84. A Wondrous Mystery

A Wondrous Mystery: Daily Advent Devotions. Charles H. Spurgeon. 2024. 144 pages. [Source: GIFT] [4 stars] 

First sentence: This [Genesis 3:15] is the first gospel sermon that was ever delivered upon the surface of this earth.

A Wondrous Mystery is a thirty-day devotional celebrating Jesus, specifically celebrating the first coming of Jesus the Messiah. It isn't exclusively on the birth of Christ. It does continue to expand to the fuller gospel, the bigger picture of WHY Jesus Christ came. It does go beyond the nativity to his life and mission. 

I am not the biggest fan of devotionals HOWEVER I make an exception for meaty, substantive ones like this. This is not a SHORT devotional. Well, all things are relative. Some devotionals literally take up three or four inches of one page--maybe. And of that half is filler, a mild story that truly fails to provide nourishment.  The other half is nice enough but hardly filling enough to be worth one's time. THIS is not that kind of 'short' devotional. Each devotional entry is three to four pages long. And these entries are compiled, I believe, from many, many, many Spurgeon sermons. THERE'S substance here. There's meat to nourish. 

If all devotional books were this well done, I'd appreciate them more. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

81. Christmas in Wisconsin

81. Christmas in Wisconsin. Linda Byler. 2025. 240 pages. [Source: Library] [3 stars, Christmas, Christian romance, Christian fiction]

First sentence: The onset of winter in Wisconsin came suddenly.

Amish fiction is not my typical read although I have read Amish stories here and there. This one has a modern-day Wisconsin setting, and it's a Christmas-ish setting as well. It tells a few (disjointed at least to me) stories. Lydia Beiler is a 'spinster' schoolteacher--Amish, of course--who has spent decades teaching and never had a romance of her own. Laura Slotzfus is a young Amish woman--a teenager--who is being courted. Lydia's suitor is the father of Laura's suitor. Neither romance is fleshed out. And I don't mean in a fleshy-worldly way. I mean in a fictional-literary-basics way. Characters need to actually be developed and stories need to be developed as well. Romance stories should feature romance. I'm not talking steamy romance. I'm talking scenes where the characters are together be that talking about the past, the present, the future OR talking about hopes and dreams and such OR just talking about the day, the weather, anything. 

I wanted LYDIA to have a story beyond the guy that she had a crush on as a teenager coming back to the community with his grown son and him showing up with a basket of fruit and them becoming essentially engaged within thirty seconds. Her: I had a big crush on you as a teenager but you never noticed me. Him: I noticed you and wished I'd picked you instead of the woman I married. I ended up not liking her at all. Do you want me to marry me in three months? 

The other romance was about the same except I'm not sure we actually spent much time with them. It was mostly HIM talking to his dad and others about how much he thought of Laura but she was barely eighteen and he didn't think she'd be interested in marrying him. And with Laura, well, we didn't even get to know Laura that much. I mean we read that she was confused why after sitting together at a wedding why he didn't show up ready to court her within a few days. But essentially no characterization there. 

More time is spent on Laura's parents--Amos and Mary--than on Lydia OR Laura. 

I felt the first half had potential. I felt it was going somewhere probably. The second half was just ALL telling and no showing. There was no relationship development, no character development, no plot. And the last chapter was the worst type of ending to a book where the author dumped forty-million bows onto the story. In other words, it wasn't just one story wrapped up with a pretty little bow. It was let's give happy endings to every character for several generations and all the side characters that were mentioned too. 

All this being said, I think for readers who LOVE and adore Amish fiction, this one might work. I mean the author has a LOT of Amish novels fiction published and they obviously have an audience. I am positive that there are readers out there who do enjoy this type of read. I'm just not the target audience. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

77. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

77. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Barbara Robinson. 1972. HarperCollins. 128 pages. [Source: Bought] [5 stars, realistic fiction, children's classic, children's book] 

The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the Lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse.

Let me ask you a question. Who is the gospel for? Think about it if you want. I'll wait.

Is the gospel for people who have it all together, the people who are good and are always striving to do better, to do more?  Or is the gospel for people who don't have it all together, who don't have the answers, who don't even know that they need to be asking questions? Is the gospel for broken, messed-up, difficult-to-get-along-with people? Or is the gospel for people who aren't-all-that-bad-all-things-considered?

On one hand, The Best Christmas Pageant is a comedy through-and-through. It's narrated by a child who's been tormented by the Herdmans for years. And it captures all the reactions of a town to all the bad stuff the Herdmans do (and say). The narrative voice, for most of the book, is just hysterical.

