With a little over a month off from school, I have read a few books from my “wish I could read” list. Here are some that may be of interest:
Just finished 58: Fast Living: How the Church Will End Extreme Poverty by Scott C. Todd. With the foundation of Isaiah 58, Dr. Todd invites Christians to enter a lifestyle of true fasting. In addition to scripture, Dr. Todd shares his personal experiences from world travels and ministry with Compassion International to put faces and names to the statistics of the impoverished and oppressed. He challenges the Church to “end extreme global poverty within the next twenty-five years.”
Highlighted Quote: The gospel brings healing and hope. It ignites new initiatives by bringing hurting people from all economic levels into relationship with God. His Holy Spirit fills us with vision and we can see that with God anything, absolutely anything, is possible (pg 73)!
As a result of being exposed to this ministry, I have taken the Live 58 Pledge. Find out more: @live58now #Live58 or Live. Pray. Give. Shout. at www.live58.org
Of course, I have also read and frequently return to our January Book of the Month, Deeply Loved by Keri Wyatt Kent. This book is a refreshing devotional and soul care resource. I’ve embraced it as a friend and I am taking it with me on my spiritual retreat next week.
What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage by Paul David Tripp. I have already given the disclaimer that I am generally not a fan of marriage books, but this is by far the best I have read because it first deals with the heart and our relationship with the Lord, before challenging us in our relationship with our spouse. This book made my top ten reading list of 2012.
Highlighted Quote: Love desires, love thinks, love chooses, love decides, love acts, and love speaks in an ongoing, day-by-day commitment to the welfare of another. Real love is concrete, specific, and active (pg 201).
In her book, Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women, author Carolyn Custis James responds to the New York Times Best Seller, Half the Sky. James consolidates her liberating messages from her previous books: women as ezer warriors and the blessed alliance of men and women working together to advance God’s kingdom. She also highlights the atrocities women face all across the world and lays a vision for the Church, God’s chosen people, to passionately lead and respond justly on behalf of the oppressed.
Highlighted Quote: What will the church do to address the rampant suffering of women throughout our world? Will we lag behind the rest of the world in fostering in flourishing of women and girls, or will we join together in taking the lead in global advocacy and activism on behalf of the widow, the trafficked, the marginalized, and oppressed? Jesus and the Old Testament prophets call us to this (pg 41).
Connect with the author @carolynezer blog: http://www.whitbyforum.com/ and the mobilization of women recapturing God’s vision for women: http://www.facebook.com/SynergyWomensNetwork/
Humility: True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney is a small book that packs a powerful punch. I will revisit this book regularly, and I’m positive you’ll see it on blog again. Mahaney encourages his readers to pursue humility as a mark of their character. He uses scripture to remind readers how God positively responds to the humble in heart: “This is the one I [God] esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word (Isaiah 66:4 [NIV].” The last part of the book provides practical instruction for the practice of true humility.
Highlighted Quote: Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness (pg 22).
I’m currently reading The Art of Mentoring: Embracing the Great Generational Transition by Darlene Zschech. Zschech has written a smart book about the values of mentoring. She constantly encourages the reader through scripture and her personal experiences. Obviously, we share a vision and passion for mentoring.
Highlighted Quote: It is my deepest desire to remind leaders everywhere that the kingdom of God is about people and that we are not here to build our own kingdoms but to bring God’s kingdom into the lives of others. A life lived in Christ is a sacrificial life—a life poured out, a life lived to lift the lives of others (pg 12).
I hope you will consider some of these books and pray they will be a blessing to you. What books are you reading these days? Why would you recommend it?
© Natasha Sistrunk Robinson 2013
A SISTA'S JOURNEY 