February Reading Review

Hello fellow readers! The second month of 2020 is all but over (even with that extra day!) and it’s time for me to breakdown the books I read for February. If you haven’t been following my reading journey thus far, this month I picked a selection of books focused on the nature of love between God and man and everyone in between. I managed to finish five books, though since three of those ended up being audiobooks, I’m not sure if those count as full books Below are short summaries and reflections on those books:

 

Book 1: Perfect Love by Ruth Myers

I didn’t really know what to expect when I selected this book, as it was one of a large number of books I have received from my parents over the years. However, it proved to have such a massive impact on my heart and head as it constantly pointed me back to God during a time of deep emotion hurt. Reading through Ruth’s own life journey and struggles that led her back to the true nature of God’s love over and over helped me lean into that great fount of love myself. A couple of the things that really stuck with me were how she described the Five Love-Gifts of God and the Four Stages of Intimacy with God. The Five Love-Gifts are God’s Living Word (The Bible), His Indwelling Spirit (The Holy Spirit), the Body of Christ (the church), the Circumstances of Daily Life (our trials and triumphs), and the Path of Obedience (following God’s Will and trusting His perfect love). The Four Stages of Intimacy are seeing God as our Creator/Father in Heaven (He is above us), knowing God as our Shepherd/Friend (He is beside us), having God as our Guide/Helper (He is within us), and believing God desires an inner union with us. Being reminded of this has meant so much to me this month, and I don’t regret taking my time reading this book.

 

Books 2 & 3: Love Does and Everybody Always by Bob Goff

I count these together because they really do flow together as one continuous narration. Goff’s personal style and story-telling made these books very easy to enjoy and the tales he tells are both incredible and inspiring. By acknowledging the whimsical nature of life and the overwhelming effect God’s love can have on our daily circumstance if we just let Him work, Goff relates his life through the lens of “just saying yes”. It kinda reminded me of Donald Miller’s books, but with more whimsy. Just being able to live out God’s love daily is itself a noble calling, and Goff shows how great this can be as the cascade of God’s love pours through those little moments.

 

Book 4: Loved by God (God’s Love) by R.C. Sproul

This book/teaching series looks at the nature of love as a key characteristic of who God is, and how that changes our reality as His creations. Answering questions the intersection of love and justice, love and salvation, and love and sovereignty, this selection dove deeper into the theological nature of love. With the other books from this month providing more practical examples or application of the idea of love, this one provided valuable in its foundational approach to the theme.

 

Book 5: When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric & Leslie Ludy

If I’m completely honest, I didn’t need to read this book but since it had been sitting on my shelf for a few years and touched on the nature of one’s walk while desiring a loving romantic relationship,  I felt it was time. And to continue in the spirit of honesty, this book served more as a nice little heart check in my current season of singleness than it actually added to what I had already read this month. But if I had to list one take away, it’s to always make God your first love and let Him control the pen when it comes to writing your own love story.

 

So there it is, five books about the many forms and perspectives of and on love. Perhaps I am a little bit of a romantic to have chosen this theme for February, but nevertheless I’m glad I did. Stay tuned for next month’s review as I tackle Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series!

 

 

S.D.G.