TT#22: Thirteen Books On My Desk

Thirteen Things about mom huebert

I happened to notice the other day that I have thirteen books, plus three bibles, on my desk. They are all on my desk--instead of the bookshelf--for various reasons. Some are books that mean something to me, and I want them right where I can reference them. Others are there because they're relatively new to our collection and are out in public view for reading before they get mixed in with all the other books. One isn't even mine; it's waiting to be given back to the owner.

Just for fun I have listed them here, along with a quotation I especially like out of each one. A book with a star denotes a book that has changed my life or my thinking, or in some way made an impact on me.

*1. The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, Hannah Whitall Smith
"The apple in June is a perfect apple for June. It is the best apple that June can produce. But it is very different from the apple in October, which is a perfected apple. God's works are perfect in every stage of their growth. Man's works are never perfect until they are in every respect complete."

*2. The God of All Comfort, Hannah Whitall Smith
"All through the Old Testament the Lord's one universal answer to all the fears and anxieties of the children of Israel was the simple words, 'I will be with thee.' He did not need to say anything more. His presence was to them a perfect guarantee that all their needs would be supplied; and the moment they were assured of it, they were no longer afraid to face the fiercest foe.

You may say, 'Ah yes, if the Lord would only say the same thing to me, I should not be afraid either.' Well, He has said it, and has said it in unmistakable terms. When the 'angel of the Lord' announced to Joseph the coming birth of Christ, he said: 'They shall call his name Emmanuel' whch being interpreted is, God with us.' In this short sentence is revealed to us the grandest fact the world can ever know--that God, the Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, is not a far-off God, dwelling in a Heaven of unapproachable glory, but has come down in Christ to dwell with us right here in this world, in the midst of our poor, ignorant, helpless lives, as close to us as we are to ourselves. If we believe in Christ at all, we are shut up to believing this, for this is His name, 'God with us.'"

*3. Sitting By My Laughing Fire, Ruth Bell Graham

We are told
to wait on You.
But, Lord,
there is no time.
My heart implores
upon its knees,
"Hurry!
...please."

4. 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself, Steve Chandler
"If it's hard for you to imagine the potential in yourself, then you might want to begin by expressing it as a fantasy...Think up some stories about who you would like to be. Your subconscious mind doesn't know you're fantasizing (it either receives pictures or it doesn't)...Without a picture of your highest self, you can't live into that self. Fake it till you make it. The lie will become truth."

*5. 17 Lies That Are Holding You Back And The Truth That Will Set You Free, Steve Chandler
"...find out what you love. Pay attention...Think back to all your times of happiness in life... What did you love the most? Whatever that was, it was a signal to you. It was the universe knocking at your door, trying to tell you what your soul's purpose is...Listen. Listen....The next time you feel real joy, stop and think. Pay attention."

*6. The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting For People Who Hate Setting Goals, Keith Ellis
"Wishes are goals--but goals with snap, crackle, and pop. Goals provide the process that can take you anywhere you want to go, but they lack the inspiration to get you there. Wishes are different. They have impact--like being struck by lightning instead of by a lightning bug. They let you dream. They let you soar. They let you tap into a source of limitless possibility and boundless energy that gives you the power to accomplish what you might otherwise never even have imagined. If you want to make good things happen in your life, think in terms of wishes instead of goals."

*7. On Writing Well, William Zinsser
"Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is. I often find myself reading with interest about a topic I never thought would interest me.... This is the personal transaction that's at the heart of good nonfiction writing. Out of it come two of the most important qualities that this book will go in search of: humanity and warmth."

*8. Dreaming With God, Bill Johnson
"Many believers discount their desires, automatically trying to get rid of everything they want in order to prove their surrender to God. Their selfless approach overshoots the will of God and actually denies the fact that God is the Father of the dreams and abilities within them."

*9. Pain, Perplexity and Promotion, Bob Sorge
"Sometimes we suffer pain because of sinfulness, mistakes, weaknesses, or shortcomings in our lives. But Job is a prime example that it's also possible for God's people to suffer greatly even though they've done nothing wrong. We must recover the understanding that it's possible to do everything right and still experience great distress and upheaval. 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous.'(Psalm 34:19)."


10. Keys To Heaven's Economy, Shawn Bolz
"When people enter eternity, having lived a life of obedience in partnering with God, they leave behind a spiritual inheritance. God is looking for individuals who will pick up these inheritances and walk in the legacy of those who have paved the way ahead."

11. Glory Invasion, David Herzog
"Have you noticed that you often can connect with God easier in a beautiful natural surrounding? I believe that all creation, in its natural state, is worshiping the Creator... when you are outdoors, you sense His presence without manmade music because there is a natural ongoing orchestra of worship via the creation."

*12. King James Bible
"Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

13. Me? Obey Him?, Elizabeth Rice Handford
"No man can make you happy. It is Jesus only, Himself alone, who will meet your deepest yearnings and longings. You must find your satisfaction in the Lord if you are going to be happy."


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