October Reflections

Bible Reading

• In October, I read Psalms 120-130 thirty days in a row.
• In October, I read Matthew 21-24 thirty days in a row.
• In October, I continued to read the HCSB using a very modified Professor Horner plan.
• In October, I finished three Bibles: the 1537 Thomas Matthew Bible, the Berean Study Bible, and the King James Version. 
• In October, I began reading the Jubilee translation using the Power 60 reading plan on YouVersion. I am currently in Psalms.
• In October, I continued the ESV M'Cheyne reading plan using the ESV app. 
• In October, I used the Shred Bible reading plan (30 day plan) to read through most of the RSV Schuyler. (I still haven't read the apocrypha yet.)
• In October, I started the New Testament in 90 Days plan using the Lexham English Bible.

Books Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

63. Fix Your Eyes: How Our Study of God Shapes Our Worship of Him. Amy Gannett. 240 pages. [October] [Source: Review copy]
64. The Barrister and the Letter of Marque. Todd M. Johnson. 2021. 412 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
65. The Joy of Hearing: A Theology of the Book of Revelation. (New Testament Theology #1) Thomas R. Scheiner. 2021. [November] 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]
66. Braced for Love. (Brothers in Arms #1)Mary Connealy. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]
67. A Man with a Past (Brothers in Arms #2) Mary Connealy. 2021. [July] 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]
68. Behold the Lamb of God. Russ Ramsey. 2011. 160 pages. [Source: Bought]
69. Love on the Range. (Brothers In Arms #3)Mary Connealy. 2021. 304 pages. [Source: Review copy]
70. Do You Believe? Twelve Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life. Paul David Tripp. 2021. [October] 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]
71. Ecclesiastes. Illustrated by Cynthia Rylant. 2018. 40 pages. [Source: Library]
72. When Words Matter Most: Speaking Truth With Grace To Those You Love. Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser. 2021. [September] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
73. The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. Amanda Cox. 2021. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

 Bibles Reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

8. Berean Study Bible. God. 2020. 1504 pages. [Source: Gift] [Source: Free Online]
9. 435E1B Paragraph Bible, Holy Bible, King James Version. Local Church Publisher. 1950 pages. [Source: Gift]
10. Matthew's Bible 1537. William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, John Rogers. 1537. 4304 pages. [Source: Bought]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

First Impressions of Using the Daily Offices from the Book of Common Prayer

Two things you should know 1) I began using/doing/reading the Daily Offices the last week of September 2021 and 2) I am NOT an Anglican/Episcopalian. (I was completely new to the Book of Common Prayer and had zero experience). 

I spent the first few days searching the internet for tips on how to actually use the Book of Common Prayer. I am glad I persevered through some early intimidation. 

I think the easiest way to get a feel for the Book of Common Prayer is this website: https://www.dailyoffice2019.com/ (There's also an app.) 

The site does most--if not all--of the hard work for you. Notably, you'll never have to flip through a super-confusing chart, table, index, or calendar to know what "week" you are in. For example, The Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost, or the Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity (Proper 26) Nor, will you have to use all your energy trying to decode and decipher lectionary charts to find out where you should be reading in the Bible. The site does all the work for you. The Scriptures, liturgy, daily readings, daily collects (fancy word for prayers), all right there ready to go. No marking pages. No flipping back and forth. No distractions. 

I would recommend leaving the site on the standard settings for the first few days. But. The settings are adjustable--to a certain degree. Notably you can select if you want to read through the book of Psalms (or the Psalter) in thirty days or sixty. You can decide if you want to read through the Bible (or most of it) in one year or two years. There's a half-dozen or so adjustments you can make to better suit your needs. But don't stress about all these decisions. 

If you do decide to leave the settings on the standard settings (the original settings), then the Daily Office podcast is a great resource if you prefer audio. OR if you prefer to read along while someone reads. This podcast only does the Morning Office currently. 

I personally decided to switch the psalms to thirty days instead of sixty so the podcast no longer matches what I'm reading. 

