My August Reading Pile

A glimpse of my reading pile during the month of August …

New Morning Mercies - an insightful devotional book, one reading for each day of the year. My husband are reading this together most evenings, all the year through. Morning, or evening, we are thoroughly enjoying the deep truths Paul David Tripp shares applying the Gospel to our everyday lives.

Soul Keeping - filled with insight into “Caring For the Most Important Part of You” (the subtitle of the book). I’m about halfway through this book, and am being encouraged much in this most important focus of our lives. This book is adding emphasis to our current intentional focus on taking a day of the week to pause from our tasks and responsibilities, caring for the most important part of ourselves.

Of Love and Treason - this historical fiction book by Jamie Ogle captures life in Rome around 270 AD, and specifically the life of St. Valentine, who stood up during tumultuous times, strong in faith, living out a life of love amidst the adversity of the persecution of Christians in Rome. An enlightening, heart-breaking, and encouraging read. (I completed this book mid-month, and now, am almost finished with another historical fiction book, The Paris Dressmaker, set during World War II.)

These books all wait in line after my primary reading of my (in)Courage Devotional Bible. My current rhythm is to read chronologically, using the sequence found in the Chronological Life Application Study Bible. I am absolutely loving reading chronologically, sometimes reading the chronological passage in my Devotional Bible, sometimes reading it in the Study Bible itself.  Currently I'm reading in Acts, and am deeply connecting with the narrative.

Reading books is such fun and so very relaxing, which is why I always have a historical fiction book or biography on my pile. Historical fiction is also a great source of learning from the past and other cultures. I also always have an inspirational or educational book on my pile. What is on your book pile?  I love to get ideas from other people, also from Good Reads where I get ideas from family, and from others.

Silence: The Condition for True Listening

Maybe some may think that silence is easier to attain during our retirement years. But yet, I am continually learning in deeper ways that real silence needs to be cultivated for it to happen in the heart no matter our season of life, no matter our circumstances. And I am being reminded even now in our retirement years of the importance of cultivating a quiet heart. To make it an intentional focus to carve out not only specific times each week for Sabbath Rest, but to also cultivate a Sabbath Heart in the midst of regular life. A life and world which seems to accelerate with noise and concerns with each passing day and year.

Quieting my heart for intentional extended times, and also for moments of time throughout a day to listen deeply to God first of all, and also to our precious kids and grandkids, and to all whom God brings our way.

“Our speaking comes out of our listening. 

What we say comes out of what we hear.” 

(Mark Buchanan)

We need to be people who listen, day and night, most of all, to God, quieting our hearts so we can really hear.

Be still, and know that I am God.

(Psalm 46:10 ESV)