I’m going to try really hard to be consistent in sharing what books I am reading each month! Here are the books on my ranch table for January:

• Third Watch by Bodie Thoene
  • The 12 books of Bodie Thoene’s A.D. Chronicle series are some of my favorite books by one of my all-time favorite fiction authors. Covering the years during the life of Yeshua (Jesus), this third book in the series, Third Watch, tells the stories of Zahav, a faithful but lonely and unmarried Jewish Woman, and Alexander, a tormented widower with a troubled child, as well as Manaen and Susanna, a young married couple facing their own demons, disappointments, and bitterness towards Manaen’s older brother. Their stories all intersect as they each meet Jesus. Will they believe that He is the long-awaited-for Messiah and allow Him to change more than their circumstances but their eternal destinies? These books each tell the beautiful story of Jesus’ life, ministry, miracles, and God’s ultimate plan, but they can also be read as stand-alone books. I love how Thoene weaves a beautiful story out of Jesus’ life here on earth. Yes, it is a work of fiction, but these books give the reader a vivid picture of Jesus in all of His humanity, and a “behind the scenes look” at how God’s plan has unfolded throughout history. My favorite part of the book comes at the end, “Yeshua entered the dimension of ordinary time and ordinary men once again. And that descent, for the sake of conquering the darkness that oppressed men’s hearts, is what was so extraordinary.”
• Blessed by Nancy Guthrie
  • Our life group has been studying the book of Revelation, and I also chose to read Nancy Guthrie’s book, Blessed, Experiencing the Promise of The Book of Revelation. This book not only presents a gentle yet theologically sound guide to one of the hardest-to-understand books in the Bible, but she also reveals how much joy and hope there is as we faithfully endure and refuse to compromise as we wait for Christ’s return and ushering in of His Kingdom. Reading Guthrie’s book took me from a place of uncertain wariness when trudging through the mystery and symbolism of Revelation to a sense of joy, anticipation, and awe!  In the introduction she writes, “Revelation wasn’t written to entertain, or to set out a timeline for the future, or to satisfy our curiosity about when Christ will return. Revelation was written to fortify Christians to live in the world, enduring its harsh treatment and alienation, with a firm confidence that this world is not all there is, and that, in fact, what may seem like defeat is going to give way to victory.” 
• Meek not Weak by Abigail Wallace
  • My friend, Abigail Wallace’s book has blessed and encouraged me with each page I turned. I have loved learning and gleaning the truth that meekness is not weakness but is the key to a powerful yet gentle strength found when we submit to God’s will. Wallace takes the reader through 12 lessons of biblical meekness and tackles one of the most misunderstood virtues God desires us to display in our lives as Christians. Meekness might not be an obvious virtue that we strive for in our society, but this book reminds us that it is the characteristic that makes us look most like Jesus. I love what Abigail wrote here, “Why did I write this book? Because meekness has transformed the way I perceive trials. I’m learning to welcome them as God-sent tools to conform me into the image of Jesus.”