So there are various offices throughout the day. Morning, Noonday, Evening, and Compline. Noonday and Compline stay the same--relatively--day to day or night to night. Same Scriptures. Same liturgy. But that doesn't mean there isn't value or worth. In particular, Compline was almost love at first sight. Morning and Evening Offices change every day though there is a pattern, formula, or rhythm. 

Perhaps you want a more traditional--yet effortless--way to participate in the Daily Offices. Parish Prayer offers Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. The main page offers not only today's offices but looks ahead  several days. You may stream the audio OR click through to liturgy and read the office yourself. (Or read along with the audio.) 

The Church of England does have on its website a link to their podcast Daily Prayer. This is morning and evening services. 

There are so many great resources online for free. (Of course, there are plenty of resources available to purchase as well.) 

I am guessing that the Book of Common Prayer most in use in the United States is still the 1979 edition of the BCP. This can be found online in several places. But this website offers a great experience: The (Online) Book of Common Prayer: https://bcponline.org/  It even has the page numbers matching the book edition. If you want to learn the mechanics of the Book of Common Prayer and begin crafting your own unique experiences and prayer services, then this site is a great place to start. 

There are two "rites" for morning and evening. One being more formal and traditional and the other being more contemporary. 

For example, I'll share both sins of confession for the evening prayers. The first being rite II and the second being rite I.

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

and

Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our
own hearts, we have offended against thy holy laws,

we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
spare thou those who confess their faults,
restore thou those who are penitent,
according to thy promises declared unto mankind
in Christ Jesus our Lord;
and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

 

Using the text of the Book of Common Prayer itself instead of a site that automatically does all the work for you, you are able to craft your own experience and personalize it to a greater degree. (Not completely or totally. There is still a formula or pattern to follow.) 

It is also available as a pdf file. 

The Book of Common Prayer 2019 by the Anglican Church in North America is also available in its entirety. Download all thousand pages in a pdf file. Or click the red links for WORD files! You can print the pages you need--like the Daily Offices. 

There are many, many, many editions of the Book of Common Prayer. One site pulls together all the resources for you--United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, etc. These are mainly older editions of the Book of Common Prayer that are in the public domain. This site wouldn't be my first recommendation for those looking to get started. But you can find links to the 1928 Book of Common Prayer to read online or download. And if you are looking for the Coverdale Psalter to read online--that has not been updated--this may be your best place to start.

Now to switch from dumping resources (all of which I found myself using/visiting throughout the month), I'll go back to sharing some of my first impressions. 

I really LOVE Compline. I do. I printed out several Compline services--2019 (of course), 1979, and tracking down some of the others. I then started adding my own additions. The service does say "appropriate psalms" may be substituted. I didn't remove the traditional psalms--Psalm 4, Psalm 31:1-5, Psalm 91, Psalm 134. But I did find myself adding some additional psalms: Psalm 16, Psalm 23, Psalm 51, Psalm 61, Psalm 84, Psalm 86, Psalm 103, Psalm 130. I call this LONG compline. It's like wrapping yourself in all the promises of God. And it is LOVELY to focus all your thoughts Godward at the end of the day. 

I often forget about Noonday until late afternoon. 

It was easy to incorporate Morning Office or Morning Prayer into my daily routine. It now fits nicely between checking emails and my morning tea. I do the Morning Prayer before reading my M'Cheyne plan (which I started back in January). 

I like evening prayers--but perhaps my evenings are more hectic and distraction prone than my morning devotions. 

I don't love, love, love all liturgy equally. I find myself drawn to and loving *some* elements a great deal. I love, for example, the Lord's Prayer and Apostle's Creed being front and center (perhaps only second to Scripture itself). I think as believers we need to saturate ourselves not only in Scripture (which is key) but also rich doctrinal truths. These truths are affirmed and reaffirmed multiple times throughout the day. Time and time and time again you are reminded of who God is and what God has done. God's love, mercy, and grace is central. The liturgy grounds you and encourages deep roots to grow. 

All month long I've been thinking about what I wanted to share about my impressions. I found this quote in a book, and, I was like this is IT, this is what I truly want to say on the subject. Of course, the author is NOT referring to the Book of Common Prayer. But he is speaking of devotions and prayer in general.

