2013 in Books

Looking back on the post that I wrote last year (Looking Ahead to 2013), I have only read two of the books that I said that I would liked to have read this year. I read The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson, and Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis. I have spent a lot of time reading, though. I recently discovered the gem that is George MacDonald; I love his writings. I am reading a collection of his short stories, and have read The Princess and the Goblin, and The Princess and Curdie. 

While I did not read the Chesterton books that I listed last year, I did read The Colored Lands, The Club of Queer Trades, and The Napoleon of Notting Hill by him, and Common Sense 101: Lessons from Chesterton by Ahlquist. I've read several books by Lewis this year, including rereading The Chronicles of Narnia (this time in the order in which they were published, which I quite enjoyed), Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, and Letters to Malcolm. I also enjoyed reading my first books by E. Nesbit and Charles Williams, and am looking forward to reading more by them in the near future. 

These are just a few of the myriad of books that I've read in the last few months. Perhaps I'll post again with what I've been discovering amongst the pages I read (though I know now that I shouldn't say for certain if I'll post again soon, as the last time I wrote here was in January). 

If you've read these books or authors, or have recommendations for me, I'd love to hear from you! 

Meanwhile, I hope that you have a blessed Christmas season. 

Book Thoughts: The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson

I just finished reading The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson. I love the testimony to the power of prayer that Wilkerson had. He shared how he used to spend two hours every night watching television. One night he decided to sell his television set and spend those two hours in prayer instead. His life was never the same after that. I love how when we set aside the things that seem important to us in order to spend time with God, He draws near to us. He becomes dearer to us than the thing that we prized before.

At that time—before he sold his TV set—Wilkerson was a pastor of a small country church that was doing well. If we were able to observe the church and pastor at that time we would probably think that everything is going along very well. To think what would have happened (or rather, not happened) if Wilkerson did not listen to the quiet prompting from God to spend his evenings in prayer rather than watching television! The lesson that I see here to apply to my own life is that we should never become complacent with where we are at, especially when it looks like things are going well. Wilkerson was a successful pastor before, but after he devoted his time to prayer he was very different. He was receptive to God's leading and could discern what God wanted him to do. I hear people talk about how they never hear God's voice, or feel His promptings. I have to wonder how much time they devote towards listening for God's voice. Two hours may seem like a lot of time (and it is!), but we can see that the investment that Wilkerson made towards getting to know God better and listening for His voice was definitely worth it.

God used David Wilkerson in a big way to reach the lost teenagers of New York City. He started the Teen Challenge Program, and brought countless gang members and drug addicts to Christ. As the story unfolded throughout the pages of The Cross and the Switchblade, it was clear that God was with David Wilkerson. Wilkerson was continually being led by the Lord's leading. Even when it seemed like everything was going wrong, it was obvious that God had His hand on David Wilkerson's life. God used the things in Wilkerson's life that seemed like mistakes, and used them all for His Glory.

One of the main themes that stuck out to me in The Cross and the Switchblade was how David Wilkerson had been prepared to hear the voice of the Lord and got to know Him better during the hours that he spent in prayer before most of the events that were chronicled in the book happened. It seems that during those hours David gained something—a closeness to the Lord, a sensitivity to His spirit, and the faith that he needed to be able to follow God's leading. It seemed at first like a risk for David, to sell his TV set. He wrote how he felt like he needed "downtime," and liked spending those hours mindlessly watching TV to be able to relax. He chose to not obey the desire to please his self but to use his time to glorify God. It was when he surrendered his time that He was able to be changed by God. It makes me examine my own life to see if there are any pockets of time or habits that I indulge myself in that could be surrendered to God.

Read this book & be encouraged by the incredible life of one of God's faithful followers.

Looking Ahead to 2013

Looking ahead to 2013, there are a few things that I know I want to do.

I'm not usually one to make New Year's Resolutions, so let's not call it that. In 2013 I will graduate from college, and will (hopefully!) start a new job, a new chapter of life. I'm not sure of all that this new year will hold for me, which I think is terribly exciting. I have no idea where God will lead me, what doors He will open up for me, or where I will be this time next year. I trust that He does have a plan, and that everything will come together in His perfect time.

The things that I know I want to do is on a much smaller scale than big life decisions and career plans. I thought that I would start 2013 off by creating a list of books that I hope to read during the year. I've decided to try to actually post once and a while here, and I figure that posting about what I read will be the best way to get started. Hopefully you will be able to keep track of how well I do on accomplishing this list!

