Best Reads From 2017
Our Shepherds and their wives read some great books in 2017 that they would recommend for YOU in 2018! There's a book on friendship, two on motherhood, and one on how to study the Bible.
Enjoy!
RECOMMENDED BY DIANA SIMMONS & DAVID STAPP
by Jerry Jenkins.
A young seminary professor, Augustine Knox, is drawn into a deadly race to save priceless parchments from antiquities thieves and discovers a two-thousand-year old connection with another who faced death for the sake of the truth. I, Saul consists of two riveting adventures in one, transporting you between the stories of Augustine Knox and Saul of Tarsus.
I second Diana's recommendation. This book gave me a whole different understanding of the Mamertine prison. The author thought Paul and Peter were both incarcerated in that hole with no light. It's also a good read!
- David
RECOMMENDED BY ELISA STAPP
by Edward T. Welch
With short, to-the-point chapters, this book is such a gem of wisdom regarding cultivating relationships for the gospel that I found myself underlining a quote on almost every page. It is divided into two parts: We Are Needy, and We Are Needed, and it lays out a progression of practical steps to take (such as "Move toward and greet one another") to share your life with others so that you can share the hope of Jesus. From the introduction: "God is pleased to use ordinary people, ordinary conversations, and extraordinary and wise love to do most of the heavy lifting in His kingdom. The basic idea is that those who help best are the ones who both need help and give help".
by Catherine McNiel
Written for moms in the trenches of the mundane, this book opened my eyes to see the opportunities I have every day in the smallest and most routine of tasks to bring glory to God and to set my mind on things above.
by Sally Clarkson
This book helps moms develop an eternal perspective in the way we nurture our children's hearts and open our homes as a place of discipleship and encouragement to others. Here is my favorite quote from the book's introduction: "Jesus wasn't asking his disciples to go into all the world and set up church buildings or youth groups or Wednesday night church suppers but to make disciples - to cultivate spiritual relationships with people, to draw them to Christ and then to train them to reach out to other people who also would be trained and able to make other disciples."
by Jen Wilkin
Christians these days are often unfamiliar with where to find things in their Bibles and haven't taken the time to truly study it. In her book, Jen Wilkin walks the reader through why studying the Bible is so important, the steps to take to actually do it, and teaching us how to study the Bible in context.
RECOMMENDED BY DONNA MILLER
I'm pretty much into audio books. My two highest are End of the Spear (by Steve Saint) and The Boy Born Dead (by David Ring).
RECOMMENDED BY CALEB STAPP
by Jerry Bridges & Bob Bevington
This book explained the Gospel to me in one of the clearest ways to me of my life. The two bookends that hold up the entire Christian life are the POWER of God and the GOODNESS of God and as you read this book you will be convicted by how little you actually believe in those two truths. This will tear you up and God will work in your heart. Read it.
by Jim Applegate
This 30-minute read will revolutionize how you think about following Jesus in the minute-by-minute living of your life. This little book helped us as we put together last Easter's sermon series that we, in our brilliance, called Hope-Shifting. Also, for only $2 on Amazon Kindle its a GREAT price!
What did YOU read in 2017 that will stay in your thoughts?