"I am convinced that spending time each day in spiritual meditation and worshipful prayer is a powerful tool of sanctifying grace in the hands of our faithful and loving Redeemer. Permit me to list how the regular habit of personal worship contributes to God's ongoing work of personal heart and life transformation. Daily study of God's word, worship, and prayer will result in the following: 

A deeper knowledge of the nature and character of God. 

A clearer understanding of how God works.

An ever-deepening love for and trust in him.

A deeper willingness and commitment to surrender your life to him.

A deeper knowledge of yourself as a sinner, sufferer, and saint.

A deeper understanding of the life you have been called to as a child of God

A deeper and more practical grasp of the truths of God's Word.

A clearer and more practical understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A deeper awareness of the nature of sin and temptation.

More regular patterns of conviction of sin, confession, and repentance.

Being better prepared for spiritual warfare and Satan's attacks.

Becoming more and more thankful for God's presence, power, and promises and the blessings of being loved by Him."

                                                                                             Paul David Tripp

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

73. The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery. Amanda Cox. 2021. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Sarah nudged aside last night's puddle of clothes with her bare foot, the exposed designer label sticking out a bit too much.

The Secret Keepers of Old Depot Grocery is a multigenerational saga following three generations of women: Glory Ann (the grandmother), Rosemary (the mother), Sarah (the daughter). If you haven't guessed it from the title, these women each have secrets of varying significance. 

Sarah Ashby, our "present day" heroine, has returned to her hometown after being widowed. She's distraught--but not for the reasons you might think. Hence the secret.

Rosemary Anderson, Sarah's mother and Glory Ann's daughter, has a secret as well. What she isn't keeping secret is her desire for her daughter to NOT come home. I'll rephrase that, Rosemary does NOT want her daughter's life to be limited by her small hometown. Not after she's "escaped" once. No, it would be better for Sarah (so she says) that she returns to the big city (Chicago) and go on living life to the fullest. She's also not keeping secret the fact that it is time to sell the family-owned grocery story, Old Depot.

Glory Ann Clearwater, Sarah's grandmother and Rosemary's mother, has a few secrets as well. She loves, loves, loves the store and cares deeply about her family. She adores Sarah. The two are like peas in a pod. 

The book alternates time periods and narrators. The present day is almost always focused on Sarah. The past alternates between Glory Ann and Rosemary. The past starts in June 1965. 

I really enjoyed so many things about this one. I liked the family. I loved, loved, loved, loved, LOVED Clarence Clearwater. He's a tremendous character. His story arc is HEARTBREAKING. I did enjoy watching these relationships build and rebuild. Plenty of substance.

There was only one major flaw as far as I'm concerned. It's the kind of thing that irritates/frustrates/disappoints me greatly. However, I would imagine most readers couldn't care less. In April 1972, Cox has a young Rosemary (and a younger sister, Jessamine) wear ELMO on their matching outfits. April 1972. 1972. If you guessed that Elmo--the muppet--had not even been constructed let alone voiced by Kevin Clash in April of 1972, you'd be correct. It would have made much more sense if they'd been wearing BIG BIRD sweaters. Elmo "was born" if you will in the 1980s. I believe Kevin Clash gave him his iconic voice and personality circa 1985? 1986? Before he was a background muppet with no distinctive voice or characteristics. Wikipedia lists his first appearance as 1980 in the video We're All Monsters. Again that would have been as a background muppet--a long, long, long stretch from main character. 

I was also slightly skeptical that glass bottles would have still been used for Coca Cola in 1982? But for that I remain uncertain. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

72. When Words Matter Most: Speaking Truth With Grace To Those You Love

When Words Matter Most: Speaking Truth With Grace To Those You Love. Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser. 2021. [September] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Welcome, reader, to a book about conversations. During the last few months of writing this book, personal conversations have taken on a new significance in our world. 

The authors, Cheryl Marshall and Caroline Newheiser, stress the importance of speaking truth--with grace--to those you love. They encourage their readers--and the assumption is mainly that the readers will be women--to speak with truth and grace to their family, friends, coworkers. Don't shy away from hard, tough, uncomfortable conversations--at least not because of fear. When you speak the truth--aka The Word of God--with love and grace, you are speaking words of life, empowered words. The Word of God always accomplishes the will of God. And your speaking the truth with love and grace may be the means by which the Holy Spirit does his work. 

