33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple

33. The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple. Joanna Davidson Politano. 2024. 400 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, historical fiction, historical romance, Christian fiction]

First sentence: I hadn't decided if I'd tell the whole truth or not, when the men arrived. Peter would have, because he's Peter. I, however, never let facts hinder the power of a good story. 

Set in England in 1903, The Elusive Truth of Lily Temple stars a silent actress--stage name Lily Temple--and a private investigator, Peter Driscoll. Peter meets Lily when he's investigating a stolen gem--a gem that's been missing for many years. He finds it in the possession of an actress, Lily Temple, however, he feels strongly that she is not the thief--or at least not the original thief. Soon these two are slowly, reservedly entering each other's worlds and having mini-adventures as she becomes involved in Peter's other current cases. Still there is something....elusive...about her and her past. Peter finds her mesmerizing, but, he has a good head on his shoulders. Lily has no reason to trust anyone--even if that someone is Peter. Still she finds herself opening up more to Peter than she has any other human being in years and years. Life hasn't been kind--plenty of disappointments and betrayals in the past. 

Solving one case may just lead Peter into terrible trouble that he can't escape. If Lily tells him all, then she knows--even if he does not--that his life would be in danger. Could he survive the truth? 

I loved, loved, loved this one. I did. I LOVED the writing. I did. The narration was fabulous. I cared about Lily *and* Peter. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #15

Bible Reading

NKJV 

• 1 Chronicles 6-20
• 2 Samuel 5-12
• Psalms 36, 39, 77, 78, 81, 88, 92, 93, 133, 15, 23, 24, 25, 47, 89, 96, 100, 101, 107, 1, 2, 33, 127, 132, 20, 53, 60, 75, 65, 66, 67, 69, 70

KJV (Clarion)

• Exodus 
• Leviticus
• Matthew 19-28
• Isaiah 1-16

NASB 77

• Matthew 19-28
• Mark
• Luke 1-3

ESV

• 1 Chronicles

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

32. And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together

32. And the Beagles and the Bunnies Shall Lie Down Together. Charles M. Schulz. 1984. 100ish pages. [Source: Gift] [4 stars, comic strips, theology]

Confession: I love Linus. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Linus. I know I have some competition because every girl wants Linus to be their own Sweet Baboo. One of my favorite things about Linus is that he's a theologian, a true thinker, a true observer.

This book is a collection of Peanuts comic strips that deal--in one way or another--with theology. At the very least, it shares comic strips that quote Scripture. At its best, it shares comic strips which reflect Scripture.

The book doesn't focus on Linus exclusively. There's plenty of Lucy, Charlie Brown, Linus, and Sally. (Plus Snoopy, of course. Let's not forget that Snoopy KNOWS Scripture too and uses it quite well to get what he wants from Charlie Brown.)

Early on, readers see that Linus identifies himself as a prophet. On the copyright page, you'll see Linus carrying a sign that says PROPHET. And one of the earliest comic strips in this one is about how he wants to be a prophet when he grows up.

Linus: When I grow up, I think I'll be a great prophet. I'll speak profound truths but no one will listen to me…
Charlie Brown: If you known ahead of time that no one is going to listen to you, why speak?
Linus: We prophets are very stubborn.

My absolute FAVORITE, FAVORITE strip features Lucy and Linus. It's RAINING heavily.

Lucy: Boy, look at it rain…What if it floods the whole world?
Linus: It will never do that…in the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow…
Lucy: You've taken a great load off my mind…
Linus: Sound theology has a way of doing that!

This one is definitely recommended. Not every strip is WONDERFUL. But many are worth a smile at least. And some are truly worth treasuring!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

31. Faith

31. Faith (Brides of the West #1) Lori Copeland. 1998/2020. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [audio book, christian fiction, historical romance, two stars]

First sentence from prologue: "You're what?" The tip of Thalia Grayson's cane hit the floor with a whack. 

First sentence from chapter one: "She's late." Liza Shepherd slipped a pinch of snuff into the corner of her mouth, then fanned herself with a scented hankie. Nicholas checked his pocket watch a fourth time, flipping it closed. Mother was right. His bride-to-be was late. Any other day the stage would be on time. 

Premise/plot: Faith (and her sisters Hope and June) respond to advertisements for mail order brides. Faith, our heroine, agrees to marry Nicholas Shepherd a rancher from Deliverance, Texas, who lives with his mother, Liza. She comes with ideas: she'll wear overalls and essentially fulfill her role as a helpmeet by being a ranch hand. His mother, Liza, can surely keep on keeping house. Nicholas has ideas of his own: his wife will be feminine, respectful, kind, nurturing, sweet. Not brash (in-your-face), argumentative, and unreasonable. These two clash from the start. Make that these THREE clash from the start. Liza is gruff, grizzly, mean-tempered. Faith is uppity, entitled, unreasonable. (I *hate, hate, hate* to use that word. But in this case I think it fits.) Nicholas is, well, insensitive and logical. (Is logical the best fit? No. Probably not. He is realistic and has common sense and knows what's what.) Faith, meanwhile, seems to have little to no decorum, no respect for the way things are, or common sense. 

