My Book List

I am a book-lover.  I love books.  I love reading them, writing in them, sharing them, talking about them...  Books affect me more than anything else, especially books about Christianity and living a better life for Christ.  Seeing as you're reading my blog, I figure you like reading too.  Here's my book list.  It includes books I've read, books that have been recommended to me, and books I want to read but haven't gotten that far down into my ever-growing stack yet.  I recommend them all to you. (:

What I've Read:

The Bible - No brainer.  I've read almost all of it (of the NIV version.  I hope to read it all the way through in multiple versions.), and love every word of it.

Lies Young Women Believe (and the Truth that sets them free), DeMoss/Gresh - I think this is the first "Christian" book I ever read.  I read it for a small group for high school girls that met Thursday mornings before school last year.  Absolutely amazing book.  Great for any girl 12-20's.  There is an adult version available by the same authors.  It outlines the 25 biggest lies that Christian girls believe about God, satan (gramatical middle finger!) (that was a SCL joke), boys, themselves, etc. and how to combat those lies.

Connect the Dots, Hurt - Another book I read for Thursday morning Bible study last year.  I read this in the middle of my "wilderness" and it really brought into perspective all that had happened to me during that time when I thought that God was so far away.  It's about finding God's will in your life and how He works.

Case for Faith, Strobel - Also a Thursday AM book.  It answers a lot of tough questions that I hadn't had the courage to ask.  Written by a used-to-be atheist who became a Christian after being unable to disprove His existence.

Crazy Love, Chan - Thursday AM book from this year.  Asks questions that make you think about your relationship with Christ.  Is your love for Him sincere?  Are you obsessed?  Definitely a faith-strengthening book.

The Door Within Trilogy, Batson - Fictional books set in modern and medieval times.  They're biblical in nature and are really well-written.  More for youth than adults, but still enjoyable, I'm sure.  Centers around themes like believing, witnessing, and following.  My copies have just as much highlighting in them as any of my other books.  (Trilogy includes: The Door Within, The Rise of the Wyrm Lord, and The Final Storm)

God is in the Small Stuff (and it all counts), Bickel/Jantz - This was one of morning devotionals.  It's short and sweet.  Each chapter is about three pages long and they cover a wide variety of topics.  You can read chapter two in my post "Believing in Something."

Instant Messages from God For Girls/Boys - Another devotional.  Also very short and covers a variety of topics.  Great day-starter :).  Written for for pre-teens and teens.

Do Hard Things, Harris - I totally recommend this one to any teenager.  It challenges you to take a stand for Christ and do hard things for Him in your life RIGHT NOW.  It challenges the "Myth of Adolescence," which says that teenagers are just supposed to be "good" and aren't expected to do anything all that great.

Lady in Waiting, Kendall/Jones - I absolutely LOVE this book!!  Great for single young women (like me) and adults.  Uses the book of Ruth to show how to live your life for Christ, the ultimate Bridegroom.  I love it so much, I might even do a blog post on it.  Just wait and see!

The Atonement Child, Rivers -  (the recommendation:) I would actually recommend any of her books because I love her so much! I have read Redeeming Love by her, and she has a three book series about a girl named Haddassah in Ancient Rome (A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, and Sure as the Dawn).  Her books are perfect for the recovering romance novel addict (been there, done that!) because her format is novely in all of these but the plots are more Scriptural, if you will... I would highly recommend her! She is my favorite!  (My opinion:)  I love Francine Rivers!  Atonement Child was absolutely amazing and Redeeming Love was just as good.  I also read The Scarlet Thread by her, which is stunning.  A Lineage of Grace and the trilogy mentioned above were harder for me to get into because they're historical fiction, and that's just not my cup of tea.  But I recommend any and all of her books to you!  (Well, to you girls.  They're a bit romancy :D)

The Me I Want to Be, Ortberg - Just finished this one and it is so good!  It's great for anyone wishing to be in the flow of the Spirit (and who doesn't want that?).  Wonderfully written and has a great message.  I definitely recommend it.  It is kind of wordy, but it's interesting and humorous.  There is a teen version available, but I read the "adult" version.  I recon they're about the same.