This is not to say that it is always, always, always the time to speak. After all, in Ecclesiastes we read that there is a time to speak and a time to be silent. But more often than not, we stay silent out of fear rather than a lack of opportunities. I should also stress that the book is not advocating readers becoming like Job's friends! Job's friends weren't speaking with grace nor showing much love. And their truth, well, much of it wasn't truth so much as opinion. 

The two share plenty of personal composite fictionalized experiences about their experiences. Some of the experiences they have been on the giving end. Some of the experiences they have been on the receiving end. And that is how it should be. If you are only willing to give advice but never to take it, willing to share verses but never receptive to hearing, then there's a problem. 

I think this also deals with knowing, understanding, listening, caring. It isn't just about let me throw a brick of Scripture at you with a smile and a wave. There's a great line from Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery. Mr. Harrison has this to say about Mrs. Rachel Lynde: "I detest that woman more than anybody I know. She can put a whole sermon, text, comment, and application, into six words, and throw it at you like a brick." 

This book is practical. Several chapters serve more as topical guides to Scripture for common problems and issues facing us all. 

There were a few places this book seemed a little too self-promotional. For example, one of the suggestions was for you to read paragraphs out loud from this book to share with your friends. But for the most part, I think the book was solid. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

71. Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes. Illustrated by Cynthia Rylant. 2018. 40 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.

The text has been edited--for better or worse--by Cynthia Rylant. The text is drawn from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 11a. I'm using the King James Version which Rylant mostly relies upon.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace... He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.

She does tack on "And the earth abides forever" from Ecclesiastes 1:4.

Each two page spread has a few words from Ecclesiastes. 

To be honest, "Turn, Turn, Turn" by The Byrds is more faithful to the original text. In that it does not subtract from the original text. It does add an, "I swear it's not too late." But it does not subtract chunks of verses. 

I've shown below what Rylant has subtracted from the original. 

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace... He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

10. Matthew's Bible 1537

Matthew's Bible 1537. William Tyndale, Myles Coverdale, John Rogers. 1537. 4304 pages. [Source: Bought]

The link to the kindle book. 

First sentence: 1:1 In the beginnynge GOD created heauen and erth. 1:2 The erth was voyde and empty, and darcknesse was vpon the depe, and the spirite of God moued vpon the water. 1:3 Than God sayd: let there be light: & there was lyght. 1:4 And God sawe the lyght that it was good: & deuyded the lyght from the darcknesse, 1:5 & called the lyght the daye, & the darcknesse the nyght: and so of the euenyng & mornyng was made the fyrst daye. 1:6 And God sayde: let there be a fyrmament betwene the waters, & let it deuyde the waters a sonder. 1:7 Than God made the fyrmament, and parted the waters whyche were vnder the fyrmament, from the waters that were aboue the fyrmament: And it was so.

I find the history of English Bible translations to be ever-fascinating. Better than reading about the translation process--aka how we got our Bible into English--is to actually read some of these early translations. 

In 1537, John Rogers under the pseudonym "Thomas Matthew" assembled and published the Matthew Bible. Essentially comprised of William Tyndale's translation work in the New Testament and part of the Old Testament (Genesis - 2 Chronicles) AND Myles Coverdale's Old Testament (the remaining books that Tyndale had not translated before his death). 

I began reading this one September 2, 2021. I finished on October 21, 2021. I really enjoyed this one. The more I read these translations with the original spelling, the more I love them. I can appreciate the artistry of non-conforming spelling. For example, mynynister instead of minister and worckemanshyppe instead of workmanship. Both words are completely decipherable. And it's just FUN. 

Quotes:

John 1:1 In the begynnynge was the worde, and the word was with God, & the worde was God. 1:2 The same was in the begynnynge wyth God. 1:3 All thynges were made by it and without it was made nothynge that was made. 1:4 In it was lyfe, and the lyfe was the lyght of men, 1:5 & the lyght shyneth in the darknes, but the darknes comprehended it not.

