Books and Quotes.....

Photography is a love of mine!  I also enjoy putting Bible verses on some of the photos I take.  A few days ago I was reminded of some photos I had taken last winter and had fun going through them and adding a Bible verse to a couple. The photo above is one of them.

It is an overcast and breezy day today, but earlier in the week there were some beautiful sunny days in the 40s!  Spring is just around the corner!  =)  The snow has been going down and more grass is showing!  *happy sigh* 

I have read two books this month so far!  I have been trying to read more, since there are so many books that I am wanting to read and in the season of life I am in right now I can more easily take the time to read.  I hope to keep this pace and work on my "books to read" list! :)  I have to say I had some incentive this month, because the books I read were from the library and so I wanted to be sure to get them done before they were due back. =)  

"Spectacular Sins" by John Piper was the first book I read this month.  I really appreciate Piper's humble and God-fearing attitude that permeates his writing and preaching.  Christ is exalted and lifted up, which is something I love about the book. 

Here is one of my favorite quotes from it:

"The ultimate aim of the eternal plan was that praise might be as intense as possible for the glory of God's grace." ~John Piper

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"Dug Down Deep" by Joshua Harris was the second book I read and it was good.  He talks about the importance of theology, doctrine, and orthodoxy. This quote by him pretty much sums up what the book is about: "I've come to learn that theology matters.  It matters not because we want to impress people, but because what we know about God shapes the way we think and live.  Theology matters because if we get it wrong then our whole life will be wrong."  

Here is a quote from the book:

"The solution to arrogant orthodoxy is not less orthodoxy; it's more.  If we truly know and embrace orthodoxy, it should humble us.  When we know the truth about God - his power, his greatness, his holiness, his mercy - it doesn't leave us boasting; it leaves us amazed.  It doesn't lead to a preoccupation with being right but to amazement that we have been rescued. 

Genuine orthodoxy - the heart of which is the death of God's Son for undeserving sinners - is the most humbling, human-pride-smashing message in the world.  And if we truly know the gospel of grace, it will create in us a heart of humility and grace toward others." ~Joshua Harris

In all that I read I want to make sure I am applying what I am reading to my life and not just reading books and forgetting what I have learned from them, which can be easy to do.  It is always something to work on. 

"Don't measure yourself by what you know.  Measure yourself by your practice of what you know." ~ Joshua Harris

It's not enough to get your doctrine straight.  Life and doctrine can't be separated.  Our lives either put the beauty of God's truth on display, or they obscure it." ~ Joshua Harris