Let’s start out by telling our readers a little about you. (Current ministry context, family, joys in life, etc.)
My husband and I met in college and have been married for over twenty years. We have two sons, ages ten and thirteen, and I homeschool them. Our days are filled with school lessons, sports, and other activities. When I’m not busy driving my children from place to place, I serve as the editor of the PCA women’s ministry blog, enCourage. My background, experience, and training are in counseling, but since I homeschool, I use those skills in my writing and speaking. I write for a number of Christian websites and ministries and am the author of A Heart Set Free and Closer Than a Sister. I am also on the advisory board at my Alma mater, Covenant College—go Scots! In my local church, I teach women’s Bible study and lead a discipleship group of teen girls.
What are you reading right now?
Currently, I am reading Devoted to God by Sinclair Ferguson. It’s about sanctification, and I have to confess that I have dog-eared most of the pages!
What are some books you regularly re-read?
Knowing God by J.I. Packer, The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, 365 Prayers by Scotty Smith and books by Paul Tripp.
What biographies or autobiographies have you read recently?
Most of the biographies I read are in the context of homeschool and are children’s biographies. I have to admit, children’s biographies are wonderful! They are often written like a story so you can easily imagine the life of someone lived out on the pages. One we read recently was that of Corrie ten Boom. It brought me to tears many times and was a testimony to me of God’s faithfulness. We’ve read many biographies of missionaries, and one thing that stands out to me the most is how no matter what trial or hardship they endured, they kept moving forward. The way God worked in and used people like Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, George Muller, and others is remarkable and encouraging.
If you were sitting down with a fellow believer and they asked for your top five book recommendations on Christian living, what would they be? (my answer is specifically for women)
I read a lot of books on Christian Living. These stand out to me the most: Disciplines of Grace and Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges, Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller, Because He Loves Me by Elise Fitzpatrick
What books have molded how you to serve and lead others in the gospel?
I serve in women’s ministry, both at my local church and at the denominational level. These books are ones I turn to often: Spiritual Mothering by Susan Hunt, Redeeming Church Conflicts by Barthel and Edling, Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin, and Instruments in the Redeemers Hands by Paul Tripp
Finally, let’s conclude with this question. What are you learning about life and daily following Jesus?
I guess I’m learning (and re-learning) that I don’t have to be prepared or have it all together. I’m a future-tripper, meaning that I spend a lot of time in the future—thinking about it, planning for it, worrying about all the “what if’s.” God is so gracious and reminds me over, and over that He is already there and that He has already planned and laid out the works He has for me. Not only that, but He’s given me everything I need to complete them (2 Peter 1:3). What freedom! I can rest in who God is because He is faithful.
Matthew D. Adams serves as Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, PCA in Dillon, SC. He graduated from Erskine Theological Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina with a Masters of Divinity. He lives in a small town by the name of Hamer, SC and is married to Beth.
