William Wilberforce

I've recently begun picking up reading again and have really enjoyed it. Since being married I didn't feel the "freedom" to take time to read knowing there are about a bajillion things to do. However, now that I have to sit down and feed a growing baby almost every 2 hours, I figure this would be a great opportunity to make a dent on my never-stop-adding-another-book list. =)                                                                                          So here I will try and write a brief overview from time to time on the books I've read. 

   Amazing Grace in the life of Wiliam Wilberforce/John Piper

Crossway Books, 2006, 76 pages long, Genre: Inspiration/Biography

John Piper does an excellent job of unfolding William Wilberforce's story. Throughout this short book, Piper reveals how joyful Wilberforce was throughout his life in Christ. Even in his battle to abolish the slavery (which lasted for 46 years of his life!! I cannot imagine the joy of seeing that prayer answered! *goosebumps*). He also suffered from other varies things: colon problem, lung problem, and his eyesight took a blow due to morphine poisoning (from opium he took for at least 31 years).* On top of all that, his wife Barbara was often depressed (she even worried herself into bad heath that lasted the remainder of her life), some of his children did not come to what Wilberforce calls, "the great change", and the death of his precious daughter. Wilberforce was a man of endurance. A man who ran well until he was called home. He is a vivid picture of what it looks like to set out and make a difference in the world for God. This book even reaffirmed my reasons of why I want to name a son after this man who was so passionately on fire for Christ (have to convince hubby hehe). 

Facts I did not know about Wilberforce before I read this book:

He refused to call himself a "Calvinist"

He found dueling offensive

He also developed curvature of the spine (which resulted in him wearing a brace underneath his clothing for the rest of his life which very few knew about!)

Wrote his own book A Practical View of Christianity (which I am dying to get my hands on)

I have also finished Sophie's Heart/Lori Wick I {LOVE} reading this book every 2ish years. Such a sweet story.

  

Believe it or not, I actually have a terrible reading habit of having multiple books going on at the same time (don't do this to yourself). 

Current readings:

The Life of Susannah Spurgeon (wife of Charles Spurgeon)/Charles Ray

Damsels in Distress/Martha Peace

The Forgotten God/Francis Chan

Craft-A-Day/Sarah Goldschadt

Kid's Crafternoon Felting/from crafters around the world selected by Kathreen Ricketson

Martha Stewart's Favorite Crafts for Kids

Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts

Weekend Handmade/Kelly Wilkinson

Whew! What book are you taking the time to read through right now?

*Noted, "he was often shabbily dressed, according to one friend, and his clothes sometimes were put on crookedly because he never looked into a mirror. Since his eyes were too bad to let him see his image clearly, he didn't bother to look at all!"