I'll be honest. As time has gone by, I have become less and less a fan of the whole New Year's resolution thing. I guess because I don't like failure (who really does) and most years my resolutions are rarely accomplished. So I did not make a resolution this year BUT I have been challenged the past few weeks to reassess those rectangular items stacking up on my nightstand.
So what books are on my shelves? Well, there are quite a few novels, most of them are Christian fiction, with an occasional spiritual growth book scattered here or there. Please know I do not want to belittle novels. There are many good ones at the local bookstore and I have learned much from those I have read. But God has been working on my heart. He has been revealing to me how I have replaced my spiritual growth reading with novels. I'm ashamed to say many times this means I have put aside my Bible to pick up the current novel I'm enraptured with.
Now how does this apply back to me not to make a new year's resolution? Well, in some ways I have but I hope this is a "new me" resolution that will last for more than just 2009. First of all, I have gone back to the first love letter ever written to me, the Bible. My personal reading time begins with my Lord and Savior. Secondly, I don't want to say, "I'm going to read X amount of non-fiction books over the next 11 months (is it really February already?)." I feel like I'm just setting myself up for failure. But I do want to expand my horizons and influence my perspective. And I believe one of the greatest ways for me to do this is through what I choose to read.
Amy Colon, a fellow church planting wife and blogger, did a similar post and shared some of her favorite reads over the past year. She made a few suggestions that I plan on picking up but I would love to know what some of your favorite books have been? It can be anything from spiritual growth to church planting to strengthening your marriage. I want to know, what's on your shelf?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
What's on Your Shelf?
Posted by Mike, Eskai, Sarai and Jadon at 5:07 PM
Labels: churchplantingwives
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2 comments:
I recommend, The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom. Hands down, one of the most inspirational books I have ever read! The faith and courage of this family (it's a true story) will blow you away!
I'm totally guilty of laying my bible aside for a good novel...this is something I, too, need to work on...
This post strikes a chord with me because I can easily get lost in fiction, but so rarely take time to read for my personal spiritual growth.
One book I read that was life-changing for me was Life-Giving Love by Kimberly Hahn. It is about marriage and family and the Catholic Church's teachings on those topics. I read it at a time that I really needed it. I think there is a lot of good in it, even for non-Catholics. She wrote a lot about pregnancy, infertility, miscarriage, etc. I've been blessed to have five healthy pregnancies and five healthy babies, but I still learned from reading about it all. I was given the book when I was pregnant with my third child, who would be born just 23 months after my first child! I was overwhelmed and scared and questioning my vocation and this book was just what I needed.
Share what you choose to read! Despite my reluctance to improve the quality of what I read, I still want to know what is out there.
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