On the other hand, The Best Christmas Pageant is a much-needed reminder of what Christmas is all about, of what the gospel is all about.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15

And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:11-13 

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10 

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever provides an inside-out look at the nativity story, and captures best why Christ came in the first place.

It is told from the "inside" Christian perspective, a Christian perspective with varying degrees of self-righteousness. That is some characters are presented as more self-righteous than others. But many characters are a bit blind. They have never thought of the gospel as being for the Herdmans. They see themselves as better--significantly better--than those Herdmans!

As if God's grace wouldn't dare include the Herdmans. Jesus die for the Herdmans????? You've got to be kidding, right???? Not them, Lord! Why, that's ridiculous. But the truth is, it's ridiculous for God to save any one of us. None of us--not one of us--merits God's salvation: his mercy and grace.

I liked seeing the Christmas story from a new angle.

They knew that Christmas was Jesus' birthday, but everything else was news to them--the shepherds, the Wise Men, the star, the stable, the crowded inn. It was hard to believe. At least, it was hard for me to believe--Alice Wendleken said she didn't have any trouble believing it. "How would they find out about the Christmas story?" she said. "They don't even know what a Bible is." (55) 

I couldn't believe it. Among other things, the Herdmans were famous for never sitting still and never paying attention to anyone--teachers, parents (their own or anybody else's), the truant officer, the police--yet here they were, eyes glued on my mother and taking in every word. (59) 

When we got home my father wanted to hear all about it. "Well," Mother said, "just suppose you had never heard the Christmas story, and didn't know anything about it, and then somebody told it to you. What would you think?" (68)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

76. Everyday Gospel: Christmas

76. Everyday Gospel: Christmas Devotional. Paul David Tripp. 2025. 55 pages. [Source: Review copy] [4 stars, advent, Christmas devotional]

First sentence: I love Christmas.

Paul David Tripp has a devotional, Everyday Gospel. I read and reviewed it last year, I believe. (Whatever year it released is when I read it. I enjoyed it. I was happy to recommend it. I don't always recommend devotionals, mind you.) He has selected twenty-five readings to count down to Christmas that cover the WHOLE gospel story--with readings that cover Genesis to Revelation. (To clarify, there is not a reading from EVERY book of the Bible. But the readings cover ALL the highlights from both testaments so that if one was reading this one could get a grasp of the 'big picture' of what the Bible is about. It would be an appetizer perhaps for further exploration. 

Each reading and accompanying devotion POINTS TO CHRIST. It was compiled to help FAMILIES have a resource to point their children of all ages to JESUS AS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Less stuff, more Christ. 

Each devotion has a Scripture to be read, a devotion, a reflection with a question or two, and a prayer. There is substance in this one. IT is short. I'm not 100% convinced that you need this one in addition to Everyday Gospel--the 365 day devotional, but it is a nice bonus. Perhaps one could try this one and if they enjoy go out and seek the year-long devotional. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

74. The Christmas Book Flood

74. The Christmas Book Flood. Roseanna M. White. 2025. 175 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, historical romance, holiday romance, Christian fiction]

First sentence: The ringing of the phone quite possibly kept Tatiana Eliasdottir from getting sacked. Its shrill cry brought her jumping to her feet, and a startled look at the clock on the wall showed her that had the phone not pulled her from the sentence half written on the paper in the typewriter, she would no doubt have been late to her job.

Premise/plot: The Christmas Book Flood is set in Iceland during the Second World War, 1944, I believe.

Tatiana Eliasdottir, our heroine, is secretly a published author writing under a false name. Her editor does not know her real name or gender. But she knows him a bit better because of their correspondence AND the fact that she works in the same office. Anders Johannsson, our hero, is an editor and an artist. He fears that his family does not accept his life choices--he's not in the family business, after all. 

When Tatiana's niece comes to spend the holidays AND this visit comes at a particularly busy time--a CHRISTMAS BOOK FLOOD, there are several in the office that help 'babysit' her while she's in the office...including Anders. As they begin to spend time together outside of the office it becomes clear that love is in the air....

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I did. It is a novella. I prefer full-length novels because it allows for more character development and more romance development. But it was an enjoyable Christmas-y read. 

Quotes:

But nothing she saw in the sparsely shops looked right for Anders. Nothing said, I know you and want to know you more. Nothing said, I want this to be the beginning of forever.

She'd been falling in love with him step by step, letter by letter this past year, after admiring him for years before that but deeming him unknowable.

