To celebrate the unofficial start of summer, here are ten of my favorite Christian nonfiction books from 2021 and 2020. I pray these books encourage your heart and help you answer yes to summertime’s invitation to read.
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I narrowed the list to ones read within the past year. Picking my favorites proved a challenge. I wanted to include them all, but the list would go on and on. So these are ten of my favorite reads.
The “about the book” descriptions come from Amazon where I am a grateful affiliate. Followed with one of my favorite quotes from each book. Great books are made up of great sentences, and the best lines stick with you long after the last page has been read.
7 Days of Soul Care by Dolly M. Lee
About the book: “What if we let God do the extraordinary with our ordinary by connecting with him in our everyday moments? When we rest in true identity and worth in God, we can be exceptional in the ordinary things of life because we believe our worth is secure. And if we believe our worth is secure, we’re free to love others without needing their affirmation to shore up our self-worth. We can stop hustling for love.”
A Favorite Quote: “When Jesus lived on earth, he modeled time with friends, service to others, and also time alone with God in prayer. If Jesus in his humanity practiced care for himself, how much more do you and I need to practice self-care!”
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
About the book: “Much-Afraid had been in the service of the Chief Shepherd, whose great flocks were pastured down in the Valley of Humiliation. She lived with her friends and fellow workers Mercy and Peace in a tranquil little white cottage in the village of Much-Trembling. She loved her work and desired intensely to please the Chief Shepherd, but happy as she was in most ways, she was conscious of several things which hindered her in her work and caused her much secret distress and shame. Here is the allegorical tale of Much-Afraid, an every-woman searching for guidance from God to lead her to a higher place.”
A Favorite Quote: “Every acceptance of his will becomes an altar of sacrifice, and every such surrender and abandonment of ourselves to his will is a means of furthering us on the way to the High Places to which he desires to bring every child of his while they are still living on earth.”
Holy Hustle by Crystal Stine
About the book: “Work without shame, rest without guilt. Balance. It’s what we long for in our lives as we hear shouts of “Work harder!” in one ear, and whispers to “rest more” in the other. What if God’s plan for us isn’t just one way or the other? Enter the holy hustle. You were created to work with enthusiasm for the right reasons—and you were also made with a need to rest. Discover the place where these two sides meet in a happy, holy hustle.”
A Favorite Quote: “Holy hustle helps us to hear God over the roar of the bossy world, so we can say yes to the work God has prepared our hearts for and no to the work that will drain our souls.”
Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard
About the book: “Learn the secret of living with contentment, peace, and security.
In Life Without Lack, Dallas Willard revolutionizes our understanding of Psalm 23 by taking this comfortably familiar passage and revealing its extraordinary promises: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . . I will fear no evil.” The psalmist claims to live without any need and without any fear. How is that possible? The more we practice living in his presence, the more we experience the peace and freedom from worry that is promised in the psalm.”
A Favorite Quote: “God is love—and that is not an explanation of who God is; that’s an explanation of what love is.”
Praying Women by Sheila Walsh
About the book: “Do you ever find it hard to pray and don’t know what to say? In Praying Women, bestselling author Sheila Walsh shares practical help directly from God’s Word showing you how to know what to say when you pray; understand how to use prayer as a weapon when you are in the midst of a struggle; pray as joy-filled warriors, not anxious worriers; and let go of the past and stand on God’s promises for you now. Prayer changes you and it changes the world.”
A Favorite Quote: “Prayer is not about the right words; it’s about the right heart.”
The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer
About the book: “To have found God and still to pursue Him is a paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religious person, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart. Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. Let A. W. Tozer’s pursuit of God spur you also into a genuine hunger and thirst to truly know God.”
A Favorite Quote: “Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Rhythms of Renewal by Rebekah Lyons
About the book: “Your guide to daily rescue from stress and a way forward into the peace your soul longs for. Trade your anxiety for the vibrant life you were meant to live through four profound rhythms: rest, restore, connect, and create. Rebekah draws from her own battle with depression and anxiety and shares a pathway to establish four life-giving rhythms that quiet inner chaos and make room for a flourishing life.”
A Favorite Quote: “We are restless when we rest less.”
Sacred Rest by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith
About the book: “Dr. Dalton-Smith shares seven types of rest she has found lacking in the lives of those she encounters in her clinical practice and research-physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, sensory, social, creative-and why a deficiency in any one of these types of rest can have unfavorable effects on your health, happiness, relationships, creativity, and productivity. By combining scientific research with personal stories, spiritual insight, and practical next steps, Sacred Rest gives the weary permission to embrace rest, set boundaries, and seek sanctuary without any guilt, shame, or fear.”
A Favorite Quote: “A well-rested life requires a delicate balance between pruning and growth. Some things must be cut away to make room for what’s to come.”
