The Financially Confident Woman by Mary Hunt: A Book Review "Don't you have to have lots of money if you're going to 'manage' it?" "I don't/can't do financial stuff." This mindset might keep you from reading the new edition of Mary Hunt's book, but you wouldn't expect to find that the author of a half dozen books… Continue reading Take Charge of Your Money and Your Life
Category: Book Review
An Exuberant Life
Fierce Convictions by Karen Swallow Prior: A Book Review In order for Hannah More to be truly Hannah More, she had to challenge nearly every aspect of her cultural context. Fierce Convictions is richly historical and rooted deeply in the period straddling the 18th and 19th centuries, because it is impossible to appreciate the impact of… Continue reading An Exuberant Life
Do You Want a Quiet Heart?
Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled by Martin Lloyd Jones: A Book Review Sometimes we get it all wrong when we read Scripture. We translate sentences through a syrupy grid of sentimentality ("Oh, that's so comforting . . ."), when what we are looking at is a command. Do this. Thus begins sermon number one of… Continue reading Do You Want a Quiet Heart?
Slow Christmas
Light Upon Light Compiled by Sarah Arthur: A Book Review The problem with reviewing a book like Light Upon Light is that Sarah Arthur has done such a fine job explaining her purpose in the introduction that anything I say feels superfluous. As a guide to prayer during the season of Advent, she has compiled a rich assortment of… Continue reading Slow Christmas
A Lively Faith is Enhanced by a Lively Mind
Redeeming Philosophy: A God-Centered Approach to the Big Questions by Vern S. Poythress: A Book Review Why does anyone exist? How do we come to know what we know? Where do commonly held moral standards come from? Do any of these questions matter to ordinary people in our "sleeping, eating, going to work, walking around… Continue reading A Lively Faith is Enhanced by a Lively Mind
Good News of Great Joy
When the angel announced good news to a band of startled shepherds, the heavenly messenger could not possibly have anticipated the extent of the gift or its impact. In Chapter 14 of The Mortification of Sin, John Owen puts words around the unwrapping of God's gift in his Directions for the Work of Mortifying Sin. … Continue reading Good News of Great Joy
Celebrate What You Have
The Invention of Lefse by Larry Woiwode: A Book Review The Invention of Lefse is a peaceful, homely Christmas tale that spins a fable for the origin of Norwegian lefse bread while also drawing the reader back into a long-forgotten day of simple celebration and elaborate joy. Thirteen-year-old Mette Iversdatter wakes early on Christmas eve to… Continue reading Celebrate What You Have
Permanent Freeze
Vanishing Grace by Philip Yancey: A Book Review "Like a sudden thaw in the middle of winter . . .": this is Philip Yancey's descriptive metaphor for grace on this fallen planet. "It stops us short, catches the breath, disarms." Vanishing Grace was written out of Yancey's concern that the church is failing to demonstrate the warm and compelling grace of… Continue reading Permanent Freeze
“Are We O.K.?”
Early in our marriage, my husband and I stumbled onto a means of cutting to the chase in determining the state of our union. Protracted silences, a perceived "mood," a brusque response, or an air of impatience always triggers THE QUESTION: "Are we o.k.?" Of course, the success of this little drill presupposes a level of… Continue reading “Are We O.K.?”
Empowered Living
Empowered by His Presence by Kevin G. Harney: A Book Review The question that drives Empowered by His Presence is this: "Where can I receive strength as I seek to live another day?" In this four-week study, Kevin Harney unpacks the stories of biblical characters and their responses to God's presence and power within the challenges… Continue reading Empowered Living
Living Our Days 