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 shewished I would write down all the good things I love, so this series is myeffort to share resources that have helped let the Word of Christ dwell in myeveryday moments.

The Gospel Comes with a House Keyby Rosaria Butterfield

This book has been by far themost impactful for me this year. I’ve always enjoyed being the “hostess withthe mostest,” but Rosaria’s testimony to God’s faithfulness through radicallyordinary hospitality in a post-Christian world challenged my self-centered viewof hospitality. She reminds us that the point of Christian hospitality is notentertaining but showing the Gospel through using our homes to sacrificiallyserve 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 favoritequotes (which were hard to choose since I literally underlined the first threepages):

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

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

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

A Little Book on the Christian Lifeby John Calvin

This book truly is little. In fact, I read it while my carwas being washed and vacuumed. But while it has few words, Calvin packs a punchin those words. This is truly a Christian classic, and something I hope to readregularly as a reminder of the kind of life to which the Christian is called.Calvin talks about suffering, spiritual disciplines, and other counter-culturalways 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 usis to bring our lives into harmony and agreement with His own righteousness, andso to manifest to ourselves and others our identity as His adopted children.”

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

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

A Place of Quiet Rest by NancyLeigh DeMoss

This book, recommended to me bymy grandmother, is an excellent starting place for a believer (whether new orseasoned) wanting to grow closer to God through daily quiet times. Nancy’swriting is clear, heartfelt, and filled with application. While many of herpractices were not new to me, her reasoning behind the disciplines reminded meof 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 knowsthat if he can defeat me [in my time with the Lord], he will ultimately be ableto defeat me in every other area of my spiritual life.”

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

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

All That’s Good by HannahAnderson

Hannah’s book Humble Roots completely transformed myunderstanding of stress and anxiety, so I was so excited to read her new bookon discernment. Each chapter dives into the values listed in Philippians 4:8, “whateveris true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever islovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there isanything worthy of praise.” Sometimes, as a Christian, I’m not sure what the right thing is, and Hannah helps guideus 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 entirebook right here, but here are some meaningful quotes:

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

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

“Even if I don’t take theopportunity in front of me, God will still provide for me; His love andgoodness 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 Youby Tony Reinke

This book was recommended to meby so many different friends, but I was a little disappointed when I finallygot to read it. My husband and I read it out loud during our anniversary roadtrip, but it was a little difficult to follow his writing. I had hoped the bookwould be more practical and include insights on technology other than socialmedia (which my husband doesn’t have). It’s still a good read and provideswell-researched, thoughtful insights that challenged the way I saw my time onsocial 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 ofTwitter is no match for the patient labor of prayer, and the neglect of prayermakes God feel distant in our lives.”

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

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