35. Short-Straw Bride

35. Short-Straw Bride. Karen Witemeyer. 2012. Bethany House. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

ETA: I listened to Short-Straw Bride on audio book. The narrator is Pilar Witherspoon. Her narration was WONDERFUL. I was SO PLEASED that the narration didn't take away from the awesomeness that is Karen Witemeyer's book. I love, love, love, love Karen Witemeyer. I do. I can't hide the fact. I hoped that the audio book would do her book justice...and it did. I was ALWAYS glad to get back to my audio book. That isn't always the case. Sometimes a book can be great and the audio book not as great because of the narrator chosen. HIGHLY recommend this one. 

From the prologue: Ten-year-old Meredith Hayes balled her hands into fists as she faced her tormentor, "Hiram Ellis! Give me back my lunch bucket this instant!"

From chapter one: "I don't think I can do it, Cass." Meredith peered up at her cousin through the reflection in the vanity mirror. Cassandra pulled the hairpin from her mouth and secured another section of Meredith's braided chignon. "Do what?" "Marry a man who wants me only for the land I can bring him." 

Short-Straw Bride is one of my all-time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books. I absolutely love this marriage-of-convenience. Is it a true marriage of convenience? Maybe. Maybe not. The two marry due to circumstances, close to a "shot-gun wedding" if you will. (Though our hero and heroine are innocent of any impropriety.) 

Meredith Hayes, our wonderful heroine, overhears a terrible-horrible plot. She's being "courted" by a villain (though she didn't know it at the time). She rides out to the Archer ranch to warn the four Archer brothers....and her time there on the ranch becomes extended after she suffers an injury....her guardian/uncle demands that one of the Archer brothers steps up and does the right thing and marry Meredith.

I really love this super-sweet and delightful romance. I loved Travis Archer. I loved Meredith. I loved ALL of the Archer brothers. I loved everything about this one.

My original review:

This isn't my first Karen Witemeyer book; however, it is the first Karen Witemeyer book that I absolutely LOVED, LOVED, LOVED. Short-Straw Bride is a Christian historical romance; it is set in Palestine, Texas in the 1880s.

In the prologue, Travis Archer saves the then-ten-year-old Meredith, her leg having gotten trapped in a hunting trap. The incident stays with her, as you might imagine. First, because she can't forget Travis Archer, he is forever her hero, the stuff of her dreams, despite the fact that that isolated incident is the only time she's seen him. Second, because it left a scar on her leg and the damage to the bone prevented it from growing as it should; one leg being slightly longer than the other. 

The novel opens with Meredith all grown up and living with her aunt and uncle who are her guardians. They have arranged a marriage for her with an up-and-coming businessman, Roy Mitchell. Meredith prays for a sign, an indication one way or another if she should marry the man her guardians have chosen for her, or, if she should be stubborn and refuse their choice. And the sign, when it comes, is definite: she not only overhears him calling her a cripple, she overhears him making unethical arrangements to acquire land. He WANTS the Archer land, and since the Archer brothers won't sell, won't negotiate, won't budge, he's decided that if he burns their barn down, it will be a good first step to getting what he wants.

So what's a woman to do? Well, she does try going to the sheriff--or the deputy?--but when she's not taken seriously, when she's instead ridiculed for being a silly woman with a vivid imagination, she does what she must: she rides out to the Archer land herself to warn them. The problem? She doesn't have the time to ride out there and back before nightfall. And she wasn't counting on her cousin giving into the pressure of revealing her whereabouts. So her heroic ride to warn them just in time turns into a compromising reputation-killer. Her uncle demanding that one of the four Archer brothers step forward to marry her....

I admit this one could sound a bit silly to some readers, but, oh how I loved it!!!! I loved Meredith! I loved Travis! I loved their relationship, their marriage, their courtship-coming-after-marriage. I loved seeing how Meredith's presence on the Archer farm transforms the place, transforms the brothers. I loved just about everything in this one!!! There were quite a few giddy-making scenes!

