Just Open the Door
Jen Schmidt calls hospitality a cornerstone of the Christian faith. It isn’t the responsibility of those specific few who possess the ‘gift’ of hospitality, nor is it all about having the perfectly set table and immaculate house. Schmidt seeks to reframe our understanding of Christian hospitality through taking a look at Jesus (who, as our model of hospitality didn’t even own a home). Her book is full of wonderful, heartfelt stories and practical suggestions, but most of all she shows that demonstrating Christ’s love in our everyday is no more complicated than simply opening our door.
Kiss The Wave
Dave Furman knows a thing or two about disability, depression, and dark nights of the soul. His latest work is a real, raw look at what those times look like, what developing a solid theology of suffering can do for you in those times, and the immeasurable joy that is available to the Christian when they see their circumstances as being from God, with God, and ultimately for God. Kiss the Wave is loaded with gospel and insight into the life of the suffering Christian. This book pulls no punches, and I loved it.
How to be a Writer
With 20 years experience teaching Writing at Harvard Divinity School, Barbara Baig believes that you don’t have to be born a writer; you can become one. Her book has so much to offer those who would seek to develop better writing craft, and the book is full of methods, tools, and practices for writing suited to any genre. From high-level collection of content and the practice of freewriting, through to the development of a Zero Draft and recognising how to engage with different categories of readers, I’ve already built her practices into my current writing. I’m looking forward to her second book: Spellbinding Sentences.
Crazy Busy
DeYoung wrote this book for me. As someone who has a hard time saying no to ‘the good’ when I should only be saying yes to ‘the best’, Crazy Busy helped remind me of the need for vision and focus in choosing how to divide my time. I also need to be told continually that rest isn’t simply something good for our mental, spiritual, and emotional health, however, it’s actually an act of faith and dependence on the God who works when we don’t. A timely reminder for today.
See what else I read in 2018:
