Greetings!  Since it’s the day after Christmas, I’m probably supposed to put up all the cute Christmas pictures and stories, but that will have to wait for another day.  Hopefully.  🙂

Tonight I am sitting on the couch, shopping for books on Amazon.  I used to love the read, but since I got married, I haven’t read a single fiction book.  Of course, I’ve read my kiddos lots of books, but I haven’t combed through an adult read in over 6 years.  I do read quite a bit, however.  The books I read either fall into the categories of spiritual growth, mothering or wifery.  (That last one is probably not a real word, but always the word I use to describe that particular topic.)

I whole-heartedly believe that the Bible should be our primary source of truth and wisdom, however, the Lord uses books in my life to really enlighten, encourage and energize me.  I am a HUGE researcher, so I guess reading is my way of researching how to live in different areas of life.

I thought I would post a list of my favorites, in case of some of you are looking for something to tickle your brain (or heart).

Spiritual Growth
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God  Holy Mackerel!  Knocked my socks off!  If you are alive, you should read this book.  The Lord used this to totally rock my world and absolutely refocus my life.

Radical Sermon Series by David Platt  Okay, so this isn’t a book.  There actually is a book, but I always recommend the sermon series.  The sermons include a great deal of Scripture to back up Platt’s conclusions, which is something I highly value when I’m being hit with ideas that are so contrary to my current worldview.  I am highly critical, so Scripture immediately allows me to let down my guard and listen.  The book is neat however, in that it was written a while after Platt did the series in church, so it includes a lot of examples of how people in their body made huge life changes in response to shifting to following the Jesus in the Bible, rather than the Americanized version of Jesus. 

The Lord used Crazy Love and Radical to change the way Jeff and I use our time and money, our goals for the future and our children and highly influenced our decision to adopt.  There are so many truths in these books that somehow we had just glossed over in the Bible.  Jeff and I feel so grateful the Lord didn’t leave us where we were, seeking our own comfort and our own version of the American dream.  If you haven’t been rocked by the Lord lately, pick up one of these two reads.  I promise you, you won’t finish the book the same person you were when you started it.

Marriage
Sacred Marriage This book is an absolute must read for any married person.  The subtitle is “What if God designed marriage to make us Holy, more than to make us happy?”  Gary Thomas talks about how marriage can be an awesome tool the Lord uses to refine you to be more like Christ, if you will only allow Him. 

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts  This book is super helpful for understanding the way that others (and you) feel and express love.  It was really helpful for Jeff and I because we have very different love languages and often felt like we were working really hard to please the other person, but with little success.

Sheet Music: Uncovering the Secrets of Sexual Intimacy in Marriage This book is written from a Christian perspective and is another must read.  It deals issues both in theory and in practice.  Great for spouses to read together.

Parenting
Don’t Make Me Count to Three– Ginger Plowman takes the “Shepherding Your Child’s Heart” approach and applies it in very practical ways for young children.  Her method is totally Scripture based and a little bit of a child-rearing Bible of sorts to me.  🙂

One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World  This book is AWESOME!  It is a parenting book that goes beyond discipline and has you dream big for your children.  It emphasizes the parent’s role in shaping children into young adults ready to change the world for Christ.  As parents, we are positioned to empower and equip our children to reject the norm and do great things for God, even in their youth.  It really set me on fire for involving our children even more in ministry, so they know it’s not just a part of our lives, but it’s how we live. 

Reading Soon…..
Training Hearts Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism This book is supposed to be great for family devotions, even for 4 year olds. We were planning on starting the Westminster Shorter Catechism with the kids this next year, and I think this will be an awesome tool for that.

Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl Okay. I know. Maya is not quite 6 yet. BUT this book is supposed to be great for 8 year olds, and I have recently run into some issues that I didn’t quite know how to address with boy / girl appropriateness. She starts school in the Fall, so I figure it’s better to be prepared a little early, rather than scrambling when the time comes. 🙂

God’s Wisdom for Little Girls: Virtues and Fun from Proverbs 31  I’ve heard this book is a great way to introduce character qualities of Biblical womanhood.

So, what books are you planning to read in the new year?  Also, I would love recommendations for books (or curriculum) for teaching Biblical womanhood to little girls.