Because of his size, our St. Bernard can’t be trusted with just any bone or chew toy. Large and practically indestructible, his favorite toy stays in the family room where it can keep him occupied on family movie nights. Sometimes we have to adjust the volume on the t.v. to accommodate the sound of Tucker’s enthusiastic meditations.
Isaiah 31:4 uses the word hagah to describe a lion’s growling over its prey, a word denoting total focus–as in the way Tucker savors his own precious bone. Typically, hagah is translated as “meditate” as in Psalm 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.” The believer is called to a life of meditation, of chewing and swallowing, of entering fully into the experience of reading and knowing Scripture.
Sarah Geringer is one of those chewers and swallowers herself, and in Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus she invites readers into the practice of Christian meditation as a tool for absorbing, imbibing, feeding on, and ingesting truth as a substitute for error. Joining the likes of Thomas Chalmers, Geringer argues for the “expulsive power of a new affection” as God’s thoughts and values, communicated through the Bible, become a replacement for a host of negative mindsets that plague us and range on a bandwidth from negativity and passing discontent to crippling self-criticism, toxic unforgiveness, and debilitating anger or guilt.
Christian meditation, says Geringer, differs from other branches in that it is, “simply the practice of thinking about Scripture and communing with God.” (Loc 168) Through personal anecdotes and excerpts from excellent resources, she demonstrates that the spiritual, mental, physical, emotional, and social benefits are all well worth the effort of forging the habit of meditating and of making room for it in every busy day.
When we open the Bible and our minds at the same time, we enter the world of Truth. Spiritual reading accompanied by deep thinking serves as a source of nourishment for the believer who makes the commitment to chew, gnaw, and meditate on God’s Words–and then to follow all our reading and our thinking with actions that flow from loving obedience and a new heart.
Many thanks to Leafwood Publishers and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase Transforming Your Thought Life: Christian Meditation in Focus, simply click on the title within the text, and you’ll be taken directly to Amazon. If you decide to buy, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Wonderful review and powerful truth shared by both Sarah and you. Spiritual reading along with quiet reflection is needed for our souls to be nourished. And for our hearts to follow!
PS – I love the photo of Tucker who seems to be patiently waiting to be nourished. Another truth for my soul to be reminded of this morning 🙂
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Oh, you’ve read Tucker’s brown eyes, Joanne.
So thankful for the challenge Sarah is bringing to us as believers.
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Great review and the content is truly so spot on!! It fits with what the scripture 2 Cor. 10:5 (NIV): “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
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Yes, taking those thoughts captive is definitely an act of war, and not something we can dabble in.
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Thanks for this review! I’ve enjoyed Sarah’s posts on this topic.
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Yes, she has done a good job sharing on this topic, and it’s one we all need to come back to.
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This goes right along with my theme of spiritual disciplines this year. Consider reviewing my blog again with books like this! I found out last week that we have to move out of our townhouse by March. Could use your guest post during this time. You know that you are welcome anytime.
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Thank you for the invitation, Mandy. And I can see well why you would be overwhelmed right now!
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Sarah’s words on her blogs always point back to Jesus. I can only imagine her book does the same. Thanks for this insightful review, Michele. It kept bringing to mind the truth that we need to keep our thoughts on what is true, right, honorable, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil 4;7–one of my life verses).
Your Tucker looks like a sweet dog!
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I was thankful to be able to read Sarah’s book and to share it with friends.
And she’s a dog lover, too, so this just seemed right.
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Thank you for this glowing review! I love every word of it, and I appreciate you so much, friend!
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It’s my pleasure to share good books with readers!
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Meditation leads to transformation–from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). Such a worthy goal Sarah leads her readers toward!
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Yes, and the cleansing power of the Word is foundational to that transformation.
So good to hear from you, Nancy.
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Taking the Word to heart truly does transform us and our lives! This really does sound like a great book! Thank you for sharing this excellent review!
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Always happy to recommend good reading material!
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Wonderful review! I am a big fan of Sarah’s writing. And St. Bernards!
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Hi, from Tucker!
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He’s adorable! I have a Rottweiler and he destroys just about everything he gets except the Kong!
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Even big babies need their toys!
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Sarah is a dear heart.
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Oh, yes, she is!
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A wonderful review and I will have to read about Sarah and her work. Thank you for linking up today.
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Blessings to you!
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Thank you so much for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned!
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I’m currently reading Sarah’s book and I find your review to be spot on. I love your illumination on the original meaning- to chew on. What a vivid picture. Refreshing to my visual learning style.
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I loved that little language lesson in Sarah’s book. So enlightening!
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Thanks for the review. I love the idea of “gnawing” on scripture!
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It changes the way we approach it!
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I’m replying to the picture. Have not read the post yet. I’m 76 and this picture takes me back to 26 when I had a Saint, needless to say Heidi was her name. Oh those were the days.
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Oh, a Saint named Heidi! Such a lovely memory!
Thank you for sharing it here.
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I love Sarah’s heart for integrating God’s word into the many moments of our day and lives. She certainly has learned the power God’s word can bring to hurts and anxieties in life! Thanks for sharing this, Michele! I’ll be pinning it for sure!
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Yes, she has not wasted the years of struggle. I really enjoyed getting more of her story all in one place.
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Great review of what sounds like a good read#globalblogging@_,karendennis
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Popping back #anythinggoes@_karendennis
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It sounds like a lovely book! Meditation is not a discipline I excel at, so I’ll be adding this one to my list!
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Sarah did a great job making it challenging and also practical.
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[…] Michele – Chew On The Truth & Transform Your Life […]
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I have to admit I would love to be able to settle my mind enough to sit and meditate for a little bit each day but right now in my life I feel like I live on a minute schedule. It would be lovely to be able to just stop for a while and think but I very rarely allow myself that time. And I know I am totally to blame for this and should try harder to change my ways but for me it is a work in progress. Thank you as always Michele for your kindly and wise words of advice and of course for sharing them on #globalblogging !
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Trusting along with you, Tracey, for the opportunity to step out of the stream of life and be transformed.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too!
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I love this a lot ❤️❤️❤️ It’s very inspiring and nice ☘️. It is a great honor to be in your blog 🙇 I’m definitely following this blog 🎊
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