Book Talk

I've been thinking this week about books that revive our faith when we need a little encouragement now and then.  Sometimes they have come to me at just the right time, often they were already on one of my book shelves.

I was feeling quite stressed earlier in the week so I opened the Kindle and it was already on the book I had recently purchased on sale for the Kindle at only 99 cents.  It is a small, easy to read book called Enough by Helen Roseveare that I had been reading and it was perfectly timed that day.  In this small book, she reminds us that in Christ, we have enough of everything we need already.

I knew of Roseveare from her story as a missionary doctor in the Congo who had been kidnapped and assaulted by what we would now call terrorists.  Her story is a fascinating story of faith and endurance in terrible circumstances but amazingly she decided to return to the Congo once she had healed from her captivity.  She stayed on the mission field as long as possible and passed away only a few years ago in her early 90s.

I purchased the Kindle book because I had heard her speak online and she was one of the primary contributors to a book I keep on my desk to read off and on called Stand: A Call for the Endurance of the Saints... edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor.  It is one of my "lifeline" books.

I can't tell you how many times I have pulled Stand from between bookends on my desk.  Rarely have I read the entire book but I often read one of the chapters or the Q&A section in the back of the book.  Each writer shares how they have endured through the years in Christ and for Him.  Such encouragement they provide for their fellow sojourner.

I have often recommended Edith Schaeffer's autobiography called The Tapestry for people who need to realize this life is a marathon and not a sprint.  In it, she shares their story and how God was weaving that tapestry before they were born that would lead to the L'Abri ministry.  It is not a quick read but it never fails to remind me that, even in our darkest times, God is at work in our life for our good and His glory.

Another book that sits on my desk is The Strength You Need: The Twelve Great Strength Passages of the Bible by Robert Morgan.  I read it to review and immediately knew it would be one of my "lifeline" books to grab and read when I felt I was going under for the third time.  Except the message helps me stay afloat by reminding me that God is the strength I need.  This is such a good Bible based book by one who lives daily needing His strength.

There are many more on my bookshelves and I will revisit the subject soon.  I am completely out of time this morning.  Oh, I should also mention here that when I begin to feel anxiety, I often reread a favorite work of fiction.  Just recently, I reread The Heart of the Family by Elizabeth Goudge for it speaks to my soul every time as Sebastian faces suffering while increasing in newly found faith.

Mentioned in this Blog Post
Enough... here.
Enough in Kindle... here.

Stand... here. (Third party)
Stand in Kindle... here.

The Tapestry... here (third party).
This link sends you to a ridiculously expensive copy.  I tried to change it but it kept sending me here.  There are lots of inexpensive copies available used in hardback and paperback, just look through them.

The Strength You Need... here.
The Strength You Need in Kindle... here.

The Heart of the Family... here. (Third book in a trilogy)
The Heart of the Family in Kindle... here.