John 4:24 God is a spyryte, and they that worshyp hym, must worshyp hym in spiryte and trueth. 4:25 The woman sayd vnto him: I wot well Messias shal come, whiche is called Christe. When he is come, he wyll tell vs all thinges.

John 6:38 For I came doune from heauen: not to do myne owne wyll, but his wyll which hath sent me. 6:39 And this is the fathers wyll which hath sent me, that of all whiche hath geuen me, I shoulde loose nothinge: but shoulde rayse it vp agayne at the laste daye. 6:40 And this is the wyll of him that sent me: that euerye man which seeth the sonne and beleueth on him haue euerlasting lyfe. And I wyll rayse him vp at the laste daye.

John 14:1 And he sayd vnto hys disciples: Let not youre hertes be troubled. Beleue in God & beleue in me. 14:2 In my fathers house are manye mansyons. Yf it were not so, I wolde haue told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 14:3 And yf I go to prepare a place for you, I wyl come agayne, and receyue you euen vnto my self, that wher I am, there may ye be also.

John 14:6 Iesus sayd vnto hym: I am the waye, the truthe and the lyfe. And no man commeth to the father, but by me. 14:7 Yf ye had knowen me, ye had knowen my father also. And nowe ye knowe hym, & haue sene hym.

John 14:14 Yf ye shall axe any thyng in my name, I wyl do it. 14:15 Yf ye loue me, kepe my commaundementes 14:16 & I will praye the father, and he shal geue you another conforter, that he may byde with you euer 14:17 which is the spirite of truth whom the worlde can not receyue, because the world seeth hym not, neyther knoweth hym. But ye knowe hym. For he dwelleth with you, & shal be in you.

Romans 3:23 for al haue sinned, and lacke the prayse that is of valoure before God, 3:24 but are iustifyed frelye by hys grace thorowe the redempcion that is in Christe Iesus, 3:25 whome God hath made a seate of mercye thorowe fayth in hys bloude, to shewe the rightuousnes whiche before hym is of valoure, in that he forgeueth the synnes that are passed, whiche God dyd suffer 3:26 to shewe at thys time the ryghteousnes that is alowed of hym that he myghte be counted iuste, and iustifyar of hym which beleueth on Iesus.

2 Timothy 3:16 For al scripture geuen by inspyracion of God, is profytable to teache, to improue, to amende and to instruct in ryghtuousnes, 3:17 that the man of God maye be perfecte and prepared vnto all good workes.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quicke and myghty in operacion, and sharper then anye two edged swerde, and entreth through, euen vnto the diuiding a sonder of the soule and the spirite, and of the ioyntes and the marie, and iudgeth the thoughtes and the ententes of the herte: 4:13 neyther is there anye creature inuisible in the syght of him. For all thinges are naked and bare vnto the eyes of him, of whom we speake. 4:14 Seyng then that we haue a great hye prieste, which is entred into heauen (I meane Iesus the sonne of God) let vs holde our profession. 4:15 For we haue not an hye prieste, whiche can not haue compassion on our infirmities, but was in all pointes tempted, lyke as we are, but yet without sinne.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and se how frendly the Lorde is, blessed is the man that trusteth in hym.

Psalm 37:4 Delyte thou in the Lorde, & he shall geue the thy hertes desire. 37:5 Committe thy waye vnto the Lorde, sette thy hope in hym, and he shall brynge it too passe.

Psalm 23:1 A Psalme of Dauid. The Lord is my shepherde, I can want nothynge. 23:2 He fedeth me in a grene pasture, and ledeth me to a freshe water. 23:3 He quickeneth my soule, and bryngeth me forth in the waye of righteousnes for his names sake. 23:4 Though I should walke now in the valley of the shadow of death, yet I feare not euel for thou arte with me: thy staffe & thy shepehoke comforte me. 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me agaynste myne enemyes: thou anoyntest my head with oyle, and fyllest my cuppe ful. 23:6 Oh let thy louing kyndnes and mercy folowe me all the dayes of my life, that I may dwell in the house of the Lorde for euer.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

70. Do You Believe?

Do You Believe? Twelve Historic Doctrines to Change Your Everyday Life. Paul David Tripp. 2021. [October] 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Writing this book has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. 

