Reading is an incredible way to enhance your knowledge and understanding on all things, not least to do with our beliefs about God and what it means to have faith. They stretch us, grow us, challenge us and above all, inspire us wherever we are on our Christian journey.
Below are three of my favourite books, I hope you may find them as encouraging and fulfilling as I have.
The Sisterhood – Bobbie Houston
I was given this as a gift back at the London Colour Conference in April 2016 and found it hugely transformative in a number of ways.
Times are changing for women and girls, and for the better, and the Sisterhood movement spearheaded by Hillsong Church is at the very heart of this mission. I grasped a far deeper understanding of the role ordinary women have to play in terms of making a difference in this world through the effective mobilisation of ‘everyday girls’.
The Sisterhood movement is set out to empower all women from whatever age, and it can show you how to be a force for good within your school, friendship groups or family.
It’s Not What You Think – Jefferson Bethke
I love the way in which this book is written – hard-hitting and challenging but in such a gracious way. Jeff examines many assumptions and traditions we have within our churches, and produces the real, radical Jesus that can so easily be lost within our culture. It was like reading the Bible with fresh vision, as he touches on subjects like the Sabbath, how we worship in our daily lives and how the story of Creation in Genesis is fundamental for our 21st-century lives. If you are looking to go deeper in your faith, I would highly recommend this book.
Redeeming Love – Francine Rivers
Redeeming Love is the ‘powerful retelling of the story of Hosea’ set in America in the 1850s. As someone who often struggles reading the Old Testament, this book has helped how I understand the relentless love of God, even when we screw up and make mistakes.
Michael Hosea is an ordinary farmer looking to find a wife when God called him to a particular woman – a prostitute who had endured so much grief and suffering. Even when she rejects and refuses to acknowledge Michael for the great guy he is, Michael represents our compassionate, and ever-patient God. So worth a read!
