What I've Been Reading

Happy New Year, friends! I wanted to take a few moments to share some books and a few thoughts on some books that I've been reading in my personal reading time. 

Let me encourage you to carve out time to read~~read good books! They will nourish your mind and your soul. So many times, the Lord speaks to us in His still small voice through the pages of a book.  

Even if you can only give a few minutes to reading each day, choose one good book and chew away at it slowly; the Lord will bless those few minutes and minister to you through the pages of books. 

As a mother of two small children, I often will add a few minutes onto my devotional time to read in the morning before my children wake up. This has enabled me to read much more than I would be able to if I didn't carve out this small amount of time. 

Here are a few of the books that the Lord is using to encourage and to grow me in my faith . . . 

~~Clippings From My Notebook, by Corrie ten Boom~~

Oh, this book, this book! It sat on the shelves of my Mom's bookshelves for years and I had never picked it up and read through the entire book . . . Lately my Mom has been going through her boxes and boxes of books that she had packed away after she sold her home in Rhode Island and came to live with me. Let me tell you, her multitudinous volumes have been a rich blessing to my sisters and me!! We are discovering all sorts of treasures as she unpacks these boxes . . . :-) 

And so I re-discovered this beautiful book full of wisdom from Corrie ten Boom. I've been reading and re-reading the devotional insights and it has been such an incredible blessing to me. Corrie shares her faith simply and refreshingly without any pomp or fuss. Her simple faith in our Almighty God has daily challenged me to walk more closely with the Lord and to lay aside every weight and the sin that often so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1). What a blessing! I discovered that this book is out of print but second-hand copies may still be purchased on Amazon if you would like to get your hands on a hard copy. I highly recommend it! 

~~Honey For A Child's Heart, by Gladys Hunt~~

This is another book that was unearthed from my Mom's boxes and what a rich treasure of wisdom it is! I just began this book a short while ago and am hoping to share more insights when I am finished with it, so I won't say much here except that I am really, really enjoying Hunt's insights into reading to children and the importance of books in their lives from a very early age. She also provides a tremendous list of suggestions for books to read to children at the different ages of their lives~~such a wonderful resource!

~~Mrs. Oswald Chambers: The Woman Behind the World's Bestselling Devotional, by Michelle Ule~~

I'm about a quarter of the way through this book and though it was "slow" reading at first, I am really starting to enjoy it now that I am beginning to "organize" all of the different people mentioned in the beginning of this book in my mind. I love missionary biographies~I have since I was a little girl~~and so this one is right up my alley. I  have read a lot about Oswald Chambers, but not a great deal about his wife, Biddy (Gertrude) Chambers. This book goes into great deal about Chamber's wife~~the woman who was used by God to transcribe Oswald's talks into the writings that are cherished today. There are so many little details included in this book and I love the author's careful, spiritually insightful research into Oswald Chamber's wife's life. This is good reading! :-)

And lastly,

~~My Utmost For His Highest, by Oswald Chambers~~

Everyone should read this book~~several times!!! :- ) This is the book that the Lord used instrumentally early in my Christian life and the book that the Lord continues to speak to me through. I chose it to read again this year as my devotional in the morning~it re-surfaced after a couple of years in the basket next to my reading chair! ;-). If you have never read My Utmost For His Highest, friend, get a copy or borrow it from your church's library~~ this book will speak the Lord's deep truths to your soul and leave you desiring more, more of our Heavenly Father in the day to day comings and goings of your life. 

I pray that these reading suggestions may bless you in your daily walk with the Lord . . . 

More, more about Jesus;

More, more about Jesus--

More of his saving fullness see,

More of His love who died for Me.

~Eliza Hewitt

You might find me on these link-ups:

Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story,  Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Good Morning Mondays,  Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Heart Encouragement Thursday , Sitting Among Friends Blog Party, Fabulous Warm Heart Party, Oh My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday Linkup, Writer Wednesday, Tea and Word