One of the book's greatest strengths is the layout. Tripp first introduces a historic doctrine--twelve in all--in the next chapter, he then illustrates how a firm belief in that doctrine will impact/effect your everyday life. Each of the twelve doctrines has two chapters devoted to it. One looking at the doctrine up, close, and personal. These chapters tend to have a good, solid structure of biblical support. The other looking at practical application. These chapters tend to be a blend of FICTIONAL composite stories--think of it as equivalent to WORD PROBLEMS in math--and thought provoking prose. 

The twelve doctrines are as follows:

The Doctrine of Scripture

The Doctrine of God

The Doctrine of the Holiness of God

The Doctrine of God's Sovereignty

The Doctrine of God's Omnipotence

The Doctrine of Creation

The Doctrine of the Image of God in Man

The Doctrine of Sin

The Doctrine of Justification

The Doctrine of Sanctification

The Doctrine of Perseverance and Glorification of the Saints

The Doctrine of Eternity

All twelve doctrines are important. They are not the only doctrines that are important, mind you. But they are not frivolous or secondary either. And the book never claims to be comprehensive and exhaustive. The book is four hundred pages as is. I think having more than twelve doctrines would have made it a more intimidating read.

The book stresses the need for believers--all believers--to live out their faith. It is not enough to assert belief in a doctrine if that doctrine doesn't really have a deeper connection to how you actually live your life. If your doctrine isn't informing, transforming, reforming, shaping, molding your life, then you may be more influenced by the world than you'd like to think. Doctrines aren't just for a couple of hours on Sunday. 

Tripp writes, "The enemy of your soul will gladly give you your formal theology, if in your real daily life he can control the thoughts and motives of your heart and, in so doing, control the way you act, react, and respond."

Read that paragraph enough times, it will have a sobering effect. 

The book is good at getting you to think and think carefully. In one of the early chapters of the books, he writes, "If I could listen in on and watch a month of your life, what would I conclude about the place of God's Word in your life? Other than our salvation and his presence now living inside us as his children, our Bible is God's most precious and valuable gift to us. The question is, in our everyday lives, do we act like it is?" and, "There is not a day in any of our lives that we don't need the ministry of the Holy Spirit to bring God's Word to us in convicting, grief-producing, and confession-resulting power."

But I think my favorite section is this one:

"I am afraid that many of us live God-forgetful lives. What I mean is that other than when we are participating in something that is obviously spiritual, like a public worship service, prayer, or our times of personal devotions, we live in a state of functional spiritual amnesia. In so doing, we fail to live with a consciousness of the incredible identity that is ours as children of God, the amazing reality that God actually lives inside of us, the storehouse of blessings that is ours, and the profoundly important redemptive process that is ongoing in our hearts and lives. Because we don't carry around with us a consciousness of God and his work on the ordinary day, we don't make his purpose our purpose and his work our work."

A few paragraphs later, 

"I am convinced that spending time each day in spiritual meditation and worshipful prayer is a powerful tool of sanctifying grace in the hands of our faithful and loving Redeemer. Permit me to list how the regular habit of personal worship contributes to God's ongoing work of personal heart and life transformation. Daily study of God's word, worship, and prayer will result in the following: 

A deeper knowledge of the nature and character of God. 

A clearer understanding of how God works.

An ever-deepening love for and trust in him.

A deeper willingness and commitment to surrender your life to him.

A deeper knowledge of yourself as a sinner, sufferer, and saint.

A deeper understanding of the life you have been called to as a child of God

A deeper and more practical grasp of the truths of God's Word.

A clearer and more practical understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A deeper awareness of the nature of sin and temptation.

More regular patterns of conviction of sin, confession, and repentance.

Being better prepared for spiritual warfare and Satan's attacks.

Becoming more and more thankful for God's presence, power, and promises and the blessings of being loved by Him."

The book has many, many strengths. It is easy to recommend this one. 

I personally didn't love the fictional "word-problems" in the practical chapters. I found them distracting. Other readers may relate to them more??? 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible