My 3 Favorite Books This Year...

I love learning!

BUT, I am not a fast reader. And reading at night has never really worked for me - I just turn the light out and go to sleep! I always have many more books that I WANT to read than I can possibly get through. Yet I value reading because I value learning new insights, stories, voices that are different from my own. So I have learned that I need to carve out time and prioritize reading.

Listening to books on an audio app on my phone has been a game changer for me! I spend a lot of time in the car, so listening to audio books is great! I can even listen while I am getting ready in the morning, walking outside, working out at the gym, cooking, cleaning. I have discovered it is a great substitute to just listening to music or leaving the TV on.

So as the weather turns colder and you cozy up with your favorite cup of coffee, tea or hot cider and a book, here are a few of my favorite books I read this year that I highly recommend!

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You, by Tony Reinke

Our phones are changing us, it is true! And ironically, I LISTENED to this entire book ON MY PHONE! But I also bought the actual book because I thought it was that good. I knew my phone was changing me, but this book was a challenging reminder of how and why. This book doesn't just address WHAT I do on my phone, but also WHY. It gets at the heart of why I look at my phone frequently, why I can't wait to text someone back, why I post something on social media, and then keep checking for 'likes' or 'comments'. And if you are raising kids or teenagers in this digital world, this is a must read! Our phones are a great tool, an excellent resource to connecting with others and accessing information. But it's just a tool, and sometimes I allow that tool in my hands to steal from me the people and life and moments right before me. Even as I write this, I am thinking, it's time to read this book again!

The Church In Babylon: Heeding the Call to Be a Light in the Darkness

by Erwin Lutzer

I was encouraged, challenged...encouraged and challenged again! Erwin Lutzer compares the Church in America today to God's people living in Babylon, asking the question, "How do we live faithfully in a country becoming more and more hostile to our faith in Christ?" He points to examples of faithful God-fearing men and women in the time of Babylon like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. He states in the first chapter, "Like Israel in Babylon, our challenge is to impact the culture without being spiritually destroyed by it." This book is a timely reminder to us as individual followers of Christ as well as for the church as a whole regarding our call to be sent into the world, to engage and impact the culture and world around us while standing firm in our faith.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, by W. Phillip Keller

Growing up on a farm, I love a book with plenty of farming or agricultural stories and analogies. This entire book is written from the perspective of a sheep farmer, looking at Psalm 23. As September approached I decided to read through the first 40 Psalms. When I came to the 23rd Psalm I began reading this book, which had been sitting in my book 'wish list' for years. The writer brings so much context to each line of this Psalm, pointing out that David was a shepherd and was likely thinking through much of this perspective as a shepherd himself when he wrote this Psalm. This is a short book, but each chapter had me meditating on my relationship with my Good Shepherd, grateful for how He leads me beside still waters, how He restores my soul, how He guides me through paths of righteousness, how He comforts me, how He prepares a table before me, and so much more!




And if I were to tack on a favorite Bible study this year...

Included in Christ: Living a New Story from Ephesians

by Heather Holleman

I already love the book of Ephesians, but I especially love how Heather Holleman brings Paul's writings to the church in Ephesus to life. She challenges us to see and write both our Shadow Narratives (who we used to be) and our Redemption Stories (who we are now)! This is a great study for individual or group Bible study use!

So what are your favorite books you read (or listened to!) this year? I would love to hear!