Books We Loved in 2022

“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! 

From anxiety to faith; Old Testament to New, The Daily Grace Co. has a Bible Study for you!!

See all of their Bible studies in one place here

​At the end of each year, I enjoy putting together a roundup post of all the wonderful books we have loved on and shared during the year here at InstaEncouragements. You can always just click on the Books We Love link under categories in the sidebar, but this post puts them all in one place for you.

I hope you enjoy our Books We Loved this past year post! ​Be sure to pin it and save it for later!

​​I'll Start Again Monday

​Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction

I'll Start Again Monday is a newly revised and condensed version of Lysa's bestseller Made to Crave.

In this inspirational bestseller she writes:
​"To the girl with a weary heart who feels so very alone in this struggle that seems like it will never end...Let me be the friend who comes alongside you to say: you are seen. You are loved. You are prayed for. Jesus is with you, and so am I. We can do this. So, let's link arms and face this journey together." —Lysa TerKeurst, I'll Start Again Monday

​Habakkuk: Learning to Live by Faith

How do we please the God of the universe?

• We please Him when we obey His commandments.
• We please Him when we show love to others.
• We please Him when we sacrifice for those in need.

But what pleases Him most is our faith and our faithfulness. Just as He is faithful, we are to be faithful.

These 7 words sum up the entire Christian life:
"...the righteous shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4b). That's how the Lord responds to Habakkuk's lament, and His words set the course not only for God's people in Habakkuk's day but for believers in our day as well.

​The Jordan River Rules

10 God-Given Strategies for Moving Forward

​In 2001, The Red Sea Rules showed up on bookshelves, telling the story of the Israelites at the Red Sea. The Lord parted the waters for them, showing us that the same God who leads us into difficulty will lead us out.

But do you know God parted the waters for His people a second time? Forty years after the Red Sea experience, God divided the swollen waters of the Jordan River and led His people into the Promised Land He had prepared for them.

Welcome to The Jordan River Rules! God intends for you to go forward. Everything so far in your life―including your Red Sea moments of crisis―is simply God’s preparation for stronger days ahead. Perhaps you’ve survived your own Red Sea experiences because of God’s help. Now it’s time to move onward toward all the promises He has given you―the Promised Land of a rewarding future. The same God who led you out will lead you on.

Alma Louise Plans a Picnic

Melissa's children's books are centered around a little girl named Alma Louise. That immediately caught my attention because growing up my middle name was Louise. I dropped that name when I married and opted for my maiden name as a middle name. However, somewhere along the way, I began to miss the name Louise, and now whenever I hear it, it makes me smile.

As I wrote, Melissa's Alma Louise series of books is both beautiful and inspiring. Melissa is the illustrator—she's a talented artist and author.

In the book Alma Louise Plans A Picnic, Alma Louise explores the best foods for a picnic. She and her favorite friend can't agree though, and that becomes a problem. They even get angry with each other! This simple story is a lesson in compromise and kindness. Alma Louise Plans A Picnic is a book about getting along.

See the entire series of Alma Louise books here—10 in all!!

What Grieving People Wish You Knew

​We want to say or do something that helps our grieving friend. But what?

When someone we know is grieving, we want to help. But sometimes we stay away or stay silent, afraid that we will do or say the wrong thing, that we will hurt instead of help.

In this straightforward and practical book, Nancy Guthrie provides us with the insight we need to confidently interact with grieving people. Drawing upon the input of hundreds of grieving people, as well as her own experience of grief,

​Nancy offers specifics on what to say and what not to say, and what to do and what to avoid. Tackling touchy topics like talking about heaven, navigating interactions on social media, and more, this book will equip readers to support those who are grieving with wisdom and love.

Aging With Grace

​Whatever season of life you’re in, God has equipped you to flourish―to live in the transforming power and beauty of his grace.

As we age, we can easily lose sight of this message as cultural ideals glorifying youth take center stage.

In this book, Sharon W. Betters and Susan Hunt offer present-day and biblical examples of women who rediscovered Gospel-rooted joy later in their lives.

Equipped with a biblical view of aging, Aging with Grace will help you encounter afresh the Gospel that “is big enough, good enough, and powerful enough to make every season of life significant and glorious.”

Read week one of our 8-part series on Aging With Grace

​Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family

What is your calling as a parent?

In the midst of folding laundry, coordinating carpool schedules, and breaking up fights, many parents get lost. Feeling pressure to do everything “right” and raise up “good” children, it’s easy to lose sight of our ultimate purpose as parents in the quest for practical tips and guaranteed formulas.

In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God’s plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God―grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.

Freed from the burden of trying to manufacture life-change in our children’s hearts, we can embrace a grand perspective of parenting overflowing with vision, purpose, and joy. 

​Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless World

Radical. Crazy. Transformative and restless. Every word we read these days seems to suggest there’s a “next-best-thing,” if only we would change our comfortable, compromising lives. In fact, the greatest fear most Christians have is boredom—the sense that they are missing out on the radical life Jesus promised. One thing is certain. No one wants to be “ordinary.”

Yet pastor and author Michael Horton believes that our attempts to measure our spiritual growth by our experiences, constantly seeking after the next big breakthrough, have left many Christians disillusioned and disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with an energetic faith; the danger is that we can burn ourselves out on restless anxieties and unrealistic expectations. What’s needed is not another program or a fresh approach to spiritual growth; it’s a renewed appreciation for the commonplace.

Far from a call to low expectations and passivity, Horton invites readers to recover their sense of joy in the ordinary. He provides a guide to a sustainable discipleship that happens over the long haul—not a quick fix that leaves readers empty with unfulfilled promises. Convicting and ultimately empowering, Ordinary is not a call to do less; it’s an invitation to experience the elusive joy of the ordinary Christian life.

What Every Child Should Know About Prayer

​Best-selling author Nancy Guthrie and much loved illustrator Jenny Brake team up on this biblical theology of prayer for children.

Nancy explains, in child-friendly language:

• What prayer is
• How and why we should pray
• The things we can pray about

You'll find in What Every Child Should Know About Prayer a Bible verse for each topic and a prayer for children to make their own.

This book will introduce children to the gift of prayer and encourage them to enjoy speaking to their Father God.

Also, check out these great titles:

• Everything a Child Should Know About God
• Everyone a Child Should Know
• Bible Stories Every Child Should Know

Learn how to Building Your Child's Christian Library here

Every Moment Holy, Volumes 1 & 2

EVERY MOMENT HOLY brings new liturgies for the ordinary events of daily life, such as "A Liturgy for Feasting with Friends" or "A Liturgy for Laundering" or "A Liturgy for the First Hearthfire of the Season." These prayers are ways of reminding us that our lives are shot through with sacred purpose even when, especially when, we are too busy or too caught up in our busyness to notice.

It's hoped that the liturgies in the Every Moment Holy series will serve as prayers to encourage readers in practicing mindfulness of the constant presence of God and draw them toward greater recognition of the eternal echoes resounding in every moment of our lives.

Grab Volume 1

Grab Volume 2

Tell us what you've been reading lately.

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