Discipline: The Glad Surrender

Over the past month I've been reading "Discipline: The Glad Surrender" by Elisabeth Elliot.  As is probably obvious from how much I rave, I love Elisabeth Elliot--her bluntness, her example, etc.  I have a hard time with some of her books, though, because they kind of seem to blend together in my mind.  However, this book is just what its title suggests--it's all about discipline.  Discipline of the life, the mind, the body, the time, etc.  I have found it to be very helpful and informative.  Another thing I like about Elliot is that I find a lot of practical applications in her books, and there's a lot of practical application to be found in this book.

I wanted to share an excerpt that I enjoyed from this book.  It's about worry:

Frustration is not the will of God.  Of that we can be quite certain.  There is time to do anything and everything that God wants us to do. Obedience fits smoothly into His given framework.  One thing that most certainly will not fit into it is worry.  Here are six reasons why:

   1. Worry is totally fruitless.  Have you ever succeeded in adding an inch where you wanted it, or subtracting one where you didn’t want it, merely by being anxious?  If you can’t accomplish that by worrying, what can you accomplish?

   2. Worry is worse than fruitless: it is disobedience.  Note these commands:

   Fret not.

   Fear not.

   Let not your hearts be troubled.

   Be not dismayed.

   Be of good cheer.

   3. Worry is taking the not-given—for example, tomorrow.   Tomorrow is not ours to worry about.  We are allowed to plan for tomorrow, but we are not allowed to worry about it.  Today’s troubles are enough of a burden.  Jesus knew exactly what He was talking about when He said that.

   4. Worry is refusing the given.  Today’s care, not tomorrow’s, is the responsibility given to us, apportioned in the wisdom of God. Often we neglect the thing assigned for the moment because we are preoccupied with something that is not our business just now.  How easy it is to give only half our attention to someone who needs us—friend, husband, or little child—because the other half is focused on a future worry.

   5. Worry is the antithesis of trust.  You simply cannot do both.  They are mutually exclusive.

   6. Worry is a wicked squandering of time (as well as energy).

-- Elisabeth Elliot

 All that to say, I would recommend that you find this book and read it!  I hope you enjoyed this review. :)

reading list for 2011

In January of 2011 I made this post, which gave some short reviews of the best books I had read over the year of 2010.  I wanted to do that for 2011 too.

Throughout 2011 I read through 70 books, not including those for school.  I decided to also go through those and find out which ones were of "eternal significance", both for 2010 and for 2011.  In 2010 I read 25 out of 91 books that I think were of eternal value.  In 2011 I read 21 books less, but this time I read 39 books that I think were actually really good for me.  So, we're getting better! :) You can go to my reading link to see when I read which ones.  The following list are some short reviews of the ones I most enjoyed from this year.

1. Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.  I've already done a sort of review on this book here, so I won't do another one.  It's a great book, though!

2. The Guy I'm Not Dating by Trish Perry.  This book is just plain funny.  I really like it.  It's a Christian fiction romance-ish book.  Hilarious.

3. The Shelter of God's Promises by Sheila Walsh.  I got this book from BookSneeze in February or March, and I really enjoyed it.  It went through 10 different aspects of God, including love, confidence, grace, and home.  I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did!

4. The Space Trilogy by C. S. Lewis.  This trilogy includes "Out of the Silent Planet", "Perelandra", and "That Hideous Strength", all by C. S. Lewis.  Lewis is a great fiction writer, as everyone already knows from The Chronicles of Narnia.  The first two books were my favorite; the third was much longer and harder to get through.  Great series!

5. The Mark of a Man by Elisabeth Elliot.  I know this is a book Elliot wrote for men, but I've also heard it suggested that women read it so that they can see more of what God wants a man to be.  The book was written to Elliot's nephew, Peter(?).  I love Elliot's style of writing in that she is so straightforward and to the point.  This book was no exception.

6. If You Love the Lord by Keith Green.  I didn't know much about Keith Green when I first got this book, but throughout this book I came to be really excited to meet this man in Heaven!  He was so very passionate and in love with the Lord, and he wasn't afraid to be brash and rude and make things awkward if he could tell them about Jesus through that.  He had tremendous courage in Christ and is a great encouragement for believers.

7. Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.  For years I had heard about this book, heard it praised time and time again, and I finally got it at the end of January, 2011. Elisabeth Elliot is definitely one of my favorite authors, if not my absolute favorite. She's just so straightforward and blunt, and her clear-cut view of just about everything is something I really enjoy. Let Me Be a Woman is written to Elliot's daughter, who was about to get married. So there's not really a lot directed to single women, but there is a lot about submission. At the time I was preparing for my first Twelve Extraordinary Women Bible study that I'm leading, and the topic for that month was Eve. In Twelve Extraordinary Women one of the focuses of Eve was on submission, and Let Me Be a Woman really helped me understand that more and, hopefully, present and explain the topic of submission more clearly to my Bible study girls. The book also helped me understand more about who I am in Christ, and how I can live as He has called me to by making me who I am. I would definitely recommend it to any woman!

8. Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. This book is very similar to Twelve Extraordinary Women by MacArthur, and was actually written first.  Apparently Twelve Ordinary Men had such an overwhelmingly positive response that MacArthur agreed to write one for the women.  Anyway, I so enjoyed Twelve Ordinary Men.  Each chapter studies one of Jesus' disciples.  My favorite chapters were those about John, Andrew, Phillip, and Nathanael.

9. A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur.  You can go here to see my review on this book.

10. Surprised by Joy: The Shaping of My Early Life by C. S. Lewis.  This book is Lewis' autobiography.  I really enjoyed it because it showed how his life was just so radically transformed with his salvation and new love for the Lord.

11. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.  Go here to read my review on this great book.

12. Radical by David Platt.  Incredible book.  Read it.

13. Candles in the Dark by Amy Carmichael.  I started this book back in 2010, I think, but then I lost it and couldn't find it anywhere.  Anyway, I finally found it under my bed about six months later, and finished it.  This is such a great book.  I love all of Amy Carmichael's writing; she's very much like Elisabeth Elliot in her straight-out love for the Lord and bluntness.

14. If I Perish by Esther Ahn Kim.  Such an incredible book about one who was tortured and punished for Christ and stood firm.

15. Every Young Woman's Battle: Guarding Your Heart, Mind, and Body in a Sex-Saturated World by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn.  Every Young Woman's Battle has so many great tips and encouraging words for young women who are struggling in this world today to stay pure for God.  I so enjoyed this book.

16. Fireproof by Eric Wilson and Alex and Stephen Kendrick.  This is (I think) the book that the movie Fireproof was based off of.  I really loved the movie, and when my sister got the book I just had to read it.  I thought it really showed, better than the movie, how hard it is to fight for your marriage when it just seems like it's gone.  This was a beautiful book.

17. The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers.  The Last Sin Eater is one of the best books I have ever read.  I first saw the movie, which is also amazing.  This book is such a beautiful one telling of a young girl, Cadi, who is just completely weighed down with despair over this huge sin she feels she has committed, and she will do anything to get rid of the guilt.  The sin eater is also a man plagued with despair and fear and shame.  Through the courageous heart of Cadi the whole town is changed and set free through the word of God being brought to them.

18. A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot.  Over the years I've heard over and over again that I should read this book.  I was finally able to borrow it from a woman at my church, and I so enjoyed it.  Amy Carmichael is one of the missionaries who is most encouraging to me.  Her life epitomizes exactly what I want to do with mine--go to India and work at, and eventually start, an orphanage.  She gave up everything for the Lord, and is such an encouragement to me.

19. The Journals of Jim Elliot.  I think I've mentioned this book a few times over the past month or so and how it was impacting me.  I really, really love reading journals.  There's something so great about peering into the minds and hearts of great people and being able to see an aspect to them that would never be seen otherwise.  I already admired Jim Elliot because of his great sacrifice when he was martyred by the Auca people in 1956, but being able to see through his journals how truly enraptured with God he was just made me that much more excited to meet this man in Heaven!  I also enjoyed reading how much he just adored his wife, Elisabeth, and how much he longed to marry her for so many years before God allowed that to take place.  Such a great book.