She was, without question, the only woman ever to touch his heart in a way that made him dream of forever by her side. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

14. Sounding Joy

Board book: Sounding Joy. Ellie Holcomb. Illustrated by Laura Ramos. 2022. [September] 24 pages. [Source: Library] 

First sentence: What does joy sound like? Is it quiet like snow? Does joy sound like the laughter of friends that you know? Is joy like the sound of a kiss on your cheek? Or like holding your breath when you play hide and seek? 

Premise/plot: Ellie Holcomb's Sounding Joy is a holiday [Christmas] board book to read aloud to little ones. [I say little ones, but it's also perfectly suitable for the whole family to share together]. It begins by asking readers--or listeners, I suppose--to think about what JOY looks like, sounds like, feels like. What is joy LIKE? It then goes on to share the nativity story of Jesus Christ. That was the full expression of joy. And it is packed with promises that are ever-relevant. Reminders that JOY, inexpressible, resounding, repeating JOY are yet to come. Every Christmas is a reminder of not only what has been fulfilled, but what is coming still.

My thoughts: I definitely enjoyed this one. I loved the art by Laura Ramos. I liked the connections. I liked that it isn't just one or the other. There is a strong connection between what happened in Bethlehem and our present lives. Our joy is found IN Jesus our savior. There is reason to celebrate, rejoice, give thanks, every single day because of Jesus. 

I would have reviewed this one in December of 2022 if my library hold had come in. I am reviewing it now because why wait until next December??? 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

42. Zanna's Gift

Zanna's Gift. Orson Scott Card. 2020. 250 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: There are many ways to lose a child, and none of them is merciful. But like all unbearable things it can be borne, and in the weeks before Christmas 1938, the Pullmans were learning how.

Premise/plot: Zanna's Gift is a LOVELY Christmas novel. Zanna, the youngest of the Pullman family, has a special way to memorialize her older brother, Ernest, after his unexpected death at age fifteen.

The best way to read Zanna's Gift is without knowing a thing about it. I promise you. I'm doing you a favor by NOT summarizing the plot and sharing what Zanna's GIFT was and how it was a gift that kept giving and giving, how that gift came to symbolize so much to the entire family. 

My thoughts: LOVE. I loved this one absolutely and completely from start to finish. It was one of those perfectly perfect EXPERIENCES. It feels like more than just a book, a story, a fictional work. THESE CHARACTERS ARE REAL. How it hasn't been adapted into a movie if it was truly published originally in 2004 is beyond me. It would make an excellent movie.

I would recommend this one to people who aren't necessarily readers. Of course I recommend it to readers who read anything and everything. But for those who are reluctant to pick up books, please consider reading this wonderful amazing book. 

If you LOVE Christmas, this is an absolute must. I could easily see it becoming a book that you feel you HAVE to read each and every year. 

This was my SECOND year to read Zanna's Gift. Last year I was surprised by how magical this read was--a celebration of life, love, and family. This year I was reminded of just how beautiful and touching it is. These characters have remained with me throughout the year. 

Is it Christian fiction? Maybe? Faith plays out in the background of this one. Faith isn't fleshed out in this one--in terms of theology. But I'm not so sure it needs to be for the beautiful themes to come through. There is nothing in Zanna's Gift that is anti-Christian. It is a treat of a book for ALL readers regardless of faith background. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

85. Zanna's Gift

Zanna's Gift. Orson Scott Card. 2020. 250 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: There are many ways to lose a child, and none of them is merciful. But like all unbearable things it can be borne, and in the weeks before Christmas 1938, the Pullmans were learning how.

Premise/plot: Zanna's Gift is a LOVELY Christmas novel. Zanna, the youngest of the Pullman family, has a special way to memorialize her older brother, Ernest, after his unexpected death at age fifteen.

The best way to read Zanna's Gift is without knowing a thing about it. I promise you. I'm doing you a favor by NOT summarizing the plot and sharing what Zanna's GIFT was and how it was a gift that kept giving and giving, how that gift came to symbolize so much to the entire family. 

My thoughts: LOVE. I loved this one absolutely and completely from start to finish. It was one of those perfectly perfect EXPERIENCES. It feels like more than just a book, a story, a fictional work. THESE CHARACTERS ARE REAL. How it hasn't been adapted into a movie if it was truly published originally in 2004 is beyond me. It would make an excellent movie.

I would recommend this one to people who aren't necessarily readers. Of course I recommend it to readers who read anything and everything. But for those who are reluctant to pick up books, please consider reading this wonderful amazing book. 

If you LOVE Christmas, this is an absolute must. I could easily see it becoming a book that you feel you HAVE to read each and every year. 

