#ThursdayThings — Books I Love

I am a resource junkie. I love finding good books, podcasts, tools, etc. and sharing them with everyone. A friend recently told me that she wished I would write down all the good things I love, so this series is my effort to share resources that have helped let the Word of Christ dwell in my everyday moments.

The Gospel Comes with a House Key by Rosaria Butterfield

This book has been by far the most impactful for me this year. I’ve always enjoyed being the “hostess with the mostest,” but Rosaria’s testimony to God’s faithfulness through radically ordinary hospitality in a post-Christian world challenged my self-centered view of hospitality. She reminds us that the point of Christian hospitality is not entertaining but showing the Gospel through using our homes to sacrificially serve others.

“Those who live out radically ordinary hospitality see their homes not as theirs at all but as God’s gift to use for the furtherance of his kingdom.”

Rosaria Butterfield

Here are a few of my favorite quotes (which were hard to choose since I literally underlined the first three pages):

“Those who live out radically ordinary hospitality see their homes not as theirs at all but as God’s gift to use for the furtherance of his kingdom.”

“My lists are not set in stone; they are set in grace.”

“Hospitality reaches across worldviews to be the bridge of gospel grace. Jesus did not come with self-defense. He came with bread. He came with fish. So too must we.”

A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin

This book truly is little. In fact, I read it while my car was being washed and vacuumed. But while it has few words, Calvin packs a punch in those words. This is truly a Christian classic, and something I hope to read regularly as a reminder of the kind of life to which the Christian is called. Calvin talks about suffering, spiritual disciplines, and other counter-cultural ways that a Christian is to see their life.

“For every work performed in obedience to one’s calling, no matter how ordinary and common, is radiant—most valuable in the eyes of our Lord.”

John CAlvin

A few of my favorite quotes:

“The goal of God’s work in us is to bring our lives into harmony and agreement with His own righteousness, and so to manifest to ourselves and others our identity as His adopted children.”

“For true doctrine is not a matter of the tongue, but of life…Doctrine is rightly received when it takes possession of the entire soul and finds a dwelling place and shelter in the most intimate affections of the heart.”

“For every work performed in obedience to one’s calling, no matter how ordinary and common, is radiant—most valuable in the eyes of our Lord.”

A Place of Quiet Rest by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

This book, recommended to me by my grandmother, is an excellent starting place for a believer (whether new or seasoned) wanting to grow closer to God through daily quiet times. Nancy’s writing is clear, heartfelt, and filled with application. While many of her practices were not new to me, her reasoning behind the disciplines reminded me of the purpose of any quiet time—to grow in our intimacy with God.

“The purpose of our devotional time is not to jump through spiritual hoops or to fulfill some sort of heavenly homework assignment, but to sit down and eat a fellowship meal with the Lord.”

Nancy Leigh Demoss

I love it when she said:

“…the Enemy of my soul knows that if he can defeat me [in my time with the Lord], he will ultimately be able to defeat me in every other area of my spiritual life.”

“The purpose of our devotional time is not to jump through spiritual hoops or to fulfill some sort of heavenly homework assignment, but to sit down and eat a fellowship meal with the Lord—to commune with Him.”

“If we master the Bible but don’t end up knowing, loving, worshiping, serving, and being like Jesus, we are really no better than the devil himself.”

All That’s Good by Hannah Anderson

Hannah’s book Humble Roots completely transformed my understanding of stress and anxiety, so I was so excited to read her new book on discernment. Each chapter dives into the values listed in Philippians 4:8, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise.” Sometimes, as a Christian, I’m not sure what the right thing is, and Hannah helps guide us through discerning God’s best for our lives.

“Even if I don’t take the opportunity in front of me, God will still provide for me; His love and goodness was never dependent on my making the right choices in the first place.

Hannah Anderson

I wish I could share the entire book right here, but here are some meaningful quotes:

 “God’s good gifts are designed to draw us closer and closer to the center, to draw us closer and closer to eternity and Him.”

“But if our choices are being driven by fear instead of faith, they are wrong regardless of whether we ever step out outside the boundaries or not.”

“Even if I don’t take the opportunity in front of me, God will still provide for me; His love and goodness was never dependent on my making the right choices in the first place. If His providence provided this opportunity, it can provide another.

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke

This book was recommended to me by so many different friends, but I was a little disappointed when I finally got to read it. My husband and I read it out loud during our anniversary road trip, but it was a little difficult to follow his writing. I had hoped the book would be more practical and include insights on technology other than social media (which my husband doesn’t have). It’s still a good read and provides well-researched, thoughtful insights that challenged the way I saw my time on social media.

“I don’t have ‘time to kill’—I have time to redeem.”

Tony Reinke

A few quotes from this book:

“The ease and immediacy of Twitter is no match for the patient labor of prayer, and the neglect of prayer makes God feel distant in our lives.”

“In the digital age, we idolize our phones when we lose the ability to ask if they help us (or hurt us) in reaching our spiritual goals.”

“I don’t have ‘time to kill’—I have time to redeem.”