january 8 ~ eight bookshelf books

I love my kindle for general reading, but keep a small bookshelf with books for reference and daily readings.

In the 'middle of the middle shelf' are the books I refer to most often.  So I pulled forward eight books from that location that are of the greatest influence in my life right now (January 2012.)  From left to right:

The Genesis Flood by John Whitcomb and Henry M. Morris.  This book was first published 50 years ago.  But the scientific information it contains is so well researched and so well presented that it remains one of my favorite books to turn to when interpreting what I see in the world around me.  I thought of it often as we drove across Arizona and New Mexico last week and was once again struck by the reality that time and erosion are not the cause of the formations we were amazed by.  Rather erosion, over time, is erasing them.  One has but to mentally clear away all the debris at the base to see the dramatic formations that occurred on our earth as a result of the catastrophic world flood as described in Genesis.  (Click on the link and check it out ... seriously, check it out.)

Refuting Evolution,  by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati is a book I return to again and again.  Dr. Sarfati is a genius.  And yet he wrote a book that even I can understand :)  Dr. Sarfati spoke at our church last year and clearly presented fact after fact after fact refuting the theory of evolution.  Clear. Concise.  Convincing.

A Grief Observed may not be the first book that comes to mind when thinking of  C.S. Lewis's writings.  But it is the book that has comforted me and encouraged me more than any other on the subject of grieving.

The Valley of Vision (A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions) moved back into the middle bookshelf.  It was a gift from a dear friend a couple of years ago.  And although I began reading the devotions and prayers I sadly did not stay with it.  Staying with it will go a long way to making each day count this year.

Which leads beautifully into Each New Day by, Corrie Ten Boom.  Simple.  Strong.  Practical.  Personal.  Powerful.  Something to ponder each day of the year by a woman who trusted God in all things.

Messiah in the Feasts of the Bible is the book that accompanies the dvd series by Sam Nadler.  My husband and I have enjoyed the series and look forward to sharing it with friends this year.  We've been blessed beyond measure by it.

Next in line is my current study Bible.  I chose the New American Standard Bible as my main study Bible because of the literal accuracy.  And I chose the edition with the Scofield Study Bible III system mainly because of the marginal references.  Unfortunately it is out of print now (hence the outrageous prices!)  But if I didn't use the Scofield system I would most certainly choose the Ryrie study system.  This year I've decided to go through the Bible chronologically.

And the last of my eight 'in the middle of the middle shelf' reference books is the Amplified Bible.  It "captures the full meaning behind the original Greek and Hebrew" and is a tool I often turn to in Bible study.

(Many of the links above are to items available free on the internet.)