Confessions of a Non-Barbie, Wilson - This was a really nice quick read for me.  Being the speed read I am with summer-induced boredom, I finished it in less than 24 hours.  The whole thesis of the book is Kinda telling teenage girls everything she wished she had been told when she was their age.  The topics include dating, not dating, being "slam-dumped," beauty, guys in general, and overall teen-aged-Christian-girl advice.  It's a very good book and it's well-written to boot.  Keeps things funny and entertaining on top of the seriousness.

You Were Made to Make a Difference, Lucado/Lucado-Bishop - Very very very good!  The first couple chapters I felt were kind of repetitive, but once you get past that, it is a very well-written book.  Max and his daughter Jenny worked together on this project to write the teen version of his book Outlive Your Life, and the result is amazing.  It encourages teens to make a difference in their world and simple ways how.  It's very inspiring and made me think about what I can do to make a difference.  After all, it was what I was made to do!

The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis - Again, you can't go wrong with C.S. Lewis.  Plus, it's a short book and from what I can tell from reading the back, it's good.  My friend who's reading it now says it's great.  It's about a bus going from Hell to Heaven and the decisions you must make when you're on it.  My youth pastor really liked it (check the comments and see!) so it must be good (he's a book junkie, too).  I really liked it because it makes you think a little deeper into who and what you want to be when your time comes.

Jesus Calling, Young - 365 very short (literally a paragraph long) devotionals, one for every day of the year with scripture.  Focuses solely on Christ.  It's a great way to learn more about Him and grow closer to Him as a result.  This is my daily wake-up-brush-teeth-read-devo book!  I love it and am using colorful tabs to mark my favorites... so it's edges are extremely colorful!  I recommend it wholeheartedly if you're looking for something short, simple, but good.  Really helps you look at how Jesus feels about you and what He expects from His followers.

Recommended to me (and now to you!):
(Discaimer:  I have not read any of these, but I hear that they are great from someone who is a solid Christian and avid reader.  If they're not any good, don't blame me.  :D  All of the comments are from the one who recommended them to me.  If there isn't a comment, then she didn't give me one.)

When God Writes Your Love Story, Ludy - Isn't the cheesy "don't date" book, and it gives you an interesting look into your heart and the hearts of men.  It's written by a couple that let God write their love story and are living their happily ever after (:.

Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis - With C.S. Lewis, I hear you can't go wrong!

Books in my ever-growing pile to read:

All the ones you see in the last section.  Most of the following books I found when I was browsing the "Teen Interest" section of Family Christian Bookstore.  I can't really tell you a lot about them except that I want to read them... sorry!  Once I read them, I'll move them up to my "What I've Read" section with a blurb about it in more detail.

Start Here, Harris - The "sequel" to Do Hard Things.  It outlines HOW to do hard things and practical ways to start.

What Are You Waiting For?, Gresh - I've read Lies Young Women Believe co-authored by Dannah, so I have no doubt it's amazing.  It's about relationships and how to define them, etc.

The 10 Best Decisions a Single Can Make, Farrel - Do you see the trend of dating/singleness/relationships books I've got going on here?

Graffiti, Davis - I honestly don't remember what it's about, but I know I liked the summary that I read in the back of Lies Young Women Believe and that I want to read it.

The Bride Wore White, Gresh - Also by Dannah, who's amazing.  This book is like What Are You Waiting For? but I'm guessing it's more for adults.  Focuses on purity and how important it is.  It outlines the seven steps to sexual purity.  There was a advertisement for it in the back of Lies Young Women Believe, and I've been looking forward to it since then (:.


Did I miss any good books?  What are some of your favorite Christian books? 

Happy reading!

<3 Warrior

I Really Like This

Another great passage that I found during my devo on the front porch:

More Than Conquerors (Romans 8: 28-39)

 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose...  31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  36 As it is written:  "For your sake we face death all day long;  we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
 
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

LOOOOVE ITTTT!

I absolutely love that last part I put in bold.  NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ, and by extension, God.  We are never alone when we have God by our sides.  He loves us and protects us in every way, and if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?

<3 Warrior

Words from Sherry

My friend Sherry wears a really pretty necklace all the time that has a key and a ring on it.  The other day, I asked what it was for and what it meant and she (in a typical Sherry way) wrote me a note about it.  She explained where she got the key and ring and what they were for, and here's what she said next (and I really really really like it): 

... it reminds me that my heart, my body, my soul, my mind, and my words all belong to God.  It's a reminder that everything here on Earth is temporary, including my body and my future husband.  The love that I share with my husband needs to be an example of God's love for me, but it can't overshadow my relationship with God.  Most importantly, though, is it reminds me that anyone who wants me needs to go through God to get the key to my heart.  I can't give an earthly being something that I don't own, and as I said earlier, my heart belongs to God.

