Alive in Him

Alive in Him, by Gloria Furman

19/30 | Started 04.24.22 • Finished 05.15.22 | 5 stars

In this highly accessible book, Furman takes the reader through the book of Ephesians section by section. She uses four chapters to talk about each half of Ephesians: the first half being focused on doctrine and the second focused on how to live in light of that doctrine. Furman's love for Christ, passion for his Word, and knowledge of doctrine/theology is evident throughout. The book is packed with references from all over the Bible and she draws from a number of outside sources (well-documented).

When we see Paul using the phrase “in Christ,” he is not merely saying that we are to walk in Christ’s footsteps, as though the message of Christianity is merely that Christ followers should do what Christ would do. We certainly ought to look like our Savior, but our moral performance is not the source of our justification. Christ’s moral performance is the source of our justification, and being in Christ is being united to him and receiving all the blessings that are part of Christ in the heavenly places. Being “in Christ” is indeed the one, great, permanent circumstance. If you are in Christ today, then thirty trillion years from now you will still be in Christ.

In chapter 1, Furman shows us how we are the recipients of God's rich grace in Ephesians 1:1-14. In chapter 2, we are called to hope as we look at Paul's prayer in Ephesians 1:15-23. Chapter 3 covers Ephesians 2:1-22, which looks at how God resurrects a new humanity, essentially raising zombies to life. Lastly, we see what is the "mystery revealed" of Ephesians 3:1-21 in chapter 4.

The single most mind-blowing, life-altering reality of being in Christ is that we no longer need to hide ourselves from the presence of the Lord God; in Christ we may walk with God in perfect fellowship now, and ultimately forever in the garden city that is to come (Gen. 3:8).

Furman now moves on to how we are supposed to live in light of all that Paul has said in Ephesians 1-3. Chapter 5 explores the concept of unity in the church, along with the giving of gifts and the speaking of truth in Ephesians 4:1-16. In chapter 6, while discussing Ephesians 4:17-5:14, we learn what it is to put on the new self now that we are in Christ. In chapter 7, we look at the sacrificial love of the household code as described in Ephesians 5:15-6:9. Finally, we end with Ephesians 6:10-24, which concerns the armor of God and the reality of spiritual warfare within the church.

I think that all too often we find ourselves trapped someplace and wonder what on earth God was thinking. We fail to remember that God has sent us here to glorify him—chains or no chains.

I fully recommend this book to anyone looking to gain a better understanding of Ephesians. Read alongside your Bible, I am sure it will result in notes covering the margins. I'm thankful for Furman's gift.

Thimble Summer

Thimble Summer, by Elizabeth Enright

Started 05.06.22 • Finished 05.12.22

"A girl named Garnet finds a silver thimble during a drought. That night, the drought ends. Then many exciting things happen, like hitching a ride to Blaiseville 13 miles away, Eric comes, and a haystack falls on her. She enters a pig named Timmy into a show, then has to wait six hours to find out if he wins. So she and her friend Citronella go on fair rides, eat ice cream, and Citronella almost throws up. Finally, she heads to where the show is and finds out that Timmy has won! She eventually begins to believe that the thimble is magic, because of everything that happened."

Neph, age 11

Old Yeller

Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

Started 04.28.22 • Finished 05.05.22

"A stray dog comes and steals Travis's family's meat, but they keep him anyway because Travis's little brother Arliss wants to, and because dogs can help in many ways. Travis gets hurt once while hunting wild hogs, but Old Yeller, the dog, keeps them away and gets very hurt while doing so. While Travis rests his leg, a wolf with a disease called hydrophobia comes and almost attacks little Arliss and Mama. Old Yeller saves them and attacks the wolf. Travis gets his gun and shoots the wolf, but it already has its teeth clamped around Yeller's neck, which passes on the disease, so Travis has to shoot him in the head."

Neph, age 11