The wedding doesn't happen for various reasons. Days go by. Weeks go by. Still no moving forward--though she's living in their house--with the wedding. Then it's time for him to go on a cattle drive. Liza makes no hesitation to throw Faith out when she's having one of her ultimatum tantrums. (To be fair, Liza seems just as likely to have a tantrum without a moment's notice.) Nicholas returns to find "his" bride living with another family and spending most of her days (though not her nights) with a widower and his family. He refuses to talk to her believing her to be courted by this widower. 

Will these two ever get together? 

My thoughts: This was a 'bonus borrow' at my library. I listened on audio; it was narrated by Holly Adams. 

Am I a fan of the narrator? NO. No. A thousand times no. I found her pretending to be male voices tortuously painful. Until she started narrating a three year old child, then I learned what true torture was. Her narration of Faith was not pleasant--my impression of Faith's attitude might have been influenced by the narrator's tone of voice. But it wasn't awful. Liza's voice was an impression of Thelma Harper (aka Mama from Mama's Family). Except Liza was never funny. 

I will say this for Liza. She wasn't in the wrong all the time. I thought she had some good insights about Faith. I could see exactly why Liza found Faith so annoying and obnoxious. And for better or worse, I thought the way the town assumed the Shepherd family should donate EVERYTHING (in this case a church steeple but later a school for the blind because there is one blind child in town) to the town because they have money in the bank to be OBNOXIOUS and stupid. 

Nicholas' view of Faith also seemed to make sense to me. Faith did some incredibly dim/stupid things. That being said, Nicholas could be insensitive and inconsiderate in how he handled situations. 

Am I a fan of the romance? Do I think Nicholas and Faith suited one another? Honestly I'm conflicted. I think BOTH have a lot of raw edges that would need to be softened in order to be harmonious together. I think Faith is extremely immature and needs to calm down most of the time. If I got paid a dime for every time she cried, I would have enough money to BUY a book--probably a hardback. It's a wonder that she's not in a constant state of dehydration the way she cries every single day. Nicholas has his own issues. I could see a few red flags if you are looking for perfection. I think he probably has a temper. I think he doesn't choose his words well. I think he speaks without thinking. I think even when he's technically in the right, the words and mannerisms he uses makes him wrong, or partly wrong. We see these two bicker and fight and fuss every time they are together....mostly. Yet the resolution that they are madly in love comes swiftly. Neither one particularly changes or adapts or compromises. Just suddenly they are IN LOVE. I think Nicholas and Faith have different love languages, have difficulty communicating, and both are prone to thinking themselves justified and right. 

Am I a fan of the writing? the dialogue? the description? Not really. No. Particularly the dialogue and description. Though the descriptions are usually the worse of the two. Her scenarios can be....well....stupid. For example, HOW COULD ANYONE AND I MEAN ANYONE find it believable that Faith would intentionally SEEK REFUGE IN THE OUTHOUSE FOR HOURS (and have to be sought out by Nicholas) to avoid doing housework. Seriously. AN OUTHOUSE. Use your imagination or common sense. Does that seem likely? Or how about instead of a snowball fight, having a fight with SAWDUST and flinging it in each other's faces as a flirting technique. SAWDUST. This someone isn't Nicholas, by the way, but the widower. Nicholas sees his future wife slinging/flinging sawdust at another man, giggling and foolish, and says WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING? Those aren't his words. But he is not wrong. In this situation, his face is described as turning black as a witch's hat? maybe cap? It was an audio book and I was a little bit thrown by the description. (Do people's faces turn *black* in anger?) Not to be outdone, later Faith's LIPS turn BLUE while praying. 

I typically enjoy marriage of convenience and/or mail order bride stories. I typically enjoy books set in Texas. I thought I would enjoy this one more than I did. But I am too much of an overthinker to accept that ANYONE would seek to hide out in an outhouse for hours just to avoid doing a chore--in this case darning socks. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #14

Bible Reading

This week I finished the KJV Large Print Journal the Word Bible and I began a new KJV Bible (Cambridge Clarion). 

KJV LP Journaling

• 2 Corinthians
• Galatians
• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 1 Thessalonians
• 2 Thessalonians
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews
• James
• 1 Peter
• 2 Peter
• 1 John
• 2 John
• 3 John
• Jude
• Revelation

NASB 77

• Micah
• Nahum
• Habakkuk
• Zephaniah
• Haggai
• Zechariah
• Malachi
• Daniel
• Ezekiel
• Matthew 1-18

KJV (Clarion) 

• Genesis
• Matthew 1-18

NKJV

• Psalms 35, 54, 63, 18, 121-130, 6, 9, 10, 14, 16, 21, 43, 44, 49, 84, 85, 87, 
• 1 Samuel 28-31
• 2 Samuel 1-4
• 1 Chronicles 10, 1-2, 3-5; 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

30. Screwtape Letters

30. The Screwtape Letters. C.S. Lewis. 1942. HarperCollins. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

First paragraph: I note what you say about guiding your patient’s reading and taking care that he sees a good deal of his materialist friend. But are you not being a trifle naïf? It sounds as if you supposed that argument was the way to keep him out of the Enemy’s clutches. That might have been so if he had lived a few centuries earlier. At that time the humans still knew pretty well when a thing was proved and when it was not; and if it was proved they really believed it. They still connected thinking with doing and were prepared to alter their way of life as the result of a chain of reasoning. But what with the weekly press and other such weapons we have largely altered that. Your man has been accustomed, ever since he was a boy, to have a dozen incompatible philosophies dancing about together inside his head. He doesn’t think of doctrines as primarily “true” or “false”, but as “academic” or “practical”, “outworn” or “contemporary”, “conventional” or “ruthless”. Jargon, not argument, is your best ally in keeping him from the Church. Don’t waste time trying to make him think that materialism is true! Make him think it is strong, or stark, or courageous—that it is the philosophy of the future. That’s the sort of thing he cares about.

I definitely enjoy rereading C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters every few years. These 'letters' are from 'Uncle Screwtape' to his nephew 'Wormwood.' Both Wormwood and Screwtape are demons. That should tell you a little something about this topsy-turvy Christian fantasy. 

Wormwood's human has just become a Christian. But with a little help from his uncle, Wormwood hopes to change that, to reverse the damage, to keep him *his*. Readers only view Screwtape's letters to Wormwood, so, we have to piece together the rest of the story, in a way. Readers can piece together that there is a world war going on. Also perhaps that Wormwood's human dies in a bomb raid. 

Screwtape's letters are packed with advice on how to keep Wormwood's human from being an effective Christian. How to keep him from praying, for example, to name just one. What Screwtape and Wormwood fail to understand is the futility of their efforts. True, C.S. Lewis may not have known how futile himself. Since Lewis most likely believed that one could 'fall from grace' and 'lose salvation.' But. Putting all that aside, one knows from Scripture that isn't the case.

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:39-40

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30

Can believers benefit from reading Screwtape Letters? I think so. The letters are engaging, and, give readers plenty to think about. 

From the first letter: "Your business is to fix his attention on the stream. [The stream of immediate sense experiences]. Teach him to call it 'real life' and don't let him ask you what he means by 'real.'" (2)

From the second letter: "He has not been anything like long enough with the Enemy to have any real humility yet. What he says, even on his knees, about his own sinfulness, is all parrot talk. At bottom, he still believes he has run up a very favorable credit balance in the Enemy's ledger by allowing himself to be converted, and thinks that he is showing great humility and condescension in going to church with these 'smug' commonplace neighbors at all. Keep him in that state of mind as long as you can." (6)

From the third letter: "You must bring him to a condition in which he can practise self-examination for an hour without discovering any of those facts about himself which are perfectly clear to anyone who has ever lived in the same house with him or worked in the same office." (7)
"It is, no doubt, impossible to prevent his praying for his mother, but we have means of rendering the prayers innocuous. Make sure that they are always very "spiritual," that he is always concerned with the state of her soul and never with her rheumatism. Two advantages will follow. In the first place, his attention will be kept on what he regards as her sins, by which, with a little guidance from you, he can be induced to mean any of her actions which are inconvenient or irritating to himself. In the second place, since his ideas about her soul will be very crude and often erroneous, he will, in some degree, be praying for an imaginary person, and it will be your task to make that imaginary person daily less and less like the real mother--the sharp-tongued old lady at the breakfast table." (8)

From the fourth letter: "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out" (11).
"The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves." (11)

From the fifth letter: "In wartime not even a human can believe that he is going to live forever." (15)

From the seventh letter: "All extremes except devotion to the Enemy are to be encouraged" (20).

From the ninth letter: "Never forget that when we are dealing with pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's ground." (26)

From the twelfth letter: "Do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing....Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." (36)

From the sixteenth letter: "Surely you know that if a man can't be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that 'suits' him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches." (46)

From the nineteenth letter: "Nothing matters at all except the tendency of a given state of mind, in given circumstances, to move a particular patient at a particular moment nearer to the Enemy or nearer to us." (56-7)

From the twenty-first letter: "Let him have the feeling that he starts each day as the lawful possessor of twenty-four hours." (61)

From the twenty-fifth letter: "What we want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call 'Christianity And...' (73)

From the twenty-seventh letter: "Anything, even a sin, which has the total effect of moving him close up to the Enemy makes against us in the long run." (79)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

3. KJV, Large Print, Journal the Word Bible

KJV Large Print Journal the Word Bible. God. 1769. 2016 pages. Thomas Nelson Publishers. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

I spent months looking for the 'perfect-for-me' wide-margin and/or journaling Bible. There were two things I was unwilling to compromise on. First, I wanted a font size LARGE enough to comfortably read. This eliminated probably eighty to ninety percent of the Bibles out there. This Bible is 10 point font. There is another wide margin Bible that is 9 point font. But I decided against that once since the margins in that one were maybe-maybe one inch. Second, I wanted a margin size that a 'normal' person could write in comfortably. Many wide margin Bibles simply have margins of one inch--even if that one inch is at the top, the side, and the bottom. It just felt too impossible to be realistic. This one is single column and allows for wider margins. Definitely wider than one inch. I'm not absolutely convinced it's two inches. But  it is definitely wide enough for anyone to use. 

This one is the KING JAMES VERSION. It is wide-margin. It is single column. It is red letter. The paper is on the creamier side--not perfectly white. 

I started this one on December 24, 2024. I finished this one on March 31, 2025. 

I love the King James Version. I don't love red letter. However, that is something I find myself compromising on most of the time since most King James Version Bibles are red letter more often than not. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #13

Bible Reading

KJV

• Psalms 110-150
• Acts
• Romans
• 1 Corinthians

NASB 1977

• 1 Kings 3-22
• 2 Kings 
• Isaiah 54-66
• Jeremiah 
• Lamentations
• Hosea
• Joel
• Amos
• Obadiah

NKJV

• 1 Samuel 21-27
• Psalms 91, 7, 27, 31, 34, 52, 56, 120, 140, 141, 142, 17, 73

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

29. The Big Picture Story Bible

29. The Big Picture Story Bible. David R. Helm. Illustrated by Gail Schoonmaker. 2004. Crossway Books. 451 pages. [Source: Review copy] [5 stars]

First sentence from the Old Testament section: The Bible is God's story, and it begins with these big words: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Do you know how God created everything? Simply by speaking words. Imagine, making the world with words! Strong words. Powerful words. With words God created everything!

First sentence from the New Testament section: Years passed without a single word from God. And the years turned into many years, and the many years turned into hundreds of years. And the great promises of God seemed to fade away. Israel became less important in the world. Other nations became great--strong nations, powerful nations, whose kings ruled over God's people. One such king...was Caesar Augustus.

The Big Picture Story Bible is one of my favorite bible story books. Why? Because it presents the Bible not as a series of entertaining, informational, educational, inspirational stories but as a unified story. The Bible does in fact have a big picture. If you miss the big picture, you miss the point. By understanding--grasping, appreciating--the big picture, you are enabling yourself to appreciate the smaller as well because you can see how everything fits, everything belongs.

The Big Picture Story Bible has twenty-six illustrated stories. Together they tell one big story. These stories build upon one another. They are interconnected. Everything is building up to the big climax--the appearance of Jesus Christ. The first eleven stories cover the Old Testament. The remaining fifteen stories cover the New Testament.

The Bible is for believers young and old. The story it tells is grand, glorious, but above all TRUE and TRUSTWORTHY. Yet people of all ages can struggle to read the Word for themselves. Perhaps because it seems so strange and otherworldly. Perhaps because it is intimidating. Perhaps because they don't know where to begin. A familiarity with the BIG PICTURE of the Bible could be the very boost one needs to begin to ACTUALLY read the Bible.

The Big Picture Story Bible gives readers of all ages the orientation they need to grasp not only the story but the theology behind the story. It covers the basics of the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It is not so thorough and comprehensive that it would ever--could ever--take the place of the Word itself. That would be silly. But by showing you the structure of the Word, how everything fits together, how every story belongs to the whole, it can be a considerable help.

I think this one is for readers of all ages. I definitely think parents with children should have this one in their homes. (Christian parents and grandparents). Parents have an awesome responsibility to teach and instruct their children in the faith. It isn't anyone else's responsibility to do so for you. It is a great task, but it isn't an impossible one. It's never too early. It's never too late. You might feel overwhelmed, but you can learn alongside your children. You can go on this glorious, wonderful journey together.

But I also think adults without children could benefit from this one as well. There are a million excuses why believers don't read the Bible. Grasping the big picture and holding onto the big picture could be a great stepping stone into actually reading the Bible and tasting for yourself the sweetness of the Lord.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

28. Remember Heaven

28. Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in The Meantime. Matthew McCullough. 2025. [May] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy] [christian living, christian nonfiction, 5 stars]

First sentence (from the introduction): Another Christmas just came and went, along with a wonderful week away with our extended family. 

Matthew McCullough shares 'meditations' on WHY remembering heaven helps us to live 'in the meantime' with hope, peace, and joy--even in the midst of troubles and hard circumstances. These meditations are not daily meditations--like a devotional book--but instead a series of longer chapters. Each chapter is a different way of looking at the subject. The book is not meant--and the author discloses this--to be an exhaustive book of reasons to remember heaven in light of our 'groans and moans.' 

A few of his reasons to remember heaven:

• grounds our lives as Christians
• reframes our dissatisfaction in the meantime
• overcomes our feelings of inadequacy in the meantime
• empowers our battle with sin in the meantime
• relieves our anxiety in the meantime
• makes our suffering meaningful in the meantime
• makes our grief bearable
• sets our mission in the church 

I found the book helpful and encouraging. It didn't always go in the direction of my preconceived notions, HOWEVER it always went in a direction that surprised me and ultimately proved engaging. I had not pieced together how HOPE in heaven or 'remembering heaven' could be connected with inadequacy and anxiety. So there were chapters that were JUST the medicine I needed. I think the book will be relevant for just that reason. I think each reader will have his or her own 'favorite' chapter(s) that speak to them in their need. The Holy Spirit is good like that.

I would definitely recommend this one.

Quotes:

• Hope matters. We can't live without it. But what we hope in matters even more. We need a hope strong enough to bear the weight of our lives in the meantime. And that is precisely what we have in the hope of heaven.
• Many Christians simply aren't thinking about heaven at all and, if asked, couldn't say why they should be.
• Meditating on heaven, Richard Baxter argues, is how we use our understanding to warm our affections. It throws open 'the door between the head and the heart.' 
• How we spend our moments is how we spend our lives.
• The only way to long for a place you've never been is to long for the person whose presence makes that place what it is to you.
• Love for Christ anchors us to the future we've been promised, and it reshapes how we live here in the present.
• Pride is the poison our culture doles out as medicine. 
• We are anxious when we feel responsible, as if all the outcomes depend upon us. But God is responsible for this future. Everything depends on him. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

27. Praying the Bible

27. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Since prayer is talking with God, why don’t people pray more?

