Recommended Reading - "The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace

Sorry guys, this book probably won't help you out much, since its directed towards women.   

    I borrowed this book from a married friend of mine after having a conversation with them about how easy it is for a woman to become too "independent" in relationships if they live on their own for a while.  And while that certainly was something I needed to think about, that wasn't the greatest benefit I got from reading it. Mrs. Peace has filled these pages with a specific breakdown of what the Bible expects from godly wives and paired that with practical and accurate illustrations of the things we women face when considering or establishing a marriage.  Several of those principles may seem at total odds with our more liberal way of thinking today, but don't allow yourself to be distracted by thinking she's just promoting old conservative stereotypes on today's young women.  The real treasure in this volume lies in how she ties all the specific problems she addresses to a real, biblical solution clearly seen in specific verses.  It works, because those solutions are all rooted in the things we should already be doing to become more like Christ every day.  No other book I've read on this subject has so clearly rooted answers to marriage struggles into the daily Christian walk.   For that reason alone, I'm glad I read this.  I'm very encouraged that even if I don't agree 100% with every guideline the author has set down, I can be confident that if I am chasing after Jesus in everything, I have no reason to fear that my marriage will break down because of either me or things I can't handle.

    The other reason I'm glad I read this book is that this is the first one I've read that promotes a more conservative view of being a wife while realistically addressing that wives may need protection from their own husbands at times.  Growing up I also bought into the false idea that becoming a submissive wife was like giving them permission to beat on you, either physically, spiritually, or emotionally.  I knew deep down that couldn't be right, but somehow that idea that submission meant you never called your husband on his sin or protected yourself from his poor behavior still was beat into me as what was "expected" from a godly wife.  However Mrs. Peace demonstrates clearly from the Bible that a wife's role includes being used to gently reprove a husband's sin and thus build him up in his own faith.  And she shows that there are legitimate protections God puts in place that a wife has responsibility to avail herself of if her husband continues to behave in an ungodly manner.  That's why even though I'm still struggling with some of the guidelines she's outlined as a wife's duty in a marriage, I'm much more willing to accept her discussion as a whole.  Not only has she drawn everything from Scripture and related to the Christian's path, but she has also been incredibly realistic about the problems wives can find themselves facing.  By addressing these very real issues, I'm much more convinced that her conclusions hold water.

   This book is very worthwhile reading for any Christian lady either married or considering marriage in the future.  I would recommend that you read "The Power of Being A Woman" by Michelle McKinny Hammond first, to combat some of the thinking traps we've all gotten into about womanhood and submission if you've been in the church for any length of time.  Just remember to leave your hypersensitivity at the door, and you will find plenty to benefit you in these pages.

Recommended Reading - "Anonymous" by Alicia Britt Chole

"Anonymous" is a very refreshing and accessible book to read on a topic most of us Christians don't like to think about - those times in our lives when it feels like no one is taking notice of all the work we've been doing, whether God or the people around us. I'm not sure where a lot of us get this idea, but for some reason people in the church seem to think that if you're not being celebrated or appreciated for the service you give in the church or the work you do at your job that you are somehow being maligned or taken advantage of. Success is equated with people's recognition of you or being given a leadership position. When our dreams take a long time to actually come to term, or when we have to work for a long time without reward, many of us ask if God is really there or if He really knows what He's doing with our lives. Ever been there? I sure have. The ironic thing is that so often we get frantic to be fruitful because its uncomfortable to admit we are in that place.

I had never heard of Alicia Chole before she came to Cornerstone and gave her testimony in February 2009. I don't tend to read a lot of female Christian writers that aren't over 50, for some reason. But I was intrigued by the way that she honestly tackled some of the things most Christians don't like to admit are a regular part of the Walk. Instead of condemning people for being in a time of hiddenness, or trying to encourage them to work frantically to get out of it, Alicia goes straight to Scripture and the missing 30 years of Jesus' life to talk about how important it is to our growth to have these uncomfortable "anonymous seasons", as she calls them. God Himself treasures those times in our lives when we are revealed for who we are down to our bones, those times when He can have us all to Himself because we are laid bare before Him. Those are the periods He can work freely to make us strong enough to hand the dreams and plans He has for us.

