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Jeff

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Jeff’s currently-reading shelf

My Utmost for His Highest Journal by Oswald Chambers

The Complete C. S. Lewis Signature Classics by C.S. Lewis

Enduring Grace by Concordia Publishing House ...

The Big New Yorker Book of Cats by The New Yorker

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Jeff’s Bookshelves

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justread2023readingchallenge‎ (109)
nonfiction‎ (105)
justread2025readingchallenge‎ (86)
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fantasy‎ (62)
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justread2026‎ (46)
justread2022readingchallenge‎ (43)
horror‎ (38)
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memoir‎ (23)
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short-stories‎ (19)
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cats‎ (15)
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Jeff is Currently Reading

Jeff is currently reading

The Big New Yorker Book of Cats

by The New Yorker

bookshelves: currently-reading, cats, essays, justread2026, nonfiction, short-stories

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May 24, 2026 02:43PM

Jeff is currently reading

Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms (An Illustrated Devotional Prayer Book with 75 Daily Free-Verse Poetic Prayer Responses - One for Each of the 1st 75 Psalms)

by Ryan Whitaker Smith

bookshelves: devotional, justread2025readingchallenge, nonfiction, prayer, psalms, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

read in June 2025

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Jeff said: " I ran across this book one day, when I was perusing the Rabbit Room store. IYKYK. It sounded interesting, so I ordered it, and it wound up being the final addition to my Lent season reading list. It's quite a bit past Lent, but I finally finished it. I ran across this book one day, when I was perusing the Rabbit Room store. IYKYK. It sounded interesting, so I ordered it, and it wound up being the final addition to my Lent season reading list. It's quite a bit past Lent, but I finally finished it. The reason it took so long was this: I started out trying to read it straight through, like I would a "normal" book, but quickly surmised that that wouldn't work.

Let me just say that this is a beautiful book. It is almost overwhelming, and in some cases, goes beyond "almost." This is, as the subtitle states, a book of prayers "inspired" by the Psalms. Since Psalms is my favorite book of the Bible, I was definitely intrigued. And I was not disappointed. My only disappointment was that this book only covers half of them, 1-75. And more than just prayers, these are poems. But that makes sense, doesn't it, because the Psalms are poems. Songs, in fact, probably originally the Hebrew songbook and prayerbook. Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls them the "prayerbook of the Bible."

I have very possibly prayed more psalms in my life than I have original prayers. Especially in the last decade or two. But this isn't a personal testimony, this is a book review. I have nothing negative whatsoever to say about this book. Except that thing I said earlier about it only covering the first 75 psalms.

The prayers are beautifully, poetically written, with great grace and exquisiteness. Is that a word? I guess so, there's not a red squiggly line under it. And they are definitely prayers. I found myself verbalizing quite a few of them during my morning and evening Jesus Times. There is one in particular, inspired by Psalm 72, that is called "A Prayer for Those in Power," which I have started praying every morning, verbatim, when I reach that part of my daily prayer focus.

As an added bonus, there are footnotes on every single one of them that give the various Scripture references that are alluded to in the prayers. But one doesn't have to look all of those up unless one just wants to. The prayers are just as meaningful without doing that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves prayer and loves the Psalms. Buy it. Devour it. And then devour it again. That's what I'm doing. Because I am who I am, I read it straight through the first time, cover to cover, just so I can add it to my reading log. But it remains on my Jesus Time shelf, because I will be using it over and over and over.

Further bonus! I discovered a few nights ago that the author has written the second book of prayers to cover the rest of the Psalms, called Endless Grace. It should be arriving in a couple days. My pastor already has it, and has shown me the prayer inspired by Psalm 139. Stunning. As expected.

Even further bonus!! He is releasing a book on Proverbs in September of this year. I have already preordered it! It is called Abiding Wisdom: Prayers Inspired by the Book of Proverbs.

I have now read this book twice this year, as I have been reading one Psalm per day, along with its corresponding prayer from this book. It continues to move me greatly. 💜💜 ...more "

Oct 14, 2025 11:49AM · see review

Jeff is currently reading

This we believe;: Meditations on the Apostles' creed

by John A Ross

bookshelves: currently-reading, justread2026, lent, liturgy, theology

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Apr 03, 2026 03:17PM

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Jeff’s Notes & Highlights

Book cover for The Elimination (Talin and the Tree, #2)

The Elimination (Talin and the Tree, #2) by Stephanie DosSantos

2 notes & 6 highlights

People will eventually believe whatever is continually repeated to them,” he nodded at Talin, “without someone to question it.”

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Jeff’s Quotes

“He does not call us to do what he did, but to be as he was, permeated with love. Then the doing of what he did and said becomes the natural expression of who we are in him.”
― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

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“the intention of God is that we should each become the kind of person whom he can set free in his universe, empowered to do what we want to do. Just as we desire and intend this, so far as possible, for our children and others we love, so God desires and intends it for his children. But character, the inner directedness of the self, must develop to the point where that is possible.”
― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

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“The gospel of the kingdom is that no one is beyond beatitude, because the rule of God from the heavens is available to all. Everyone can reach it, and it can reach everyone. We respond appropriately to the Beatitudes of Jesus by living as if this were so, as it concerns others and as it concerns ourselves.”
― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

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“We do not just hear what Jesus said to do and try to do that. Rather, we also notice what he did, and we do that too. We”
― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life In God

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“We all change the world whether we intend to or not. And we always change the world for the better when we plant the seeds of kind thoughts and words.”
― Mary Davis, Every Day Spirit: A Daybook of Wisdom, Joy and Peace

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