17 Books We Loved

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” —Jane Austen

Every home should be equipped with a library! Don't you think? I know I'd love to have a library. Instead, I have books scattered from the sunroom to the guest room and everywhere in between. But I totally agree with Jane Austen that there is simply no enjoyment like grabbing a good book and curling up in your favorite spot.

Who doesn't appreciate a good book? We certainly do! We've gathered all of our favorite reads from the past year into one blog post and it's PACKED with reading goodness! 

Write Things Down

Did you know that the practice of gratitude will cause real changes in your brain and enhance brain function as well? It's true! If you want your brain to work better, practice being grateful for the good things in your life. Writing down your grateful thoughts makes that practice even more powerful. If you're looking for a gratitude journal, check out this 52-week gratitude journal by Pretty Simple Planners. I love their planners, and I love this journal too!

​I have gifted several of these gratitude journals and each recipient has been truly grateful! Good days really do start with gratitude.

Write things down. Journaling, being grateful for the here and now, it's something we don’t do enough. Yet it’s such a powerful tool to help you find peace in a world of chaos. If you're ready to journal your gratitude, click this link and order one today! ​

Put it on your desk, by your bed, throw it in your bag when you leave the house. Keep it with you and be prepared to see the things in life you have to be grateful for, and journal them. ​
​Now, when chaos interrupts your little world, pull out your gratitude journal and be grateful! Give it a try. You will be surprised how much this helps you. The process gives your grateful thoughts ​a​ home, a place they can live, and a place you can visit to remind yourself of all you have to be grateful for. Once those thoughts are expressed in writing, they give you more power to find peace.

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Don't Overthink! 

Don't overthink the problem, and certainly don't overthink the solution. Don't CREATE any more chaos for yourself, for sure. If overthinking and anxiety are keeping you from finding peace, have I got a great book for you! Max Lucado's Anxious for Nothing is wonderful. Pick up a copy today and start reading. It was written with people like us in mind, trust me.

“Peace is within reach, not for lack of problems, but because of the presence of a sovereign Lord. Rather than rehearse the chaos of the world, rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty, as Paul did.” ―Max Lucado, Anxious for Nothing

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Every Woman Should Read This!

If you're looking for a gift for that hard-to-buy-for girlfriend, your mom, sister or aunt, let me recommend this book. The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp is a book every woman should read! If you've been hurt, it'll become part of your healing journey. If you haven't, it will help you understand the brokenness of the women around you.

“The only way to live a truly remarkable life is not to get everyone to notice you, but to leave noticeable marks of His love everywhere you go.” ―Ann Voskamp, The Broken Way

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The Names of God

If you're looking for study and reading resources on the Names of God check out this book by Nathan Stone published my Moody Publishers.

​Also, a great online tool is the Blue Letter Bible. There's also a Blue Letter Bible app in the app store for both iOS and Android.

And check out our Names of God Pinterest board as well.

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Feeling Overwhelmed?

Are you feeling overwhelmed by life today? This is a great place to start the journey of finding peace and rest in a world that just keeps loading up our plates with anything but. I call it the "Do More Be More" world, and it only produces relentless anxiety, never peace or rest. 

Finding peace and rest begins by pursuing a life of humility and dependence on God. Humble Roots is about real-life, relevant theology that helps us cultivate a life that leads to peace and rest.  ​​

Failure at small things reminds us of how helpless we are in this great, wide world. When little things spiral out of control, they remind us that even they were never within our control in the first place.” —Hannah Anderson, Humble Roots

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It's Never Too Late To Start Planning! 

I looked for months at planners before choosing this one. I even polled my Facebook friends asking them what planner systems they use. I received a multitude of different answers and one of the best pieces of advice was this from an old high school classmate, "If you are not already a planner user I would start with something simple and inexpensive... Just my two cents." I thought that was great advice, especially since some of the planners friends suggested I try were $60 - $80. CRAZY! 

Many of the planners I looked at were just too, too complicated. This one is perfect! The outside is gorgeous and the inside is simple and clean— a nice balance.

This Pretty Simple Planner meets ALL my needs. Well... it won't cook dinner or clean my house, but as far as planners go, it meets those needs. You can't go wrong here!

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Bob Loves People!

​If you too are working at developing a love for others, allow me to introduce you to Bob Goff. Bob loves people!

​​His book Everybody, Always will help you cultivate a love for people. Real people, not just the easy-to-get-along-with type of people, but real, everyday people. Because you know we are not all always easy to get along with.

If you know someone who works with people, this book is for them. It was life-changing for me. I will never look at people in the same way again, even the difficult-to-love kind of people.

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Finding Fulfillment When Life Leaves You Empty

"The God Diagnosis is the unique journey of a successful surgeon who finds the fulfillment of all his life dreams empty, lonely, and depressing. Embarking on a quest for truth and the answers to life's basic questions, Dr. Viehman finds himself at the epicenter of the most mind blowing diagnosis of his life. In a riveting journey through investigation, testing, and personal struggles Dr. Viehman recounts his journey from death to life in a way that will resonate with anyone seeking the facts and examining the evidence for themselves. Dr. Viehman uses his medical mind to come at these issues in a profound way that is striking, refreshing and fascinating." --goodreads

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Daily Devotionals for Couples, for Her and for Him

When you lift up your relationship, together as a couple to God, you won’t be able to keep the spiritual growth from happening! ​The first devotional I'd like to suggest is Moments with You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. This is perfect for couples.
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Another great devotional, this one for women, is God Hears Her. Don't you just sometimes want to be heard? God hears. Even in His silence, He hears. ​God Hears Her contains 365 daily devotions written by women for women. It makes a great gift, with its small size and attractive hardcover binding. Pick up one today to encourage yourself and get another one to encourage a friend.

One more from Our Daily Bread that I've personally enjoyed is Great is Thy Faithfulness. Don't we so often need to be reminded of the faithfulness of God? This little 356-day devotional will do just that. It's beautifully bound, kind of manly looking. So I'm just going to say this one is a wonderful little devotional for the guys in your life.

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I Am the Samaritan Woman

"No soul is too small for His mercy. No sin is too great for His grace." —Chris Anderson, The God Who Satisfies

I love this book as it speaks to both mercy and grace. I found myself especially drawn to it because of it's focus on the Samaritan woman. I AM the Samaritan woman! Maybe you feel like you are too. Whether you do or not, you'll find The God Who Satisfies enlightening, uplifting, and encouraging. And you know, we're all about encouragement around here!

"God is seeking worshipers. But He doesn’t find them. He makes them! From what? From Samaritan women like us. And He does so through the life-changing power of the gospel! ​"—Chris Anderson, The God Who Satisfies

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Teach Your Little Ones to Share, Love Others and Obey

Looking for a way to get your little ones memorizing scripture? Check out The Gospel Alphabet book from Coffey Design Co on Etsy!

"I wanted my kids to memorize Scripture. I know that there are a lot of Christian ABCs sets out there...so why another one? I want my kids to learn how to share, how to love others with their words and to obey authority. But before all these things...they need the Gospel! So I created this 5x7 flip book to help me teach them the truths of the Gospel in a simple way. ​

Each letter has a Scripture verse that contains a word that begins with that letter. This has been an awesome way to teach the Gospel to my kids. Since there are 26 letters, you can teach a verse each week in 6 months! Or just do one every other week and cover them all through a whole year! Can you imagine if your kiddos learned 26 verses about their need for salvation and how Jesus came to make it available!?! Faith comes by hearing...and hearing by the Word of God!" --Stephanie Coffey

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So what were your favorite books last year, and what's on your reading list for this year?