I find myself being drawn back in some sense to my early church roots.  Drawn back to the theology of the Calvinists.  There.  I have said it.  But what does that mean?  I was asked recently what kind of understanding I had of Calvinism or Reformed theology.  It dawned on me, that really, I could not articulate it well at all because I have never really given it any detailed consideration.  As I think that a lack of doctrinal understanding is at the heart of so much misdirection within in our churches today I determined to do something challenging for my own benefit in this area.

Thus I am embarking on a journey of understanding the "Doctrines of Grace" as they are known.  I love the internet for its ease of finding out pretty much anything you might want to know.  So I typed in a search for "Reformed Theology Reading List" and this is what I got.  
http://www.ligonier.org/blog/10-books-and-one-letter-every-new-calvinist-needs-read/  1. John Newton’s letter “On Controversy”
2. John Calvin - Institutes of the Christian Religion.
3. Robert Bruce - The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper.
4. John Owen - The Mortification of Sin.
5. Robert Letham – The Holy Trinity.
6. Sinclair Ferguson – The Christian Life.
7. J.V. Fesko – Justification.
8. Cornelis Venema – The Promise of the Future.
9. R.C. Sproul – Chosen by God.
10. Roland Bainton – Here I Stand.
11. Nathan Hatch – The Democratization of American Christianity.

There was another much lengthier list on GoodReads though I dropped a few of its suggestions  including The Power of a Praying Wife and one by Brother Lawrence.
1 The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 
2 Knowing God Knowing God by J.I. Packer 
3 Desiring God: Meditations  of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper (Goodreads Author) 
4 Concise Theology by J.I. Packer 
5 Here I Stand: A Life of Mar... Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton 
6 The Potter's Freedom: A Defense of the Reformation and the Rebuttal of Norman Geisler's Choosen But Free by James R. White 
7 On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 by Gerhard O. Forde 
8 Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer 
9 Jesus Told Me to Do What? Looking Beyond the Golden Rule by Peter Bakich 
10 Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition by Kelly M. Kapic (Goodreads Author) 
11  The Great Exchange by Jerry Bridges 
12 Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne A. Grudem 
13  Christ and Him Crucified Christ by Jon J. Cardwell (Goodreads Author) 
14 The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges 
15  Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner 
16 Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 
17  Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer 
18  The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis 
19  Willing to Believe: The Controversy Over Free Will by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 
20  Chosen by God Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) 
21  The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer 
22  A Severe Mercy A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken 
23 Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church by N.T. Wright 


I plan to blog about my reading list as I make my way through it.  Just let me say from the outset that I do not like the labels and I cannot imagine that Luther, or Wesley or Calvin would be anymore thrilled about people carrying their names as an identifier than Paul was.  I am simply being drawn back to some of the texts that helped to shape what we believe and to rediscover them for myself.  I intend to be a Berean along the way as well and check them out with Scripture as my guide.  So let the journey begin.

Blessings,
Deb

So here I sit on a Saturday morning writing my Friday Reflection...better late than never. Ken is in the kitchen fixing a new pot roast recipe for me.  Love my man who jumps in with both feet in the kitchen every once in awhile.  Many of my friends take this time of year to share what they are thankful for.  It is fun reading what they write and seeing some things in a new way.  So here is my list for this week:
-A husband who is a willing cook and clean
-A son who called me from afar just to talk
-A son who lets me be a goof with his girlfriend
-Cold fronts that let me know fall is really on the way
-A kitten who loves to snuggle when I come home
-Cold medicine that stops a cough
-Ibuprofren (Advil)
-My friends at the Alumni Office for sharing sunshine and warmth with me
-The Peace that only God can give to breaking hearts
-Cat toys to occupy crazy kittah moments
-The trash man who faithfully removes those stinky things in my kitchen from the premises
-Electric blankets


New on my site this week:
Continuing my way through Psalm 119.  Taking it in slowly has allowed me to see Christ in this Psalm like never before.  
Confessions of a Tree Hugger
When the Fog Clears
Making a Choice
A Runner's Heart

And on the quilting front.  A certain quilt I have been working on will soon be in its new home and I will be able to show you the finished product.  In the meantime I have enjoyed finding free patterns to share and joining in my first quilt along.

Thursday Freebies are of the autumn variety this week.
Week One's assignment in the Quilt Along is completed  

And below are some bonuses just for you:

Pat Sloan shared the Selvage Christmas Tree tutorial on her facebook page today.  One of the comments just cracked me up.  "My husband: sweetie, why are you digging through the trash can? Me: because I saw this cute Christmas tree on facebook and I need my salvage edges back! Husband: why don't we just go buy you some salvage edges?"  I really need to start saving my selvages to make some of the cute things I have been seeing lately.  Have any of you used selvages in your projects?  I would love to hear about it and really love to see a photo. (maybe even have you do a guest tutorial for us!)

These tutorials are from last year, so the giveaway is no longer going on.

Cheers!
Deb