Mark > Recent Status Updates

That's just excellent

"Spiritual formation is the conscious process by which we seek to heighten and satisfy our Spirit-given thirst for God (Ps. 42:1-2) through divinely appointed means and with a view toward "work[ing] out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12) and becoming "mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28)." - Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God, 35.

I am fairly in awe of the tone captured here. I can't quite lay my finger on it, but it is as if a good dream continues uninterrupted and I find myself thinking over and over again I want to be like this man. Several delightful turns of phrase pleasantly surprising that work to draw you into an experience that leaves you with a sweet taste wishing that you could take part of this world and be Theo's friend.

Only three chapters in and I came across this gem. Perfectly je ne sais quoi.
“It was a neighborhood of vintage homes and tastefully pampered lawns that, like the rest of the city, awaited the full pastel explosion of springtime. The fuse of that explosion was burning shorter and shorter as new blossoms opened each day in abundance.”

Man what a fun book!

I’m lovin’ it. How’s that?

“What good is intellectual life? It is a refuge from distress; a reminder of one’s dignity; a source of insight and understanding; a garden in which human aspiration is cultivated; a hollow of a wall to which one can temporarily withdraw from the current controversies to gain a broader perspective, to remind oneself of one’s universal human heritage.”

— Lost in Thought by Zena Hitz

Dickens can make you think or feel something without making it obvious.

“She died a woman,” said the Ghost, “and had, as I think, children.”

"One child,” Scrooge returned.

“True,” said the Ghost. “Your nephew!”

Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered briefly, “Yes.”

Karen Swallow Prior writes in her book, On Reading Well: "The point is that in the activity of literary imagining we are led to imagine and describe with greater precision, focusing our attention on each word, feeling each event more keenly—whereas much of actual life goes by without that heightened awareness, and is thus, in a certain sense, not fully or thoroughly lived."

So far, it blends elements of my favorite stories and movies in an original way. Truly a fun read. The interludes simply measure the depth of the rabbit hole.

Excellent read of God's attributes. Focuses on how God is wholly incomparable and the resulting proper responses from his creatures. Thanks to Dr. Dale Johnson for recommending it.

Unreal how rich, practical, beautiful, convicting , and satisfying a little book can be. I encourage you to find it. It’s a like a wise friend sitting with you by the fire telling you what you need to know. And you find yourself wanting to listen. Listen well. This is gold.

Really helpful...and convicting. Love this. “You will need a Savior big enough to forgive big sinners - sinners who sin inwardly in their demanding hearts, not just outwardly with their critical tongues. Praise God that we have such a towering Redeemer.”