 The Christian life is a war, a war against the sin in our hearts. It's a daily battle and fight to believe what the Bible says is true when our world wants us to believe otherwise. It's a daily battle and fight to wage the wars in our own hearts - the one telling us to do whatever we want no matter the consequences yet fully knowing that chooses whatever we want may lead us to a place we never wanted to be. When it comes to fighting sin, we need a battle plan, and we need encouragement in the fight. My friend and co-worker Andy Cimbala's new book, The Relentless Fight, offers a helpful battle plan in our war with sin.
Andy's new book doesn't offer new methods of fighting sin or twelve steps to overcoming that hidden sin in your life. What Andy's book offers is a reminder of the power of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, in the fight against sin. Andy's main point is that the gospel has all of the power that we need to wage our war against sin. The gospel is the battle plan. Not only does Andy point the reader to Scriptures that inform the power that we have in the gospel to fight sin, but he also shares honestly and vulnerably about his own fight with sin, and how the gospel has freed him time and time again. For a Christian struggling in the battle of sin in their lives, this book would be a helpful aide in the battle. This book has been years in the making, and I've enjoyed getting to read Andy's blog while anxiously anticipating the publishing of this book. But this helpful resource is now available, and I'm eager to recommend it. It's focused on the gospel and points to relevant Scriptures on the topic. It's immensely practical, even distilling down complex content into succinct points, and it's a quick read at around 120 pages. If you need some help and encouragement in the fight against sin, might I recommend you purchasing this book: The Relentless Fight: The Power of the Gospel in the Fight Against Sin. And in the words of Andy Cimbala's new book: "All of life is repentance. And that makes for a life of fighting. What will keep you going, especially when you fail? Answer: the gospel. The power of the gospel gives motivation for the fight against sin. If you forget the gospel, you will stop fighting. If you forget that you've been forgiven, you'll wallow in guilt. If you forget that you've been cleansed, you'll be shackled by shame and too broken to fight. If you forget that you are loved by God, you'll try to look for love in the wrong places. If you forget the power of God's Word given to you, you'll never pick up the sword of the Scripture. So remember the gospel, and keep fighting." Keep fighting, friends! Note: If you purchase Andy's book through one of the links above, not only would you support Andy's work, but this blog would receive a small commission at no cost to you or to Andy thanks to Amazon's Affiliate Program. Thank you for enabling me to purchase other books to read and review through your purchases. Also, I received a free book from Andy after reading the early manuscript, but all thoughts about the book are my own.
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It's hard to believe that November is almost over and 2018 with it. It has been quite a year, and the Lord has proven faithful through all of it, even if it has turned out far different from what I expected or planned. December is on the horizon with the longing and anticipation of the Christmas season. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year. But the older I get the more the consumerism, hustle, and busyness of the season seeks to crowd out the peace and joy that so many Christmas songs celebrate. I'm learning more and more that peace, quiet, and joy isn't something that just happens to us, but rather something that we have to intentionally seek and guard space for in our lives. Peace and joy ultimately doesn't come from our circumstances or everything getting crossed off our to-dos or wish lists. Peace and joy are ultimately found through resting in the love and grace of Jesus Christ. I've been thinking about peace and joy as my to-do list grows and the plans with family and friends keep rolling in. I want to intentionally carve space for peace and joy in this season through carving space to spend time resting in Jesus. It's difficult to guard that time in this season and in regular life, but I know that it will make this season all the more enjoyable. One way that I've been preparing to spend time resting in Jesus in this season is by choosing a devotional to read for the Christmas season. This year I am reading Waiting Here for You: An Advent Journey of Hope with my mom, and it started a few days ago. It has been very helpful so far in preparing my heart for this season and intentionally setting aside time to rest in Jesus. It's just one of many different devotionals and tools to help prepare our hearts to remember from where true peace and joy comes. If you are looking for peace and joy in this season, might I recommend intentionally seeking it through guarding time to spend with Jesus. One way to do that is through reading passages of the Bible or even devotionals that help point our hearts towards peace and joy. Waiting Here for You is one such devotional, but there are many others. If this is something you are interested, I'll share a few other resources below. I pray that they bless you in this season. She Reads Truth Advent Study: Until the Son of God Appears Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas The 25 Days of Christmas: A Family Devotional to Help You Celebrate Jesus  Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product, this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!
