Saturday Snapshot

Good Reads...

I've just been compiling a list of books I'd recommend as possibilities for a women's conference bookstall. As I thought back over all the books I've read so many have impacted me, but here is a list of my all time favourites:

Womanhood
Feminine Appeal- Carolyn Mahaney- Crossway *****
Girl Talk-Carolyn Mahaney- Crossway ****
Shopping for Time-Carolyn Mahaney- Crossway ****
A Women After God's Own Heart- Elizabeth George- Harvest House ****
Disciplines of a Godly Woman-Barbara Hughes - Crossway****
Let ME Be a Woman -Elizabeth Elliot ****
Marriage
The Meaning of Marriage-Tim Keller- Hodder *****
This Momentary Marriage- John Piper- IVP ***
Start Your Family- Steve and Candice Watters- Moody ***
Theology
Practical Theology for Women-Wendy Horger Alsup - Crossway ****
Dug Down Deep- Joshua Harris- Multnomah-*****

Christian Living
From One Ministry Wife to Another- Susie Hawkins- Moody ***
Humility-True Greatness- CJ Mahaney- Multnomah ****
Worldliness- CJ Mahaney- Crossway ****
Just Do Something- Kevin DeYoung- Moody *****
A Meal With Jesus- Tim Chester- IVP ***
When the Darkness Will Not Lift-John Piper -IVP ****
The Prodigal God- Tim Keller- Hodder ****

Biography
Johnny Cornflakes- Denise George- CFP ****

Enjoy Him Forever...

I grew up on the Catechism, first the child's and then the Shorter. Every night we got out those little books and recited off the answers in preparation to be asked them by our Sunday School Teacher. However, a while back when my husband started reading the Shorter Catechism I realised how little I remember of it. I could blame this on many things such as being a Ministers daughter so having to move church, but basically I think I just learnt it out of fear of not knowing the answer on Sunday and letting my parents down, so much of it was just committed to my short term memory! There is however one answer I always remember, number 1.

What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

Recently I was thinking about what this really means. I always got what the glorify God part meant, to serve God with all our being but the 'enjoy him forever' part, I had problems grasping what that truely meant for me.

As I began to look at this many people with much more idea theologically than me seemed to have written pages and pages about it. At the start of John Piper's book Desiring God he comments:

"...in all of life God be glorified the way he himself has appointed. To that end this book aims to persuade you that The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying him forever."

In some ways this makes more sense to me, it means that glorifying God and enjoying God are not separate entities, but rather we bring glory to God by enjoying Him.

What then does to 'enjoy God' mean? Starr Meade, in the family devotional Training Hearts, Teaching Minds comments " You cannot fully enjoy an apple until you take a bite of it and find how crisp and sweet it tastes.If you are going to enjoy God, you have to spend time finding out how wonderful He is" P10 Meade adds that Habakkuk in the face of losing everything could say "... yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation."(Habakkuk 3:18 ESV) because "his purpose was not to enjoy things, but to enjoy God."

So often we can become so bogged down in the things of this life that we don't have time to fully enjoy God for who He is and what He's done. Once we begin to grasp the awsomeness of who He is and truely enjoy Him we will be able to bring Him true glory.

The Valley of Vision

This song, based on the puritan prayer was a blessing to me a few years ago. It came to me again this evening and blesses once again!

When You lead me to the valley of vision

I can see You in the heights

And though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision

It’s here Your glory shines so bright

So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown

To be low is to be high

That the valley’s where

You make me more like Christ

Let me find Your grace in the valley

Let me find Your life in my death

Let me find Your joy in my sorrow

Your wealth in my need

That You’re near with every breath

In the valley

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens

But they only shine at night

And the deeper that I go into darkness

The more I see their radiant light

So let me learn that my losses are my gain

To be broken is to heal

That the valley’s where Your power is revealed

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).

Courageous

I'd been very excited about this film for so long. I loved Fireproof and had read about this new release from the same stable on so many blogs. At last it came to the UK on DVD and I got my copy immediately. But then we were so busy that we didn't have time until this Saturday night to watch it, but it was totally worth the wait! Courageous is well done, the acting is generally good, it has action, tear jerking moments and characters that can be related too.

