Books I Read in January 2009

I've listed the books I read in January by Christian living, fiction, and Bible studies. Within each category, the books are listed in roughly the same order I read them (for lack of a better organizational system), although that organization is complicated by the fact that I sometimes read more than one book at a time. Christian Living:

Radical Womanhood by Carolyn McCulley

Carolyn pairs a history of feminism with a Biblical philosophy of womanhood and testimonies that contrast with the elements of feminism discussed in each chapter. I had never really studied feminism, so I found the history helpful. The testimonies were encouraging that God can change lives and help women live counter-culturally to our society. An informative, interesting and challenging book.

Calvary Road byRoy Hession

A small book that packs a powerful message. I spent several weeks going through this book slowly and meditating on the truths taught. I'm sure I'll reread this book.

Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris

Well, the title clearly states the message of this book. Written in an engaging manner, the Harris twins challenge teens to rise up against the low expectations set by our society. I found this book helpful (you can see that I still struggle with procrastination, as I'm writing a post about January's books in May . . .) and I've loaned the book to some of my teens. I sometimes have to remind myself that I can expect my students to do hard things and I keep my expectations high because I know they can rise to them.

Alone with God by Jason Janz

Although I don't follow the exact plan that Jason outlines, I like the basic principle that our devotional life should be about developing a relationship with God. I find that the plan Jason presents is too fractured with only a couple of minutes spent on each part of the devotional time, but again, I do like the general emphasis. I've also loaned this book out to a couple of teens and they've found the book helpful in organizing their devotions.

Mood Tides by Dr. Ronald Horton

Dr. Horton presents a defense of the emotions as God-given and natural. Just because a person is sad doesn't automatically mean that person is sinning. I believe that depression can be a result of sin, but Dr. Horton reminded me of many Bible heroes who experienced depression for natural, human reasons. He supports his points with Scripture, literary, and philosophical examples. You may also find this review helpful.

Fiction:

Shepherds Abiding, Out to Canaan, Light from Heaven by Jan Karon

I love Jan Karon's books. They're so wholesome and winsome. They're uplifting and charming without making me sick with sentimentality. And they're filled with Scripture. What a nice contrast to the pessimism of modern literature. I've read the books completely out of order based on what was available at the library.

Bible Studies:

Believing God by Beth Moore

This study on faith has been challenging and helpful. Although I sometimes get annoyed with the gushy-ness of Beth's writing style (I'm not really big on a person I've never met and who has no idea who I am telling me that she loves me and is praying for me), I've still found the study profitable. I & II Peter Study Book by John MacArthur We're doing this study in Sunday school and I've been enjoying it and learning a lot. I memorized I and II Peter for Bible quiz when I was in high school, so I've been familiar with this book for a long time, but I've definitely profited from studying this book in-depth. I like the format of the studies and the emphasis on digging into God's Word. The study questions have been thought provoking and many questions list cross references on the same topic that aren't expounded in the text.