 October is always a full month for me, but I am thoroughly enjoying the change of weather and colors here in the northeast. The changing of the seasons always reminds me of how God has made seasons to be a regular part of our lives, whether it is the physical changing of seasons or the changing of seasons in our personal lives. Change is a constant in this life, but one thing remains unchanging and that is the character of God. I have been dwelling on that truth in the midst of a lot of life change. While my life will always be changing, the God of the Bible remains the same. One thing that does change regularly in my life is what books I'm reading. I'm an avid fan and advocate for reading. It's a simple pleasure that a lot of people do not take the time to enjoy. But I have found reading to be very life-giving in every season of my life. I thought I would share with you what I've been reading lately, and I'd love to hear about what you've been reading too! If there are any books you would recommend, share them in the comment section below. But here are a few books I've read over this past month: French Women Don't Get Fat // Mireille GuilianoI've been wanting to read this book for a few years, and I finally got a library card to go and check it out. If you are a francophile (a person that loves French culture like me) then you will likely enjoy this book. It is a fun book for just learning about ways that French people think about food and eating and staying healthy. While many of the things suggested are more difficult in the United States, it was still fascinating to think through the biblical principles of healthy eating that transcends cultures. This is not a Christian book but a lot of the things that she shared are biblical - like eating moderately and refraining from instant gratification when it comes to food. Bringing Up Bébé // Pamela DruckermanI had a month of reading books about French culture it seems, because this book was written by an American woman living and raising children in France and her observations of French parenting culture as well. I just find other cultures, particularly French culture fascinating. As Brandon and I prepare for having children of our own, I thought this is book was helpful in considering how other parents in other cultures raise their children. There were a number of things in this book that Brandon and I will implement as we raise children. There were some things that I'm still thinking about, and other things that are either a matter of preference or I do not think would work well in our culture and in the ways that we would want to raise children. One of the things that fascinated me the most is how French parents teach and educate their children to sleep at night and to practice waiting and not receiving instant gratification. The author made mention to how French children (by and large) do not throw as many tantrums as American children. It was interesting hearing this author's observations. Deep Work // Cal NewportI've been wanting to read this book for a few months and thankfully my local library had it as well. The tagline for this book is "Rules for Focused Living in a Distracted World", and that tagline sounded like a book that I needed to read. I'm in the middle of this book, but so far it has proved fruitful in helping me think about the ways that my phone, media, and other forms of technology really affect my focus when it comes to my work. This book is written towards those in the field of knowledge work (like computer programming or writing). However, Cal shares words and thoughts that transcend knowledge work. If we're honest with ourselves, the blessings of technology far outweighs the ways that it distracts us and often hinders us from deep and meaningful work, even if our work is as a cashier at Panera. Technology creates barriers that often hinder us from doing the deep work of loving God and loving our neighbor. I have a lot of thoughts from this book and will likely share more thoughts in the future, but in the present I would recommend this read if you are a knowledge worker looking to grow in focused living. These are just a few books that I've been reading, but what have you been reading? P.S. Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means that if you click on them and purchase a product this blog will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for helping to support She Laughs Without Fear!  What a wonderful season summer can be! I've found over the years that summer is the season in which I read the most. It's due primarily to having a different schedule which enables me to have more time to read and I'm able to read in more locations. One of my favorite places to read is in my hammock tied between trees. I have yet to enjoy this delight of hammock reading this summer due to moving and international travels, but I hope to be able to tie up my hammock soon. However, this has not stopped me from reading a number of books this summer. I have a new bedtime routine to thank for the added reading time. I've started going to bed a little earlier and spending an hour or so reading before bed to wind down. This new habit has increased my reading consumption, and it has helped me to actually fall asleep faster. Maybe it's something you'd like to try too? Well without further ado, here are some books that I read this summer, and a few quick thoughts about them. I'd encourage you to pick up one of these to read for yourself.  All The Light We Cannot SeeGenre: Fiction Synopsis: The interconnecting story of a young and blind French girl named Marie Laure and a young German boy named Werner. It is set during the period of World War II and tells of the story of the connection between these two people during the war. Personal Thoughts: I could not put this book down, and I often found myself reading it late into the night just to find out what would happen to each of the characters. Get the book: All the Light We Cannot See The Power of One-On-OneGenre: Non-Fiction Synopsis: Jim Stump (missionary to college athletes at Stanford University) shares stories of how God has used one-on-one mentoring to lead many people to Christ over the years of his ministry, and how you can apply the same techniques that he uses. Personal Thoughts: This book was insightful and impactful. It made me eager to mentor others, to look at the Bible with them, to share the gospel clearly with others, and to be fervent in prayer. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to minister to others and help them to grow in their walk with Jesus. Get the book: The Power of One-on-One: Discovering the Joy and Satisfaction of Mentoring Others A Million Little WaysGenre: Non-Fiction and Personal Growth Synopsis: Emily P. Freeman shares about how we can live out the art we were made to create with our lives. Being made in the image of God, we are each made with the nature of being mini-creators after our Creator. Emily unpacks what this could like to live in light of this fact in your own life. Personal Thoughts: I love everything that Emily P. Freeman writes and this book did not disappoint. It was encouraging to be reminded that I am made in the image of God and that my creative pursuits are a reflection of His creativity and his mark on me. Get the book: A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live In His ImageGenre: Non-Fiction and Theology Synopsis: Jen Wilkin shares ten ways that we are made in the image of God and how that affects our daily lives. Personal Thoughts: Are you sensing a theme from my summer reading? Unintentionally I've read a few books about being made in the image of God, and it has formed a lot of my thoughts this summer. I appreciate Jen Wilkin's writing as well, and I learned a lot from her in terms of her observations about the ways we image God's character. You can read a post that I wrote about additional thoughts from this book: God Is Not Amazon. Get the book: In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character Summer is drawing to an end, but if you're looking for a new book to read, might I suggest the ones above. It is a pleasure sharing about books with others, and if you're looking for other books to read, visit the recommended articles below. The Ten Best Books I Read in 2017 The Discipline of Reading When Your Phone Changes You When Humility Brings Peace   Today is Amazon Prime day! That means that if you are a member of Amazon Prime, there are a number of deals going on today that might be worth looking into. One of my favorite deals every year is their discount code for print book purchases. With the code PRIMEBOOKS18, you can get $5 off of a book purchase over $20. For book lovers like me, that's a good deal! If you want to buy a new book but are not sure where to start, I've curated a list of some current recommended reads. They are organized by category below: Spiritual Growth None Like Him by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways God is different from us and why that's a good thing. I keep giving this book as a gift to friends. See a review here. In His Image by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways that we are made to reflect God's Character. Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson - great book on humility and how humility brings peace into our lives. Made for More by Hannah Anderson - ever wonder why you were made and what your purpose in life is? Great book exploring this topic. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - helpful book on how to study the Bible with your heart and mind. See review. Side by Side by Ed Welch - loved reading this book with a friend on campus last semester. It gives encouragement and helpful ideas for relational ministry. A Praying Life by Paul Miller - read this book in college, and my prayer life has never been the same ever since. If you've ever wanted to grow in communing with the Lord in prayer, this book is for you. Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller - it's all about how Jesus loved people and how we're called to love people as Jesus loved. If you want to feel refreshed by the amazing love of Christ, this here is your pick. Review of the book. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke - just finished reading this pick, and it's probably one of the best books that I've read in 2017. Couldn't recommend it more highly. See a review here. Cinemagogue by James Harleman - this book shaped the way that I viewed filmmaking and watching movies and television in college - helpful book in thinking through how films shape how we view God and how God should shape our viewership. It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke -addresses common misconceptions about Christianity and addresses things that most Christians do not think about, like what eternity will really be like. See review here. Biography/ Autobiography To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson- the biography of Adoniram Judson - the first missionary from the United States. I could not put this biography down. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines - they story of how this couple started their lifestyle brand Magnolia which led to the HGTV show, Fixer-Upper Fiction Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers - historic romance novel based of the biblical story of Hosea. Circle Series by Ted Dekker - just finished reading this series. It's one of Brandon's favorites and it's excellent. I could recommend more books, but this is a good list to start. Don't forget to add the code PRIMEBOOKS18 at checkout to receive your discount. If you don't have Amazon Prime, you can try it for free with a 30 day trial and receive the discount. P. S. What I'm Buying In case you were wondering what books I'm buying on this Amazon Prime Day, I bought Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp (only $5.42 right now), The Memoir Project by Marion Smith, and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I'll keep you posted on how I like them. The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!
