What are you reading currently?

[MamaHen]

Originally Posted by Lacey

When Ye Pray by Joy Haney

That is a very good book. It was one of the first I read after getting saved, and I still have it, and look over it at times.

I have a few others of hers too:

"Those Bloomin' Kids!: Good Kids Don't Just Happen"
"The Radiant Woman"
"Gold Tried in the Fire"
and "A Call to Holiness"

[Withdrawn]

The Naked Church, by Wayne Jacobsen

I highly recommend it. You can download it in PDF for FREE from his website. http://www.lifestream.org

[Sam]

Just finished reading:

The Old and New Tabernacle Compared by Eld. G.T. Haywood
Apostles, Prophets and Governments -Are They in the Church Today? by Gordon Lindsay

These are both small books (more like booklets) and neither one shows a copyright date.

[Shawn]

I Kings, Proverbs, and the Gospel of John.



Also various things over here....
http://www.apostolic.net/biblicalstudies/

[Scott Hutchinson]

I am reading exploring the NT.a new testament survey.

[ultrajet]

Try God Calling, edited by A.J. Russel. The same publisher of My Utmost Fo His Highest if you're familiar.

It teaches you the things God is looking for in a believer

It's a classic christian book and a daily devotional

http://www.twolisteners.org/

[ultrajet]

Try God Calling, edited by A.J. Russel. The same publisher of My Utmost Fo His Highest if you're familiar.

It teaches you the things God is looking for in a believer

It's a classic christian book and a daily devotional

http://www.twolisteners.org/ gives free subscription for daily devotions try it.

[crakjak]

Originally Posted by Timmy

Yep!

Said I had more to say about The Shack. Here's something:

In the book, we have "God" going to extraordinary lengths to help one particular fellow who's having a hard time. He's depressed. Can't seem to recover, after a horrible tragedy. This singling someone out for a miracle reminds me of the "real" God's behavior in the "real" world, as some claim. There are millions of unlucky folks in situations like Mack's who never hear a peep from God, and some live out their lives in darkness, some end their own lives. But once in a while, we are expected to believe, God reaches out, maybe sends an angel, maybe a vision, maybe a "healing", and that lucky one lives to tell of God's wonderful mercy. "Isn't God good?" we hear, and we must agree! OK, sure, God is good to a select few (apparently). Those that God is "especially fond of", I guess (a recurring theme of the book, but God is especially fond of everyone -- in the book's universe).

And yet, we are expected to believe that God is no respecter of persons (and the book reminds us of this). I guess the rest of those folks are just supposed to kind of absorb some of the wonderfulness of those lucky ones' miracles, and climb out of the darkness themselves. Or they are reprimanded, told they must just trust God (as we are told in the book, many times).

No excuses. God's healing power is available to all. Just have to reach out and accept it.

Timmy,

I recommend Phillip Yancy's books to you, he deals with the depths of the very proposition that you set forth in this post.

In a fallen world we are all products of all kinds of extenuating circumstances that are complicated by our heritage, temperament and culture. Each of our lives are puzzles or test that we are given the task of figuring out, God has a purpose far greater than our current circumstances and therefore he has given us the responsibility to work them out. It is comforting if we can find a close connection to the Lord in our circumstances, some seem not to be able to find this connection. Tough circumstances make some better and some bitter, I don't have an answer as to the reasons why.

I believe this life is harder by design than most folks are willing to admit, and somehow we each have to find a way to walk thru it. It is infinitely more bearable when we are convinced that it is purposeful to equip us for the life to come.

Just maybe books like "The Shack" are simply God's way of saying, "I know you don't understand, but you just can't see the completed universe that I am still working on." Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you..." This seems to indicate that this place is so grand that it takes even God a long time to complete it. Make no mistake about it, God has not relegated His creation to destruction, only to redemption.

[Sam]

Originally Posted by crakjak

Timmy,

I recommend Phillip Yancy's books to you, he deals with the depths of the very proposition that you set forth in this post.

In a fallen world we are all products of all kinds of extenuating circumstances that are complicated by our heritage, temperament and culture. Each of our lives are puzzles or test that we are given the task of figuring out, God has a purpose far greater than our current circumstances and therefore he has given us the responsibility to work them out. It is comforting if we can find a close connection to the Lord in our circumstances, some seem not to be able to find this connection. Tough circumstances make some better and some bitter, I don't have an answer as to the reasons why.

I believe this life is harder by design than most folks are willing to admit, and somehow we each have to find a way to walk thru it. It is infinitely more bearable when we are convinced that it is purposeful to equip us for the life to come.
...
.

I've read a couple of Yancy's books and can agree that he looks at things a little different than some "religious" folks. He seems to be more "level headed" than you might expect from a "church" guy.

[Sam]

I have recently read the following:

The Israeli/Arab Conflict and the Bible by Wilbur M. Smith, copyright 1967

Satan in the Sanctuary by Thomas McCall and Zola Levitt, copyright 1973

Five-Fold Ministry and Spiritual Insights by Lee Stoneking, copyright 2003