Here are a few books that I hope to read in 2013:

Heretics by G. K. Chesterton

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot

C. T. Studd: Cricketer & Pioneer by Norman Grubb

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

Surprised by Joy by C. S. Lewis

When God Writes Your Life Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy

Autobiography by George Muller

Revival Praying by Leonard Ravenhill

The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer

The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson

Knowing the Names of God by David Wilkerson

We'll see how many of these I read during this next year! If you read (or have read) one of these books, let me know what you think of it!

Quotes: faith vs. feelings

This is an awesome quote from the book Streams in the Desert:

"We have taken a great step toward maturity when we trust God without relying on our feelings. It is more of a blessing when we believe without experiencing any emotion. While the first level of faith believes when our emotions are favorable, the second believes when all feelings are absent. And the third level transcends the two for it is faith that believes God and His Word when circumstances, emotions, appearances, people, and human reason all seem to urge something to the contrary."

And a similar quote by Amy Carmichael: 

"If you would live in victory over the circumstances great and small that come to you each day. . . and if you want God's life and power to well up from the depths of your being. . . then you must refuse to be dominated by the seen and the felt." 

I would very much recommend reading this article by Ashley Green.

A Quote from C. W. Gluck

Here's a quote that my flute teacher told me to memorize this week. Enjoy!

"I believe that my greatest labors have been devoted to seeking a beautiful simplicity. I have avoided making displays of difficulty at the expense of clarity. Simplicity, truth, and naturalness are the great principles of beauty in all artistic manifestations." 

     Christoph Willibald Gluck 

Geography

I think it's important to know about the the world, and to have a good idea of geography. I think most people feel that way, but most people also can't name all 50 states of America or all 13 Canadian Provinces and Territories, much less all of the countries in any given continent.

Sheppard Software has a plethora of fun free online exercises to help you become more familiar with the world. I have worked on the Canadian Provinces and Territories, Asia, The Caribbean, Europe, The Middle East, and Central and South America. Right now I am trying to learn the Mexican states, and I hope to conquer Africa and Oceania soon. These games are a fun way to quickly get to know the geography of a continent. It usually takes about fifteen minutes for me to become very familiar with the location of countries in any given continent.

There are different levels available for learning the geography of whatever part of the world you are working on. There are nine levels, and each one challenges you in a different way so that you can become as familiar as you wish with the area that you are working on. You also have the option to work by regions, or by the entire continent. There is the to option to work on learning the capitals of countries and states/provinces, and the option to work on learning the landscape, surrounding oceans/seas and the main rivers of the continent. There are enough tools available to you for you to become very familiar with the far corners of the world.

You can check it out here. Enjoy becoming more familiar with our planet!

Power through Prayer and a Set-Apart Life

This is a little devotional I wrote for my college band's tour book. Even though I reference college life a little in it, you can likely take something away from it no matter your walk in life. Happy reading! 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.   James 5:16-18

“If we really believed God’s guarantee to both hear and answer our prayers, we would pray far more than we do.”   –Jim Cymbala

One thing that God has taught me this year is the importance and power of prayer. I have always known that prayer is important, as it is the primary tool that we use to communicate with God. What I have begun to realize recently is that prayer is more than just a means with which to talk with God, but there is incredible power in prayer. Prayer is a gift that we must use to bring about God’s will here on earth (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Martin Luther said: “No one can believe how powerful prayer is and what it can effect, except those who have learned it by experience. Whenever I have prayed earnestly, I have been heard and have obtained more than I prayed for. God sometimes delays, but He always comes.”

It is easy to read about great people who lived long ago and did great things for the Lord, and forget that they were human just like we are. Many people assume that the astounding miracles that we read about in the Bible only happened during that time, and that we are unable to have such a walk with God in our time and culture. This kind of thinking is far from the Truth. We are able to achieve lives that are so in sync with God and His Will that our prayers are powerful and effective as they were with Elijah. Read Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6. We are called to live lives completely set apart from this world and abandoned to Christ. Set-Apart lives are lives that are bathed in prayer, that spend hours before the throne of heaven. No truly great warrior of the faith was able to become so without spending countless hours in wrestling prayer.

I would like to encourage you to plan time in your schedule for prayer. Not just in between classes, but special time set aside just for unhindered prayer. Please read James 1:27 and Matthew 25:31-46. James 1:27 says: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. Perhaps you do not have the time or the means with which to care for the least of these, especially now in college. What you can do is make the time to pray for them. Sacrifice your time, perhaps by setting your alarm clock an hour earlier, in order to use the powerful tool of prayer to intercede for the least of these. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).