My Favorite Reads

Books not pictures are on my Kindle..
One of the few disadvantages
to E-Readers

My friend Sara had a surprise “Favorite Things” shower for her birthday given by two of her best friends from high school.  We celebrated it at my house.  All of Sara’s favorite people (and she has many who love her) sent their favorite items – ranging from lip gloss to paper towels to cookware.  It was such a fun party.  Since I was asked to participate in the day and started brainstorming my favorite things, I have wanted to write a blog about all my favorite things (think Oprah without the gifts).  I promise that completely frivolous blog is coming, but today I want to write something a bit more edifying.  Today I woke up to a Facebook message from a former coworker asking for a good devotional book recommendation.  Being an English teacher, I have to really rein myself in when someone asks for a book recommendation.  Intellectually, I know they are only looking for a title or two, but somehow my mind is screaming, “Yes! They want to engage in a lengthy literary discussion where we muse over the pros and cons of various texts.” So, I held it together and sent my friend only four recommendations…yes, understanding that it was still probably more than she wanted, but I’m like a dog with a bone here.  To get the rest of my insanity out, I decided to blog.  So, here it goes, my favorite Christian books of all time*!

 

Favorite Daily Devotional: People most often ask me to recommend a daily devotional.  I’m going to be perfectly honest, I don’t do daily devotionals.  As a random side note, I also don’t do spiritual conferences.  On those two counts, I might be the worst Christian ever.  I think it might go to my attention span.  I will listen to sermons on my Ipod all day long while I exercise or clean, but if you ask me to sit at a weekend women’s conference, it is like asking me to pull my hair out.  I’ve tried them several times (and I’ve tried really, really good ones, too), and they aren’t for me.  Same thing with devotional books.  I think it comes down to asking something to keep my attention for a year with no connection from day to day.  I’m not a fan.  But I understand that most people love devotional books just as most people love Christian conferences (all those good Christians out there anyway).  So, I’ve pulled together a standard recommendation list.  I am also going to add that all my suggestions are probably more appropriate for women, who are my target blog audience anyway.

 

- Jesus Calling by Sarah Young is a good one.  She does a great job using scripture to encourage and speak truth.  This one would be especially good if you know someone who is struggling or having a hard time.

- Proverbs31.org is an online ministry, and they produce daily devotionals which can be emailed.  It is probably a hit or miss – what I’ve seen is that people either love it or really dislike it.  Regardless of personal opinions, I think it is an upstanding ministry, and I personally enjoy the devotions.

 

Favorite Relationship Books

- Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas is hands down my favorite book on marriage – and I’ve read several.  His main premise is that God designed marriage to make us holy – not necessarily happy.  He gives an awesome Christian perspective on marriage and its design to draw us closer to God.  It is direct truth to that cultural lie that someone else “completes me.”

- The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay.  This one could be done as a daily devotional because it is broken into 40 days between 6 principles.  I’d call it a Bible Study since everything connects across the book, but the days are short enough to be read as devotionals.  It is awesome for any relationship and teaches us to love people like Jesus did.  In fact, flipping through it now, I think I’m going to have to put it on my list to reread soon.

 

Favorite Women’s Books

- Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild by Mary Kassian.  This is actually THE BEST women’s book I’ve ever read.  It is for the more mature Christian.  I probably wouldn’t suggest studying it in a group with newer Christians as it may be too much for them to hear.  However, if you have been walking with Christ for a while, it is an absolute must read.  It talks about how to be the Proverbs 31 woman in all walks of life – from attitudes to interactions with others to personal desires.  It must be read with a teachable heart because certain sections are bound to cause frustration or even anger, but remember those emotions often are the precursor to conviction if we’ll allow God to work.

- Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World and Having a Mary Spirit by Joanna Weaver.  The books are pretty similar, so it wouldn’t matter which one you read, but they are both excellent for those of us who like to be (or just are) busy, busy, busy.  They talk about slowing down and making time for God in the craziness of life.

 

Best Book on Prayer

- Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels changed my prayer life in college.  It gives awesome suggestions for creating a purposeful, meaningful prayer life.  I’m also currently reading Prayer: Does it Make any Difference? by Philip Yancey.  I really like Philip Yancey, and so far the book has been great, so it may be a favorite soon.

 

Best Oldie but Goodie

- Mere Christianity by CS Lewis.  I won’t lie – this is more of an intellectual read, so it isn’t as easy as the other ones on the list.  However, it does exactly what the back cover says and that is it “provides…a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.”  When I read it in college, I remember thinking that Lewis articulated ideas I’d always believed but had not been able to explain.

 

Best Bible Studies

They are both by Beth Moore (so both for women).  One is on the fruits of the Spirit and called Living Beyond Yourself and the other is on the book of James and called (appropriately) James.  I did Living Beyond Yourself several years ago, and it did not have a video series.  I believe it does now.  James also has a video series.  That means that you’ll watch a video, then do the weekly Bible Study, and then repeat the process the following week.  It is an expensive study if you are doing it alone and downloading the videos from Lifeway (approximately $40-50 when all is said and done), but if you decide to do it, I’d definitely recommend paying for the videos.  They are 100% worth it.  I’ve tried to be cheap and do the studies without them, and I really didn’t get as much out of the week as when I did do the video.  I also feel like I have learned more about the Bible from Beth Moore than I ever would have learned in study alone.

