From Marilyn’s Bookshelf

Every Good Endeavor

by Timothy Keller

 

The subtitle of this really caught my eye—“Connecting Your Work to God’s Work.” Every one of the men we talked to this month expressed a challenge balancing their personal and professional lives. So much of the quality of their personal lives seems to be related to how well they succeed in their professional lives. It’s a conundrum for everyone. Tim Keller never disappoints. He takes the complexity of life in the 21st Century and simplifies, relates, and brings the wisdom of the Ages right to where we are. He brings clarity and shows the reader how to avoid the extremes, which are negativity on one end and idolatry on the other. How can you glorify God in the middle of the daily grind? Whether you sweep streets, cure cancer, or coach your child’s soccer team, this book reveals the purpose underneath every calling. Our Heavenly Father brings meaning and purpose to every facet of our disjointed 21st Century life! And along with that meaning and purpose, we discover joy. Not a new book—but so worth the read.

 

Kitchen Tune-Up

Friend of Sinners

by Rich Wilkerson, Jr.

 

I am slightly nervous about recommending this one simply because I can’t find out much on the author other than he pastors a mega-church in Miami. I am about halfway through and neither can I find anything theologically heretical or anything unbiblical. This book is all about relationship with Jesus and how that relationship, if real, changes the way you see other people, serve other people, and deeply love other people who may not be a thing like you! This one challenges me and makes me slightly uncomfortable when I realize how seldom I really get out of my comfort zone to be “salt and light” in a foreign-feeling setting. It’s very Jesus, and remember, Jesus was so not status-quo. So, I am recommending if you don’t mind having your comfort zone rattled a little—or a lot.

Pro-Life Mississippi