What are you reading?
That's the question we will be asking COF contributors and you, our readers, each month. Is there a book that you just can't seem to put down, that's teaching you a profound spiritual lesson, or making you laugh amid your struggles? We want to hear about it!
There are two ways you can join us! Tell us in the comments what you are reading or use the LinkUp below to share your blog post about a favorite book you've read.
Denise Trio
God Is Able By Priscilla Shirer
I'm reading God Is Able by Priscilla Shirer. We all have something that we are struggling with, that leaves us feeling helpless and hopeless, that we wonder if we will ever conquer. Based on Ephesians 3:20-21, this book reminds and encourages the reader that their "it" is not too big for God to handle. He is able. The author infuses humor with truth and leaves me feeling more hopeful, because even if He isn't right now, and even if He doesn't ever, He still is able.
Noelle Rhodes
The Power of a Praying Parent By Stormie Omartian
I am re-reading for the twelfth time, The Power of Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. It is so straightforward and it covers all the important areas that we need to be praying into in regards to our kids. Every parent should own this book!
Chelle Wilson
Watershed Moments: Turning Points that Change the Course of Our Lives By Gari Meacham
I started reading this book Sunday while commuting into NYC and it affected me so profoundly that I insisted that my two best friends buy it. We're reading it as a virtual book club. If you're going through something, this book is a wonderful tool for context. "
Susan Panzica
Water Walker By Ted Dekker
Fear has been my unwelcome companion for as long as I can remember, a topic that I've learned to face and to even speak about. But too often, fear still rears its ugly head. Water Walker is a four-episode serialized novel that takes us into the antidote to fear. Using the story of kidnapped thirteen-year-old Alice, Ted Dekker addresses issues that we all face, including fear and being offended, and introduces new thought patterns to overcoming these issues. Throughout my days now, I find myself remembering one of the character Outlaw's comment, "It's not the water [what you fear] that changes. It's what you make of the water that changes." Asking myself the question Alice posed, "What would it be like to not take any offense at what was done to me, ever? I would never be upset. Ever. What kind of power would such a person have? They couldn't be hurt!" This little book made a huge impact.
Susanne Ciancio
Psalm 91 Real Life Stories of God's Shield of Protection By Peggy Joyce Ruth
The author is a veteran Bible teacher and she explains the Psalm verse by verse in a way that is both compelling and faith building. The testimonies she adds throughout the book are completely amazing. If you have a child away at school or a loved one in the armed forces or on the police force or a fire fighter, this is a must-read!! I don't have loved ones in any of these categories but I'm loving every page of this book. Is there ever a day where we don't completely enjoy reading about God's amazing power in the lives of the faithful?
Elise Daly Parker
Lessons Learned from my Downward Facing Dog: Sermons Preached by Sando By Chelle Wilson
Chelle is my dear friend and now author of this book, a compilation of touching, deep, sometimes funny, always insightful meditations and messages Sando her beloved dog delivers on their daily journeys together. Sandos sermons include Everything is Going to Be Okay, Contentment, Fun, God’s Goodness, Trusting Our Master, and so much more!!! Chelle is a beautiful writer, who draws us in with a combination of disarming transparency and quick brilliance. There are many lines worth remembering and quoting, including:
“…my dog teaches me more about faith than lost of years in Sunday School, reminding me that everything you experience can be a lesson in God’s Grace. Even loving a dog.”
If you love your dog, this book is for you…actually it’s for you even if you don’t have a dog, but you love God (and as Chelle points out, dog is God spelled backwards).
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