Related Message
Welcome to your space to Read. What you'll find here are two different kinds of reading recommendations, resources to read in order to encounter God's revelation of himself in more in depth and personal ways: a list of daily Bible readings to sustain your personal time with God throughout the week, and a few book recommendations to more deeply explore the themes we encountered in worship. "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path," (Ps. 119:105).
Daily Bible Readings for May 13 to May 19, 2012
Faithfully follow this reading plan in 2012 and by the end of the year you will have read through the entire Bible, cover to cover, having encountered the New Testament twice! Sit with God's word. Let it soak into your soul. Listen for God revealing who he is, who he desires you to be, and the life he is calling you into.
| Sunday | 2 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 21; Ps. 30; 1 Th. 2 |
| Monday | 1 Chr. 22-24; 1 Th. 3 |
| Tuesday | 1 Chr. 25-27; 1 Th. 4 |
| Wednesday | 1 Ki. 1; 1 Chr. 28; Ps. 91; 1 Th. 5 |
| Thursday | 1 Ki. 2; 1 Chr. 29; Ps. 95; 2 Th. 1 |
| Friday | 1 Ki. 3; 2 Chr. 1; Ps. 78; 2 Th. 2 |
| Saturday | 1 Ki. 4-5; 2 Chr. 2; Ps. 101; 2 Th. 3 |
For an introduction to 1 Kings, click here.
Book Recommendations for Can I Be Forgiven?
Dig deeper and explore further the themes we encountered in worship this weekend. Grab a good book, a pencil and a journal and thoughtfully open yourself up to more intentionally and deeply love God with all of your mind.
Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel " for the marginalized folks to whom Jesus ministered: the children, the ill, the tax collectors, the women. Manning understands better than most that behind our facades of order and self-assurance are inadequacies that can find healing only in Jesus. Yet, God offers us grace immeasurable. Manning encourages us to embrace that grace in the face of our greatest needs. And he knows whereof he speaks, having journeyed from priesthood and academic achievement through a collapse into alcoholism, finally coming face to face with his need and abandoning himself to grace.
For all of us who have been wounded by another and struggled to understand and move beyond our feelings of hurt and anger, Lewis Smedes' classic book, Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve, shows that it is possible to heal our pain and find room in our hearts to forgive. Breaking down the process of healing into four stages and offering stories of real people's experience throughout, this wise book provides hope and solace for all who long for the peace that comes with forgiveness. Smedes show how to move form hurting and hating to healing and reconciliation and establish healthier relationships, reclaim happiness, and achieve lasting peace of mind.
This non-faith-based book attempts to clear a path through the many difficult emotions and behaviors that prevent individuals from fogiving those who have hurt them. In Forgiveness: How to Make Peace with your Past and Get on With Your Life, The Simons’ ask and answer the questions of what forgiveness actually is and what it isn’t. They look at how anger in the forms of denial, self-blame, victimhood, and indignation can be dealt with and released. The writing is straight forward, all terms and concepts clearly defined. Peppered with lengthy writing exercises designed to help the reader clarify his or her own feelings, this book offers insight to those willing and ready to work for it.
For this week's spiritual exercises, check out REFLECT.
