Time to share what I’ve enjoyed or what’s encouraged me this month!
This month’s favorites are a bit different from what I usually share as I spent the first three weeks of January in fasting and prayer, so I wasn’t on my phone, computer, or social media like I usually am. So for this month, I’m sharing some sermons I listened to and some books I read, along with a couple of articles I read after my fast ended.
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with anyone or anything on this list. Just sharing a few of my favorite things!
Sermons I Enjoyed:
When We Feel Frustrated: Seasons of Frustration - Dr. Charles Stanley
This sermon was so timely for me and encouraging to me. Dr. Stanley shares about feelings of restlessness or frustration that God causes us to feel so that we tune in to something He’s trying to show us; these seasons of feeling restless or frustrated often come right before God opens a new door for us or brings about a change in our lives.
The Unlikely Path to Joy: Having an Ecclesiastes Experience - Dr. Larry Crabb
Dr. Crabb shares how those times when we feel bored, purposeless, frustrated, or empty (what he calls an “Ecclesiastes Experience”) are actually invitations to draw us closer to God, to rest in Him, to receive His love, and to experience His joy. This sermon was also right on time and right on point for me.
Articles I Enjoyed:
In a Mad Mad World, God Welcomes Our Merrymaking - Philip Yancy
Church Unity Is Not Optional - Francis Chan
I First Portrayed Jesus in My Long Island Backyard - Jonathan Roumie
God Is at Work, Even When All Seems Still - Tim Challies
Books I Enjoyed:
Kingdom Disciples
by Dr. Tony Evans
Dr. Evans always presents Biblical truth in such an easy-to-understand way and this book is no exception. He presents the Scriptural calling for discipleship, what discipleship is and why it’s needed, as well as what it could look like in our churches today. I always appreciate and enjoy Dr. Evans’ perspective on living out Biblical truths, and I especially enjoyed the middle portion of this book as he talks about growing our own spiritual roots deeper and what it looks like to be a disciple yourself.
How (Not) to Save the World
by Hosanna Wong
I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and am so excited to be finally reading it! As the cover explains, this book is all about “revealing God’s love to the people right next to you.” I haven’t finished this one yet, but one thing I’m really enjoying is that she includes personal stories, learnings, testimonies, and examples from her own life and experience.
Crazy Love
by Francis Chan
I’ve never read this book (I know!), but I do know it caused quite a stir when it was first released. I remember everyone talking about it, and now I can see why. It’s an excellent wake-up call for Christians who’ve become apathetic, even unknowingly, and who are desiring a deeper love relationship with God. I’m only halfway through it now, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to end up being one of those books I tell all my friends they must read.
Eight Women of Faith
by Michael Haykin
One of my goals for this year is to read more books by Christian women and/or about Christian women. This book contains short biographical sketches and testimonies of eight women from the past who “changed the course of history” by living out “their unique callings despite challenges and opposition”, starting with Jane Grey in the 1500’s and ending with Jane Austen in the 1800’s. I enjoyed it for what it is, a series of short biographies, but found myself wishing there were more diversity (all the women were white and from Europe or the U.S.) and wanting more details about these women’s lives as I read. So in that sense, I guess it was a good book to sort of get me curious to learn even more about the women in this book while also getting me curious to learn more about some of the other women from church history.
What are your favorite things right now?
Drop a comment below and share!
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Hi! I'm Abigail, your real-talk Christian life coach and faith mentor. I believe we're on this earth for a reason, and I LOVE helping people realize and live that truth so that they can reach their God-given potential in all areas of life.
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