At the heart of the film is the message of men standing up to their duties, of being real fathers to their children, husbands to their wives, a message so essential in our society today. The back of the box states "When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers; together they make a decision that will change all of their lives." Unlike Facing Your Giants, where pretty much all trials ceased following conversion, this film shows the fact that people will fail and that because you are a Christian doesn't mean you are immune from lifes trials.

I feel that this is a must see film for everyone- if men really took it's message on board and truly committed to the verse "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15, imagine the changes that could be seen in our society.

The Meaning of Marriage

For Christmas, I bought my husband books. Lots and lots of books. Working in a bookshop has that effect, especially a bookshop where lots of ministers come to buy their reading material, so I know what's good and what's not in the world of ministers libraries. However among the pile of weighty tomes was one book I really wanted to read... The Meaning of Marriage by Tim and Kathy Keller. Trev has read all Keller's books so me buying it for him wasn't solely selfish, but none the less I was excited when he'd finished it and I could get stuck in! Although I was so crazy busy I think this was the longest time I've ever taken to read a book- 2 months was rather ridiculous!

However, I was not disappointed when I eventually finished it on our trip to Scotland last week. It really was one, if not the best book I've read on marriage, (and believe me I've read a lot!) I loved the conversational style the fact it was immersed in scripture and not at all explicit as seen in Mark Driscoll's, Real Marriage. I know that book has a mission and there are people who will find it useful but seriously for the mass market- too much information- basically I was just flicking through it in work and ended up traumatised for weeks and weeks!

I feel that this is a book anyone could and should read and it's definitely not just for married people, in fact there is a whole chapter on singleness and the book started out life as sermons preached to his congregation in New York which composed of many many singles.

The book covers many different aspects of marriage, however the thing that struck home to me most and I feel was repeated time and time again in the book, was that marriage is a sacrifice for the good of the other. This is in total contrast to the worlds feelings on marriage, who view it through the eyes of a consumer, wanting to see what they can get out of it. We are to work with our marriage partner to see them become more and more like Christ. Keller suggests that on our wedding day we should turn to the other and say "As great as you look today, someday you will stand with me before God in such beauty that it will make these robes look like rags." p169. I love this, although marriage bestows many blessings in this life, it can be hard at times, it highlights our own sin, weaknesses and insecurities. However, the main purpose of marriage isn't to make us happy it is to make us holy and that should truely excite us!

Whether you are single or married, young or old this is a must read book. In an age when marriage is undermined and temporary it shows in a practical and biblical way how to build marriages which not only last but flourish!

Linking to YLCF March of Books

Brave

When I was little I used to think that bravery was only for great leaders. For Kings and Soldiers and for people who changed the world.

It used to feel that every minute of everyday was about being brave. Once my Knight in shining armour came I thought that my days of being brave were over. No longer would I have to stand alone and watch the couple so in love pledge that their lives were forever bound together. I would be protected and loved and nothing scary would happen. I felt that the days of heartache,pain and bravery were a distant memory. Love has a way of clouding reality.

Recently it seems that there has been a return to everyday containing an element of bravery. Keeping a brave face in work, when the desire of my heart is to be keeping my home. Standing strong and smiling back when I hear of yet another pregnancy announcement.

I have been reminded recently time and time again that we don't need to fear. We have the Lord on our side. Alone we cannot handle the trials of life but with him on our side we can be truely brave to face whatever this life throws at us.

Psalm 145 verse 14 says "The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down." When we sung this at our wedding 19 months ago I though that my days of fear were over. How wrong was I?! Life is characterised by the unknown, the scary and the heart-wretching.

Yet despite all this unknown the Lord upholds us. As wonderful and supportive as my husband is he can't protect me from everything. The Lord also doesn't protect me from everything and in his infinite wisdom he puts trials in our lives. However, He doesn't abandon us, he holds us up and when we cry on Him he gives us a strength inside to be brave and face what we could never ever face alone. We can be truly brave for we know HE IS GOOD.