A Disappointed Consumer

I picked up a new book to read, Breaking the Idols of Your Heart by Dan Allender & Tremper Longman, and as I started reading it, I realized that it sounded quite familiar to me. I looked on the back cover to see if it said anything about being previously published as a different title but didn't see anything. Finally I discovered on the copyright page that it was previously published under another title, Bold Purpose (though then it was published by a different publisher) - a book that I read a few years ago. I was quite frustrated that I had spent money on this book thinking it would be a new book for me to read and come to find out it was one that I had already read! I only have so much money that I can spend on books and to be gypped like that was quite irritating. In my opinion, when publishers re-publish a book under a different title, they should make it clear on the front or back of the book or somewhere that is obvious to readers so they can know if it is one they have read in the past, albeit under a different title. I'm fine with books being repackaged and republished but it needs to be made clear that that is what is being done. Otherwise, it just seems deceitful to me or at least misleading. I have written an email to the publisher and will see how they respond.

Recent Reads

Becca by the Book by Laura Jensen Walker



The next installment in the Getaway Girls series focuses on Becca, a young single and one of the non-Christians in the group. When she breaks a leg and has to limit her adventures, the rest of the group challenges her to a bet to date the same guy longer than she normally does. Becca takes the bet and then wonders what she has gotten herself into when the next guy to ask her out turns out to be a Christian.
I liked how this book was realistic and didn't just have everything all work out in the end. Good book and hopefully there will be more in the series.


Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Not really a fan of historical fiction, but this was a great read. Set back in the 1800's in England, a young unwed woman becomes pregnant and is disowned by her family as a result. This is her story of what happened to her afterwards. Well-written.



Searching for Heaven on Earth by David Jeremiah


My rating: 4 of 5 stars





Overview of the book of Ecclesiastes - looking at how so much of life is vanity, but this is due to it being temporary and fleeting. We were made for more than just this life on earth. The book is broken down into 31 chapters - to be read in a month - 1 chapter a day.

"...God isn't as concerned about our being momentarily happy as He is about our being mature."

"The highest purpose of life is not happiness."

"We must trust God with what we can't control."

John 3:16 by Nancy Moser

John 3:16 by Nancy Moser


My rating: 3 of 5 stars




Not one of my favorites by Moser. Really enjoyed her books Time Lottery, Second Time Around and The Seat Beside Me. This one didn't really grab me though. I kept reading as I wanted to find out what happened to the characters.

This will be the August read for the new face-to-face book club that I've started. Will be interesting to see what others thought of it once they read it.

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Really struck a chord with me - in the daily sins we often overlook as insignificant and not really mattering. The book starts out with an overview of the gospel and the grace that has been extended to us through Jesus Christ. In light of that grace, we should take seriously the sins we commit, though to us they are seemingly insignificant. Things like pride, gossip, selfishness and anxiety. We may not consider them that big of a deal compared to the "big" sins like murder and adultery, but they still cost Jesus the sacrifice of His life.

“But God has not given us the authority to establish values for different sins.”

“All sin, even sin that seems so minor in our eyes, is lawlessness. It is not just the breaking of a single command; it is a complete disregard for the law of God, a deliberate rejection of His moral will in favor of fulfilling one’s own desires.”

“…the lure of that momentary pleasure is stronger than our desire to please God.”

“…the seemingly minor sins we tolerate in our lives do indeed deserve the curse of God.”

“…this principle of sin still lurks within us and wages war against our souls. It is the failure to recognize the awful reality of this truth that provides the fertile soil in which our ‘respectable’ or ‘acceptable’ sins grow and flourish.”

“…described sin as cosmic treason.”

“To put it bluntly, our sin is an assault on the majesty and sovereign rule of God.”

“It is the gospel that motivates us to seek to be in our daily experience what we are in our standing before God.”

“But the truth is that life is full of events that delay us, inconvenience us, or obstruct or block some plan of ours. In the midst of these events, we should fight against anxiety and frustration. But when God does bring relief, or when we see Him deliver us from the possibility of such an event, we should make it a special point to give Him thanks.”

“…God intends all our circumstances, both good and bad…to be instruments of sanctification, of growing us more and more into the likeness of Jesus.”

“The actual cause of our impatience lies within our own hearts, in our own attitude of insisting that others around us conform to our expectations.”

“…if love covers a multitude of sins, how much more should it cover a multitude of acts that irritate us.”

“…we need to realize that no one else causes us to be angry. Someone else’s words or actions may become the occasion of our anger, but the cause lies deep within us – usually our pride, or selfishness, or desire to control.”

“We get angry because we don’t get our way.”

“Bu we can choose how we will respond to the sinful actions of others toward us.”