I found this book to be encouraging, thoughtful, and above all wise. It really pays to have an accurate view of the seasons of your life so you don't miss what God is saying to you. Whether you've been a Christian for a long time or a little, this book will give you plenty to reflect on and be encouraged by.

Find out more about Alicia Chole at her ministry site, TruthPortraits.com.

Recommended Reading - Wayne Cordeiro's "The Divine Mentor"

This marks the first of a new series of posts I've wanted to add here for a long time. True, for those of you who aren't really part of the Christian faith or science buffs, most of these reviews probably won't do much for you other than give you an idea of what the inside of my head looks like. But for those of you who are looking for something to help deepen your faith and are as overwhelmed as I am by the sheer volume of written material out there, maybe this will give you something to start with.

I'm a strong believer that godly wisdom is absolutely necessary for anyone to live. Regardless of how old or young you are in Christ, without wisdom you will always be at the mercy of whatever Satan throws your way. That's why I constantly am seeking for ways to learn more about who God is and how the world works. Books by godly men and women are one source that we of the modern church rely on heavily today, oftentimes even more than we read the Bible itself. So perhaps it is ironic that the first book I'm recommending on my blog has as its subject matter how to make daily devotions in the Word our main source for wisdom.

In The Divine Mentor, Pastor Wayne Cordeiro gets very honest about how in his own life written commentaries and books "about" the Bible were not enough to help him stand under the pressures he felt during the early years of his career. Even though this man studied faithfully, served faithfully, and prayed faithfully for his congregation, he was still approaching burnout at a very high speed. All of his knowledge and all his godly living did nothing to stop this trend, and he was at a loss to explain why. At the very end of his endurance, the one thing that kept him from chucking away ministry all together was a daily time of study in the Word of God.

To Pastor Wayne, the Bible is not just some book that you have to read to be a "good Christian". Its not something you need to memorize facts about or learn to quote from word-perfect. Its God's gift for us to learn from the people who have gone before us, full of their stories, thoughts, experiences and wisdom. Its the only literature with His personal guarantee to have the power to actually change our lives. And its the only book on earth that He has said He will meet us within if we want to have a relationship with Him. Which leads Pastor Wayne to ask the very good question, why is it that so many Christians today fail to read the Bible itself but instead rely on books about the Bible for their spiritual growth?

One very good answer he gives is the disturbing trend of the number of Christians today who do not know how to feed themselves. Pastor Wayne gives the example of a child of 1 that you might feed with a spoon. Is it reasonable for that same child at 21 to expect his parents to continue to feed him baby food with a spoon? That food in child-size quantities is nowhere near enough to sustain his adult body, and he has already gained the ability to feed himself years ago. So the healthiest thing a parent could do for that 21-year-old would be to insist on him feeding himself on solid food that would sustain him. In the same way many of us in the American church have allowed ourselves to rely on being "spoon-fed" the Word by our pastors or favorite teachers. We have not learned the discipline of feeding ourselves with the raw nutrients of the naked Word itself, and so many of us find ourselves spiritually starving. When life gets rough and we don't have the strength to deal with it, we move on to the next teacher, the next church, and repeat the whole failing process again until we drain our ministry leaders dry. Its a trap that all of us fall into, regardless of our number of years with Christ.

Therefore the most important thing we as Christians can do to keep our spiritual bodies and churches strong is to feed ourselves from the actual Source. At the end of the book Pastor Wayne includes a method for devotional study called SOAP that has worked very well for him and many others. But regardless of the method you might choose, he emphasizes that its the consistent daily interaction with God's Word that is the beginning of wisdom for a walk that doesn't just survive, but thrives.

I highly recommend this book for anyone serious about sticking with the Faith. Even as a 20+ year-old Christian I've found plenty of things to encourage me to get back into the Word for myself, and I'm currently using the SOAP method for my own devotions. If you've been in church any length of time, you've probably heard similar topics before, but may not of considered the true role Scripture plays in our daily lives. Reconsider the truth of the familiar with Wayne Cordeiro's honest look at the importance of Scripture in his own walk with God.

Related Links: TheDivineMentor.com