Hi friends,
This week’s Monday Mentions contains several books I’ve recently read or intend to read soon.
What are you reading?
Bobby
Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ by Timothy Keller
From Amazon:
From pastor and New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller comes the perfect gift for the Christmas holiday—a profoundly moving and intellectually provocative examination of the nativity story
Even people who are not practicing Christians think they are familiar with the story of the nativity. Every Christmas displays of Baby Jesus resting in a manger decorate lawns and churchyards, and songs about shepherds and angels fill the air. Yet despite the abundance of these Christian references in popular culture, how many of us have examined the hard edges of this biblical story?
In his new book Timothy Keller takes readers on an illuminating journey into the surprising background of the nativity. By understanding the message of hope and salvation within the Bible’s account of Jesus’ birth, readers will experience the redeeming power of God’s grace in a deeper and more meaningful way.
It Took a Lamb: A 41-Day Christmas Journey by Scott Hanberry & Ray Cummings
From Amazon:
The story of Christmas is not just about a cradle in Bethlehem. It is also about the cross of Calvary. Jesus entered the world to be the final and ultimate sacrifice for sin. Hear the words of John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God that takes away thee sin of the world.” This Christmas Lamb, Jesus, died on the cross to cradle us in the glory of His resurrection forever. For the redemption of the world, God sent a Lamb. Join us for this 41 Day devotional journey toward Christmas.
Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are by Lysa TerKeurst
From Amazon:
Relationships are wonderful . . . until they’re not.
Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Lysa TerKeurst as she helps you stop the dysfunction of unhealthy relationships by showing you biblical ways to set boundaries–and, when necessary, say goodbye–without losing the best of who you are.
Is it unloving or selfish to set a boundary? Are Christians ever called to walk away from a relationship that’s no longer safe or sustainable? Lysa TerKeurst deeply understands these hard questions in the midst of relational struggles.
But after thousands of hours of counseling intensives and extensive theological research that transformed the way she defined healthy relationships, Lysa is now more committed than ever to loving people well without losing the best of who she is. She wants to help you do the same. In these pages Lysa will help you:
- Understand the five factors to remember when implementing healthy boundaries.
- Determine the appropriate amount of personal and emotional access someone has to you based on how responsible they’ll be with that access.
- Stop being misled and emotionally paralyzed by wrongly interpreted or weaponized scriptures that perpetuate unhealthy dynamics in difficult relationships.
- Overcome the frustrating cycle of ineffective boundary-setting with realistic scripts and practical strategies to help you communicate, keep, and implement healthier patterns.
- Be equipped to say goodbye without guilt when a relationship has shifted from difficult to destructive and is no longer sustainable.
- Receive therapeutic wisdom you can trust directly from Lysa’s Christian counselor Jim Cress, who weighs in throughout the book.
You’ll be relieved to learn that boundaries aren’t just a good idea, they’re a God idea.