A full review of Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund—Why you should read it and how it will change you. Plus, a short review of Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.
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Biographies (and memoirs) are beautiful because, through words on a page, they let us journey with a person as they follow Jesus on their own bumpy path. Biographies remind us that we don’t need to be rich or famous to have an impact. Biographies are great testimonies to the sovereignty of God.
Aside from God’s sovereignty, I have one more reason to love biographies — they help me appreciate people, even people I disgree with. When I learn how a person came to think and behave the way they do/did, it is much easier for me to understand what they said and why they said it. It’s like taking a crash course in one specific person’s life. Once I have learned to understand a person, I can learn to appreciate their impact in the world.
I’ve got a list to get you started. And if you already enjoy reading biographies, then you’ll love this list too because I’m confident you will find one or two that are new to you.
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In The Scars That Have Shaped Me, Vaneetha Rendall Risner shares the spiritual journey represented by her scars. She shares her story of life-long illness (Polio & Post-Polio Syndrome) and trials (death of a child and loss of her marriage) with simple writing and honesty.
Each chapter is written like a journal entry or blogpost making this book a quick read. It may be quick but it's also packed with great theology. With vulnerability, Vaneetha reminds herself and her reader of the unchanging character of God, even in the midst of illness and loss. While my own scars and suffering are different, I found I could relate to something in every chapter which is a testimony to the presence of the same God with both of us.
In her book, you’ll find many of the same themes I write about: lament, waiting, loneliness, acceptance and dependence on God, and the sustaining grace of His presence.
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In Undone, Michele shares openly all the emotions and faith questions that she experienced through her cancer experience. In Relentless, Michele walks you through the next phase of her life when cancer returns, when the orphans they brought home become theirs for life, and when she grieves the loss of her Dad to his own battle with cancer. It is personal, gut-wrenching, and oh so relatable.
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Have you ever re-read a favorite story from your childhood and thought, “Woah, were these messages in there the whole time?”
Something happens when we read children’s stories. Our hearts are open to messages of love and fear, struggles and redemption in ways that we would never grasp in a Sunday sermon.
Yes, they are great for my children, but hold on, they are good for me too!
Through a story written for children, my heart received the tender care it needed from my loving Father. His message of unconditional love got in. It cemented itself in my heart forever. It is part of me now.
That’s the power of children’s stories as soul care.
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Devotionals are a great way to start a habit of meeting daily in a Quiet Time with God. If you’d like help starting a daily devotion time, please email me or leave a comment below. I’d love to help you. I’m thankful for quality devotionals that lead me to a scripture and give me something to think on during a busy day or busy season.
Here are a few devotionals that I’ve had my hands on recently.
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