This was my SECOND year to read Zanna's Gift. Last year I was surprised by how magical this read was--a celebration of life, love, and family. This year I was reminded of just how beautiful and touching it is. These characters have remained with me throughout the year. 

Is it Christian fiction? Maybe? Faith plays out in the background of this one. Faith isn't fleshed out in this one--in terms of theology. But I'm not so sure it needs to be for the beautiful themes to come through. There is nothing in Zanna's Gift that is anti-Christian. It is a treat of a book for ALL readers regardless of faith background. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

79. Christina's Carol

Christina's Carol. Adapted from Christina Rossetti. Illustrated by Tomie dePaola. 2021. [September] 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: 

In the bleak midwinter

Frosty wind made moan;

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone;

Snow had fallen, snow on snow,

Snow on snow,

In the bleak midwinter,

Long ago

"In the Bleak Midwinter" has become one of my favorite Christmas songs. I don't think I appreciated it when I was younger, it is a carol that has grown on me with more life experience. Christina Rosetti wrote In the Bleak Midwinter" (as a poem) in 1872.  

Apparently Tomie dePaola was working on the illustrations for this one before he died. His illustrations for the whole book were incomplete/unfinished. The book 'borrows' from his previous Christmas books depicting the nativity. (I for one could not spot the difference between old and new, but it looks like some reviewers can?)

The poem takes creative license with the details of Christ's birth certainly. But the theology grows in depth and substance with further verses. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Album Review: Waiting Songs

Album Title: Waiting Songs:

Group/Artist: Rain for Roots

Release Date: 2015

Stream on Spotify; Stream on YouTube

Official Website Store

There are ten songs on this children's Christmas album by Rain for Roots. You can stream the album on their official website in a widget (scroll to the very, very bottom of the page.) Or you can stream on YouTube or Spotify. 

From their about us, "Rain for Roots is a collective group of musicians and songwriters who write singable Scripture songs for kids and grown ups alike.  While the albums have featured other collaborators and guest musicians since 2012, Rain for Roots primarily includes four members, Sandra McCracken, Flo Paris Oakes, Katy Hutson Bowser and Alice Smith."

The ten songs are: 

• O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
• Come Light Our Hearts
• Isaiah 11
• Every Valley (It's Hard to Wait)
• The Weight of the World
• Mary Consoles Eve
• Zechariah
• Magnificat
• Great Rejoicing
• Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

The album is a blend of traditional songs and original songs, with the majority being original compositions. One of the compositions is very silly and a bit addictive! (I speak of Zechariah...the one who couldn't speak...for the majority of this silly yet Scriptural story).

There were two or three songs where it was close to love at first...listen. A few that I knew I would want to listen to again, again--as the case may be. But most of the songs had to grow on me. As I listened to the album for a second, third, even fourth time, I began to appreciate the album as a whole. I was not familiar with most of these artists before listening to this album. Again, there was some growing time where I had to get used to the sound, the style, the arrangements, the instruments. 

I would describe the album as mellow, relaxing, original...and most importantly perhaps what I should have said first...Scriptural. 

The most thought-provoking to me was Mary Consoles Eve. 

Come Light Our Hearts 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

Truly our hope is in You 

Truly our hope is in You 

O Lord of life, our only hope 

Your radiance shines On all who look -- to You in the dark 

Emmanuel come, come light our hearts 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

For you, O Lord, our souls in stillness wait 

Truly our hope is in You 

Truly our hope is in You 

O Joy above all other loves 

In you we find more than enough 

We come as we are, O heal and restore 

Come light our hearts

Mary Consoles Eve

Eve, my sister 

The one who took the fall 

Eve, my sister Mother of us all 

Lift up your head 

Don’t hide your blushing face 

The promised One 

Is finally on His way 

Almost, not yet, already 

Almost, not yet, already 

Eve, it’s Mary 

Now I’m a mother too 

The child I carry 

A promise coming true 

This baby comes to save us from our sin 

A servant King, His kingdom without end 

Almost, not yet, already 

Almost, not yet, already 

He comes to make his blessings flow 

As far and wide as the curse is found 

He comes to make His blessings flow 

Almost, not yet, already, 

Almost, not yet, already...soon 

Eve, my sister 

The one who took the fall 

Eve, my sister Mother of us all 

The promised One 

Is finally on His way

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

37. The Wish Book Christmas

The Wish Book Christmas. Lynn Austin. 2021. [September] 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Bobby Barrett stepped off the kindergarten school bus and his foot sank into a pile of fresh snow. Some of the snow fell inside his galoshes and soaked into his socks, making him shiver. He couldn’t remember there being this much snow back home in England, where he was born.

