Books Finished in March

1. I Exalt You, O God: Encountering His Greatness in Your Private Worship by Jerry Bridges *****
This book presents four main elements or reasons for worshiping God--for His greatness, for His holiness, for His wisdom, and for His love. Each of these parts divides into sections, or "days," going more into depth on each attribute. I really appreciate how many Bible verses there were throughout, and how they were applied. After the initial introduction about worship and the way we are to worship every day, each section ended in a prayer taking many thoughts and quotes from the Bible. There were also quotes from other authors such as MacArthur, Charnock, Calvin, and more. The last part, on God's love, reminded me of the total grace of God shown through His Son, something I needed to hear, and often do. It's not enough just to think of God's love in a vague way, but to read the verses of His unmerited, unchanging grace and love is highly important. To be reminded that we are full of sin and all made from the same clay was what the Lord used in my heart when I read it. This is a good devotional book I think I may pick up again and again. Though it may not go into as much depth as the old Puritan writers, it is clear and concise and helpful.

2. Damascus Countdown by Joel C. Rosenberg ****
This is the third book in a series. It was very hard to put down once begun. The story is written in snippets from characters ranging from the wicked rulers to the CIA agents to the girl back home, and each section had something interesting to offer. Sometimes it was a bit annoying to change scenes in the middle of something exciting, but the each new scene would make up for it. I read it in two days (took a break for a few days partly out of necessity--and I admit I wanted to see if I could beat my record of reading the last Rosenberg book in three days). I don't know if I agree with everything, mostly the Holy Spirit speaking to people, almost as if audibly, but then again I have relatives who have gotten strong impressions of things from God (not voices), which I believe is in keeping with what Scriptures say. There was quite a lot of violence and darkness and that was a bit taxing and depressing at times. However, it did make me want to study the Bible more on the subject of eschatology, and to want to witness more to people, and there were hopeful notes throughout the story, as well.

3. River of Mercy (The Riverhaven Years, #3) by BJ Hoff **
A historical Christian romance, with ties to the underground railroad, surrounding an Amish community.  I wanted to finish the series, though it wasn't my favorite all around.

The Book of John - The holy Scriptures, inspired by God, are beyond compare.  I very much enjoyed reading this book, which has the focus on Jesus as the Son of God.  Chapters 14 and 15 were particularly helpful to me at the time of reading them--God is so gracious!