Book Recommendation(s)!

We just turned in a review in my Counseling Observations class for the book How People Change by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp. This, as with any books put out by CCEF, is one of the best I have read when it comes to practically applying the truth of Scripture to our daily walk. There were many jewels of wisdom found in the pages of How People Change, some of which I spent days meditating over. Whether discussing the ways in which we tend to fill the "gap" in our lives with anything but the Gospel, or pointing out how we respond in our hearts to the circumstances and trials which come our way, Lane and Tripp demonstrate grace and wisdom in their counsel through writing. Here are just a couple of very brief snippets from the pages of this book:

• “By God’s grace, you are being progressively delivered from the one thing that can completely destroy you: sin. But God not only delivers you, He restores you.” (48)
• In regard to the trials we face, “God is simply taking you where you do not want to go to produce in you what you could not achieve on your own.” (131)
  

At first read, that last quote sounded kind of similar to things I have heard before. Yes, trials are inevitable and we are encouraged very specifically in Scripture. But how often do I stop right in the middle of a rough patch, of a season in which I am prone to discontentment or worry or doubt, and trust that the Lord is doing a work in me that I could never achieve? And am I thankful in acknowledging His work? Such a simple statement was so profound, and that compounded with all of the other elements in Lane and Tripp's made it a deeply convicting and encouraging read.

As far as other recommendations go for books you can find through CCEF, these are the ones that I have read and also highly recommend (and if you are really interested and can't find them in your local bookstore, please let me know!!):

• Addictions--A Banquet in the Grave, by Edward T. Welch (in dealing with depression)
• Age of Opportunity, by Paul David Tripp (good resource for parenting teens)
• Blame It On the Brain?, by Edward T. Welch (what does the brain have to do with behavior--this one I am actually still reading)
• Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, by Paul David Tripp (one of my top favorite books)
• Seeing With New Eyes, by David Powlison (one of the most gracious, clear, and Christ-saturated authors I've read)
• Speaking the Truth in Love, by David Powlison (covers the book of Ephesians)
• When People Are Big and God is Small, by Edward T. Welch (the title speaks for itself)