And The Winner Is...

Quite a while ago I began the search for the next Women's Study book. This process took much longer than originally anticipated. I felt a little bit like Goldilocks when she was choosing the perfect porridge, chair, and bed: "...too hot! she exclaimed. ...too cold! she said. AHHH, this is just right, she said happily."

Well, this is roughly what happened with my book choices. I looked over the three that were in contention, and then chose a fourth, because "...it was just right."

The winner is Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, by Jerry Bridges. A good friend lent this book to Steve, and he left it on the living room table amidst all the other contestants. I would occasionally glance at it, but never gave it a serious thought. Then as I was struggling with the runner-up book, "liking it very much," but not feeling like it was the "one" - I noticed Respectable Sins again. I began to read it and loved it. Here is the author's summary of the book:

"This book, as the title announces, is about sin - not the obvious sins of our culture but the subtle sins of believers, the target audience of this book... The motivation for this book stems from a growing conviction that those of us whom I call conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more 'refined" or subtle sins... I also want this to be a book of hope. We are never to wallow hopelessly in our sins. Rather, we are to believe the gospel through which God has dealt with both the guilt of our sin and its dominion over us."

Doesn't that sound great? It is a wonderful book, and I would recommend it to all - not just the ones who will be able to participate in the two groups that will begin in a week. The first third of the book lays the foundation for the author's opinion stated above, and the rest of the chapters deal with specific sins: Judgmentalism, Impatience and Irritability, Lack of Self-Control, Anger, Sins of the Tongues, Anxiety, and many more.

The good news for the women in my church is this: you get to read this book over many weeks and deal with the conviction that I hope you will receive from each chapter. The bad news for me is that I had to confront all these sins in the space of just a few days. YIKES! And HURRAH for the gospel!