Donald S. Whitney argues that Christians struggle with praying because prayer is boring. Why is prayer boring? Because Christians tend to pray for the same old things in the same old way--in other words, their prayers use the same words, same patterns, day after day, week after week, etc. He writes, "Prayers without variety eventually become words without meaning."

Christians tend to treat prayer not as a two-way conversation but as a one-way conversation.

Of course, another reason people struggle--and Whitney acknowledges as well--is distraction.

He has a solution for both 'problems'. That solution is praying the Bible. In this little book, he teaches readers how to pray through the Psalms and passages of the New Testament. Though any passage can be prayed--Genesis through Revelation. His goal is to get you started and the easiest--the best--place to start is the book of Psalms.

To pray the Bible, you simply go through the passage line by line, talking to God about whatever comes to mind as you read the text. See how easy that is? Anyone can do that. Just speak to the Lord about everything that occurs to you as you slowly read his Word. What does the text of Scripture tell us to pray about? Everything, right?  Every person, every object, every issue, every circumstance, every fear, every situation—everything in the universe is something we may bring before God. So every thought that enters your mind as you are reading a passage of Scripture—even if that thought has nothing to do with the text before you at the moment—is something you may bring to God...
If you are praying through a psalm, you simply read that psalm line by line, talking to God about whatever thoughts are prompted by the inspired words you read. If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward, then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don’t understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that one, move on. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind to pray about, go to the next verse. If sinful thoughts enter in, pray about them and go on.
You may read twenty or thirty verses in that psalm, and yet on a given day have only five or six things come to mind. No problem. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse. Nothing says you have to finish the psalm...
Talk to God about the words you read in the Bible, and you’ll never again pray the same old things about the same old things. 

He makes distinctions between reading the Bible, praying the Bible, and studying the Bible. The methods you use for praying the Bible are not necessarily sound methods for teaching or preaching through the Bible.  

Correctly handling the Word of God does not permit making the text say what we want. To understand the Bible accurately—which is essential for right belief and living, for truthful sharing with others, and for authoritative teaching and preaching—we must do whatever is necessary to discover (or “exegete”) the single, God-inspired meaning of every verse before us. The text of the Bible means what God inspired it to mean, not “what it means to me.”
Bible reading is secondary in this process [of praying the Bible]. Our focus is on God through prayer; our glance is at the Bible. And we turn Godward and pray about every matter that occurs to us as we read. Do you see the distinction?

I have enough confidence in the Word and the Spirit of God to believe that if people will pray in this way, in the long run their prayers will be far more biblical than if they just make up their own prayers.

Without the Scripture to shape our prayers, we are far more likely to pray in unbiblical ways than if we pray the thoughts that occur to us as we read the Scripture.

The book is practical. He has a plan in mind for you to put this into practice.

With the Psalms of the Day you take thirty seconds or so to quickly scan five specific psalms and pick the one that best leads you to prayer on that occasion. While reading five psalms a day is a great practice that many enjoy, that’s not what I’m advocating here. What I’m suggesting is that you take half a minute to quickly scan five psalms and pick one of those five to pray through. Here’s how it works. The first psalm is the one that corresponds with the day of the month. 

Day of the Month	Psalms to Skim
1	1, 31, 61, 91, 121
2	2, 32, 62, 92, 122
3	3, 33, 63, 93, 123
4	4, 34, 64, 94, 124
5	5, 35, 65, 95, 125
6	6, 36, 66, 96, 126
7	7, 37, 67, 97, 127
8	8, 38, 68, 98, 128
9	9, 39, 69, 99, 129
10	10, 40, 70, 100, 130
11	11, 41, 71, 101, 131
12	12, 42, 72, 102, 132,
13	13, 43, 73, 103, 133
14	14, 44, 74, 104, 134
15	15, 45, 75, 105, 135
16	16, 46, 76, 106, 136
17	17, 47, 77, 107, 137
18	18, 48, 78, 108, 138
19	19, 49, 79, 109, 139
20	20, 50, 80, 110, 140
21	21, 51, 81, 111, 141
22	22, 52, 82, 112, 142,
23	23, 53, 83, 113, 143
24	24, 54, 84, 114, 144
25	25, 55, 85, 115, 145
26	26, 56, 86, 116, 146
27	27, 57, 87, 117, 147
28	28, 58, 88, 118, 148
29	29, 59, 89, 119, 149
30	30, 60, 90, 120, 150
31	Psalm 119

And if you will take thirty seconds to review five psalms every day, it is uncanny how one of them will express something that is looking for expression in your heart.

I love how Whitney guides you through this method. I love how he encourages you to try it. I definitely got a Green Eggs With Ham vibe! His passionate pleas to actually pray were compelling and persuasive.

I also love how he quotes some great theologians throughout the book--men, for the most part, who have learned that praying the Bible is transformative in their lives.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #12

Bible Reading

KJV 

Psalms 79-109

Luke 3-24

John

1611 KJV (I finished!!!!!)

Ezekiel 19-48

James

NASB 1977

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings 1-2

Isaiah 1-53

NKJV

1 Samuel 13-20; Psalms 59

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

26. Adventure Bible: Read through the Bible: 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers

26. 8 Bible Stories for Early Readers (Adventure Bible) Illustrations by David Miles. 2025. Zondervan. 248 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars]

First sentence: God spent six days creating his world. That first day, God made light. He said, "Let there be light," and there it was. He made sure the light was separate from the dark. He called the light "day" and the dark he called "night."

This collection of early reader Bible stories (from The Adventure Bible, I believe) is a level 2 'I Can Read' reader. It features eight--presumably previously published and available as individual titles--stories. 

The featured stories are: 

God's Great Creation

Noah's Voyage

Moses Leads the People

Joseph the Dreamer

Ruth and Naomi

Brave Queen Esther

Miracles of Jesus

Paul Meets Jesus

What I like: Bible story books are good. It's good to have big, thick collections to read aloud with children of varying ages. It is good to have individual stories. (I grew up on the ARCH Bible story books.) There's a need for board books and early readers as well. 

What I am meh about: The stories are extremely simplified. Presumably again 'for the audience' or because it is an early reader? But some times vital details that make the story make sense are left out. It almost feels like we're getting the George of the Jungle "they just get really big boo-boos" treatment. This may not annoy a young child. Probably wouldn't. For example, out of all the healing stories in the Bible, they chose the one with the woman who had bled for twelve years--and spent all she had on doctors. She sought Jesus out and touched him. They, of course, did not include any details of her story. Just a woman who touched Jesus and was healed. Is the story fine? Sure. It's fine. But there are other stories that could have been included perhaps that they wouldn't have felt the need to edit so much? Or did they include it just because she is a woman???? Who knows. 

The stories selected felt slightly odd to me. Just slightly. It was like they felt the need to push Esther and Ruth just because they were women. Was that their intent? Maybe. Maybe not. I do *love, love, love* the book of Ruth. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Ruth. But if you are just going to share eight stories--six from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament, then I am not sure they picked the absolute best six. (They could have picked four from the Old Testament and four from the New Testament and included stories about the cross or the resurrection.) 

What I definitely did not like: I thought it was horrible oversight to put MOSES before Joseph. Such a thing just should not be. Will this bother anyone but me? Maybe. Surely I'm not alone in wanting the stories to actually come together as a big picture and make sense. But probably not. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

2. 1611 King James Version

2. The Holy Bible, 1611 Edition, King James Version, 400th Anniversary, Hendrickson Publishers. 1611/2003. God. 1536 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars]

First sentence: In the beginning God created the Heauen and the Earth. And the earth was without forme, and voyd, and darkenesse was vpon the face of the deepe: and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the face of the waters. And God said,  Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God diuided the light from the darkenesse.

I first read the 1611 KJV in digital format in 2021. I was SO thrilled to find a print copy still at a physical store last December. I'd given up hope of finding one. Yes, I could have ordered online. But you can't be discerning about if the layout, the print, the ghosting, the weight, etc., will be *right for you* until you hold it in your hands. Was it? Yes and no. In a perfect world, the font size would be a smidgen bigger--not a horrendous amount. 

I started this one December 25, 2024. I finished this one--minus the apocrypha--on March 18, 2025. 

I absolutely should have remembered that the 1611 KJV included the apocrypha. I didn't. I therefore didn't calculate the time into my reading plan/schedule to include the apocrypha. To be fair, reading it in early-modern English isn't at the top of my to do list. I've read the apocrypha in the KJV, RSV, the NRSV, and I believe the New English Bible? Regardless, I've read it a handful of times in my life. 

I did want the original spelling. I don't know exactly what it is about reading the original spelling that engages and delights me. You might think it would be super difficult or tricky, but your mind can get the hang of it fairly quickly. And the spelling even starts to make some sense if you sound it out in your head. I imagine someone with a drawl. 

The print edition does NOT feature page numbers. I found at least one typo, yet there may be more. (The top of each left hand page includes the title of the book as a header, one of Micah's pages had JOEL substituted. Or to be more accurate, Ioel. It is double column, black letter. Is it a facsimile? No. Yes. Maybe. It is a facsimile of a nineteeth century roman typeface 1611 KJV. It is not a facsimile of the first-first-first ever 1611. It claims to be--and I have no true reason to doubt--that it is word for word, page for page, including the original marginal notes and introductory materials a copy of the original 1611. 

Quotes:

Psalm 34:3 O magnifie the Lord with me, and let vs exalt his name together. 34:4 I sought the Lord, and hee heard me; and deliuered mee from all my feares.

Psalm 37:4 Delight thy selfe also in the Lord; and he shall giue thee the desires of thine heart. 

Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way vnto the Lord: trust also in him, and he shall bring it to passe.

Isaiah 9:6 For vnto vs a child is borne, vnto vs a Sonne is giuen, and the gouernment shalbe vpon his shoulder: and his name shalbe called, Wonderfull, Counseller, The mightie God, The euerlasting Father, The Prince of peace. 

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his gouernment and peace there shall be no end, vpon the throne of Dauid & vpon his kingdome, to order it, and to stablish it with iudgement and with iustice, from henceforth euen for euer: the zeale of the Lord of hostes will performe this.

Isaiah 40:11 He shall feede his flocke like a shepheard: he shall gather the lambes with his arme; and carie them in his bosome, and shall gently lead those that are with yoong.

John 3:16 For God so loued ye world, that he gaue his only begotten Sonne: that whosoeuer beleeueth in him, should not perish, but haue euerlasting life. 

John 3:17 For God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world: but that the world through him might be saued.

Romans 12:15 Reioyce with them that doe reioice, and weepe with them that weepe.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

25. Sing

25. Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church. Keith and Kristyn Getty. 2017. B&H Books. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: We are a singing people because it is how God has created us. It’s what we do. And when we do, we’re simply joining in with what the rest of creation is doing.

It's September. The year isn't over yet. But I'm thinking Sing! may be my favorite book of the year. We'll see. What is it about? Why should you read it? Why should you read it with others? I hope to do the book justice and answer your questions.

Intended Audience: Any believer. Also: Pastors. Elders. Worship Leaders. Band Musicians. Fathers and mothers. Sunday school teachers. Song writers. Anyone who has ever suffered at any time. Anyone who has ever struggled with depression at any time. Anyone who wants to be happy.

What is it about? It's about singing. It's about congregational singing in local churches. It's about singing at home with our families. It's about individual and corporate singing. Chances are you haven't thought of singing as a spiritual discipline. Yet IT IS. So just as you'd read a book about how to pray or how to read the Bible, the Gettys have given us a book on how to sing.

Why was it written? The Gettys' five point aim in writing Sing!

1. To discover why we sing and the overwhelming joy and holy privilege that comes with singing.
2. To consider how singing impacts our hearts and minds and all of our lives.
3. To cultivate a culture of family singing in our daily home life.
4. To equip our churches for wholeheartedly singing to the Lord and one another as an expression of unity.
5. To inspire us to see congregational singing as a radical witness to the world. 

Why should you read it? God designed us to sing praises. Singing praise to the Lord is one of God's ultimate purposes for our lives. Singing is so intimately connected with joy; we are to delight in the Lord and find our satisfaction, our happiness IN HIM.

What did I love about it? I loved, loved, loved everything about this one. I thought it was packed with truth and insight. I thought it was biblical. I thought the authors were persuasive. I loved the passion and enthusiasm. I loved the organization and layout. I loved how practical it was. Also how concise the book was. And I really LOVED the discussion questions. There's also four additional bonus tracks--chapters.

Some of my favorite discussion questions:

1. How has singing played a role in your spiritual development?
2. Can you recall an example of a memorable occasion where you enjoyed singing in church? What about that event made an impact on you?
3. What is the link between thankfulness and singing?
4. What psalm or other Scripture passage resonates with you as your “Song of Salvation”? Why?
5. What song would you consider to be your personal “testimony” song?
6. Is there a hymn, or hymns, from your past that acts as a “milestone marker” for your walk with Christ? Why is it still significant and how does it speak to your heart today?
7. What modern song (new to you in the past few years) has connected with you in such a way that you believe it may become a “milestone” hymn for you in the future?
8. If you grew up in a Christian home, what songs from your childhood do you most remember? What hymns do you know? What Bible verses and stories do you know because of songs? What hymns do you want to pass down to your children?
9. If I were a visitor to your church and knew nothing of the gospel, what would your church music (selections, presentation, and congregational engagement) convey to me about your faith and understanding of the gospel?
10. Do your favorite songs that you love to sing give a broad and deep picture of the character and nature of God? Can the same be said of how we think about God and how we pray to Him? 

The book wasn't just about singing in church--at church. It was about singing seven days a week and really living out what you're singing. 
Favorite quotes:

• We are commanded to sing the Word of God—the truth revealed in the Scriptures, the story of redemption. Fundamentally, we’re to sing about God, revealed in Christ and supremely in His suffering and His glory, since that’s what the Word of God is all about (Luke 24:26–27).
• The songs we sing should not brush along the surface, or pluck phrases out of context, or focus exclusively on ourselves, or describe Jesus in a way His Word does not (or, still worse, to speak in contradiction to His Word). Every part of a lyric should link together to bring a wonderful, thoughtful, deep expression of Scripture to every singer. 
• Worship comes as a response to revelation. Praise is prompted by—compelled by—the revelation of something glorious. And the gospel is the revelation of the most glorious truth in history. 
• Singing gives voice to a heart that deeply knows the gospel of grace. It is the overflow of a heart captivated by the gospel. In as many voices that join together to sing there are as many hearts that are called to know Christ as Lord and Savior. From that place there is a genuine and rich overflow of praise.
• People say you are what you eat. Well, songs are food for the soul. What you sing, and don’t sing, changes you. Your heart and mind require a good, balanced diet of gospel truth that will build you up for your working week, your times of trial, and for each season of life.
• If we are to be prepared to live for Christ in the whole of life, we need to be singing about the whole of life.
• If our songs are not giving us a balanced, rich, nutritious diet, we will not be spiritually healthy people. 
• Our singing can prepare us for every season of life, and sustain us through every season of life. We don’t need a musical escape from our lives; we need to gaze on the Savior of our lives—our refuge and help and comfort. 
• We need to make singing Bible truths second nature to our children, a “second language” in our homes. Sing about those truths when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. Sing with your kids as you put them to bed at night, or you sit down for dinner, or as you drive in the car with a CD on. Sooner or later, they’ll start singing unprompted. Join in with them.
• Songs help us train children in the “language” of the Christian faith. What we want to teach our kids travels deeper inside them when we sing it rather than only speak it to them. 
• While our faith must be taught, it is also “caught” in our homes, through what our kids see and hear from us. And singing is catchy. So sing with your kids. You don’t need to be able to sing well. Our singing always remains more important than the sound it makes.  
•  There may never be a perfect day to start singing truths with your kids. But there is today. They are not too old. They are not too young—we have been surprised that even our two-year-old knows several songs well.
• Our singing casts a light after we are gone. We each bear responsibility in the singing legacy we leave behind us. We should sing with a mind toward those younger than us who are listening in and learning from us.
• Someone took the time to share hymns of faith with us and we are to be faithful in doing the same. 
• As you stand and sing in your church this Sunday, you do not know who is listening, and you can never imagine what the Lord might be doing. 
• As you wake each day, and as you walk through your day, we pray that the lyrics and melodies of your faith will ring around the spaces where you live your life.  