Sherry tends to say really smart and deep stuff when it comes to her heart.  She wrote a post a ways back about what she wants in a boyfriend, and it's a great example of what every Christian girl should want in a boyfriend/husband.  Figuring out what you want and what God wants for you in your future husband is a really good idea.  I've done it, and it really helps me keep my eyes on God's will for my life when I see a cute guy and want him to notice me.  I know that God is going to wait until I have fully matured and my future husband has fully matured before He puts us together (I hope).  (:  I pray that God is shaping me into the Christ-following and loving wife He wants me to be and that He is molding my husband into the same.

<3 Warrior

Believing in Something

Today, I just want to share a couple excerpts from two of my favorite books with you.  They both have something to do with believing, the first and hardest step when it comes to following God.


"Your father said that believing in something doesn't make it real.  But what he don't understand is that there are things - incredible things! - that are real whether we believe in them or not.  The Story is real, all right, but he won't see it until he's willing to believe.

"Believing in something or someone is a very special thing, my boy.  It can be risky 'cause if you believe in something, you stand up for it.  You fight for it sometimes.  If what you believe turns out to be a lie, you could end up humiliated or... worse."

~ The Door Within, Wayne Thomas Batson, (c) 2005

Does God seem distant?  Is He detached from you?  Maybe that's because you're waiting for Him to come to you.  If so, then you've got things backwards.

God has given us His Word, His Son, and His Spirit.  That is more that we all will ever need in order to understand God (and certainly more than we can absorb in a lifetime).  But the next step belongs to each of us.  It's up to us to read God's Word, believe in His Son, and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

You see, God is a perfect gentleman.  He never forces Himself on anyone.  He anxiously desires a deep and meaningful relationship with you, but He won't force the issue.  It must be voluntary on your part.  So, if you want to get to know God better, you must approach Him.  When Jesus taught this principle, He presented the relationship as an invitation:

Look!  Here I stand at the door and knock.  If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends.  (Revelation 3:20 NLT)

God makes Himself available, but you must respond to His invitation.  Take Him at His Word.  God to Him.  Open the door of your heart to Him.

You don't have to move to a monastery to know God better.  You don't have to learn ancient Hebrew or memorize the names of the twelve disciples in alphabetical order.  All it takes is your time and attention - reading His Word and talking to Him.  Start with a few minutes each day, and grow from there.  You don't have to call to schedule an appointment.  He has already extended the invitation, and He's waiting for you to respond.

~ God is in the Small Stuff (and it all matters), Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, (c) 1998

"Believe" is defined by Dictionary.com as, "to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so."

Read that a couple times and let it sink in.

Do you believe?

In what?

Why?

These are fair questions for anyone to ask you.

Can you answer them?

<3 Warrior

10 (or so) Things I Learned from Once Upon a Mattress

Once Upon a Mattress was the production that I was a part of this past weekend.  I've already told you about what I learned coming into the production, but here's whant I got out of it:

1. Don't make assumptions about people until you really, truly get to know them.
2. Forget diamonds, hairspray is a girl's best friend.
3. Apparently I'm funny (hooda thunk...?) and have a very expressive face.
4. I am SO SO SO SO SO blessed to have the family members God gave me and to have a close and loving relationship with each of them.
5. When you are reading a Bible backstage, people pour out their hearts to you.
6. I shouldn't lock my knees when I'm standing onstage (double knee braces, anybody?)
7. Don't let someone put on your makeup after she's used the same brush on 20 other girls and it's been on the floor.  Generally leads to three days of bloodshot eyes.
8. I can take any conversation and add lines from the musical into it.
9. A couple of things are inevitable at the final show:  everyone doing their best, everything ten times funnier, at least one mistake, a big crowd, and LOTS OF CRYING.
10. Not all of the "bad" people have "good" lives.  (see number 5)
11. GOD IS SO AMAZING AND LOVING AND AWESOME AND LOVING AND... AWESOME!!

<3 Warrior