The Top Twenty Books of 2021

I’ve rounded up my favorite books from 2021 into one convenient post in case one of your goals for the New Year is to dive into a new read. The books on the list below include devotionals, Bible studies, books about the person of the Holy Spirit, parenting and moving into the empty nest season, and more.

Heirloom is an inspirational book filled with short stories of those who have impacted the lives and hearts of those around them often in simple, unexpected ways. Each devotional concludes with a suggested scripture reading along with reflective questions and prayer.

Favorite quote: “The loss of everything can be devastating . . . or it can be life changing. It all depends on a person’s perspective.”

Leslie McKee’s gently encouraging devotional, Hope Amid the Pain: Hanging on to Positive Expectations When Battling Chronic Pain and Illness, is a book I will read and re-read. Each short devotion weaves story and scripture together and concludes with a reflection question. Space is provided to journal a response.

Favorite quote:  “People dealing with chronic pain and illness already have a limited energy supply. Don’t waste that energy on lies. Use your energy to build up your faith.”

If your child struggles with mental health, Messy Hope will give you encouragement when you doubt the future, battle with fear, or wonder how your child will ever manage. Filled with practical experience as well as insights from her daughter, Lori Wildenberg provides parents with tools and ideas without sugar-coating the hard of walking through mental illness beside your child.

Favorite quote: “Be a conduit of hope in a hard situation.”

Surviving Religion 101: Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College is winsome and intellectual, but deals with concepts in a way that older teens and college students will be more prepared to manage such difficult questions as, I’m Finding It Harder to Believe in Events Like the Resurrection–How Can I Believe in Miracles If I’ve Never Seen One? and The Concept of Hell Seems Barbaric and Cruel–Wouldn’t a Loving God Save Everyone?

Favorite quote: “….belief in Christianity is not just intellectually defensible, but also intellectually satisfying at the deepest levels.”

It’s difficult to find a book my teenaged daughter and I can study together that doesn’t gloss over the difficult topics with which she and other young women struggle daily. Sarah Geringer’s newest book, Transforming Your Thought Life for Teens: Renew Your Mind With God, is that sort of book.

Favorite quote: “As a daughter of the King, you belong in a huge family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t miss out in the fellowship in that family. Don’t believe your loneliness is a jacket you’ll have to wear for life.”

If you’re travelling life’s hard road of loss, grief, or suffering, you’ll want to pick up a copy of Destination Hope. Between its pages you’ll discover two companions who’ve journeyed before you and now come alongside to encourage you with gentle words of wisdom. You’ll gain perspective, deepen your faith, and be reminded that joy is further down the path.

Favorite quote: “Each morning I drag my little red chair (my sacred place of time with the Lord) adjacent to God’s throne. Knees touching with the Almighty, I receive and infusion of hope directly from my Creator.”

“No more hard things,” author Nicki Koziarz writes in Flooded: The 5 Best Decisions to Make When Life is Hard and Doubt is Rising. Delving beyond pat answers to life’s difficult questions, Flooded is a book that will help you rediscover hope and remember God is with you in every circumstance. This is one book I’ll read again!

Favorite quote: I had to figure out how to get that belief-filled girl back. And I did.

If you struggle with your worth, ever feel alone or abandoned, or doubt God can use you, Stop Living Small: Ten Truths Toward Your Significant Life will draw your heart closer to Christ and reveal His “wild love” for you.

Favorite quote: “When we pine after being chosen, we forget that the entire world has the same deep need, and we cease from choosing them.

With candor and honesty, Growing Slow challenges the idea that all of life must be “treated like an emergency”. Drawing on her life as a farmer’s wife, Ms. Lee explores the importance of growing into the person God designed each of us to become–like a seed sown in a field slowing ripening that slowly develops into its fullness.

Favorite quote: You can get so rushed chasing a certain kind of remarkable life that you miss the fact that you’re already standing inside the one God gave you.

With wit and humor, Ms. Savage shares stories that encourage and inspire mothers to look to the past with thankfulness and toward the future with hope. This is a great book for the woman with an empty nest or for the one preparing herself in advance.