 As a married woman, I know that some decisions have the power to change everything about our lives. When I married my husband Brandon, my life changed dramatically. My name changed. My address changed. My priorities changed, and my heart changed. My seemingly independent living as a single adult gave way to a new reality as two people became one in marriage. While there were hard things with the initial change, it is a change that is a blessing in more ways that one. Marriage changed a lot about my life, but it did not change everything the way that following Jesus changed everything.
The gospel of Jesus Christ radically changes and transforms every area of our lives: relationships, time, church, and spiritual growth. Jaquelle Crowe discusses this in detail in the book This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years. Written by a teenager for teenagers, Jaquelle offers a helpful perspective for teenagers on following Jesus in a world where the gospel is anything but trendy and "lit". While this book is written for specifically for teenagers, the content is for readers of all ages. Jaquelle's main point in writing this book is that if we are truly followers of Jesus Christ, then the gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ) should transform and change everything about our lives. Following Jesus should not be something just reserved for Sunday, but something that impacts every area and facet of our lives. In this, Jaquelle reminds her readers of the gospel and calls them to live a life shaped by the gospel. With each chapter, she explores an area of life that the gospel affects, how it has applied to her life, and what it might look like for the gospel to impact that same area of our lives. If there is a teenager in your life looking for encouragement as he or she walks with Jesus in an ever changing culture, I would highly recommend this book to them. If you're looking for a book to be reminded of the gospel and the ways that it impacts your life, this might be a book for you as well. I would even recommend giving this book away to new Christians. My hope in sharing this book title with you is that it might equip you on the journey. If you're interested in other recommended reads, there is a book review archive for this purpose (book archive). I hope it blesses you. (I received a free copy of This Changes Everything: How the Gospel Transforms the Teen Years in exchange for an honest review from Crossway Books)  2017 was a year filled with excellent books, and I would be remiss if I didn't share some of these amazing titles with all of you. Books titles are one of my favorite things to share. One of my goals for 2017 was to read 36 books. Well, I ended up reading 24, which isn't too bad. I thought I would share the ten best books out of the bunch to recommend to all of you.  Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson Why I Loved It: Hannah Anderson has a way of taking biblical principles and helping to draw them out in everyday moments and events. The main focus of this book is how humility gives us a firm foundation and actually helps us to flourish. What Hannah fleshes out is that anxiety and stress in our lives is a result of pride, and humility before the Lord helps us find peace in the midst of those struggles.  12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke Why I Loved It: This book challenged and impacted me in a number of ways. I will never look at my phone the same way ever again as a result of the observations that Tony Reinke shares in this book. It's amazing to think how much our phones affect us and how little we care or pay mind to it. Tony Reinke calls us to prayerful reflection about our phones and their control and pervasiveness over our lives.  You Are Free: Be Who You Already Are by Rebekah Lyons Why I Loved It: A thoughtful memoir by Rebekah Lyons as she walks in freedom in Christ in the wake of anxiety and depression. I didn't know I needed to hear this message until reading this book. There are some books that encourage you simply by a person sharing their personal journey and finding freedom in the midst of it. This is one of those books.  