What I have been reading lately

With the purchase of my kindle, I have been going back and forth between several books, and now have for you my own little review of what I have been reading. Going in a rough order from most recommended to least. 

Miraculous Movements by Jerry Trousdale- Oh my goodness, I would love for all my supporters to read this book, to get an idea of the ministry strategies our team would like to use, and to see just how much their prayers can affect the Kingdom! It is full of real life stories of people in this area of the world encountering Jesus in  powerful ways. Please stop reading this blog and go buy Miraculous Movements right now! 

Spiritual Survival Handbook for Cross-cultural workers by Robert S. Miller- this little book is full of wisdom on spiritual warfare and staying strong on the mission field. It is written by a missionary to missionaries, and it really challenged me to step up my game when it comes to being dedicated and steady about spending time with God and not just studying the Bible but “lingering with God” as Miller puts it. 

The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler- I really like Matt Chandler’s kind of in-your-face style of teaching and preaching.This book was pretty much what the title indicates; he talks about how the Gospel should be central in every message and action of the church, and goes on to distinguish between the ‘gospel in the air’ and the ‘gospel on the ground’ and then their implications and applications.

Praying God’s Word Day by Day by Beth Moore- this is a wonderful devotional that is a great quote followed by a short prayer made up entirely of scripture based on different themes for each day of the year, so good. 

How and When to be Your Own Doctor by Isabelle Moser- wow, that title is really good. Sounds like it would be great for life in Africa, right? I thought I was so lucky to find it free on Amazon….no  I am being unfair, I haven’t finished it yet, it’s just not what I was expecting/hoping for.  From what I have read so far, it is all about cleansing our bodies of the toxins introduced to them by the gross American diet. So a lot of fasting/colon cleansing/right nutrition kind of talk happening. Which I could be on board with, but I am not in the states anymore, and telling someone to fast when they get sick isn’t what I am going to be doing here in West Africa. 

Dreaming in Black and White by Laura Jensen Walker- I think being in Africa is changing my tastes a little. I used to love these light chick-lit books, but this was just ok. It was fun that the main character was a classic movie fan, and I like old movies too, but the jokes and references were kind of lame, I thought. Plus, I don’t know whether to be amused or annoyed, but the main character said stuff like “Dear God, I’ll go be a missionary in Africa, just don’t make me { insert some task]”  Maybe it’s just that I can’t relate to the character or her problems so much.

Ruth by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell- no, not the one from the Bible. I really like some other stuff from Gaskell, she is kind of Jane Austen/Louisa May Alcott-ish.  But I couldn’t finish this one, I was skipping whole pages (well kindle pages, they are smaller.) Soo wordy! Like a whole page on the way the land looked after  a rainstorm, or something-again it is possible that my tastes are just changing. So yeah, gave up on that one.