The Elemental Journal

As with the last book I posted a review about, I first wanted to get The Elemental Journal: Composing Artful Expressions from Items Cast Aside by Tammy Kushnir from Book Sneeze because of the beautiful cover design.  The Elemental Journal is a series of projects that show you how to use things like sticks, plastic, metal, fabric, yarn, etc. so make creative and beautiful pieces of art.  I'm not really the type to go through any of the projects featured in this book, but my sister is and I think it gave her some good ideas for using stuff that's just lying around for creative pieces of art.  While I didn't attempt to make any of the things featured in this book, I did enjoy looking through it.  I'm always amazed that people actually think up ways to use stuff like this.  Who knew sticks, feathers, and a few sprinkles of dirt could look so nice together?  Thanks to Book Sneeze for sending this to me and inspiring me!

A few book reviews

At the beginning of 2011 I said I wanted to start doing more book reviews.  What I meant were ones not actually connected to Book Sneeze, and after three months I'm finally getting around to it!  I've been able to get a lot of reading done so far this year, and wanted to share with you a few of my favorites, and my thoughts on each one.

The very first book I read this year was Hinds' Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.  Beth had recommended this to me a few months prior, and I ended up loving it!  It was written in a similar style to Pilgrim's Progress, but was a bit easier to get through than that other old book.  It starts out with Much-Afraid being a timid, quiet woman terrified of just about everything and certainly not up to journeying to the Celestial City in her own strength.  But then the Good Shepherd leads her to follow Him, and the rest of the story is based on her traveling with the two guides he gave to her, Sorrow and Suffering, up the high mountains to His heavenly kingdom.  The story of Much Afraid challenged me to keep fighting and pressing on towards Heaven, and encouraged me by reminding me of God's great love and protection for His children.  Hopefully I'll be able to read this again soon!

The next book I wanted to write about was Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot.  For years I had heard about this book, heard it praised time and time again, and I finally got it at the end of January.  I know I've said this before, but Elisabeth Elliot is definitely one of my favorite authors, if not my absolute favorite.  She's just so straightforward and blunt, and her clear-cut view of just about everything is something I really enjoy.  Let Me Be a Woman is written to Elliot's daughter, who was about to get married.  So there's not really a lot directed to single women, but there is a lot about submission.  At the time I was preparing for my first Twelve Extraordinary Women Bible study that I'm leading, and the topic for that month was Eve.  In Twelve Extraordinary Women one of the focuses of Eve was on submission, and Let Me Be a Woman really helped me understand that more and, hopefully, present and explain the topic of submission more clearly to my Bible study girls.  The book also helped me understand more about who I am in Christ, and how I can live as He has called me to by making me who I am.  I would definitely recommend it to any woman!

The next book is A Tale of Two Sons by John MacArthur, which I finished about a week ago.  This was also a book I had heard about a lot in the past, and when I finally got around to reading it I was not disappointed.  The book I basically an in-depth study of Luke 15:11-32--the story of the prodigal son.  John MacArthur did a great job of bringing to light the feelings, personalities, and basic lives of the prodigal son, the merciful father, and the elder brother.  I was challenged to forgive others, to thank God for His tender mercies, and to see myself as the wretched sinner I really am, among other things.  Something else I liked about this book was that, while it was theologically deep, it was so clearly explained and well-written that I never felt like I was just muddling through trying to understand what on earth the man was talking about.  An all-around good book.

The final book I wanted to review is No Graven Image by Elisabeth Elliot.  This is the only novel written by Elliot, and as such I was eager to have it for my own and read it.  I received it about a week ago, and finished it this afternoon.  No Graven Image is the fictional story of Margaret Sparhawk, a twenty-five-year-old missionary to the Quichua Indians of Ecuador.  She arrives in Ecuador with high hopes of translating the Bible into Quichuan, starting a school, perhaps building a hospital, and ultimately winning multitudes to Christ.  But she soon realizes that this work will be much harder than she had anticipated.  Every step is a baby step, and she struggles with finding just how to begin her work and how to reach the people.  I enjoyed the unhurried pace of the story, but most especially the in-depth look into the life of a missionary.  Elliot was a missionary herself, so she knows exactly what she's talking about.  As I am hoping to go to India as soon as possible after I graduate college, I've been looking for a book that can begin to prepare me for the challenges I will face.  I thought this book was very good in doing that, and will definitely be reading it again.

And that's it!  I hope these reviews were enjoyable and that you'll go find these books and read them!

