I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Usually I read fiction and my Bible... more fiction than Bible, if I'm being honest. But lately, I've been choosing some materials that challenge the way I think about things. I like learning and I like a good healthy debate, so it makes sense that I am enjoying these books. I don't necessarily agree with everything I'm reading, but I'm enjoying understanding where the writers are coming from.
Book #1 I've been reading for a little over a month as part of an online discussion group. The book is about modern churches compared to New Testament churches. It has challenged me to see what our churches are doing that is holding us back from what God really wants from us, as a church family. I am very encouraged, as I process what I read, to see that my Freedom In Christ church family is doing a lot of what the author (and the Bible) contends that churches
should be doing. I do not agree with everything the author says, but I appreciate the prod to look at Scripture with a fresh eye.
Book #2 I started reading at a friend's house (six hours from my own house) and had to order it for myself so I could finish. It's a book that challenges me to do hard things. Hard things are different for each person so I have been challenged to step outside of my comfort zone and investigate doing things that I hadn't considered before. I'm sure I will have more to share about that later. But in the meantime, I am very excited to be investigating the "hard things" that I hope to do. Which leads me to...
Books #3 and #4. These books have encouraged me as a mother. I am realizing that I don't have to be perfect, that every home and family is different, and that I was created by God to be (among other things) the only mother guiding my children through their youth. I am having fun discovering new ways that I can do this and have wonderful friends who are helping me along the way.
Have you had anything that has challenged your thinking lately? What are you mulling over that you didn't pay much heed to in the past?
Some issues in my church have challenged my whole "taking the church for granted" way of thinking. If it were gone, where would I be? I'm being called to step up to the plate.
ReplyDeleteI love having my church family, but we shouldn't rely on that weekly meeting as the be all and end all of church fellowship. The church, as seen in the New Testament, met often, usually over meals, and served each other as needed. I'd love to see more churches functioning that way. Sunday morning is all well and good, but the church needs to be a family through the week as well.
DeleteMaybe not what you were getting at, exactly, but it's what I've been thinking about lately. :-)
What are the titles of these books? They all sound interesting.
ReplyDelete#1 is "Reimagining Church: Pursuing the Dream of Organic Christianity" by Frank Viola.
Delete#2 is "Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations" by Alex and Brett Harris.
#3 and #4... To be publicly revealed sometime in the future. :-)
Thanks! I am adding them to my to be read list on Goodreads :)
DeleteI love the quote... such a good reminder to keep with all of us moms every day!
ReplyDelete