What I Read in 2021

 Three of my favorite books from 2021, plus I'm giving one of them away!

Kimberly Farmer

READING FOR PLEASURE took a hit this year ever since I started graduate school in June. At the same time, my family took a trip to Orlando to visit the Universal and Disney theme parks. The vacation was one of the highlights in a year filled with busyness, stress, and tragedy.

I still read quite a bit—maybe even more than last year—but a large portion of that time belonged to textbooks rather than trade books as usual. Still, three of the books I read this year merited mention and recommendation in this year's edition of What I Read. 2021 started off biography-centric but rounded out with a self-help book and some fiction. I'm currently tackling Ayn Rand's behemoth, Atlas Shrugged, so you might see it on next year's list. The jury's still out on that book.

As is tradition here at AndrewGilmore.net, I'm giving away one of the three books below plus a copy of my brand new book, Your Utmost Is Not Enough: Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense. See the end of this article for details.

Here are three books you might enjoy:

Why God Might Be Thwarting Your Cravings

A preview of December's email-only article.

Kevin Turcios

Do you ever have cravings?

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers, and this month we're talking about why God might be thwarting those yearnings you have. (If you'd like to join the club, fill out the form below. It's free!)

Here's how the article starts:

I think nearly every craving we have is an expression of a genuine, legitimate need whether physical or otherwise. 

The surface-level desire might be a bastardization of that need, something that won't solve the underlying problem at all or even make the problem worse--like my craving for a bag of salty chips when what I really need is a glass of water.

My subconscious brain knows I need to consume something, but what, exactly, gets lost in translation.

I bring all this up to paint a backdrop for an interesting verse in Proverbs. The verse reads, "The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked" (Pro. 10:3). Seems simple on the surface, right? 

But we leave a lot of meat on the bone if we only take one bite and move on. So let's pause for moment and see just what kind of implications this verse has for us.

 
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What You Need to Know about Job's Friends

Maybe this is why they were such jerks.

Matheus Ferrero

 

JOB'S FRIENDS SAID some pretty dumb things.

One guy, Eliphaz, said:

Are the comforts of God too small for you,

    or the word that deals gently with you?

Job 15:11

 
This was after Job lost everything and developed painful sores all over his body. That would be a bit like heading to a hospice facility to lecture the patients on time management skills.

Another friend, Bildad, said:

What Did Job Mean We Should "Receive Evil" from God?

  A preview of November's email-only article.

Job on the Ash Heap: Job Berated by His Wife, Jusepe de Ribera (c. 1632)

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers. (If you'd like to join the club, fill out the form below. It's free!)

In this month's subscriber email we're examining what Job meant when he said we should "receive evil" from God.

Here's how the article starts:

Stop me if you've heard this one.

A friend, family member, or coworker has a terrible thing happen. Car accident, layoff, death of a family member. Now he is "mad at God" because, "How could he let this happen?" Once he was a Christian, now he's not so sure he can believe in God who would cause so much pain.

No doubt you know someone firsthand or have heard tell of such a tale thirdhand. Maybe that person I just described is you.

Why is this story so common?

I think the reason is quite simple. Human beings, created in God's image, are designed for eternity. We are meant to live in harmony and peace with him forever. This destiny is embedded in our psyche, woven into our DNA. The story of Adam and Eve in the garden of eternal bliss and the promise of eternity in glory with our heavenly father are as natural to us as breathing. We anticipate harmony without even being conscious of said anticipation. Why?

 
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Your Utmost Is Not Enough

Learning to trust God even when life doesn't make sense.

J W

If you've ever been disillusioned with life or disappointed with God, no doubt the emotion was born from a mismatch of expectation and reality.

You expected a long and prosperous life, not one shortened by cancer. You expected to be in your dream job forever, not to be laid off because of hard economic times. You anticipated your children growing up to follow the Lord, but they have turned away from the faith.

These unrealized futures send a shock to our systems, and God, being the omnipotent, omniscient being he is sometimes bears the brunt of our rage and bitterness. As natural as these responses seem amidst the throes of tragedy, in the end, we're only hurting ourselves.

But where do these expectations come from? Who says we're guaranteed a long life of prosperity or an existence free from conflict?

What Would You Give Up to Be Well?

 A preview of October's email-only article.

Aditya Romansa

Every month I publish an exclusive article for my email subscribers. (If you'd like to join the club, fill out the form below. It's free!)

In this month's subscriber email we're looking at how we can keep the faith when health deteriorates.

Here's how the article starts:

As a relatively young person, I've enjoyed years of good health. I rarely visit the doctor. I don't take any medications. I'm free from aches and pains.

This hasn't always been the case.

As a child I struggled with severe chronic asthma leading to more hospitalizations than I can remember. Many people don't like hospitals, but I learned to like them. The warm glow of the ER lights meant I would soon be able to breathe easy again. So I endured the jabs, pricks, and chest x-rays in anticipation of the inevitable relief.

We had medicine at home, but no amount of albuterol or steroids ever seemed to be enough. Eventually all the preventatives and intervention attempts failed to keep the condition at bay, and I would deteriorate to the point where my parents began packing a bag in preparation for the overnight stay.

 Want to read the rest?

Just enter your email address to join the list, and I'll send it to you right away:

I send two to three emails per month, but you can unsubscribe at any time.

See you next month!