The Book Nook

The following are a few books that I have read over the last several months which have proven to be both instructive and encouraging in my walk with the Lord:

Kingdom, Come!

by Dr. Phil Ryken

This little 130-page book is a treasure!  If you want to put some good thoughts in your mind before dozing off to sleep without having to read for several hours, this is the book to pick up.  The chapters are short, but the lessons contained in each one are powerful and cut right to the heart of our earthly pursuits and investments.  Dr. Ryken reminds the reader of the Kingdom of God and how this Kingdom is to shape everything about the life of a believer.  He calls the church back to the fundamental pursuit of what is eternal as we live in a culture that is all about the here and now.  The Kingdom of God is no abstract idea.  It is here, and we are to pursue it and proclaim it.

The Secret of Contentment

by William B. Barcley

This book is a simplified version of the famous work, The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment  by Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs.  It gave me some concrete principles to consider in my own life as I mature in biblical contentment and joy.  An excellent read if you are wanting a greater understanding of contentment as explained from the Scriptures.

Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God

by Noel Piper

I found this book difficult to put down every time I opened its pages.  It contains the biographies of five women who were used as great servants of God in his church and Kingdom.  They were all ordinary women, not necessarily possessing anything attractive according to the world's standards.  But they were women who listened to the call of God on their lives and gave themselves to that pursuit, even if it entailed great sacrifice and suffering.  And their extraordinary God did amazing things through them!  I was challenged as I read their stories and considered God's work in my own life and how he is leading me.  May I respond as Mary of old, "Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be according to your word."  (Luke 1:38)