Book Review: Devotedly, the Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot

Devotedly, The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, was an inspiring and encouraging book to read.  Written by their only  daughter, Valerie Elliot Shepard, this book ties together 5 years of journal entries and letters between Jim and Elisabeth.

I was surprised to learn the details of Jim and Elisabeth's love story.  I wrongly assumed they were like (seemingly) every other couple: finding attraction, dating, falling in love, and deciding to marry.  Their beautiful love story was nothing like this.

What I found so encouraging as I read, was their obvious love for the Lord and their longing to follow Him above all else.  When this meant keeping quiet about their love for each other, they did so.  When this meant staying in one place, while their hearts were in another, they did so.  Yet in all of this beautiful striving to follow God, Jim and Elisabeth were merely two faulted humans.  They struggled in their faithfulness.  They had their quarrels and said their share of regrettable things to each other.  I was so thankful that their daughter did not omit these details in an effort to make her parents look more righteous.  On the contrary, Shepard wrote, "Don't think of my parents as perfect.  They weren't.  Don't think of their relationship as perfect.  It wasn't.  See them as two people - a man and a woman - who willingly invited God to direct their lives His own way.  God is the One doing things perfectly here in their story, even amid disaster, even after many years of testing and waiting, of separation and struggle."

As I read, I was struck by the beautiful way both Jim and Elisabeth wrote.  They were both obviously intelligent people, who loved poetry and the act of writing.  I am so glad they kept journals and kept the letters they wrote to each other.  What a gift they had for the written word!

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in reading an encouraging love story.  Jim and Elisabeth faced many trials in their lives, but God was faithful, just as He is to all of us.  I trust this book will challenge you as it did for me.  As Shepard wrote concerning her parents, "May you take from their real lives the confidence and trust that God has designed you, too, for noble service in His kingdom, as you surrender to Him, obey Him, and daily learn to let Him lead where He alone is able to take you.  Lo, He is your God.  Wait on Him, devotedly."

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

Book Review: The Tinderbox

Beverly Lewis' The Tinderbox is a story of a young Amish girl named Sylvia.  Sylvia shares a special bond with her father, but she learns a secret about his past that could change everything.

Sylvia faces the dilemma of whether to share her knowledge with her father or keep quiet.  Will her relationship with her father ever be the same?  How will others be affected if this secret is shared?

The book ends with more questions.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series when it is released in September, 2019.

*Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating
 ★★★★☆

Book Review: Grace Defined and Defended

Kevin DeYoung's Grace Defined and Defended is an in-depth study of the Synod of Dort.  Until I read this book, I had never even heard of the Synod of Dort.  The byline of the book title clarifies a bit:  What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God.
 

The Synod of Dort was held in Dordrecht, Netherlands from November, 1618 to May, 1619.  Leaders of the Reformed Church met 154 times between those dates, to settle controversies that had arisen due to the increasing belief in Arminianism.  During that time, they wrote The Canons of Dort, which included five main points.  The first concerned divine election and reprobation; the second, Christ's death and human redemption through it; the third and fourth, human corruption and how we convert to God; and the fifth, perseverance of the saints.
 

There is much value in reading this book and learning the nuances of Calvinism.  As DeYoung states, "We live in an age where passion is often considered an adequate substitute for precision."  The Canons of Dort are very specific, very detailed, and very clear in explanation.  DeYoung asserts the value in reading these confessions, and offers this thought:  "Many of us, even Christians, have little patience for rigorous thinking and little interest in careful definition.  We emote better than we reason, and we describe our feelings better than we define our words, which is one reason we need to study old confessions written by dead people....[Early theologians] were relentlessly passionate about doctrinal truth.  They cared about definitions.  And they cared about precision.  Praise God, they cared enough to be careful."

Written in a way that a layperson can understand, Grace Defined and Defended contains the articles written at the synod, with DeYoung's explanation following each.  Though theologically rich, this was not difficult to read. 

I would recommend this book to fellow believers.  There is much to learn and understand , both for those who are Reformed in their theology and those who are not. 

*Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★

Book Review: It's Not Supposed to Be This Way

It's Not Supposed to be This Way.  What a great book title!  The Bible tells us that God created the world good.  Lamentably, with the first sin in the garden of Eden, everything changed.  The heartache, the disappointment, the trials that are now faced by every human in life?  This is not how God created things.  It's not supposed to be this way.