 

One more note about Beth Moore studies – they are very time consuming.  You’ll spend 45-60 minutes on the weekly videos and 30-40 minutes on the individual days.  I think they are best done with a group or at least a partner because it is nice to be held accountable to finishing.  I also try to pick the right time in my life to do her studies.  If work is especially crazy, Beth Moore studies will usually feel more of a burden than a joy for me personally.  But if I do them when I’m super hungry for that time with God or just less busy in general, I feel so refreshed and encouraged by them.

 

Best Miscellaneous

The Rabbi book as a really cute cover
but we lost it in the lake :(

- Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus by Tverberg and Spangler.  This book is AMAZING.  With the possible exception of Girls Gone Wise, it is my favorite on the list.  These ladies really put into perspective that Jesus was a Jewish Rabbi in his time period – not exactly a Christian preacher.  They discuss common Jewish practices and teaching methods and show how Jesus used those methods.  They also show the significance behind his actions in the Jewish culture and by default, what his words mean for Christians.

- Jim and Casper Go to Church by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper.  This book changed the way I view church services completely.  It is an excellent read for anyone but would be especially good for people who work in church leadership – formally or on a volunteer basis – or for people who frequently interact with non-Christians or who invite people to church as a way to share the gospel.  It reads sort of like a narrative and sort of like a case study.  It is about a pastor (Henderson) who recruits an atheist (Casper) to go to church with him for the purpose of critiquing the services from the perspective of a Christian and a non-Christian.  The two visit various churches around the country – some well-known and some not – and then discuss the services after their visits.  It is AMAZING to hear the differences in their opinions.  For someone who has grown up in church, it was also eye opening how routines that I see as simple parts of the service can alienate seekers.

- The Best Question Ever by Andy Stanley.  This book is about wisdom.  Spoiler Alert: That is the best question ever – Is it wise?  It is EXCELLENT.  I am a big fan of wisdom.  Just because something is not specifically mentioned in scripture does not mean it is wise.  This book focuses on big issues like time, money, and morality, and it gives spiritual guidelines for how to think and act with wisdom.

- Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey.  This book changed my view point on how God works in our lives.  Yancey focuses on Job for this book and discusses how God works all around us in ways we will never see or understand.  It puts a great spin on the reason for unanswered prayers or for hurts and sufferings.  It is a good reminder that the world is all about God and not all about us, and it is a book I often reference when I talk to other people about God’s will.  I’d say that this book along with Girls Gone Wise, and Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, are probably my top three favorites (today, at least!).

 

Best Online/Techie Resources

- Youversion.com: This is an actual Bible.  You can access a Bible in almost any translation you would want.  They also have an app for the website.  I have the app on my phone and Ipad, and it is wonderful for Beth Moore studies or sermons when we are quickly jumping from text to text. Another fun fact about me is that I don’t trust what the church puts on the screen for scripture readings.  What if they changed a word or two that impacted the overall meaning?  I don’t want to be deceived, so I always look up the scripture in my Bible, too, and YouVersion makes it super simple to do that.  (For the record, I’ve never been in a church service where the screen was fundamentally wrong.  Besides a few obvious type-os, I don’t think anyone has tried to deceive me.) Another awesome thing about YouVersion is that you can make your own notes about scripture and view the notes other people have posted about the same text.  You can also create reading plans that help keep you on track with your daily reading.  Right now, I’m doing a plan that is taking me through the Bible chronologically – in the order the events occurred (not necessarily the same order they are presented in the Bible).

- Biblegateway.com: This website has a TON of resources, but I use it most often to either compare specific scriptures in various versions quickly or to use their commentaries.  Most likely it has several of the same features as YouVersion, I just happen to use both of them for different goals.  There is also an app for this site.

- Scripture Typer: I use this as an app.  I don’t think there is a corresponding website.  It is a great tool for memorizing scripture.  Honestly, I didn’t think it would work at first – the concept seemed too simple (they have you start by typing the verse from sight and then gradually ease you back until you are typing only from memory).  Instead, I have memorized several new scriptures.  It is also super easy to fit into my day.  I use it when I’m doing morning hall duty or lunch duty at school and have to stand in the hallway but don’t have any personal students to monitor.  I also use it when I’m waiting for things – like oil changes or standing in line at the grocery store or exercise classes.  People probably think I text all the time and I’m really memorizing scripture! 

 

Ok, this blog was MUCH TOO LONG.  Kudos if you are still reading!  See… I warned you, dog with a bone!  Now you are impressed that I only gave my friend 4 short recommendations, right?  She could have gotten all this instead.

 

*When Andy saw me grabbing books off the bookshelf for this blog he laughed and told me that I couldn’t include all of the books we own.  He had a point, so I tried to scale back.  As a result, I’m pretty sure all my favorites are not represented!