Hi. If you read my blog with any kind of regularity, you'll know that my husband has been in Afghanistan for the last almost two years, and that he and I met in Kuwait on Tuesday and are spending the week together in a wonderful time of aloneness. That is only significant to right now because...I forgot to pack my Vicki Courtney's 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter book, and I didn't read the next chapter yet.

So, I thought I'd give you an overview of what I'm currently reading -- since my little corner of Seeds of Faith is titled "Writing Worth Reading."

First and foremost, I'm reading my Bible. I read the New King James Version. Currently, I'm reading 2 Kings and Luke. I just finished reading about Hezekiah's reign and how Isaiah delivered messages from God to Hezekiah. I read about how Hezekiah's son was considered by God the most wicked of any king before him. In the New Testament, Christ just healed Bartimaeus and spoke to Zacchaeus.

I am also reading Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan. Gregg and I are reading that one together and doing a workbook and watching a DVD with it. This book is amazing. If you haven't read this one or Chan's other book, Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God, I highly recommend both of them.

Here is an excerpt from Forgotten God:

To be honest, I believe part of the desire to "know God's will for my life" is birthed in fear and results in paralysis. We are scared to make mistakes, so we fret over figuring out God's will. We wonder what living according to His will would actually look and feel like, and we are scared to find out. We forget that we were never promised a twenty-year plan of action; instead, God promises multiple times in Scripture never to leave or forsake us. God wants us to listen to His Spirit on a daily basis, and even throughout the day, as difficult and stretching moments arise, and in the midst of the mundane. My hope is that instead of searching for "God's will in my life," each of us would learn to seek hard after "the Spirit's leading in my life today." May we learn to pray for an open and willing heart, to surrender to the Spirit's leading with that friend, child, spouse, circumstance, or decision in our lives right now.

I am also reading Pray Big, the Power of Pinpoint Prayers by Will Davis, Jr. I ordered this book when I wrote my post titled Pray Big For Your Child. I am annoyed that it is taking me so long to read it, and want to finish it by the time I leave Kuwait. I have so little free time to read when I am at home that I grabbed this one to bring with me on this trip intentionally.

Here is an excerpt from Pray Big:

Have you ever listened to how we pray? It's like Christians have developed their own prayer language, and I don't mean the ecstatic kind. "Lord, please bless Bill." What exactly do we mean by that? Do we want God to make Bill more holy or more disciplined? Are we hoping that his business will prosper or that he'll be a better husband? And why do we ask for blessing when Ephesians 1:3 says that we are already blessed with every spiritual blessing that God can give? "God, please be with Joan." God's already with Joan. His Spirit lives in her, and He promised never to leave or forsake her. What do we really want God to do for Joan? "Father, we pray that you give Jack a special annointing." As is there is such a thing as an ordinary annointing. Special annointing is redundant. "And God, we ask that you give Sue an extra helping of Your grace." What is that? Does God dole out grace in measured proportions? That prayer makes God seem as if He has a big serving spoon - that He can be either generous or stingy with the helpings of grace He dispenses.

Last on my list is a book titled First Light by the writing team of Bodie and Brock Thoene. It is the first of seven fictional books that take place in first century Jeruselem. It is the book I pick up to read when I have 5 minutes of downtime and just want to not think too much.

Here is what the back of the book says:

Spiritual and political darkness shroud the world's holiest and most turbulent city. Ruled by Rome and manipulated by religious rulers with only selfish interests in mind, the people of Jerusalem wonder if their Deliverer will ever come. Susanna and Manaen desperately search for hope and meaning - in a world where their love is forbidden. Others pray and wait for light, the True Light of Messiah, to dawn. Peniel the beggar, Marcus the Roman centurion, Zadok the Chief Shepherd of Israel, and his three adopted orphan boys - all long for a vision of hope. Now a healer named Yeshua walks the streets of Jeruselem. Is He the true Messiah? Or only another imposter like so many before Him.

So -- what are you reading?


My personal blog: Hallee the Homemaker
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