Reading list

"A tender-but-tough, back-to-basics message to help you keep your life in focus. Whether you are a new Christian, along-time believer, or just an inquirer into the faith, the profoundly simple message of this book can help point you toward a more balanced, centered and purposeful life. 

Read it for a lift.  Read it for a reminder. Read it as a practical guide to every day circumstances or as an insightful Study tool. But read it always with an eye toward the Savior it celebrates.

Moving yet practical insights into the basic ingredients of Christian living." Word Publishing

Other than the Bible, this is my go to book. I think Stuart Briscoe said it best, "No man has influenced me more through his teaching and example than Major Ian Thomas. And no teaching has been more foundational in my life and ministry than his powerful exposition of the indwelling life of the risen Christian."

 “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” —Colossians 1:27 

I had the honor so many times, of sitting under the Major's teaching. This book makes a great morning devotional book. it is a small book with short chapters, but so life changing.

"Why do we keep failing even in our best efforts to live the Christian life? Because no one other than Jesus Christ can live it, for the simple reason that He is the Christian life! And only He can live it in our lives as well. Major W. Ian Thomas takes a refreshing look at the pure thrill of living victoriously as you embrace the living Savior’s presence within you. The more you become genuinely and relentlessly available to Christ, the more He can take over so that your Christian walk becomes vibrant and effective! This inspiring devotional, along with the application questions at the end of each reading, will help you focus consistently on Jesus Himself so you can serve and enjoy Him at an entirely new level and dimension. 

You can try to steer clear of sin. Avoid temptation. Refuse to steal, lie, or use drugs and alcohol. You can indeed try to be sinless. But that is still you. And you are still trying. 

Jesus Christ was not holy because He focused His efforts on avoiding sin. Instead, “He refused to allow there to be any possible explanation for the quality of His life but the Father, as God, dwelling in Him, as Man,” writes Major W. Ian Thomas.

So whom do you want dwelling in you? More of you? Or all of Christ? 

I remember the day Hank & I found this book at my parents lake house. The two of us were spending a few day alone while mom & dad keps the boys. I am not sure who had left it there but their it was on the kitchen table. We starting reading it out loud and we could not put it down.

In this book Charles Swindoll reminds us that our problems are not solved by simple answers or all-too-easy cliches. Instead, he offers practical ways to walk with God through the realities of life-including times of fear, stress, anger and temptation.

This book will help you to conquer unhealthful stress, find genuine comfort in times of loss, and develop self-control over temptation. Within you’ll discover the four steps to a new self-confidence, the way to overcome fear and anxiety, and the keys to understanding your anger and coming to terms with your mistakes. Through perseverance, you will build inner strength and beauty. It is a must read.

"Dr. J. Vernon McGee's timeless words revitalize and renew our understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit, teaching us to experience God's nature as revealed in this important being of the Trinity. In this complete treasury featuring many of his best sermons, Dr. McGee teaches us how to invite the presence of the Holy Spirit into our lives and how to pray and walk in the Spirit. In his warm, trademark style, Dr. McGee examines applicable Scripture, analyzing and exploring what the Bible teaches about the role of the Spirit in a believer's life."

1 Corinthians 2:10-11 

But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God. But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God.

  Just finished re-reading If I Perish, I Perish by Major Ian Thomas. The first time I read it I was only beginning to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit in my life, and it truly helped me to understand His position in and possession of my life. This time around I began with the dedication page, and I really didn’t need to read beyond that point. It says, “Dedicated to Timothy Andrew, my youngest son and fourth member of the team, with the earnest prayer that he may continue to love Jesus Christ with all his heart and remain expendable for God.” (Emphasis mine)

Once I was able to recover from that statement, I realized why it hit me so hard. As I have aged, my life has gotten a little less hectic and I was beginning to settle into the “Oh good. Now I can relax a little and not be as busy as I have been in the past.” Well – that sentence took that notion away and I was once again overwhelmed at the awesome privilege of being a child of the King who wants to live His life in and through me every day. I still must continue to reckon myself dead (Romans 6) and remain available and expendable for God to use as He sees fit. I went on to read how Esther was at first hesitant to yield to the command of her Uncle Mordecai to intercede for her people, but then abandoned herself to what God was calling her to do – in essence die! As she did reckon herself dead, she was free to approach King Ahasuerus, knowing full well he could take her life for coming unsummoned into his presence to intercede for the Lord’s people. But she obeyed, trusting God, and as a result, she saw Him not only preserve her life, but the lives of His people, ultimately resulting in my own salvation through the One Who came through those same people – the Lord Jesus Christ.

If I Perish, I Perish is an allegory that is rich in symbolism teaching the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individual believers and how He wants to live in and through us all to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. I highly recommend it.

Coming Soon

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