We hope we’ve introduced you to some exceptional Christian books this summer! Books that getting us thinking about true, noble, and praiseworthy things are setting our thoughts on the things that matter! Like I said in our series intro: “Bible reading should be a priority. But reading other great books is important to.” We’re inspired to grow as we learn from the authors. “The message within books isn’t bound by time and space. We can learn from writers like Corrie Ten Boom, Saint Augustine, Charles Spurgeon, and other authors who have lived long ago or far away.”
Hinds’ Feet on High Places
I wrote about Hinds’ Feet on High Places, which is “a sweet, easy read. The allegory traces the spiritual journey of a sweet, lame young woman named Much Afraid, who aproaches the Chief Shepherd for whom she works and expresses the desire to escape her fearful relatives and the ‘Valley of Humiliation.’ She wants to travel to the ‘High Places’ where love and joy abound and desires his deer-like feet that can leap and bound over the mountains.
The Shepherd assures her that by following him, and calling for him anytime she needs him, she can travel to the High Places and gain hind’s feet! We all can follow like that. We all are called by our Good Shepherd to follow. And He will help us! Though we may feel incapable, we are able because He is able in us!
Unoffendable
Lisa shared Unoffendable with us! She says, “When I think of exceptional Christian books, Unoffendable comes to mind. It’s not a huge best-seller or a classic that’s survived through the centuries (it was published in 2015). But it can be a game-changer today for Christian anger. Written by radio personality Brant Hansen (WAY-FM radio anyone?), Unoffendable says that our “righteous anger” has become a big problem.
While there are legitimate reasons to get angry—and yes, we do read about God’s anger at evil—we’re also told to not hold onto it. To not sit with it.
To not sin in it. [Instead] Feel it. Work to correct the injustices underneath it. Then let the anger slide away. Aim for unoffendable instead.”
Searching for Sunday
Jaime told us about her struggle with church and the encouragement she found in Rachel Held Evans’ book, Searching for Sunday. Jaime says, “When it comes down to it, church is not a one size fits all kind of thing. But there is an underlying foundation that can be found at the heart of every community of believers and that is why we keep searching.”
“When my faith had become little more than an abstraction, a set of propositions to be affirmed or denied, the tangible, tactile nature of the sacraments invited me to touch, smell, taste, hear, and see God in the stuff of everyday life again…Christianity isn’t meant to be simply believed, it’s meant to be lived, shared, eaten, spoken, and enacted in the presence of other people.” – Evans
“Evans’ story is honest and unfinished, evidence of an active and growing faith that asks questions and seeks the kingdom of God. The church is not perfect, but it is what Jesus gave us and therefore worth wrestling with.”
The Holy Spirit in You
Alyssa tells us about a book she loves called The Holy Spirit in You, by Derek Prince. “One of the things I love most about this particular book is its simplicity. He clearly explains what we know about the Holy Spirit throughout the Scriptures and how He works in our lives today as Believers. It is just over 100 pages long, so it’s a short read, but it is packed with truth straight from God’s Word.
Diving into who He is, what He has done throughout history, and what He is capable of in the life of a Believer today, this book will challenge you to grow as you learn more about Him.”
We’ve enjoyed sharing books that have inspired, challenged, or otherwise been “signposts” to us, pointing us to God and His truths. We hope you found some books to add to your reading list!.(I know I’m excited to read the books my fellow team writers have shared!)
Although summer is nearing it’s end, we can surely squeeze in few more good reads, right?
Have you read any great Christian books recently? Tell us in the comments or in our Facebook community.
Blessings,
Ali
Disappointed that you would recommend anything by Rachel Held Evans.
KJ, thank you so much for your comment. I have to admit that I am personally was not familiar with Rachel Held Evans and had to “google” her to understand why you’d feel this way. Please know that it is our intention here at DoNotDepart to recommend books that are inspiring and theologically accurate. Like I mentioned in the introduction to this series, “works by human authors may contain theological errors. Because of this, we must be careful not to accept anything as theologically true without fact checking it against God’s Word.” I am not sure if the book that was recommended by our team member contains errors or not, but since it is not the inspired Word of God, it may.
If you are interested, I believe these words from John Piper’s ministry, Desiring God, reflect our beliefs on the sin of homosexuality:
“God created marriage, which he defines as the lifelong and exclusive covenant of one man and woman. Same-sex desires and same-sex orientation are part of our broken and disordered sexuality owing to God’s subjection of the created order to futility because of man’s sin.” Read more here: https://www.desiringgod.org/topics/homosexuality#fighting-same-sex-desire-with-the-surpassing-worth-of-christ
Again, I thank you greatly for taking the time to comment on our post. We appreciate our readers!
Blessings in Christ,
Ali