An Intentional By Grace Recommended Reading List

Reading is one of my favorite things to do. That probably comes as no surprise to anyone who has been hanging around Intentional By Grace for any length of time.

As we come to the end of our time here at Intentional By Grace, I thought it would be helpful to put together a recommended reading list. Since the monthly reading updates will no longer be coming, I didn’t want to leave you without anything to read. That would just be a shame. 😉

My reading diet has changed tremendously in the last year, but there are some books I return to again and again and again. Those are the books I will be sharing with you today.

The pressure of compiling this short list of books was really overwhelming for me, but the following books sit on my shelf for reference and for regular reading, and often stand in as faithful friends I can refer back to time and time again. There are so many wonderful books out there, and even more that I would likely recommend if we were sitting side by side talking about what you enjoy reading, or what you want to read. But the books on the list that follows are books that I re-read over and over.

Enjoy!

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Christian Living

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney – This book is dogeared and tattered to near pieces. I wrote about this book years ago (you can read it here). This book is a great outline for areas of a Christian’s life in which we should discipline ourselves. It is a helpful tool in the pursuit of godliness.

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Minds, by Jen Wilkin – One of the best books I’ve read on studying God’s word for yourself. You can read my full review and recommendation for this book here.

Revive Our Hearts Trilogy, by Nancy Leigh DeMoss – This is a three-book series that I cannot recommend highly enough to anyone seeking to center their lives on Christ. All I can say for these books is: POWERFUL.

Seeing and Savoring Christ, by John Piper – This book is short, but it packs a lot of rich truth inside. Truthfully, I sometimes have a hard time following Piper, but this book was refreshingly succinct and applicable. I used it as a devotional guide to help me focus my mind on scripture in the morning before diving into a deeper study of God’s word. If you have older children, I recommend this book as a family devotional to read aloud and discuss.

All of Grace: Know That God’s Gift of Salvation Is Absolutely Free and Available to Everyone by Charles H. Spurgeon – This book kick started a movement in my heart to not only understand grace in my mind, but in my heart and life as well. This book cuts through legalism with a knife and shattered me to pieces as God worked in my heart to put me back together through the lens of grace.

Lord, I Want to Know You, by Kay Arthur – This is a devotional study on the names of God. Getting to know the God of the Bible is rich indeed when you dive deeper into the names of God. This is my favorite Bible study that stands the test of time.

Digging Ditches, by Helen Roseveare – There are many biographies I could recommend, but this one was the first I read many years ago after first dedicating my life to Christ, and it stands today as one of the best I’ve ever read. This is an inspiring story because it shows those times when God’s blessings seem withdrawn – they are subsequently shown to have been there all the time.

The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child’s Heart for Eternity, by Sally Clarkson – I re-read this book every other year it seems. It’s always a good reminder for me as a mother to set my mind and heart on what matters for my children.

Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms by Gloria Furman – The mission of this book isn’t to give some cookie cutter answer to a mom in the trenches, but to give us the gospel over and over and over again. This book is rich in truth and application of the gospel to our daily lives as mothers and it has transformed the lens through which I see my life as a mother.

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer – This book is filled with practical ideas of gospel homemaking and why we, as women, feel a deep need and desire to create beauty in our homes. And even why we should! Even as it gives practical ideas and suggestions for creating a home that makes it impossible to not think about God, it’s not legalistic in the slightest. It was refreshing and full of grace!

The Life-Giving Home: Creating a Place of Belonging and Becoming, by Sally and Sarah Clarkson – This is one of those reference books you keep handy as you seek to create a home that is built on the rock of Christ and the togetherness and beauty of family. I love the ideas in this book and all the additional ideas this book stirred up in the life of my family.

Fiction to Encourage Your Faith

Stepping Heavenward: One Woman’s Journey to Godliness by Elizabeth Prentiss – I’m tempted to say this is my number one favorite book and it probably is. But I’m too scared to admit it. The pressure! 😉 This book was given to me by one of my past pastor’s wives, and it has stuck with me for years. I read it as a brand new mother, and quite frankly I need to read it again. I think the single most effective thing that was said in this book was this, “God knows these seasons of motherhood and He ordained them. He gets more glory when we serve our children with a joyful heart than He would if we were able to steal away for private devotions with Him.” Oh how I need this reminder often!

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers – This book spoke to the deep recesses of my heart. It is a fictional story based on the truth of God’s word, and it was balm to my broken heart when I read it for the first time. It helped to begin a healing that would take years to complete, but the redemptive story of the Gospel comes alive through this fictional story.

By the way …

If you want to follow along with my reading choices, feel free to check out my Goodreads account. I’m active there and keep track of what I’m reading, what I want to read, as well as the children’s books I have on my shelf (Goodreads holds my inventory list for my home!).

Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram because I love sharing about the books I’m reading there as well as inspirational tidbits on how they have affected me or how I’m implementing what I’m learning.

I hope you enjoy this list and find a book to encourage your faith!

But remember, don’t spend so much time reading about God that you fail to read the word of God. You’ve been blessed and entrusted with the power of the Holy Spirit if you have trusted in Jesus as Savior. He can teach far more than mere man (or woman) ever could!

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