Featured Book: 1

I'd like to start a series of posts on favorite books and why they are favorites. There are so many books to read and yet not all of them are worthy reads. I would like to offer some of the books I have found very useful for personal study or in counseling ministry.

The title for today is "Dark Clouds Deep Mercy".

This book has been so helpful to me personally as well as to many friends. It is a book about Lament and how to use the Psalms. It comes with a journal that really is a stand alone journal you can use without reading the book, as much of the book is in the journal. The author of the book is Mark Vroegop.
The book guides you through a series of Personal Laments, Corporate Laments, Laments of Repentance and Justice Seeking Lament. Each section contains specific chapters for the book of Psalms. In it, we learn to 1: TURN: Talk to God even in the messy lives we lead. 2: COMPLAIN: tell Him all about the problem. 3: Ask Ask Him for deliverance, and then 4: TRUST Have confidence in GOD's trustworthiness in all circumstances.
The Author says that trusting in the Lord is the destination of all Lament.

NEXT: there is a section to personalize it and write your own lament. We read, explore, pray and reflect on each scripture passage. It is a great exercise in personal prayer and seeking the Lord. The more you familiarize yourself with the method, you find it easier to pray and wind up with praise and trust.
I hope you grab a copy, especially the journal, and try it out. I'm going through it for the 3rd time.