder!

Confessions of a Reformission Rev. is written by Mark Driscoll, a self proclaimed “bull in a china shop.” ( i think he described himself that way once…if not, sorry Mark, but i think the description fits you well, in a very loving and positive way!!) its about his journey of becoming a pastor and starting a church, and i LOVE reading his stuff! its encouraging to me, as i am the wife of a man who’s call in life is to be a Pastor, and Mark Driscoll just lays it out in an honest and genuine way. plus, he’s super wise, but really down to earth, making his books easy, fun reads.

the next two books, Counterfeit Gods and The Prodigal God, are both written by Tim Keller. words cannot describe this man and his wisdom, his humility, and his giftedness. just read anything he’s written…they are life changing!! excellent, quick reads, and you’ll feel like you’re 1,000 times smarter after reading this man’s annointed words! (not to mention, possibly grasping more depth of the love of Jesus for you personally then ever before!)

Forgotten God, by Francis Chan. another amazing author and speaker! this book is all about the Holy Spirit, the “forgotten God,” and its super clear and really good! most of my life, the Holy Spirit has been a bit vague to me. but God has been pressing into me like never before the richness of His Spirit and the role He plays in my everyday life. this book has been really instrumental in helping me grasp the truth of the Holy Spirit.

one thing i like about both Tim Keller and Francis Chan is that there is no shortage of Scripture in their books to explain and give credence to their words!

the last book is another by Mark Driscoll, and i LOVED LOVED LOVED this book!! its called Death by Love, and its written as a series of letters that Mark wrote to specific people within his church. the beginning of each chapter tells the background story of this person, and then the letter is published. at the end of each chapter is a question and answer type format going over the theology that was presented within the story and letter. i love the format, and i love hearing people’s stories. i also loved to see Mark Driscoll’s sweet, pastoral heart!

those are a just a few of my recent ones, but i could post about many many more! i’m leaving out many faves, such as The Pressure’s Off, by Larry Crabb, and What’s So Amazing About Grace, by Philip Yancey. but i think that is a good representation of some of my favorite authors!

as for books about marriage:

jake gets the privilege (seriously…the absolute privilege) of performing the marriage ceremonies for quite a few people, being that we were in high school and college ministry for so many years, and now all our old students are getting married!! so that means that we get to meet with these super cool young engaged couples and share that special time with them! we don’t really do marriage counseling, cause we aren’t counselors, and God knows that we fail at marriage everyday! but we do get to share life with them, and share with them all the fun but hard things that marriage brings! we also get to learn TONS from them!! no joke…i learn so much from our times with these young men and women! its an honor and we LOVE It!

but the first book is what we go through with these engaged couples. its called Fit to be Tied by Bill Hybels. its the book that our marriage counselors took us through when we were engaged, and we think its really real, and really good at starting conversations about all kinds of things. the back of the book has all kinds of questions to go through, and even after being married almost a decade, we find that we still like going through some of the material! if you are engaged, i would especially recommend this book!

if you are married and looking for something good that pertains to marriage now…

i would highly suggest the second book, When Sinners Say I Do, by Dave Harvey. is really wonderful, and saturated with the Gospel and how it relates to our marriage relationship! excellent!!

the last book is This Momentary Marriage, by John Piper. you can pretty much count on anything by John Piper to be pretty darn good. i actually have not read this one yet, but Jake has, and thinks its awesome! he’s read some stuff to me out of it, and its on my list to read soon! thought i’d throw it in as a suggestion though!

haven’t found a great marriage devotional, per say, but i think these books might fit the bill!

these next books are my fun reads these days:

the Martha Stewart and Real Simple are just simply fun to look at and flip through! great books to grab at the library!

as for The Pillars of the Earth…let me just say…its highly addictive and absorbing! but it is not a redeeming book at all, at least so far. i’m still in the middle. so i want to recommend it, but i feel kinda bad for recommending it, cause its not a wholesome book by any stretch of the imagination. so, make your own decision! but i can tell you that its a page turner, and as much as i think i shouldn’t be enjoying it, i really am!!

and last but not least, i thought i’d throw this one in:

in my humble opinion, the BEST BEST BEST kids bible ever! it was written by a women from Tim Keller’s church, so i think his stamp of approval is on it! but anyway, its wonderful, and each story points to Jesus and the cross…which is crazy good!! we do this with our kiddos as our devotional at night, and its totally doable! each story is a great length, and we just started at the beginning and plan to go straight through. and since each story ends with a link to Jesus, its a perfect way to help the fullness of the Gospel story sink in.

okay…well i think that’s it. wow…this makes it look like i read a whole lot, so let me warn you…what you see is not always what really is!! my biggest struggle presently is getting any kind of daily devotional/reading/studying time in at all!! let alone weekly sometimes!! and there are many many days, often even in a row, where i don’t so much as pick up a darn book, including my Bible, which collects dust far too often then i’d like to admit! so don’t for a second think that i’ve got this reading and studying thing figured out, even though i’ve just done a long post about it!

and speaking of books, jake and i are headed out on a little beach retreat with the awesome people that he gets to work with, where we are supposed to be reading this:

needless to say, i haven’t gotten very far, but the intro makes it look very promising!

so if i don’t check in over the next few days, its cause my nose is in this book (not really…i think my nose might be in a People magazine more!) and my face is being stuffed with the best of food and i’m laughing my brains out as i enjoy the fun people that i get to spend the next 4 days with!!

so anyway, i sign off, thankful that God doesn’t love me based on how much i read about Him, and that i don’t loose His delight when i choose a People over something a bit more redeeming!