Reading recommendations

I'm very leery of recommending books. I will tell you why. It's very easy in Christian books for man's opinion to be wrapped up in the guise of Biblical truth. I once had a very wise pastor's wife tell me something. At the beginning of her marriage, she devoured books on godly womanhood. She eventually got rid of them because she realized that much of it was just opinion and put pressure on her to do and be things God really didn't ask of her. I realized early on, I couldn't read what others were reading. My depression was so forefront for me, that the idea of organized closets and hot meals on the table were laughable when all I wanted to do was survive. Or even other ideals of "godly" womanhood.


So that being said, I'm very cautious that the books I recommend represent Biblical truth. Of course, there is no replacement for the scripture because ALL of man's books will have man's opinion. However, there are 2 life-changing books I have read. The first one is called Womanly Dominion: More Than A Gentle and Quiet Spirit by Mark Chansky. The challenge of this book is that every woman is called to dominate and conquer her life in her circumstances. I LOVED this challenge because, frankly, there is no one size fits all with godliness. We are all in different circumstances experiencing our sanctification in different ways. Yet it's so easy to put the ideals of a godly woman into a cookie cutter mold. Often, women think of a meek and quiet spirit as a passive one, but this book also challenges that thinking. We are to be anything but passive in the roles that God has put us in. We are to be actively running the race and conquering.

The second is the book I'm currently reading. Comforts From the Cross: Celebrating the Gospel One Day at a Time by Elyse Fitzpatrick. If you think you are gospel centered, this book will really challenge your thinking about the gospel and how it practically affects our living and our thinking. It takes the emphasis off of man and onto God. And it shows me practically how I am putting the emphasis on man without even realizing it.

So take these recommendations with a grain of salt, but I highly recommend getting them and reading them. Then, share your opinion with me!