Will Short-Straw Bride appeal to every reader? I doubt it. It's definitely for those that love Christian fiction, those that love Christian historical romance. I could see it having some appeal to non-Christians who love and seek out clean romance novels (smut-free romance novels).

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

34. Cries from the Cross

34. Cries from the Cross. Erwin Lutzer. 2002. Moody. 170 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, christian nonfiction]

First sentence: Were you there when they crucified my Lord? As a child I wondered what those words could possibly mean. Obviously, the author of the hymn intended that we answer yes to the question. And yet, what could be clearer than the fact that I was not there when they crucified my Lord? 

Cries from the Cross is a wonderful book--whether you are reading it for the first time or treating yourself to a reread. In this one, Lutzer is examining Jesus' words spoken from the cross. There is a chapter for each of Jesus' seven statements or 'cries.' There's also a preface, introduction, and epilogue that help set the book into context. 

Do you know what Jesus' seven cries from the cross were? Have you considered how they can speak into your life--how they relate to you personally? If you haven't--or even if you have--it's worth pondering (again). I know that 'pondering' or 'meditating' or 'reflecting' takes time and that the average person prioritizes just about everything else over silence or quiet--but at what costs to our souls? 

Here they are in the order in which he writes about them:

• A Cry for Pardon: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34)
• A Cry of Assurance: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
• A Cry of Compassion: "Dear woman, here is your son...Here is your mother." (John 19:26-27)
• A Cry of Anguish: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46)
• A Cry of Suffering: "I am thirsty." (John 19:28)
• A Cry of Victory: "It is finished." (John 19:30)
• A Cry of Submission: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." (Luke 23:46)

Lutzer clearly and passionately shares the gospel message--that old, old story--that gospel message that when empowered by the Spirit--through the Spirit--can transform lives and take people out of darkness and into the light.

I love, love, love, love, LOVE this one. It is a thrilling read. This was my second or perhaps third time to read it.

Quotes:

To stand at the foot fo the cross is to witness the purpose for which God created the world. Here we see the attributes of God on display; and if we look carefully, we will see ourselves, with all of our needs, sins, and self-deceptions. Thankfully, it is at the cross that God chose to remove His wrath from those who would humbly trust Christ as their sin-bearer. (11)

The cross properly understood exalts no one whom it first does not humble; it gives life only to those whom it first "puts to death." The cross exposes the futility of our self-righteousness; it reminds us that we are sinners, incapable of bringing about our own reconciliation with God. Before the cross we can only stand with bowed heads and a broken spirit. (16)

Unless we see ourselves as deserving of the verdict that Pilate gave to Jesus, unless we see ourselves as worthy of hell, we will never understand the Cross. Someone has said that it is difficult for us to embrace the cross in a day when personal enjoyment is king. Contrary to popular belief, the central message of Christianity is not the Sermon on the Mount or Jesus' parables about love toward one's neighbor. The message that changed the first-century world was that human beings are guilty, helplessly guilty of sins for which they cannot atone. The cross shatters all pride and undercuts the ultimate value of self-effort. The cross stands as proof of God's great love but also reveals our own ugliness. (17)

The church can only live and breathe at the cross; without it, there is no life and no reason to exist. Properly proclaimed, it is "the power of God unto salvation." (19)

Jesus' suffering was terrible for the simple reason that our sin is terrible. (20)

No one can experience the eternal favor of God if they bypass the cross. (25)

Christ was forsaken that we might not be; He experienced hell that we might experience heaven. (28)

Forgiveness sounds like a marvelous idea until you are the one who has to do it. (33)

Words of forgiveness came from His lips when the nails were being driven into His body, when the pain was fiercest, when the jolts of anguish were the sharpest; He prayed as the cross was lowered into the hole with a thud. It was then, when His nerves were yet the most tender, when the pain was the most unfathomable, He who was the victim of history's greatest crime prayed for the criminals. He could forgive because He was about His Father's business. (36-7)