Premise/plot: The Wish Book Christmas is the sequel to Lynn Austin's If I Were You. The year is 1951, the season, Christmas. Eve Dawson and Audrey Barrett are living together with their two sons Bobby (Barrett) and Harry (Dawson). Both women are working hard while prioritizing family. When the boys get their hands on a Sears Wish Book catalog, well, their domestic peace is temporarily threatened. These two boys get a case of the GIMMEs. They want EVERYTHING. Well, not everything. Not baby toys. Not girl toys. But every other toy is GIMME, GIMME, GIMME. Can these two mamas figure out how to show their boys the true meaning of Christmas? 

In addition to being a cozy historical read, it is also a romance. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed If I Were You. I did. But even before I knew this book was a sequel to a book I've already read and enjoyed, I wanted it. THAT COVER SAYS READ ME, READ ME, READ ME. It has to be one of the best covers I've ever seen. I also remember my own Wish Book years. There is a JOY in having a Sears Wish Book in hand and writing that letter to Santa. (For the record, I never wanted everything--nor expected everything.) 

As for the book itself, well, it has a definite cozy, nostalgic vibe. It isn't as intense and suspenseful as the first book. There really isn't any conflict. It's just a comfy-cozy, holiday-themed, light-and-fluffy romance. Definitely has some predictable (but always welcome) themes of what the Christmas season really means. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

109. Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Collection

Joy to the World: A Regency Christmas Collection by Carolyn Miller, Amanda Barratt, and Erica Vetsch. 2020. Kregel. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Joy to the World contains three holiday-themed novellas set in Regency England; the novellas are Heaven and Nature Sing by Carolyn Miller, Far as the Curse is Found by Amanda Barratt, and Wonders of His Love by Erica Vetsch. 

First sentence of Heaven and Nature Sing: THE MUTED GOLD-and-rose-flowered wallpaper of the drawing room seemed to dip and sway as Lady Grantley’s words crept past Edith Mansfield’s disbelieving ears.

Premise/plot: Edith Mansfield is attending a house party--hosted by her godmother. When she arrives she learns that her former fiance, George Bannerman, is also a guest. The two were madly in love last Christmas, unfortunately, after saying yes to his proposal, she had to take it back the next day. This
Christmas will they fall in love again? Will she get a second chance with his heart? Will he forgive her for not explaining fully why the engagement had to end? Is she still in his heart? 

My thoughts: I found this story thoroughly charming. Yes, it is a bit reminiscent of "Last Christmas," but it's super sweet and not a bit annoying. I enjoyed the characters and the plot.

First sentence of Far as the Curse is Found: EVEN THE SKY wept at the sight of him. Dwight Inglewood, the Earl of Amberly, stared out the rain-streaked window of the carriage. London, that grand and fabled city, wore the raiment of a storm. Thunder growled. Thick clouds hung low in the sky. Rain pelted the carriage roof. Pedestrians, dark-garbed blurs of movement, hurried down cobbled streets.

Premise/plot: Dwight Inglewood, our hero, wears a mask to hide his war scars; he shuns the world because he fears rejection--no, he fears repulsion. He doesn't want to be labeled a 'monster' or 'beast.' Nor is he seeking pity. He's content--for the most part--to stay hidden away in the country and remain out of sight and out of touch with the world. But this December sees him visiting London for a few days on business. And while there he rescues Jenny Grey, our heroine--not once but twice! He offers her a job--as a housekeeper in training--at his country estate (he's an earl, of course). And there's a place for her baby, Anna, as well. Can opening his heart to her friendship prepare the way for opening his heart to the wider world? Can she see past his scars and love him just the way she is? Will a few fights in the falling snow and a wondrous library work its magic?

My thoughts: This *has* to be inspired by Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It is a CHARMING and heart-warming story of second chances and redemption. I love, love, loved this one so much.

First sentence of Wonders of His Love: DID A TURTLE ever protest the restrictions of its carapace? Did the canary resent the cage, no matter how gilded, and imagine soaring through the sky? Did a sheep long to leap like a stag and escape the paddock? Cilla played another series of arpeggios on the pianoforte, letting her mother-in-law’s monologue about her various aches and dissatisfactions drift around her. This day varied little from those that had come before it, for weeks, months.