Nothing to Prove: Why We Can Stop Trying So Hard by Jennie Allen Why I Loved it: I appreciate Jennie Allen's down-to-earth writing and her way of taking deep theological truths and helping ordinary, everyday women understand them. After a year of studying the gospel of John, Jennie Allen shares the insights she gained from observing Jesus' ministry and being reminded that because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we have nothing to prove and can stop trying so hard to earn our salvation or prove ourselves to others.  Refresh: Embracing a Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands by Shona and David Murray Why I Loved It: This book was like an ice cold glass of water in the middle of the summer sun. Immensely practical and encouraging, Shona shares her journey of fighting for rest in the grace of God in the midst of a world that makes a lot of demands upon us. I did not expect for her to give so many practical ways to embrace a grace-paced life, but I am immensely thankful for her gospel-focused insights.  Zeal without Burnout by Christopher Ash Why I Loved It: At this point you might be sensing a theme. I've read a lot of books about rest, resting in the Lord, and freedom from sin and anxiety. Well this book was the cherry on top. Short and sweet, Ash gives seven keys to a life-long sustainable ministry. This book is for more than pastors and full-time missionaries. I would recommend this book those that serves in the church in any capacity. We all need to be reminded that while we can work hard for the gospel, we need to rest in God's grace and not our own efforts.  Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice Why I Loved It: This is an area where I am continually learning to grow. It is not easy or natural for me to talk about Jesus with random strangers or even with close friends that are not Christians. I often fall into the fear of man, and need to be reminded to choose love over fear and talk about Jesus even when it's tough. This book was practical, encouraging, and it made evangelism less fearful and more exciting and fun.  The Circle Series by Ted Dekker Why I Loved It: This is my husband's favorite book series, and I've owned a copy since we became friends my freshman year of college, but didn't read it until this year. I'm sad I didn't read it sooner. It is a fiction series, but tells the story of the gospel in lieu of an alternate universe. I laughed. I cried. I desperately didn't want it to end.  The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines Why I Loved It: I'll be honest. I'm a big fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines. I appreciate their business model and the ways that they model working together as a married couple. I don't know what I expected from this book, but I appreciated them sharing how God was the one that wrote their story and opened up the doors for their business, Magnolia, which led to the TV show Fixer Upper. They started from almost nothing, and now they use the something that they have have given to bless others and their community.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey Why I Loved It: This book is different from the others on this list. This is an organizational book, but boy does Stephen Covey give a lot of helpful insights and lessons about personal growth and being effective. His habits are different from what most might think, but helpful in that they truly are effective. I've found them helpful since first reading this book. Reading is a discipline that many do not take the time to enjoy, but I hope sharing these titles encourages you to pick up one and enjoy the good gift of a good book. As you make your list of books to read for 2018, I would highly recommend reading these ten. I've already started working on my list for 2018, and can't wait to share with you the books that I read over the course of this year. What books are on your list for 2018?  The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!