“How would God have me respond in this situation? How can I best glorify God by my response? Do I believe that this difficult situation or this unjust treatment is under the sovereign control of God and that in His infinite wisdom and goodness He is using these difficult circumstances to conform me more to the likeness of Christ?”

“Every sin we commit, regardless of how insignificant it seems to us, is an assault on His infinite glory.”

“…I define worldliness as being attached to, engrossed in, or preoccupied with the things of this temporal life. The things of this temporal life may or may not be sinful in themselves. What makes our attitude toward things that are not sinful worldliness is the high value we put upon them.”
“…secondary definition: Worldliness means accepting the values, mores, and practices of the nice, but unbelieving society around us without discerning whether or not those values, mores, and practices are biblical. Worldliness is just going along with the culture around us as long as that culture is not obviously sinful.”

“We need an increased affection for God that will expel from our hearts our affections for the things of this world.”

Summary:
-Ungodliness
-Anxiety and frustration
-Discontentment
-Unthankfulness
-Pride, such as: Moral self-righteousness, Pride of correct doctrine, Pride of achievement, An independent spirit
-Selfishness, such as: Our interests, our time, our money, Inconsiderateness
-Lack of self-control, such as: Eating and drinking, With one’s temper, Personal finances, TV, hobbies, impulse buying
-Impatience and irritability
-Anger
-Weeds of anger, such as: Resentment, bitterness, enmity & hostility, Grudges
-Judgmentalism, such as: Over differing convictions, Over doctrinal disagreement, A critical spirit
-Envy, jealousy and related sins, such as: Competitiveness, controlling
-Sins of the tongue, such as: Gossip, slander, lying, Harsh words, sarcasm, insults and ridicule
-Worldliness, such as: Money, Vicarious immorality, Idolatry

A Summary of Recent Reads

I've read several books that I haven't done reviews for. Here's a synopsis of the last several books I've read.

The Bible Jesus Read by Philip Yancey - a look at several Old Testament books. As these are the books of the Bible that Jesus used since the New Testament was written after His time.

Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh - I have enjoyed every book I've read so far of Tamara Leigh. I think my favorite was probably Splitting Harriet. In this book, Piper has to return to the life she left behind to deal with an ill uncle and various relatives. Having tried to put her past behind her, she now must deal head-on with the issues from her past.

The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper - this was a book loaned to me by a friend and not one I had intended to read. However, I'm quite glad I did as it was an eye-opening and interesting read. It tells the story of growing up in Liberia and the outcome of the various coups that took place in that country. Learned a lot about Liberia that I was not aware of.

Breaking Everyday Addictions by David Hawkins - not all addictions are the "big" ones of drugs and alcohol. Many addictions are more subtle and not as obvious, but still reap consequences. This book deals with some of those addictions such as shopping, workaholism and gambling.

Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston - the diary of a young woman pregnant with her first baby and having been put on bed rest for the last few months of her pregnancy. Humorous and yet realistic, she learns a lot about herself during these months.

The Judas Strain by James Rollins - oh, this was a great book! It was suspense - following 2 tracks: a historical search for Marco Polo's journey and a medical mystery with a disease that has broken out on Christmas Island. Good read!

Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily - a relationships expert must deal with the falling out of her own relationship on national TV. As she picks up the pieces of her life, she learns what is really important to her.

The Familiar Stranger by Christina Berry - loved this book! A husband is in a car accident and wakes up with amnesia. As they try to discover what led up to the fateful accident, secrets of his past life began to emerge. Oh, this was a good read! A page-turner.

The Surrogate by Katheryn Mackel - creepy. Using a surrogate as their last chance to have a child, the Dolans discover much more than they bargained for. Good book - but creepy.

Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John Eldredge


My rating: 5 of 5 stars




Wonderful book about what it means to be a woman.

"As women we tend to feel that 'it must be me.' That's the effect of our early wounds. 'Something is fundamentally wrong with me.' So many women feel that way...We also feel that we are essentially alone. And that somehow the two are related. We believe we are alone because we are not the women we should be."

"God wants to live this life together with you, to share in your days and decisions, your desires and disappointments...He wants your deep heart, that center place within that is the truest you. He is not interested in intimacy with the woman you think you are supposed to be. He wants intimacy with the real you."

"God does not always rescue us out of a painful season. You know that he does not always give to us what we so desperately want when we want it. He is after something much more valuable than our happiness. Much more substantive than our health. He is restoring and growing in us an eternal weight of glory. And sometimes...it hurts."

"But our core validation, our primary validation has to come from God. And until it does, until we look to him for the healing of our souls, our relationships are really hurt by this looking-to-each-other for something only God can give."

Frederick Buechner quote: "The place that God calls us is that place where the world's deep hunger and our deep desire meet."