Premise/plot: This novella is set at Haverly Manor. Our heroine, Cilla Haverly, is a widow with a baby--a girl. If her baby had been a son, he'd be the heir. Alas, her husband's younger brother has inherited the title and estate. Him and his wife are expecting a child of their own soon. The mother-in-law (Cilla and Charlotte's mother-in-law) has commissioned portraits of the happy couple to be painted. Hamish Sinclair is a portraitist. He is hoping to be accepted soon in the Royal Academy of Artists. He is immediately attracted to Cilla--but is it mutual???--he can't resist drawing and sketching her and her young baby as well--even though his 'real' commission is of the duke and duchess. Will this holiday season give Cilla a voice and a choice? 

My thoughts: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. Primarily because it stars a Scots man, HAMISH SINCLAIR. Scottish dialect gets me every single time. It's one of my biggest weaknesses. Now the story is good too--solidly good. 

Overall I greatly enjoyed the three stories. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

106. Why Christ Came

Why Christ Came: 31 Meditations on the Incarnation. Joel R. Beeke and William Boekestein. 2013. Reformation Heritage. 108 pages. [Source: Bought]

If someone asked YOU "Why did Christ come?" what would YOU say? Could you share the why of the gospel message? 

Why Christ Came is a wonderful, little book that I would strongly encourage every believer to read and perhaps even read often. It is a gem of a book that from start to finish focuses on the WHY. It isn't the only Christian living book that focuses on the why, of course. But it is concise and so Christ-centered that it may just be the BEST book you'll ever read about the why. (I'll amend that to read the best book outside the Bible itself.) 

Why Christ Came could easily be considered a devotional book. There are 31 readings on WHY Christ came. One could easily read one a day in any month with 31 days and benefit from it using it as a traditional devotional. But it isn't only a devotional book. One could easily read it over a period of a day or two and benefit just as much. 

You might be tempted that this is a seasonal book. That it is a devotional book for the month of December, perhaps, or maybe March or April--whatever month Easter happens to be. But, in my personal opinion, that would be silly--foolish--to think that the incarnation was relevant only once or twice a year. Every single day is a day to CELEBRATE the fact that Jesus came to dwell among us. 

I think that believers should preach the gospel to themselves daily. Believers need to dine daily--find refreshment--from the gospel. The gospel may seem basic and simple at first, but, there is depth, substance, a certain RICHNESS to it that leaves one speechless. 

Each chapter states one reason why Christ came. That one reason may be drawn from one text of Scripture--or several verses. Each chapter directs readers back to the heart of the gospel.

I love that each chapter starts with a couple of Scripture texts. The whole book--cover to cover--is saturated in Scripture. The thirty-one reasons Beeke has chosen to highlight come straight from Scripture and are backed up by additional Scriptures. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Ten Songs You Should Consider Adding to Your 2020 Holiday Playlist

2020 is unlike any other year--at least in our living memory--and the upcoming holiday season will likely be different as well. Though some may choose to keep things as normal as possible, as traditional as possible. This might be a good time for reflecting on why we celebrate the season to begin with. 

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” from Matthew 1 

The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! from John 1

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

All of us like sheep have gone astray,

Each of us has turned to his own way;

But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all

To fall on Him.

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?
His grave was assigned with wicked men,
Yet He was with a rich man in His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

But the Lord was pleased
To crush Him, putting Him to grief;
If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,
He will see His offspring,
He will prolong His days,
And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
As a result of the anguish of His soul,
He will see it and be satisfied;
By His knowledge the Righteous One,
My Servant, will justify the many,
As He will bear their iniquities.
Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great,
And He will divide the booty with the strong;
Because He poured out Himself to death,
And was numbered with the transgressors;
Yet He Himself bore the sin of many,
And interceded for the transgressors. from Isaiah 53

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. from Romans 5

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. from 2 Corinthians 5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory. from Ephesians 1 

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. from Ephesians 2

1. Turn Your Eyes/The Glorious Christ. Sovereign Grace Music. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

2. Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery. Matt Papa and Matt Boswell. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

3. Sing to Jesus. Fernando Ortega. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

4. Give Me Jesus. Fernando Ortega. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

5. Is He Worthy? Andrew Peterson. YouTube video. Lyrics.

6. His Mercy Is More. Matt Papa and Matt Boswell. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

7. How Can I Keep From Singing. Chris Tomlin. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

8. Blessed Be Your Name. Matt Redman. YouTube video. Lyrics. 

9. Behold the Lamb of God. Andrew Peterson. YouTube video. 

10. Let the Nations Be Glad. Matt Papa and Matt Boswell. YouTube video. Lyrics.  

The Playlist. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Lost December

Lost December. Richard Paul Evans. 2011. 346 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: My seventh grade English teacher, Mr. Adams, used to say, “No matter how thin the pancake, there are still two sides.” Two sides to every story. People mistake that little chestnut for wisdom—as if all real evil in this world can be explained away if we’ll but listen to the other side of the story. Tell that to your local serial killer. I believe that adage amounts to nothing more than moral laziness—a motto for people who carry moral compasses without needles. Make no mistake, all evil has its side of the story.

