Sunshine Days
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Summertime is here & I've had less time to read than usual. Lots of cleaning & lots of breaking up sibling squabbles. Lots of little summer activities like camps to drive the kids back & forth.
Here's what June's reading looked like...
A tender, joyful look at the beauty & mystery of our union with Christ, this book is one that all Christians can appreciate. Allberry shares candidly about his own meditations about this subject. It is one of those theological truths that we will never get to the depths of here in this life, but that we will find rich treasure every time we dive in to learn more.
Finished up the series that I started a couple of months ago with The City of Ember. The series started with promise, but I am slightly disappointed with the ending. It just seems anti-climactic or maybe a little too convenient. It does flash forward showing how the main characters Lina & Doon have changed the course of humanity with their actions. There's also a bizarre addition in the ending, but I won't ruin in case you want to read. If you (or a young person in your life) enjoy post-apocalyptic stories, this series is a pretty good one.
Wow! How incredible it is to learn more about the context of our Bible & the world that Abraham, David, & Jesus lived in. The authors are both theologians from western nations with familiarity with Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Southeast Asian, & other collectivist societies. When a westerner like myself sits down to read the Bible, we of course have the Holy Spirit who illumines God's Word to us. The truths He teaches us are timeless & transcend ethnicity & culture. But we also read it in our current context, namely through the lens of individuality. As I read this book, I was excited to learn so many facets of these cultures. How they use & respond to shame, how generosity & hospitality is ingrained in their everyday life, how patrons & brokers play a part in their world. AND how these play out in the Gospel story. I plan to read their earlier work Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes & will report back. Put this one on your list! It has so much great information to open up the Biblical story & also help us understand our Brothers & Sisters around the world. We have so much to learn from them!
A book that's been on my TBR list for quite a while, this book is a straight-forward practical look at placing Jesus at the center of your everyday. Lisa's encouraging voice & candid testimony of her life's ups & downs help the message of the book feel within reach for every one who reads it. In each chapter she emphasizes decisions we make throughout our days that either put Jesus first or they don't. That reality gives the foundation of the book. What does it look like to live out the truth of placing Jesus over everything? This book gives you so many truths to think on & live out.
Highly recommend this one! Kyle Worley is quickly becoming a well-respected author & with good reason. This book dives deep into the "in him" phrases that we see dealing with salvation. I will have to read it again because it was so full of Gospel truths that I need to be reminded of! Very similar to the Allberry book that I read at the beginning of this month in focus but different in its applications. Both books are helpful in their own way. Allberry's is maybe more meditative while Worley's gets more practical.
That's it! Just 5 books this month! (Some are really reasonably-priced as I type this, so check those links.)
Cheering you on!
Affiliate links are used on this post in an effort to earn commission on the books I share. Producing free content is fun & all, but earning a penny or 2 from Amazon if more fun! Or so I hear!
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