September Book Recommendations

Here are some favorite book recommendations for this month. Please share about some of your favorites as well.

 

Fiction – 

A Fool & His Monet by Sandra Orchard (KU)

If you enjoy mysteries, this one is quite a puzzle to figure out. I liked the main character, who has a sense of humor, a passion for catching art thieves, and a desire to honor God with her life. There’s a hint of romance in the story, but mainly it’s a fast-paced journey of unraveling a complicated case of missing art masterpieces and several potential suspects. Of course, there’s also a lazy cat, a sleuthing great-aunt, and a best friend in need of help. It’s a fun and challenging mystery story.

 

Non-Fiction – 

Bridge Called Hope: Stories of Triumph from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams by Kim Meeder

This collection of true stories about rescued horses and the people they have impacted is a powerful read. If you like horses and stories about how God uses them to touch lives, you’ll enjoy this book. Kim is an eloquent writer who shares deeply from her own heart and offers God’s hope to those who desperately need it.

 

Children’s – 

Mooses with Bazookas – And Other Stories Children Should Never Read by S. D. Smith (KU)

This was the first book I’d read by this author, and at times I laughed out loud until I cried! I guess that means I’m still a kid at heart…or maybe that I just appreciate a well-written book of ridiculousness. There are a few different stories of various lengths, bracketed with letters from a man stranded on a desert island. All of it, including the endorsements, is filled with silliness, satire, spunk, and not a few double negatives. If you need a dose of comic relief or your kids enjoy funny stories, then this book is for you.

 

(KU – available in Kindle Unlimited)

 

He Longs to be Gracious

I had one of those moments recently. You know, when someone treats you inconsiderately, and you feel upset even though in the big picture it’s not that important. Your head tells you it’s not a big deal and to let it go. Your emotions tell you what the person did wasn’t ok, and you have a right to be upset.

In that moment, as I battled between wanting to let it go and wanting to stay upset, I prayed. “Lord, please help me want to be gracious.” 

The answer to my prayer? 

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” –Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)

The Holy Spirit immediately flashed this verse across my mind. And I was stunned speechless.

God LONGS to be gracious to me.

I suddenly realized that in every moment for all of history, God wanted to be gracious. He never had to wrestle with whether to forgive or to stay angry. He never had to talk Himself into being gracious. He longs to be gracious. Always. No matter the offense. 

Jesus paid the price for all sin at the cross. God’s justice has been satisfied. This verse from Isaiah shows that God’s grace and His justice are not in conflict. He is both the God of justice and the God of all grace. And He stands eagerly ready and waiting to give grace to all who come to Him.

Does this stun you like it did me? It should.

We don’t ever have to wonder if God gets tired of our failures and sins. The truth is He longs to be gracious to us. 

Merriam Webster defines “longs” as “to feel a strong desire or craving.”

God is waiting for us to come to Him, wanting to pour out His grace on us. Jesus desires that everyone would come to Him and receive from Him grace upon grace.

A simple definition of grace is undeserved kindness. Of course, God’s grace is much more than that. It covers every need we could possibly have. In Christ, we will always encounter grace when we come to God, no matter what. 

Even beyond that, God can transform us so that we also desire to be gracious toward others. That’s what I pray for. Not just a grudging forgiveness toward others, but a heart that truly longs to extend God’s grace to them. After all, with such a revelation of God’s ever-gracious heart toward us, how can we not long for His grace to flow through us?

Whatever you’re going through, I hope you’ll take a few minutes today and ponder this profound truth: God longs to be gracious to you. 

And He longs to be gracious through you and I as well. What a Savior! 

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” –John 1:16 (NASB)