Anyone looking for a few good books to read as we jump into 2014?
I read each of these books at the close of last year, and I can’t wait to recommend them to you. They are the soul-cleansing, heart-opening, garbage-dealing, life-changing kind of books … the perfect three books to read at the start of a New Year.
So, without further ado …
Book #1: gods at War: Defeating the Idols That Battle for Your Heart by Kyle Idleman.
I posted about this one before, but I had to include it in this post as well. Gods at War gets in your business in all the right ways. This book will dig deep to identify and expose the false gods that distract and drive you away from the real One. If you like to start off the New Year by cleaning up and cleaning out, this is the perfect book for you.
“In gods at war, Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of Not a Fan, helps every believer recognize there are false gods at war within each of us, and they battle for the place of glory and control in our lives. What keeps us from truly following Jesus is that our hearts are pursuing something or someone else. While these pursuits may not be the ‘graven images’ of old, they are in fact modern day idols. Behind the sin you’re struggling with, the discouragement you’re dealing with, the lack of purpose you’re living with is a false god that is winning the war for your heart.”
Book #2: A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman.
I’ve quoted from this book over and over since I read it. Emily P Freeman, author of Grace For the Good Girl, is easily one of my favorite authors. Somehow she has the ability to put words to that little voice inside of me that hasn’t found it’s voice yet. If you’re looking for your purpose, your voice, or your calling at the start of this New Year, this is your book!
“Do you desperately fear you have nothing to offer the world but secretly hope you’re wrong? You were born to make art. You were made to live art. You might not see yourself as an artist, but you are – in so many unexpected ways. It’s time to uncover the shape of your soul, turn down the voice of the inner critic, and move into the world with the courage to be who you most deeply are. Creating a life of meaning is not about finding that one great thing you were made to do, it’s about knowing the one great God you were made to glorify – in a million little ways.“
Book #3: Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace by Jan Johnson.
A friend of mine kept going on and on about this amazing book that she was reading, so I finally picked it up one weekend when we were iced in. Yall, I read it in two days, then went back though it and took notes. It is that good. If you like to start the New Year off by simplifying your heart and your life so that you can focus on what really matters, read this book!
“Simplicity is not a discipline itself but a way of being. It is letting go of things others consider normal. It is an “inward reality of single-hearted focus upon God and God’s kingdom, which results in an outward lifestyle of modesty, openness, and unpretentiousness and which disciplines our hunger for status, glamour, and luxury.” We practice simplicity when we intentionally arrange our life around God – what he is doing in us and in this world – and let the rest drop off.
Each chapter in this book provide small experiments with simplicity as well as questions for discussion or reflection to get you started.”
I can’t think of three better ways to start off the 2014 …
Clean out.
Find your purpose.
Practice living with a single-hearted focus on Jesus.
So … Which one will you read first?
I've read "A Million Little Ways" and really enjoyed it. Thanks for the other recommendations–I'm always looking for books to add to my list!
hi Shay. Have you read Emily P Freeman's other book, Grace for the Good Girl? Another fav. of mine. What have you read lately? I'm looking for some new books to add to my pile as well.