What's On My Nightstand, November

As part of 5 Minutes for Books' monthly carnival, here's what I've been reading...

Recently finished:

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes
Sad, overly dramatic at times, I liked this book okay. I downloaded it for free (free!) from amazon. If you don't have a Kindle, you can get the Kindle app for virtually any electronic device and take advantage of their free downloads.

Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices by Mosab Hassan Yousef
Wow. Compelling memoir from the son of one of the founders of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization. It's just like the subtitle: intrigue, power, betrayal. It's all there in a compelling and shocking story. Wow.

Currently reading:

Women's Ministry in the Local Church by J. Ligon Duncan and Susan Hunt
Very good. The authors' esteem both for women and for the church and their ministry therein is evident. Solid, biblical foundation for what women's ministry ought to be about.

Up next:

I'm not sure. I also downloaded (for free) Chris Fabry's novel Almost Heaven (though it's not free anymore) and Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd. I'd also like to read (based on a friend's recommendation) Wendell Berry's Jayber Crow.

In non fiction, I'd still like to read Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots by J.C. Ryle as well as The Discipline of Grace: God's Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges.

What about you? What are you reading? Link up at 5 Minutes for Books and let us know!

All His promises

I am reading through the Bible with a one year plan, the Discipleship Journal reading plan I believe. I once had links here on the blog to bookmarks that correspond with the plan I'm using but someone told me the links were bad. Anyway, this is my second year to work through the Bible with four daily readings, two Old Testament and two New Testament. I like getting the big picture. I like seeing the Bible as one story. I like exploring familiar passages in their proper context. I don't study per se; I just read.

I'm currently reading Ezekiel (as well as Job, John and 1 John). Whew, what a ministry Ezekiel had! Not only was he mute for a time in order to confirm the Lord's message, but his wife dies and the Lord commands him to not mourn her. Tough stuff. His was the usual prophetic message of impending doom and judgment which makes passages like the following that I read this morning from chapter 36 so very beautiful...

Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. 23 And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them. And the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Lord GOD, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean fromall your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. 30 I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant, that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31Then you will remember your evil ways, and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 It is not for your sake that I will act, declares the Lord GOD; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel.

And this from chapter 37...

And I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. And one king shall be king over them all, and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms. 23 They shall not defile themselves anymore with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions. But I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 24"My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall walk in my rules and be careful to obey my statutes. 25 They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children’s children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever. 26 I will make a covenant of peace with them. It shall be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will set them in their land and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary is in their midst forevermore."

What a beautiful message of hope! Yes, His judgment is sure. Sin is serious and His wrath is both righteous and just. Idolatry will be punished, yet for the sake of His holy name He will act on behalf of His people. The promise He made through Ezekiel is my hope as well. All His promises are yes and amen in Christ! I am so grateful that because of Jesus Christ I have entered into the new covenant of peace! Through the shedding of His blood, He has cleansed me from all my sin and delivered me from all my uncleannesses. He has removed my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh to love Him and seek Him and know Him. I was dead; now I live through Christ. The Lord, He is my God and I will dwell with Him forever! Glory to His name! Praise be to our God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

What I've Been Doing

One thing is clear: I haven't been blogging and I've missed it. I'm not certain what I'm about to offer qualifies as blogging, certainly not quality blogging, but, well, it is what it is. I've been a virtual stranger to all things computer related for what seems like forever. Instead of blogging confessions and conundrums, checking and replying to email, and visiting and commenting on blogs, I've been...

**Cheering at football games, especially for #84, receiver/kicker/punter on our high school's varsity team (my oldest) and #29, defensive end on Pee Wee B Team Black (my youngest):

**Yelling at soccer games (and nearly getting into an altercation with another fan but that's another confessional blog post for another time):

My second son

My third son

The majority of my time and energy has been devoted to this, the newest member of our family. Meet Darcy:

Yes, we finally have a girl in the house! :) I have to tell you, puppies are a lot of work. It was sort of a spontaneous decision on our part, getting the puppy, so I've been slightly unprepared both in terms of my schedule and in terms of the shock to my system. Who knew taking care of a puppy would be so all encompassing? And who would have ever dreamed even a few weeks ago that I would find myself standing outside in the rain at 3 am waiting on a dog to do her business? A strange phenomenon, indeed. She's a good doggie though, and I think she and I will be good for each other.

Besides football (which is over now) and soccer (and basketball soon and very soon), not to mention the feed and care of a puppy, I've been busy with the usual laundry (always and forever) and all the other household duties required to keep a family of six functioning. I have not been teaching Bible study which I miss terribly, now that is, yet I remain unsure how exactly to fit it all in which leads to a whole 'nother kind of guilt: who decides to teach or not teach Bible study based on her calendar? Is that valid? I've spent today preparing to lead the devotion tonight at our ladies' meeting with church and I am nervous and excited and a little off-kilter, sort of like I'm playing dress up in shoes that don't quite fit.

Anyway, some days, most days, my life feels as if it is spinning out of control. It is a strange and curious stage of life we are in, the days flying by, leaving me reeling in their wake, sure that I missed something important if I only I could remember what it is. Oh, Lord, teach me to number my days! How I need a heart of wisdom! May I make the most of every opportunity because the days are fleeting! Help me to bring glory to the Father in all that I do!