God never lowers His standard of justice to the level of our ignorance. Sins committed in ignorance are still sins. The guilt of those who crucified Jesus was real and objective regardless of how much they understood or did not understand. (41)

We have no idea of the greatness of our sin because we do not understand the greatness of our God. But we have fewer excuses today than ever; we have no reason to turn away from the savior who left us powerful witnesses to His authenticity. (42)

The prayer was not for those who did not want to be forgiven, but for those who would seek it. (45)

Are some sins "unpardonable"? The answer is no, for if the murder of the Son of God was "forgivable" for those who sought forgiveness, then all sins can be forgiven. (46)

There is no unpardonable sin for those who come to Christ for forgiveness. For those who refuse Him, all sins are unpardonable. (46)

He who needed no forgiveness died for those of us who are condemned without it. (47)

Although God forgives us because of Christ, it is neither His job nor His obligation to do so. He forgives us because of undeserved mercy toward us whose just punishment is hell. The cross is the bridge of redeeming love; on it, we walk across the chasm to God, who graciously provided forgiveness for those who believe. If we do not understand this, we do not understand the gospel. (47)

At His birth He was surrounded by beasts, and, now in His death, with criminals. Let no one say God has stayed aloof from the brokenness of our fallen world. He descended that we might ascend with Him to newness of life. (54)

Helplessness is not a curse if it draws us to the only One who can help us. Indeed, if we are not helpless, we cannot be saved. (56)

Jesus was numbered with the transgressors so that you and I could be numbered with the redeemed. Though personally sinless, He was counted as a transgressor by both God and man. He got what He didn't deserve, namely, our sin; and we got what we didn't deserve, namely, His righteousness. (66)

Warren Wiersbe points out that this man was not saved at his last opportunity, but at his first opportunity. (68)

The thief's forgiveness reminds us that there is more grace in God's heart than sin in our past. (69)

If we had been there, how close would we have stood to the cross? Nearby or at a comfortable distance? Would we have been intimidated by the mob, or would we have gladly let the angry rabble-rousers know that we were followers of the Man hanging on the middle cross? Would we stand nearby even if the cross cost us as much as it cost Christ? (82)

Christ did not die to make the Father loving, for He loved us from the foundation of the world. (89)

The first purpose of the cross was not for us, but for God. Yes, Jesus shed His blood for us, but it is even more true to say that He shed His blood for the Father. When the blood was sprinkled on the doorposts of the houses in Egypt, it was put there for the benefit of the families, but it was also put there for God. Jehovah said, "When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). (100)

Let us remember that He was forsaken by God that we might be accepted by Him... Jesus went through darkness that we might have light. He was cursed that we might be blessed. He was condemned that we might be able to say, "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). He suffered hell for us so that we can enjoy heaven with Him. (103)

Either Jesus bears our sin, or we do. If the Father turned His face away from His beloved Son when He was regarded as a sinner, we can be sure that the Father will turn away from every sinner who stands before the Judgement Bar on his own merits. We are either saved by His rejection, or we must bear our own rejection for all of eternity. If those who are in hell should cry, "Why have You forsaken me?" heaven shall remain silent, for they receive the just recompense for their deeds. (103-4)

As Matthew Henry put it, "The torments of hell are represented by a violent thirst, in the complaint of the rich man who begged for a drop of water to cool his tongue. To that everlasting thirst we had all been condemned, if Christ had not suffered on the cross." Hell is heightened desires with decreased satisfaction. Hell is the inflamed desires of the body, with no possibility of a drink. Hell is remembering the Living Water we could have enjoyed on earth that would have taken us to heaven. Hell is a lake of fire, a place of endless, unquenchable thirst. Thankfully, Jesus suffered parched lips that we might be able to drink from the wells of salvation. He endured the thirst of hell, so that its fires might be quenched for us. Of those in heaven we read, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their Shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 7:16-17). (115)

Jesus drank from the cup of death that we might be able to drink from the cup of life. (116)

If your spirit does not go into the hands of God for sakekeeping, it will go into the hands of God for judgment. (146)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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