monthly pages // january

Happy reading!

When moving to Costa Rica there were a few things I just had to bring, one of those being a good book. 

Since then my love for reading has been rekindled and at any given time you can find me wrapped up in an eno with a book in hand. Since I’ve been digesting so much information and story I thought I would use this platform to my advantage and share a little from each book (every month)!

Garden City // John Mark Comer

Garden City was the one book I brought with me on the field. I started reading on day one and couldn’t put it down after that. I just recently entered this season where I am traveling, doing ministry on the daily, and also trying to figure out my life (we may never get there). Comer did a phenomenal job at easing the stress and pressure that both the culture and my own expectations have laid on me. The words gave me a space to dream a little more in life and imagine all the possibilities ahead of me, while also giving the reminder that it’s all for the glory of God and should help in the restoration back to the Garden of Eden. Some of my biggest takeaways are that my dreams have a place at God’s table, I don’t need to stress myself out for not knowing, and we are all headed to a very different and eternally amazing place (which we can experience here and now). 

Mentionable Quote(s):

“The soul is like a wild animal — tough, resilient, savvy, self-sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creatures to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well emerge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.”

Forgotten God // Francis Chan

In my first couple weeks of living in Costa I would constantly look over and see my SQL (Squad Leader), Nicole Stepp, curled up with this book. The second I saw her reading a different book I headed to our base’s ‘library’ and pulled it off. The book itself is based on the Holy Spirit and the neglect it’s received in (mainly) the western church. There is a revival at hand, which the Spirit is directly correlated with, and we haven’t woken up or opened our eyes. Chan covered some basic information and scripture that gives detail on the church and where we can be better. But also, there is a call for personal awakening and individual action. Walking away from the book I am still constantly aware that the Lord wants to use me every second of every day. It’s not just about the big and crazy moments, but what the Spirit is leading me to do right here and now, or even in the next 10 minutes. 

Mentionable Quote(s):

“Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the ‘Helper’ or ‘Comforter’. Let me ask you a simple question: Why would we need to experience the Comforter if our lives are already comfortable? It is those who put their lives at risk and suffer for the gospel (Phil. 1:29) who will most often experience His being ‘with you always even to the end of the age’ (Matt. 28:20 NASB). Though this verse is true for all believers (of course God is always with us), if we are never alone or feeling like we need Him, how much do we care or need to know that God is with us?”

“But the reality is that I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. And because of this reality, stress and tiredness and impatience don’t have to define my day.”

The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness // Timothy Keller

Quite possibly the shortest book I’ve ever read, but definitely worth the read. I was asking around to see if anyone had a shorter book they could lend me the last week of January (so it could make it to the blog) and Layna came with an iPad in hand, ready to share. I finished in two sittings and probably in a couple hours, but it left a lasting lesson in my heart. Sure, we can try all we want to work on our need to ‘please’ or ‘approve’, but really we need to focus in on the direct relationship we have with ourselves. What do I think of myself? And does that even matter? How can I allow people’s opinions of me, including my own, float away and really begin to walk in the humility that not only Paul, but Jesus, walked in. 

Mentionable Quote(s):

“Gospel-humility is not needing to think about myself. Not needing to connect things with myself. It is an end to thoughts such as, ‘I’m in this room with these people, does that make me look good? Do I want to be here?’ True gospel- humility means I stop connecting every experience, every conversation, with myself. In fact, I stop thinking about myself. The freedom of self-forgetfulness. The blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”

“…Paul says that he has found the secret. The trial is over for him. He is out of the courtroom. It is gone. It is over. Because the ultimate verdict is in… Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance?”

“Like Paul, we can say, ‘I don’t care what you think. I don’t even care what I think. I only care what the Lord thinks.’ And he has said, ‘ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’, and ‘You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.’ Live out of that.”