Monday, February 25, 2013

Sara's Recs. Thank me later.

This blog is inspired by two things. 1) a blog that a friend of mine posted and 2) it would be selfish of me to not share what has been shared with me.

If you follow me on twitter or are friends with me on Facebook you most likely have seen many posts and tweets about/from books or devotions that I am reading/have read. I want to give you a list of those books in the case that you were interested in experiencing them as well. It is my hope and prayer that they will impact your life like they have mine or more so!!

Throughout God's word we are told to seek wisdom and knowledge. I believe that these books will help you to do just that. They have given me a deeper knowledge of who I am in Christ, who He is, and have shown me many of the hidden treasures of God's word.

1. It's one thing to hear about the adventures of the "overboard" Christians and think "I wish I could do something like that". It's another thing to actually do it! Regardless of your age, past, financial status, current circumstances, education God wants to take you on your own adventure with Him! Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson is the book that will set the fire under your seat!

2. Have you ever asked "who am I?", "what is my purpose?", "what makes me different than the rest?"? Soul Print by Mark Batterson will help you seek and find answers to those very questions. It's important to know who you are. When you know who you are you are more confident in what God has planned for you.

3. We have all heard that prayer is powerful. Am I alone in getting distracted or remembering everything that I had forgotten throughout the day during prayer? I have a feeling the answer is no. In  The Circle Maker by... you guessed it... Mark Batterson he gives you tools to have a more effective prayer life. No, there is not a formula to prayer. Yes, there is a power and faith that comes with better understanding prayer. If you desire to feed your dreams and starve your fears this book is for you!

4. We did this 30 day journal with our intern teams. Each day you read a story from a missionary to an unreached people group and it ends with a group to pray for and a challenge for the day. If you are unaware of unreached people groups or have a burden for them then Live Dead Journal is just what you need!

5. If you grew up in an AG church you may have thought the AG stood for "always guilty" and not Assemblies of God ha! In Permission to Speak Freely Ann Jackson compiles art on fear, confessions, and grace. It is for freedom that we have been set free not for shame or guilt. As Christians we sometimes forget where we came from or where we would be if it weren't for grace. Ann Jackson challenges us to speak freely - about who we are, who we were, and who God is making us to be!

6. I have done two studies by Kelly Minter. Nehemiah and Ruth (which unfortunately isn't available at the moment). There is no way that I can tell you just how much grew spiritually and in knowledge of God's word because of these studies. Even though we can never know at that there is to know about God I am excited to spend my life getting to know as much as I can!

7. Pretty much anything by Beth Moore will rock your world. She is a huge inspiration to me. Her influence on women has opened up the door for God to do some mighty things! I have done her study on Esther. Little did I know that soon after I finished this study God was going to use it as my first sermon. I was in Kenya and the night before church I was asked to preach. Sunday morning I woke up to an brain overload of Esther. I took that as a hit that that was what God wanted me to share that morning. Many women made Jesus Lord of their life that morning. Not because of anything I did but because God knew what I would need to say at that time and prepared me a few weeks prior. Evidence of God's great grace and divine provision.

8. Lastly I am currently doing Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit by Beth Moore. What better evidence of our relationship with Jesus than the fruit of the Spirit? I am one week into the six week study. Whoa! It's intense! If you don't want to be a lukewarm Christian this will help you to deepen you relationship with Jesus and others.

Enjoy!!

No comments:

Post a Comment