Favorite quote: I want my identity to be determined by You and only You. Today I’m grabbing Your hand that’s reaching out to me.

Sharing personal stories of her family life, battle with cancer, and widowhood, Anne shares how she has learned to trust and rely upon the Holy Spirit and invites readers to do the same. Humble and authentic, Mrs. Lotz reaches through the pages of the book as if she is a friend sitting with the reader at the kitchen table in deep discussion about a growing area of faith in her life.

Favorite quote: “As I reflected on what it means to know God, I thought of those in the Bible who knew Him and I decided I wanted to Him as they did.”

Having planted and led a mega-church, Mr. Chan reveals his heart for pastors and the community while exploring what he considers problems in the church. While I don’t agree with everything the author writes, he seems to share with honest conviction and some takeaways include the following:

• believers must expect suffering
• unity within the church is paramount
• the focus on numbers within the church is misguided
• Christians are meant to be spirit-filled or filled with the love of Christ

Favorite quote: “I am telling the Lord I don’t want to just be kind. I want the kindness only the Holy Spirit can produce.”

Abby McDonald’s book grabbed me from the first sentence. It reads, “My husband has an uncanny ability to notice people others don’t.”  Shift: Changing Our Focus to See the Presence of God is a book about perspective. It’s about choosing to live from a place of eternal hope even in the midst of hard-edged life.

Favorite quote:[bbctt tweet=”…everything we say, do, or achieve in this life either contributes to the temporary realm or the eternal realm.#fromthebookshelf #shiftbookreview” username=”tammykennington”]

Spiritual Intelligence: The Art of Thinking Like God stretched the way I view daily life. It forced me to consider whether or not a Christian can develop spiritual intelligence in the same way one might grow her emotional quotient or intellectual capacity.

Favorite quote: “So many Christians live reactively from earth toward heaven, instead of living from heaven toward earth.”

Prolific author, speaker, and president of Right to the Heart Ministries, Linda Evans Shepherd has written another go-to book, Praying Through Every Emotion: Experiencing God’s Peace No Matter What. Linda’s powerful and insightful prayers are written to engage the reader across a variety of emotions including those that are celebrated–such as blessedness and joy–to the more difficult emotional responses with which we all struggle like guilt, strife, or trust.

Favorite quote: “When I look to You, the darkness flees and hope lights my way.”

Deep Rooted is a practical, power-packed devotional written for the busy woman who wants to dig deeper into scripture. Using stories to paint vivid pictures, Kathy Howard crafts relatable scenarios and encourages the reader to consider how the scriptures in Mark pertain to her life. Each day’s short read ends with a section that includes questions and reflection. This is one of the best devotionals I’ve ever read! You don’t want to miss it.

Favorite quote: “Yes, bad news still makes headlines. But for those who belong to Jesus, His gospel decidedly trumps any bad news the world can deliver.”

If you are looking for insight and tips to grow communication and relationship with your child or teen, How to Listen So Your Kids Will Talk Deepen Your Connection and Strengthen Their Confidence is a great resource. Becky Harling discusses the importance of such topics as nonverbal communication and conflict management and addresses all age groups.

Favorite quote: “Jesus never told the disciples to hurry up and get their sandals on so they could make it to the next meeting on time.”

Dream Big, My Precious One is a delightful rhyming read that encourages young children to explore and imagine all of the ways they might fulfill God’s plans for their lives. Both boys and girls are highlighted throughout the illustrations as children consider a variety of exciting grown-up “dreams” including those focused on arts, sciences, faith, and  more.

Patricia Tiffany Morris has crafted another beautiful poetry and writing journal–a perfect combination to guide worship, meditation, writing, or reflection. I’m blessed to have one of my poems included, as well.

You’re More Than a Sprout is Jill Roman Lord’s delightful read about a little seed who has big dreams. Unhappy with the Master’s plan, he soon discovers God has far greater plans than he’d ever imagined.

Maree Dee

Tammy Kennington

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