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Sunday Salon #11

Bible reading

KJV

• Psalms 44-78
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke 1-2

1611 KJV

• Jeremiah 17-52
• Lamentations
• Ezekiel 1-18
• 1 Timothy
• 2 Timothy
• Titus
• Philemon
• Hebrews

NASB 77

• Joshua 4-24
• Judges
• Ruth
• Ecclesiastes 6-12
• Song of Solomon

NKJV

• Ruth
• 1 Samuel 1-12

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

24. The Wages of Cinema

24. The Wages of Cinema: A Christian Aesthetic of Film in Conversation with Dorothy L. Sayers. Crystal L. Downing. 2025. 256 pages. [Source: Review copy] [philosophy, film history, biography; 3 stars]

First sentence: The cultural power of narrative cinema has long captured the attention of priests, pastors, and professors who write books assessing film through the lens of Christian faith. 

What is it about? The short answer, of course, is movies. The real answer, however, can best be shared from the book's introduction, "It emphasizes the history of film as well as the development of secular theories about the artistry of its form." 

Sounds simple and straight-forward enough, right? Wrong. Mostly. It complicates the subject--for better or worse. The book theoretically offers a look at film--its past and present. It theoretically offers various summaries of different philosophies or schools of how films are interpreted or critiqued. It theoretically explores how directors and screenwriters relate to their creations--their vision, intent, energy, passion, etc. It theoretically explores film as art and film as philosophy. How what we see on the screen shapes or world views--impacts who we are as human beings. Theoretically. 

Where it is at its messiest--from my personal perspective--is the introduction of this super-analogy (all-encompassing) between cinema and theology. I think this could have been done in a clearer way if the book hadn't spread its focus so thin. 

It makes a good amount of sense to make the connections of ANCIENT THEATRE with the Greek language the New Testament is written in.  It makes sense to share verses where the language/imagery being used to express theological ideas, concepts, doctrines, etc. were drawn from the theatre. However, it isn't satisfied with the historical elements. It persists in this extremely convoluted, intimately connected--joined at the hip--idea that cinema AND Christianity are still just as integral to one another. Which if the author's train of thought was slowed down a couple hundred times, might make sense if properly explained. 

The element that will either make or break the book for readers, however, may be the presence of Dorothy Sayers. The author persists in having Sayers as tour-guide and host for the duration of the book. Sayers being long, long dead, of course, this is done artistically using her nonfiction and fiction. The author sees Sayers as both being qualified as an expert (to borrow a court term) in both FILM and in THEOLOGY. (But was she either???) Sayers words--ideas, concepts, perceived views--are used as a lens to analyze films made long after her death. 

The films being offered as examples are more often than not obscure and far from pop culture. (Not that I expected Sayers to analyze Captain America or Star Wars.) This is to be expected in a book about the history of cinema. Nothing terribly surprising. But what was surprising is that most of the examples come not from the history of film--but from more "contemporary" times. Films whose trailers I would have come across--reviews I would have come across--if not so incredibly obscure and out of the way. I personally wanted more HISTORY and less present day. I wanted a deeper dive into the first thirty years of cinema and not just a deep dive into the past fifteen to twenty years. The focus, for better or worse, was rarely American films--particularly in the history section. The author seems only to care about Russian, Italian, French, German directors in the history of cinema. Same with the film theorists. Again, the movies being discussed throughout are taste-specific, perhaps out of necessity. 

This is without a doubt a book that focuses centrally on ART and being ARTY and ARTSY. About wearing exclusive little genius caps.

What the book truly lacked, in my opinion, was a clear introductory chapter or two about HOW to talk about film, in other words HOW to assess what you are watching and HOW to talk about it. SIMPLE vocabulary lessons with ACCESSIBLE down-to-earth examples that just about anyone/everyone could understand BEFORE progressing into the deep depths of the ocean. 

So the book felt substantively deep--for better or worse. You're deep-diving into THEOLOGIANS from the past and present--from ancient church fathers through the twentieth century. You're deep-diving into film theorists, into philosophers, into directors. You're expected to unpack all of Sayers' philosophy as well. And to make sense of how her thoughts on ARTY-ART directly relate to humanity's connection with God himself. Her theology is tough on its own. But you're not only having to interpret her theology as theology but also her theology as a way to make sense of film. 

I think there has to be a better way for Christians to understand films and film theory. Do I know that such a book exists? No. No, I don't. Do I wish there was a book within reach that is CLEAR and accessible and relatable that would help me unpack more details of what I'm watching--very much so. I would LOVE to learn how to better talk about movies, to more intelligently assess what works or doesn't in a film. 

The one thing I definitely took away from the book was that Sayers truly appreciated when films have consequences AND she didn't really care for sappy happy endings. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible