love to paint

It seems that I often get excited about reading books.  Then they arrive and they sit on the table for a week, two, and sometimes even three.  Then, one day, I pick up the book and it's the right time to read it.  It's amazing to me how God keeps doing this in my life.  Orchestrating these little, minute decisions and pieces in the puzzle of my days.   This last weekend I picked up a book that opened my eyes and my heart a lot.  There was a hole that was filled by the Lord as I read it.  Compassion and sympathy filled a hole where hurt has been residing for several years.  My heart was encouraged by where the Lord has my husband and I now, by what he's been doing in my husband's heart and mind since he began seminary last August.  From what I just said, you might be surprised what the book is that I'm finishing up.   It's Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp.  It's a new book published by Crossway.  The title describes ...

I spend a lot of time reading.  There always seems to be something I am pondering, struggling with, or sorting through.  On the first day of this year, I reviewed a book about suffering titled Be Still, My Soul   http://lovetopaint.blogspot.com/2011/01/understanding-and-accepting-suffering.html .  I enjoyed the book and was encouraged by it.  I read the book because I struggled with understanding the place and purpose of suffering in our lives.  It encouraged me a lot, but I was still left with some questions. How do I cope with the yuckiness of the world? How do I keep it from overwhelming me and not becoming cynical?  How do I keep sight of eternity? How can I best love a fallen world? What should I expect of the people in my life? How do I hold onto hope? As usual, a book came across my path that I hoped would help me answer some of these questions.  I mentioned it a few months ago in this post:   http://lovetopaint.b...

My husband and I are readers.  Interestingly, though, we read very different books.  He loves books by Wendell Berry, Flannery O'Connor, John Piper, and P.D. James.  I, on the other hand, enjoy Francine Rivers, Jerry Bridges, Cynthia Heald, and Lois Lowry.  I do enjoy a good book, but my husband enjoys literature.  I enjoy books that are easy for me to read.  He enjoys ones that are hard--that challenge him with their vocabulary.  I enjoy ones that challenge me to think without keeping me mired down rereading one page several times.   But, as a way to love my husband, I periodically read a book that he wants me to read.  Last year, I read Distracted by Maggie Jackson, as his request.  It deeply impacted my thinking about technology and it's part in my life.  I read George MacDonald's books The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie at his suggestion as well.  I actually chose to read The Princess and Curdie ...