True Courage – Readings and Resources

This fall, we invite you to continue (or begin) personal spiritual practices by spending fifteen minutes a day with God in scripture, prayer, and solitude. Use this guide for your daily reading and enrich your time with recommended music and books.

SPENDING TIME ALONE WITH GOD

1. Listen to a song from the playlist.
2. Read a scripture passage from this week’s selections
3. Spend 3-5 minutes in silence
4. Write down something that you sense God would want you to believe in or do today.

As we explore Old Testament stories of worship, courage and trust in God, we discover that TRUE COURAGE is found in the presence of God and in relationship with Jesus, who is always with us and lives in us. Our hope is that these songs will help us draw near to God and remind us of God’s goodness and faithfulness, and that he alone is worthy of our trust.

October 18 – Dwell (Exodus 33:12-23)

• Egypt – Bethel Music and Cory Asbury
• Mountain to Valley – Housefires
• Your Glory – All Sons & Daughters

October 25 – Grieve (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

• Always Good – Andrew Peterson
• Nothing to Fear – The Porter’s Gate and Audrey Assad
• Safe in Your Arms – Josh Baldwin and kalley

November 1 – Move (Joshua 3:7-17)

• Good Grace – Hillsong UNITED
• Psalm 23 (I Am Not Alone) – People & Songs
• Into the Wild – Josh Baldwin

November 8 – Choose (Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25)

• Better – Pat Barrett
• Make Room – Jonathan McReynolds
• My King Forever – Josh Baldwin

November 15 – Trust (Psalm 90)

• Only a Holy God – Here Be Lions
• Christ Be All Around Me – All Sons & Daughters
• Establish the Work of Our Hands – The Porter’s Gate and Aaron Keyes

November 22 – Presence (Ephesians 1:15-23)

• Garments –  Cory Asbury
• Remember – Bryan and Katie Torwalt
• All My Hope – Crowder, Tauren Wells
• Let the Redeemed – Josh Baldwin

Eat This Book, Eugene Peterson
The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Henri J.M. Nouwen
Here and Now, Henri J.M. Nouwen
Life of the Beloved, Henri J.M. Nouwen
More, Greg L. Hawkins
The Gift of Being Yourself, David Benner
Surrender to Love, David Benner
Desiring God’s Will, David Benner
Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster
Messy Spirituality, Mike Yaconelli
Not a Fan, Kyle Idleman
Open Mind, Open Heart, Thomas Keating
In Search of Guidance, Dallas Willard
Abba’s Child, Brennan Manning
The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen
The Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning
Mere Christianity, CS Lewis
Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible, Howard G Hendricks & William D Hendricks
Draw the Circle: The 40 day prayer challenge, Mark Batterson
Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation, Ruth Haley Barton
Soul Keeping: Caring for The Most Important Part of You, John Ortberg
Living Christ’s Presence, Dallas Willard

Week of October 18

• Exodus 33:12-23
• Matthew 22:15-22
• 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
• Psalm 99

Week of October 25

• Deuteronomy 34:1-2
• Matthew 22: 34-46
• 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8
• Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17

Week of November 1

• Joshua 3:7-17
• Matthew 23:1-12
• 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
• Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37

Week of November 8

• Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25
• Matthew 25:1-13
• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
• Psalm 78:1-7

Week of November 15

• Psalm 90
• Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
• Matthew 25:14-30

Week of November 22

• Ephesians 1:15-23
• Matthew 25:31-46
• Ezekiel 34:11-16
• Psalm 100

Art: Entrance to a Quarry Near Saint Remy
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Netherlands)
Painted in 1889

Art: Autumn Landscape at Dusk
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Netherlands)
Painted in 1885

Art: Avenue in Voyer d’Argenson Park at Asnieres
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Netherlands)
Painted in 1887

Art: Vegetable Gardens in Montmartre
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Netherlands)
Painted in 1887

Art: Les Alpilles, Mountain Landscape near South-Reme
Artist: Vincent Van Gogh (Netherlands)
Painted in 1889

Artist: Althia Pinloos, SBPC Friend
Painted in October 2020, as a response to today’s scripture

Artist Notes:

I asked God to please show me what I must paint and I got this vision:

Paul was in prison when he prayed for the church.  How many times when it is not going well with us do we pray for people that are doing very well? I saw Paul praying for them that they will realize the power they have in Jesus and that they would know that, we the people/children of God, are God’s greatest treasure. I saw God’s light shining down and how the Holy Spirit was poured out over them.  The gold in the painting resembles two things.  One is to show that God’s children are His greatest treasure and two, God’s presence through the Holy Spirit with His children. The hand resembles Paul praying and that he knows Jesus intimately. He knows the power there is in the name of Jesus and he wants the church to know that too, and to have a deep and intimate relationship with the Holy Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit). 

I feel truly blessed to have been able to paint this, but I do feel it was the Holy Spirit that painted it through me and I cannot take credit for this.  I hope you can see and feel what I saw in this.