The Story of With by Allen Arnold
About the book: “your soul, like mine, knows life is meant to go beyond rat races and rare applause. This book speaks to that belief. And if you’re not careful, you may find tears warming your eyes as you read because finally someone is naming your weariness, your striving, your questions of why you just can’t quite make it, or the emptiness that hit because maybe you did. It is into those places The Story of With reaches—fusing allegory with application—to offer fresh perspective, restored hope, and a rebirth of creativity.—From the Foreword by Mary Weber,”
A Favorite Quote: “You can do a lot. But you can’t do it all.”
You’re Already Amazing by Holley Gerth
About the book: “With this heart-to-heart message, licensed counselor and certified life coach Holley Gerth invites you to embrace one very important truth–that you truly are already amazing. Like a trusted friend, Holley gently shows you how to forget the lies and expectations the world feeds you and instead believe that God loves you and has even bigger plans for your life than you’ve even imagined.”
A Favorite Quote: “We’re amazing not because of who we are, but because of who lives within us.”
Whether you find yourself lounging by the pool, resting near a window, or toes in the sand, I pray you also have the pleasure of a book in your hand. Happy summer reading!
Reminder for the heart: Say yes to summertime’s invitation to read with this 2021 Summer Reading List.
Related resource to encourage your heart: 2020 Summer Reading List: My 10 Favorite Christian Nonfiction Books and 2019 Summer Reading List: My 10 Favorite Christian Nonfiction Books.
What’s on your heart? What is one of your favorite Christian nonfiction books? Do you have a favorite of the ones I listed? What are you currently reading?
MORE FOR YOU: Experience heart rest today with Be Still: 5 Days to Heart Rest. Rest in the security of who you are in Christ. Draw close to His heart through His Word. Move forward from a place of rest.
Welcome to the #HeartEncouragement Community Linkup!
NOTE: Today is the last #HeartEncouragement Community Linkup. I will miss connecting with you in this way, but I look forward to hanging out with you wherever we may meet.
There are some sweet ladies who host linkups within this community. If you host a linkup, will you please share it in the comments so others can connect with you there.
Sweet blessings,
I’ve read both Hinds Feet on High Places and The Pursuit of God, but it’s been a long time. It would be good to reread them some time.
A lot of my favorite nonfiction reading is biographical, like Elisabeth Elliot’s Through Gates of Splendor, Isobel Kuhn’s By Searching and In the Arena, Rosalind Gorforth’s Goforth of China and Climbing.
Some of my favorites from the last year are None Like Him: 10 Ways God Is Different From Us (And Why That’s a Good Thing) by Jen Wilkin, In His Image: 10 Ways God Calls Us to Reflect His Character, also by Jen Wilkin, Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel, Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves by Trillia J. Newbell, Write Better: A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality by Andrew T. Le Peau, and Do More Better by Tim Challies.
I hope you have a great summer. I’m sorry to see the link-up go, but I understand the need to move on. Thanks for hosting it for so long–it’s been one of my favorites.
Barbara, your comment is going to make my to-read list grow! Thank you for sharing some great titles both from this year and the autobiographies (a newer favorite genre of mine).
I will miss seeing you here each week and hosting, but I hope we can connect in person one day. Maybe at a writing conference.
So funny to see “7 Days of Soul Care” listed here as earlier this week, I pulled it off my shelf as I pull together my summer reading. I felt it was time for a re-read 🙂 May you have a wonderful and restful summer break! You are a blessing, Crystal!
*I took over “Let’s Have Coffee” this year and the linkup begins each Wednesday at 6AM.
I read “7 Days of Soul Care” because of a comment on last year’s post or the year before … Anyways, a definite favorite. Enjoy! Thank you, Joanne! You are a blessing, sweet friend!
You know how much I love a good book list! I really need.to read something by Dallas Willard
P.S. I will really miss connecting here, and appreciate your long faithfulness!
Thank you, Michele, for your sweet faithfulness! I am going to miss hosting and connecting with you in this way.
Me too, Michele! Dallas is definitely a favorite!
I love book recs and had not heard of some of these. Thanks you.
Me too, Lauren! Happy reading!
Thank you Crystal for the book ideas and for your years of connecting so many of us. Blessings on your summer and your future endeavors!
Thank you, Jill, for your encouragement! I will miss hosting, but I am thankful for all the ways we can stay connected!
Crystal, such a great line up of books! Except for Hind’s Feet (a long time fav) I have not read the others. I so appreciate your write ups!
Thank you, Donna! Loved Hind’s Feet! Happy reading!
I’ve been behind on reading blogs lately so I’m just now seeing this. I’m sorry to hear that you won’t be hosting this linkup anymore; I’ve so enjoyed it through the years! But I also totally understand. May God continue to bless your ministries as you move things around. I recently stopped writing for Do Not Depart, and while I loved doing it, I’m also loving the margin I now have as a result of letting it go.
Last year I started co-hosting the Grace & Truth Linkup on Friday mornings, opening at 4 a.m. each week. I love the community that gathers there.
Blessings to you, Crystal!
Lisa, thank you for your sweet words. I love this community and will miss seeing you in this way. I struggled with the decision, but I look forward to the margin and the freedom to change some things up. Cheering you on as you host!
Sweet blessings to you, Lisa!