 Reading has fallen on hard times. Between the computer and the smartphone, people do not read as much as they once did. Or rather people don't read books or longer works as much as they once did. Despite the statistics, there are still people that make time for reading. I've had a number of friends ask me over the years how I find time to read so many books. On any given year I read an average of 15-30 books, and I often share about books that I've read here and via social media. I love sharing book recommendations and talking about books with others, which is why I often get asked about how I find time to read and how I can read as much as I do. To answer simply: reading is a discipline that I find valuable and enriching. Therefore, I prioritize time for it. We make time for things that we think are important. Take exercise for example. We carve out time for it in our days and try to keep a regime and routine. We feel guilty when we don't keep up with it. We feel more energized and less stressed when we do keep up with it. Just like exercise takes discipline, reading takes discipline as well. The way most people feel about exercise is how I feel about reading. (In fact, sometimes I do both at the same time. Hello treadmill!) Reading is something that I find to be valuable and important. Therefore, I make time for it. Just like 15 minutes of exercise is better than no exercise, 15 minutes of reading is better than not reading at all, which is why I aim to read at least 15 minutes or roughly 1 chapter of a book a day. I find that reading a chapter a day motivates me to read and depending on the book length, I can read a book in a week or every two weeks. Another thing that helps is reading multiple books at one time. I have a friend that reads one book that is a leisure read, one book that is spiritual growth related, and one that is job training related. I have since adopted this friend's method. Reading multiple books at one time creates variety and gives us different things to read at different points in the day. I am more apt to read a spiritual growth book in the morning and a leisure read at night time, because it is harder for me to concentrate later at night. Reading is a discipline. If we want to read more and we find value in reading, then we need to make time for it. I could write an entire post about the value of reading (which I might do). It is a very helpful discipline for growth, mentally and spiritually, and it's a discipline that we should make a regular part of our schedules. In the twenty minutes that we might spend on social media in the morning, we could spend that time reading a book which will actually be more encouraging and valuable than mindlessly scrolling through content. One way that you can make reading a discipline in your life is by replacing your time on social media in the morning with reading for ten minutes. If you've been wanting to read more, the first step is deciding if reading is something that you view as valuable and important and then making the time for it, even if it's just 15 minutes a day to start. Ultimately, my hope is that you would find reading as something that is profitable and would make it a regular discipline. If you want to make reading a regular discipline, but you're looking for good books to read, here are a few recommendations: Leisure Reads:
Circle Series 4-in-1 (The Circle Series) To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson The Magnolia Story Spiritual Growth: Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different from Us (and Why That's a Good Thing) Humble Roots: How Humility Grounds and Nourishes Your Soul A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!  If you're a regular around here, you know that I often share about books that I'm reading and what books have impacted my life. But what I have never shared are the ways that I get books free/for a discount. There are a number of resources that I would love to share about in a future post, but today I came across an Amazon Prime deal that might encourage you to buy a new book or two. Today only, Amazon is offering a discount of $5 off of a purchase of $15 for books and many of their books are discounted today. To secure the deal, you just need to put in the code PRIMEBOOKS17 at checkout. The coupon code is valid until tomorrow July 12. You can learn more about the coupon code here. But I also wanted to share a few books that I would recommend buying with this sweet deal! So here are some top picks to pick up: None Like Him by Jen Wilkin - she explores 10 ways God is different from us and why that's a good thing. I keep giving this book as a gift to friends. See a review here. Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson - great book on humility and how humility brings peace into our lives. Made for More by Hannah Anderson - ever wonder why you were made and what your purpose in life is? Great book exploring this topic. Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - helpful book on how to study the Bible with your heart and mind. See review. Side by Side by Ed Welch - loved reading this book with a friend on campus last semester. It gives encouragement and helpful ideas for relational ministry. A Praying Life by Paul Miller - read this book in college, and my prayer life has never been the same ever since. If you've ever wanted to grow in communing with the Lord in prayer, this book is for you. Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller - it's all about how Jesus loved people and how we're called to love people as Jesus loved. If you want to feel refreshed by the amazing love of Christ, this here is your pick. Review of the book. 