1-29-13 This page will be my attempt to journal about all the Life Altering Books that the Lord has brought into my path.

I love “words” and “letters” – reading them, speaking them, and playing with them, lol… 🙂

Thought LABs was the perfect name for this page because when I think of what the function of a “lab” is in regards to school, I think of “hands-on, practical applications” of lessons I’ve been taught.

These books are exactly that: books that I’ve learned from, studied, pondered, journaled about, gleaned from, and perhaps even practiced and shared with others…

Once a book enters my “lab”, it is definitely personalized! Pages are folded and it is full of my highlights & scribbles as I hold a one-way conversation with the author of the pages. For some, I’ve even typed up all my notes and have them in a file. Yes, it’s confirmed. I’m weird. 🙂

My first and favorite is my Bible. It is a Life Application Study Bible in NIV 1984 translation…

Having never enjoyed deciphering literature written with old phrasing and challenging vocabulary, this translation seems to be the best for my learning enjoyment. I do like cross referencing passages in NKJV, ESV, and in The Message translations for further study, but if I just want to soak up some Son, I love MY Bible, and can read it for hours. 🙂

I have also taken it upon myself to capitalize the “he(s)” referring to The Lord, as I find them. I think that is my only complaint about the NIV translation. That capitalization (or rather, non-capitalization), can change the meaning of a passage, if not properly studied. So I created a “game” now: when I find an instance a “he” needs super-sized, I write it in myself. 🙂

These won’t be in any particular order – I’ll just enter them as I can. 🙂

This was such a great book to read/study as a family! We took a chapter a day during a month in 2012 & did it together during our morning devotion time.

As I flip back through the pages, I think the section that sticks out to me most is “Part 5, Day 21: Being Eaten Alive From The Inside.” It speaks of Chip Ingram’s three-stage process of forgiveness: 1) forgive; 2) forgiving; and 3) forgiven. I have thought of this often since we studied it, and it has really drawn me to study & apply the meaning of the Words of Romans 12 into my life. 🙂

Ann Voskamp’s writings have been an ENORMOUS blessing on my life. Hearing another redeemed-farmer’s wife-homeschooling mom speak of the joy of her salvation in Jesus Christ, has been so encouraging to my own walk with the Lord. She speaks of “eucharisteo” – the practice of walking in THANKSGIVING…all-ALL-all the time… She struggles like I struggle, like we all struggle. And the poetic, descriptive phrasing she uses are like music to my soul. I used this book as a Bible study. When she quoted Scripture, I went there, too. And talked to her on the pages as I went, lol… Many tears were shed by me as I read this. Woke up some raw emotions that have brought me more honesty with the Lord in my prayer life. Hands down, Chapter 7 is my FAVORITE chapter. She speaks of finding joy in the “hard-eucharisteos” – like when we see hatred in our children’s eyes as they quarrel & fight with each other and us, parents. LOVE hearing her struggle with the thought process of how to truly be a Godly mother. I began my own list of numbering thanksgivings and have been amazed at how much that exercise has helped to change my perspective in the “moments” of my life. Her blog continues to inspire me as it draws me into more in-depth studies of Scripture.