Premise/plot: Lost December is a modern adaptation of the parable of the prodigal son. Luke Crisp is the only son of a wealthy businessman, Carl Crisp. The family business is Crisp Copy Centers with hundreds of locations across the United States. Luke goes away to an Ivy League school to get his MBA. He falls in with a bad crowd, falls deep. These are his people, his tribe. Sean, the leader of the Wheaton Seven, convinces him that his father is just trying to mold him and shape him into a carbon copy of himself. There is no freedom or independence to be had so long as he just follows in his dad’s footsteps and does what is expected of him. Wouldn’t it be great fun to do whatever you want, whenever you want—no rules, no restrictions, nobody bossing you around, no responsibilities?! Luke takes his trust fund and his best friends on the vacation of a lifetime. But hard consequences follow...

My thoughts: Lost December is all about redemption and grace, a celebration of unconditional love. The father’s love for his son is unconditional and extravagant.

This was a compelling read and a quick one.



© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Wedding Dress Christmas

The Wedding Dress Christmas (The Wedding Collection #3.5) Rachel Hauck. 2019. 150 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: JoJo In the glow of the town’s newly strung Christmas lights, all her fears seemed to fade. How could anxious thoughts survive in the gold and silver of the most wonderful time of the year?

The Wedding Dress Christmas is a novella set in a popular Christian series by Rachel Hauck. Though I have not read any of the previous books in the series, I was able to enjoy this one. In fact, I found it a bit giddy-making.

The heroine, JoJo, is hiding out in her small hometown of Hearts Bend, Tennessee. Big city life left her feeling ashamed and out of sorts after a sexual assault. She hasn't really been able to trust many men yet (outside her family) but when her high school crush who is now a country super-star, Buck Matthews, returns to town...will this finally be their chance to get it right?

This one does feature the supernaturally magical WEDDING DRESS that somehow manages to fit every single person who tries it on regardless of their height or size. The dress, I'm thinking, is supposed to represent Christ's righteousness which cloaks his bride, the church.

This one packs a LOT of charm and tenderness. It would make a super lovely holiday film. I think it would translate to film well. I would recommend it to anyone--Christian or not--who enjoys watching romantic Christmas movies.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Prepare Him Room #2

While Joy to the World is not my favorite Christmas hymn, there is one line in the lyrics that resonates deeply with me. Let every heart prepare him room...What does that mean for you and me as another holiday season approaches. How can we--as individuals, as a church body--prepare our hearts to receive, to celebrate Christ's coming?

“If you prepare your heart, you will stretch out your hands toward him. If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents. (Job 11:13-14)

Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86:11

With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:10-11)

I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. (Psalm 119:15)

Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. (Psalm 119:36-37)

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. Psalm 119:104

Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. Psalm 119:111

What do you joy in? What do you take joy in? Do you find joy--pleasure, happiness, contentment--in sin? Or do you find joy--pleasure, happiness, contentment--in Christ? Have you turned away from sin and turned towards Christ? We are called to love the Lord our God with all our hearts. All. If we are holding onto sins--pet sins, my preciousss--then we are not loving God with all. The more we love God, the more we'll hate sin and want to "put it far away." 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Prepare Him Room

While Joy to the World is not my favorite Christmas hymn, there is one line in the lyrics that resonates deeply with me. Let every heart prepare him room...What does that mean for you and me as another holiday season approaches. How can we--as individuals, as a church body--prepare our hearts to receive, to celebrate Christ's coming?

• For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. - Ezra 7:10 ESV 
• For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments. Ezra 7:10 KJV 
• Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the Lord, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:10 HCSB 
• For Ezra had set his heart (resolved) to study and interpret the Law of the Lord, and to practice it and teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:10 AMP
• This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the laws of the Lord and to become a Bible teacher, teaching those laws to the people of Israel. Ezra 7:10 Living
• For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. Ezra 7:10 NIV

Set his heart. Prepared his heart. Determined in his heart. Resolved. Devoted himself. To study. To seek. To study and interpret. To observe. To obey. To practice. To do. To teach.
As the Christmas season approaches us may we all be like Ezra. #preparehimroom#prepareyourheart

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Keeping Holiday

Keeping Holiday. Starr Meade. Illustrated by Justin Gerard. 2008. Crossway. 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: The car, already barely moving, came to a complete stop. Dylan looked out his window at the car in the next lane, then at the car on the other side. Neither of them moved either. "Guess we'll be sitting here for a while," Dad said, but he wasn't complaining. "It's just like last year and the year before that," Mom said, and she she wasn't complaining either.

