Those Who've Come Before

by Andrea Renee Cox

As I'm working on the Bible study God's called me to pen, I've been thinking about those studies I've worked through and appreciated that were written by other authors. I only got into Bible studies and nonfiction books about biblical topics a few years ago. While I've collected enough of them to keep me busy for a decade, I've only read through a a handful or so in the last three or four years.

Stay tuned to the end of this article. I'll be asking for your advice!

Here are some of the books that have made a positive impact on me. They are written by authors I admire, ones I've gleaned knowledge from as I've read their books. It is my hope that the Bible study I'm working on will someday make a similar impact on the hearts and lives of my fellow nonfiction readers.

Favorite Books of 2016

by Andrea Renee Cox

Did you have a merry Christmas? My family certainly did. I chose to simply enjoy it rather than take pictures. In a social-media world, it's sometimes pleasant to slip away from technology for awhile and live in the moment instead of try to capture it.

Would you rather capture moments to savor for later or enjoy them as they come along?

This year was a huge reading year for me. I completed my thirty-fifth copyediting job in only three years, and on top of that, I read over ninety books in my spare time. These are a few of my favorite discoveries during 2016:

Waiting for Wonder by Marlo Schalesky - Blog Tour + Giveaway!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Waiting.

Not the easiest thing to do. I’m not sure anyone would call it their favorite thing. But even in the fast-food and social-media era we live in, waiting is a necessary thing.

I’ve struggled with impatience my entire life. Over the years, I’ve prayed for patience, going against advice from lots of different people. But asking God for patience was something He had asked me to do, so I followed through. And He followed through. He’s faithful like that, you know. If we ask for something in accordance to His will, He is faithful to give it to us. I’m walking proof of that now.

The timing of reading Waiting for Wonder by Marlo Schalesky could only be God-ordained. He sent me this book as confirmation that what He’d been teaching me through my tutoring and editing jobs, as well as my personal growth, was that patience truly is a virtue and one worth asking for. It’s a gift worth fighting for. Yes, it’s a fight. To tame that impatience within our souls. To learn to rely on God’s guidance and especially His timing.