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You by Tony Reinke - just finished reading this pick, and it's probably one of the best books that I've read in 2017. Couldn't recommend it more highly. See a review here. Cinemagogue by James Harleman - this book shaped the way that I viewed filmmaking and watching movies and television in college - helpful book in thinking through how films shape how we view God and how God should shape our viewership. It's Not What You Think by Jefferson Bethke -addresses common misconceptions about being a Christian, and addresses things that most Christians do not think about, like what eternity will really be like. See review here. My husband's recommendations: Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley - helpful book for those that want to learn more about church history. Circle Series by Ted Dekker - just finished reading this after Brandon's request and OH MY! Such a great book series. Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin - In the words of Brandon, this is a book that everyone should read. He has found it particularly helpful as he thinks through leading musical worship and why worshipping God matters. Hope that you find a new summer read that you'll enjoy and expand your mind. Don't forget to put PRIMEBOOKS17 at the check out to receive the deal.  The links to the books above are affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing a book or other products She Laughs Without Fear receives a small commission. When you buy books, you allow me to buy more books for review. Thanks for helping to fund my reading habit and supporting She Laughs Without Fear at no additional cost to you!  My parents bought my first cell phone when I was thirteen. It was a silver LG flip-phone that I carried on an eighth grade field-trip. It made my parents feel like I was safe, and it made me feel like I was cool. It took forever to send text messages to friends, and so I hardly ever used it for more than talking to my parents or making quick plans. My little flip-phone was upgraded two years later to an LG with a full keyboard. I was moving up in the world and my fingers had the space to send longer messages and communicate more with friends. My friends still commented that I never returned text messages or calls but it was better than with my flip-phone. I was supposed to take this phone on a cruise trip with my school's music department, but I forgot it at home, so my parents mailed it from Pennsylvania to Florida overnight. Two years later, I upgraded once again, but this time it was to an iPhone 4, and my cell phone habits haven't been the same ever since. While I was once known as the friend that never answered her phone or responded, I'm now known by my husband as the one that struggles to put her phone down at night. I still struggle with responding to friends, but it's no longer due to not using my phone. And I've never forgotten my iPhone at home while going on a trip. My smart phone has changed me. For better and for worse. Maybe you have a story similar to mine. Your smart phone entered into your life slowly, but has since then become a constant accessory. I wrote in June about how I'm learning how to consecrate my phone to the Lord, and those thoughts were prompted by seeing the ways that my phone is making demands upon me that I never thought it could. These thoughts were further explored while reading Tony Reinke's new book 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You. The title says it all: Reinke lays out twelve ways that our phones are changing us. The twelve ways are as follow:
I don't know about you, but my phone has changed me in all twelve of these ways and more. Before reading this book I had already thought about how my phone changes the way that I interact with others, how it makes me more lonely, and how it makes me feed immediate approval. But I had never thought about how it makes me lose meaning in that it disconnects me from what's actually going on in my life and how our phones make us lose our place in time. If you have a phone, you should read this book. It is written towards Christians, but even if you are not a Christian you should read this book. After each chapter, I couldn't help but think through the ways that I've seen my phone change me and impact my life and what those changes mean going forward. What I appreciate about Tony Reinke's book is that he does not make a case that phones are bad and therefore we shouldn't use them. He makes the case that phones are tools that we are called to steward and use with self-control or else they will control us. He ends the book with a chapter focused on thinking through what we might be called to do in terms of creating boundaries with our phones. I've been thinking a lot about how to apply the principles from this book and how to exercise self-control over my phone, and I've come up with a few applications for my life. Now, these applications might not work for you, but I'd recommend that you would join me in taking a look at your phone usage, taking a gander at this book, and thinking through how you might be called to make a change in light of how your phone is changing you. Here are some of my applications:
There is more that I could share about this book, but in summary I would highly recommend everyone to read it and to think through the ways that your phone is changing you. If you don't believe me (or Tony Reinke) try not touching your phone for an hour. I bet it will be quite difficult. My prayer is the same as Tony Reinke, that we would see our phones as a good gift, but one that we must steward. They allow us to do so much and they are so helpful, but they can also affect us in ways that are unhelpful. My prayer is that we would think through ways that we can use self-control with our phones, rather than allowing them to control us. Have you ever thought about ways that your phone is changing you before? I received a free copy of 12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You from Crossway in exchange for an honest review. The Amazon links to the books mentioned above are affiliate links. If you click on the links and purchase any of the books, this blog is supported at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting She Laughs Without Fear!
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Welcome! I'm Madi, a laughter-loving, movie-going, spontaneous-dancing, follower of Christ. Join me as I seek glimpses of God's grace in the ordinary and everyday.
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