If we study the overarching theme of the Bible, we see that God uses all things to bring about good.  TerKeurst builds on this truth in her book and show how disappointments in life can hold so much potential for good.  She encourages her reader to "be grateful and positive" in the midst of disappointments without "pretending we don't get exhausted by our disappointments".  TerKeurst shares intimate details of her own struggles, connecting herself with the reader.

While TerKeurst's writing was relatable, I could not help but see the first few chapters as a combination of a biography, a pep talk, and a self-help book.  This was not the type of book I was expecting, nor was it one I was particularly interested in reading.

TerKeurst's worldview snuck through at times through her particular choice of words.  She wrote of how "God showed [her] a picture of how He wants [her] to be as [she does] life from here."  She states the she is "not really a 'see some sort of vision' kind of girl" and how "at first [she] thought it was just [her] imagination wandering off for a minute.  But then [she] felt an impression on [her] heart that this wasn't random; this really was from God."  TerKeurst then depicts this vision she was supposedly given, in great detail.  This phrasing and practice concerns me and caused me to be on guard as I continued reading. 

TerKeurst writes of how God has given His Word to guide through disappointments.  She goes on to encourage the reader to store up "fighting words" and make declarations over situations they are facing.  She states, "We all need to have some fighting words on hand so we can declare God's truth over our difficult situations".  Some "fighting words" she recommends are, "I am declaring right now that I will not be swept up into a storm of fear and wild emotions", "I will not be one of [Satan's] victims, nor will I be afraid", "I will not be a woman controlled by the lies of the enemy or by my own doubts and fears", "I will see the things that come my way as God's perfect plan to develop my character to match my calling", "I am declaring hope and truth over my life".

My heart bristles at this wording.  Our confidence it to be in God alone, not in our declarations.  Though each statement she makes is backed with a Bible verse, when phrased as "I declare", the focus is taken off of God as our strength and placed on our very declaration.  Declaring "I will not" does not make the declaration occur.  To expect it to be so, is to set oneself up for disappointment.  I would have loved to see these same statements made with a humble prayer, even begging God to let these things be true in our lives.  Let the source of our strength be God alone, and our declarations be ones of praise for who He is.  Let our "fighting words" be His Words, stored in our hearts and overflowing in our lives.

While the bulk of the content of TerKeurst's book was good, and she had some very relatable, quotable material, I was not a fan of her writing style or the things already mentioned above.  If I were to recommend a book regarding disappointments, I would be much more likely to recommend Elisabeth Elliot's Suffering is Never for Nothing.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating
★★☆☆☆

Book Review: Suffering is Never for Nothing

Elisabeth Elliot.  The story of her life has always fascinated me.  When I saw she had written Suffering is Never for Nothing, I had to read it.  I thought, if anyone can speak of suffering and give godly wisdom on how to suffer well, it is this woman. 

As you may or may not know, Elisabeth Elliot's first husband was Jim Elliot.  Jim and four other missionary men were murdered by the Auca Indians, whom they were trying to reach with the Gospel.  Elisabeth and her young daughter Valerie continued to live with and minister to the Aucas.  Later, Elisabeth remarried.  She then lost her second husband to cancer.  She uses these pivotal life experiences to connect with others and share that God will bring good from our suffering.

Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book written from Elliot's lectures at a conference years ago.  Elliot begins by defining suffering as, "having what you don't want, or wanting what you don't have".  She acknowledges that all people suffer, whether in seemingly great ways or small.  She encourages that God is sovereign in all things, and He can be trusted at all times.

I love this paragraph, which speaks of God's goodness:
"But when we’re talking about the gifts of God, we’re talking about gifts that come from One who knows exactly what we need even though it is not necessarily to our tastes and preferences. And He gives us everything that is appropriate to the job that He wants us to do. And so, understanding that, then we can say yes, Lord. I’ll take it. It would not have been my choice but knowing You love me, I will receive it and I understand that someday I’m going to understand the necessity for this thing. So I accept it. And then I can even go the step beyond and say thank You. Thank You, Lord. "

Suffering is Never for Nothing is a book I would recommend to all.  Whether our suffering is great or small, it is good to be reminded of God's hand at work through all of it and to praise Him for it.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rachel's Rating:
★★★★★