This year has been a big year for me, in many different ways. I became a wife by marrying my greatest friend, moved into the city and finally reached my goal of reading at least one book a month. It is a goal that I have had for a number of years and have never been able to complete. I’m not quite sure how I was able to reach it, but I’m thankful I had a chance!
I have been so incredibly encouraged by the wisdom I received from the books I read, and wanted to pass them along, as I believe they would be an encouragement to other women!
Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney
This book was given to me by a sweet friend, an older sister type, who has such a beautiful ministry of presence. I was newly engaged and really wrestling in my heart about the implications and the transition. I was so grateful for her intentionality in listening to my heart and not only giving me this resource, but constant encouragement. This is such a fantastic book that I would recommend for ALL women, no matter the season, but especially those maybe in college and after.
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Corrie Ten Boom quickly became another spiritual hero to me as I read her story. She had such a deep faith in the Lord even despite her circumstances and what she endured through World War II—opening her family’s home to Jews to take shelter and then a concentration camp after they were found out. She even somehow smuggled a Bible in the camp in order to continue to treasure scripture and tell all she knew of the God she served. Truly a remarkable story and woman!
Tramp for the Lord by Corrie Ten Boom
A continuation of her story, this was after she was released from a German concentration camp and returned home. Her love and work for the Lord did not rest. She was a disciple on a mission, and this book recounted occasion after occasion of the Lord’s providence and grace as she sought to serve Him and those around her as best as she could for the glory of God–even the soldiers who had held her captive.
I had followed Jennie on social media for quite a few years and had followed her by listening to IF:Gathering conferences online. I tend to shy away from new fads going on, but there was something about the way she spoke: tenacious, determined, fully convinced that Jesus is the God He says He is in scripture. I LOVED listening to each IF:Gathering and finally picked up this book—all about a ‘simple’ prayer that changed her life completely: “Lord, I’ll do ANYTHING for you”. It was encouraging and thought provoking, motivating and encouraging.
I read this book on my honeymoon per the recommendation of my husband. I LOVED this read. It took me awhile to finish as I often had to stop and digest what I read, but it spoke to the wrestling in my heart. As a newlywed, I was living a normal life—but that seemed so at odds with the messages we are inundated with about being “extraordinary” and doing “big things for God”. This was such a fantastic read for my soul and I was able to have so many conversations with other women wrestling with the same thing. This book encouraged me by coming along the command we have in scripture “…and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you…” 1 Thessalonians 4:11, and reminding me of the power of ordinary.
Glimpses of Grace by Gloria Furman
This book had been on my list for quite a few years and I finally was able to get my hands on it. This book was such a breath of fresh air. It can be easy to be overwhelmed in the day to day of running a home and accomplishing all the “to-dos”, but Gloria did a beautiful job sharing how to look upon these tasks with enlightened eyes of the Gospel and seeing grace even in the most mundane moments of our lives.
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin
Hands Down the first book I would recommend to women who want to learn how to read the Bible. Jen is thoughtful, bold, reasonable and passionate about God’s Word and people knowing it, handling it appropriately and loving it. I may read this one once a year as well as put it into the hands of every new believer I know to encourage them to treasure God’s Word in the way He intended it to be treasured.
This is such a beautiful story of adoption. After walking through infertility and wrestling through every emotion that comes along that road, Heather and her husband decided to look towards adoption—but that road led them down a very different path than they could ever imagine…making them “the lucky few”.
Simply Tuesday by Emily Freeman
Written as an ode for one of the most ordinary days EVER, Emily reclaims this day and all of its ordinariness and calls for delight and worship. It’s one of the longer books I read this year, but I just love her writing, her honesty and her words. This book went along with the unintentional theme of ordinary daily obedience and delight in the Lord, and I so enjoyed it!
Steal Away Home by Aaron Ivey and Matt Carter
I’ve always enjoyed anything about Spurgeon. I often read “Morning and Evening” authored by Charles Spurgeon along with my daily time with the Lord. This is a historical fiction book about Spurgeon, who was living across the pond, and his friendship with a former slave whose life was deeply changed and influenced through his writings that had been sent to America. This book was absolutely fascinating and so well written. It was a quick read but deep. I definitely recommend it!
This is a short but full read. C.J. starts the book by recognizing the insufficiency one has in writing about such a weighty subject, but he does such an amazing job in talking about the humility of Christ and how we can seek after it—the joy and LIFE that comes from it.
Dance, Stand, Run by Jess Connelly
I had the opportunity to be on the launch team for this specific book. I had followed Jess online for years so when this opportunity arose, I definitely wanted to jump at the chance. This whole book is about the holiness of God—where we’ve gotten it wrong and where we have forgotten about it. She writes with deep conviction and seeks to bring our faith to an applicable level. This book was easy to read, but thought provoking. I was really thankful to be able to read it even before it was launched out into the world!
Free of Me by Sharon Hodde Miller
This was also a book I had the opportunity to be on the launch team for. And truly, EVERY WOMAN SHOULD READ THIS BOOK! I tell everyone that this was probably the most influential book I’ve read this year. Sharon takes different places of our lives and explains how our temptation to make it about ‘us’ steals our joy and rob the Lord of massive glory: church, family, appearance, jobs, etc. She is so honest about her own journey in discovering this Truth and how the tendency to “heighten our self-esteem” doesn’t fix the heart of the matter and overall does more harm than good.
True Beauty by Carolyn Mahaney
There is one subject that I honestly thought that I was past learning about…until I read this book. Initially this one was on my list so that I could honestly recommend it to a girl I was discipling, but this book ministered so deeply to my own heart. This side of heaven, I believe that women may always struggle with the subject of beauty—so much so, that we need to constantly and consistency remind ourselves where our lasting beauty comes from : a gentle and quiet spirit, found in confidence from the Lord.
Katharine Mills 