Another thing I wanted to share was that today I was able to pray with a young girl at Bible club, and she accepted Jesus as her Savior.  I'm thrilled!  As it's my last year working at the Bible club, this moment was especially poignant, and will definitely be something I treasure in my heart.  Please pray for this little girl and ask that God would continue to grow her in her faith and make her more like Him.

Curiosities of the Civil War

I was first drawn to Curiosities of the Civil War: Strange Stories, Infamous Characters, and Bizarre Events because the cover design was interesting, and I’ve been wanting to learn more about the history of our great nation lately. Unfortunately, I forgot to check how long the book was before I requested it from Book Sneeze. The length was one of the things I didn’t like about the book. Five hundred and twenty-eight pages would be alright for a regular history book, but with the entire volume being made up of little snippets of facts, I really felt by the end that the entire book could have been cut down to half its size, if not smaller. I did find a few interesting things in Curiosities of the Civil War, but on the whole I just got bogged down with how much there was and how much of the book I had left to read. It’s a good book to skim over once, but I won’t be reading it again.

The Shelter of God's Promises

I originally got The Shelter of God's Promises from Book Sneeze because I thought the cover looked cool, and it would probably be a good idea to review some of God's promises.  I didn't expect the book to be what it was.  It was excellent.  In most books I've read that talk about God's promises, the author just gives a couple of verses applicable to a certain subject, tells you to "press on and be strong", and that's about it.  One of the things I most enjoyed about this book was how Sheila Walsh used a different passage of the Bible for each promise and explained it more fully, expanding it to show just how amazing each promise was and is.  One of my favorite chapters was probably the one whose basis was the Samaritan woman, and just the love and mercy Jesus showed to her.  All in all I think this was a great book, and would recommend it to anybody who's looking for something to read!

Voices of the Faithful

Two years ago I went on my first missions trip to Denver.  My group was led by two amazing young women, 'B' and 'M', and at the end of the week M suggested this book, Voices of the Faithful, to me before we said our goodbyes.  She had impressed me over that week, and so I was really interested in whatever books she could recommend that had impacted her life.  However, Voices of the Faithful is one popular book!  I was on a waiting list for about six months before I found out that I could get a copy on BookSneeze for free!  Of course, I ordered it right away.

Voices of the Faithful wasn't really what I had expected.  I didn't know it was a devotional for a whole year.  I expected it to be longer stories about martyrs and missionaries.  While it was about such people, the stories were significantly shorter than I had hoped.

Each month had a different theme, such as 'Compassion' or 'God Working'.  I enjoyed how the book was set up like that.  On the whole, I would have preferred if the stories were longer and more informative.  I know it's difficult to do that in a 366-day devotional, but perhaps a half-year devotional would have been better in allowing more room for the stories?  In the end I did enjoy the book, but not so much that I'll be ordering its sequel, Voices of the Faithful - Book 2, anytime soon.

Thanks for reading!

My best books in 2010

In 2010 I read a total of 91 books.  A lot of them were a waste of time to read, but I wanted to share my favorites from 2010 with you, along with a little bit (a very little bit) of what I liked about them.  Here we go!

* these are in no particular order; they're not listed from best to least, etc.

1. The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers - At first glance I didn't think this would be a very good, but I was surprised in the end.  The author was brave in approaching the difficult subjects contained in this book, and in my opinion it was well written too.

2. The Heart-Reader by Terri Blackstock - This is the kind of book that plunges right into the middle of the story rather than giving a basis at first.  In this case, that was a good thing.  This book reminded me of why we're here on earth--to share of Christ and tell people of the hope He brings.  I really enjoyed it!

3. Holiness by J. C. Ryle - I spent about a year trying to make my way through this book.  It was really good, but it was hard to read.  I ended up enjoying the last chapters better than the beginning, which was a nice surprise.  It was an extremely challenging book, and I would recommend it to anybody!

4. Boy Meets Girl: Saying Hello to Courtship by Joshua Harris - This was an excellent book.  I'd heard a lot of good stuff about I Kissed Dating Goodbye and ended up reading it in 2010, but was really disappointed by it.  I felt like Joshua Harris didn't approach the subject of dating very well in that book, and kind of just left people wondering "Well, how else are we supposed to get to know each other?"  In contrast, Boy Meets Girl was excellent.  It was funny and very insightful.  It had a lot of great stories about relationships throughout the book, and on the whole it was probably one of my favorite books of the entire year.

5. Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot - No matter how many times I read this book, it just never gets old.  I re-read it in 2010, and enjoyed it even more than I had before.  Elisabeth Elliot is such a no-nonsense sort of person.  She presents the facts as they are and doesn't leave any wiggle room.  People like that are incredibly rare these days.  Even if you've read this before, read it again!

6. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom - This is one of those extremely popular books in the Christian community that everyone loves but that I had never read.  I was thrilled to finally be able to read it in 2010, and I wasn't disappointed.  Corrie ten Boom is a lot like Elisabeth Elliot in her straight forwardness and blunt nature.  She was honest about the difficulties of being persecuted for helping the Jews, and the book on the whole was just amazing.  Read it when you get a chance!

7. In My Father's House by Corrie ten Boom - I loved this book.  I had never heard of it until 2010, but I was thrilled to be able to read it.  It's a prequel to Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place, and tells about her life growing up.  In some ways I liked it even better than The Hiding Place!

8. Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss - This is another book that everyone talks about but I'd never read.  I expected this to be a book about dealing with sin and preparing for Heaven, etc.; and it was, but it was in a format that I didn't expect.  Stepping Heavenward is the fictional journal of Katherine and tells of her life as a believer.  An excellent book!

9. Plague Maker by Tim Downs - I really only started reading this book because I thought the front cover looked cool.  Not much to go on, I know, but I was really glad I read it.  Tim Downs must have had to do an amazing amount of research to write such an informative and articulate book.  The ending was a bit disappointing, but the book on the whole was good.

10. The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges - My dad recommended this book to me in September of 2010, and it was one of the best books I've ever read.  I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but it was just really good in that it gave techniques for fighting sin, but it focused most of all on the gospel and the freedom we have in Christ, freedom from condemnation and shame as well as freedom from sin.  I really liked it!

11. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - This book is long, but it has become my favorite book by Jane Austen.  She gives you a great look into the lives of each person, and this book was funny too, unlike with Pride and Prejudice.

12. Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy - I'd heard a lot of good about this book, and after months of being on a waiting list I finally got it!  I was not disappointed.  Leslie Ludy reminded me of Elisabeth Elliot in her no-nonsense approaching to finding sin in our lives and ripping it out.  I had to read it twice, and hope to read it again soon!

13. Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot - I am a champion worrier, so I really enjoyed this book that talking about resting in God, and trusting quietly in Him.  I'm going to try and read it again in 2011!

14. Then Sings My Soul by Robert Morgan - I already wrote a review about this, and you can read it here.  It was great!

15. Quest for Love by Elisabeth Elliot - This book is kind of a sequel to Passion and Purity, and while I didn't enjoy it as much as that book, this was good too.  In it were contained a bunch of stories about relationships, and throughout the book Elisabeth Elliot challenges the reader to ask questions like "What did these people do wrong?"  "Was God really at the center of their relationship from the beginning?"  "Was it right for them to think that they could finally be content with each other, rather than being content in Christ first?"  It was very good, and I would suggest that other people read it, but only after they've read Passion and Purity because that's just the way the books go together.

And, that's it!  Throughout 2011 I hope to start posting more reviews of books.  Check these ones out when you get a chance!

Just another thing to be thankful for...

Then Sings My Soul Special Edition by Robert Morgan

Then Sings My Soul is a collection of one hundred and fifty hymns; the basic themes for the hymns are Christmas, Easter, and just other widely known and recognized ones.  The lyrics to the songs are given, along with the music score and a one-page account of how and why the song came to be written.

I really enjoyed Then Sings My Soul.  At the beginning I came to the book expecting it to have much longer stories that went along with the songs, but after awhile I came to enjoy the quick, precise manner that Morgan has in explaining the stories of the songs.  I was reminded of many hymns I had forgotten, such as “The First Noel” and “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”, and found many I hadn’t heard before, such as “Jesus Paid It All”.  It was so encouraging to read of the faith of the people who had written these hymns, such as Horatio Spafford, the author of “It Is Well with My Soul”, who lost all four of his daughters when the ship they were traveling on sunk.  I think the book could be a great tool to worship leaders in that they could find hymns they hadn’t known of before that members of their congregation might enjoy to sing and/or listen to.  I would definitely recommend it to others; it was an all-around enjoyable read!