Premise/plot: Dylan loves, loves, loves to go to Holiday with his family. But as he gets older, he begins to wonder is there a way to keep holiday all year long?! He won't find answers quickly--no, it will take several Holiday vacations before he even begins his four-day-quest to discover the real Holiday. (The Holiday he's been visiting with his family year after year, he learns, is merely the Visitor's Center of Holiday.) His parents send him on his journey, hoping for the best, but knowing that he must do this all on his own. But he won't be on his journey alone, Clare, his cousin, joins him. And he will find hindrances along the way. Namely a Mr. Smith who seems determined to keep him from discovering the real Holiday and becoming an authorized guest. 

If there's a resounding theme (or echo) to this Christmas-themed allegory  it's this: You can't find the Founder; he finds you. He's not just the Founder, he's the Finder too. 

My thoughts: The book is strange. I won't lie. You have to accept the strangeness, almost welcome and celebrate the strangeness, the foreignness. It requires you to completely suspend your disbelief and accept the way things work in a fictional world. Yes, this is required in speculative fiction too, but, even more so in allegory or parable.

Keeping Holiday is an allegory about salvation. Dylan and Clare are "seeking" salvation and discovering that they wouldn't even be seeking if God wasn't the Seeker. The two discover that God is the author of salvation from start to finish. Of course, this being an allegory, readers never hear talk of God or Christ or Jesus or Christmas or Easter or the cross or the resurrection. One learns about an Emperor and a Founder and a King.

I do like the fact that the book acknowledges there is a difference between celebrating Christmas and celebrating the CHRIST of Christmas. That one can only really genuinely celebrate Christmas when you know the Savior. Knowing Jesus, loving Jesus, trusting Jesus, worshipping Jesus enhance Christmas celebrations. There is a very specific reason for the season--and it isn't an excuse to eat cookies or buy yourself stuff. So I liked aspects of this one very much. But other elements just didn't quite work for me--as allegories.

For example, in real life, the gospel should be presented clearly, openly, unashamedly, all year long. No games, no waiting games, no teasing, no follow the clues and hints, and maybe just maybe I'll tell you more. The gospel should not be presented in a scavenger-hunt way. The gospel should not be presented  vaguely or smugly or 'you'll see for yourself later after you follow this long and hard trail.' That's not to say that the gospel isn't personal. It is. You cannot have faith for another person. You cannot have trust for another person. You can't pass out faith like you pass out tracts. It doesn't work like that. So, yes, it is something that a believer has to experience on their own. And they do have a 'faith journey' in a way.   But the gospel is something simple and clear and factual.

This was my fifth time to read Starr Meade's Keeping Holiday.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol

52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol. Bob Welch. 2015. Thomas Nelson. 224 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Of all Charles Dickens's books, A Christmas Carol is his most popular, and--though highbrow critics might disagree--some believe his best.

Are there really fifty-two lessons to be learned by a close, careful reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? Maybe. Part of me wishes that this one was just titled "Little Lessons From A Christmas Carol" because the 52 part of the element makes it gimmicky.

Who is this one written for? Christians primarily. Though A Christmas Carol may be read by believers and unbelievers alike, this book focuses on the spiritual and moral lessons to be gained by reading the book. The publisher is a Christian publisher. I mention this because some reviews are like WHY is the book so spiritual. I could dismiss those reviews without giving them any thought or credit, but realistically every single reader comes to a book with expectations.

The chapters are short and could easily be read as a devotional book. One could use this for devotional readings in November and December.

The lessons are straightforward and somewhat obvious. The advice he gleams from Dickens' novel is not new and extraordinary. "Be the change you want to see." "Learning begins with listening." "Denial prevents change." "You make the chains that shackle you."

Favorite quote: "To not pay attention is to miss the wonder of being alive. To miss the people around us, the needs around us, and the beauty around us. And we miss the umbrella above it all: the God who loves us unconditionally." (55)

Also: "To notice is to see. To see is to feel. To feel is to build connections with those around us. And to build connections with those around us is to fulfill God's co-priority for us: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' (Matthew 22:39). (138)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible