“Every good and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
James 1:17
Good books are a good gift from God! He has used books to bring into my life a variety of wise mentors through the words they have penned. Older women in my local church with whom I can walk alongside are the best mentors, yet what a blessing we enjoy in this modern day with easy access to so many mentors through the printed word!
This article is the first of a series sharing books from my bookshelf. The books I include have been of particular help in my walk with the Lord as a woman, wife, and mother. My hope is that resources will be of benefit to your heart, soul, and mind as you are mentored through the words you find in these pages.
The following three books are general Christian living books written by women and for women.
Loving God with All Your Mind by Elizabeth George, 2005
I read the first edition of this book over twenty years ago while I was a college student. I had found it in my Christian university’s bookstore and picked up to read just for fun. Upon opening it, however, I found that I could not put it down as I soaked up all the truth the author had to pour into my heart.
Elizabeth George is an award-winning author of over eighty books written over the past thirty years. Her best selling book entitled A Woman After God’s Own Heart has sold over 1 million copies. She is a wife, mother of two, and grandmother of eight.
This book focuses on the truths found in Philippians 4 where we are called to fix our mind on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable. Elizabeth George shares with her reader six biblical truths to use in helping you to love God with all of your mind.
Lies Women Believe and the Truth that Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, 2001
I read this book during the years Derek was attending seminary. It was my first exposure to the ministry of Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. I have since read several of her books and listen to her podcast, Revive our Hearts, multiple days each week.
Nancy is a well-known Bible teacher and speaker with her ministry, Revive Our Hearts, and the True Woman movement which is purposed with reviving biblical womanhood as God originally designed.
In this book, Nancy identifies forty-five common lies women believe and answers each one with biblical truth. The fall of man began with one lie believed by one woman named Eve. Satan is the father of lies and uses lies today to deceive our hearts into believing what is untrue about God, our self, and our world. Nancy’s goal in this book is to help set her readers’ hearts free from the bondage of Satan’s lies so that they may walk in the freedom of God’s truth.
The Well-Watered Woman by Gretchen Saffles, 2021
I read this book earlier this year with a group of ladies from my church. We laughed and cried through its pages, finding her writing and experiences relatable. The Lord used this book to strengthen our reliance on him and fix our eyes on his character while we fed on the truth he supplies in his Word.
Gretchen Saffles is the founder of an online ministry call the Well-Watered Woman which aims to equip women to be deeply rooted in God’s Word.
In this book, Gretchen weaves the metaphor of gardening around the truth found in Isaiah 58:11: “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” This book is an encouragement for women to keep their mind and hearts rooted in Scripture as the only place to find satisfying spiritual nourishment.
Today, purchasing a book is as simple as a click on a screen, and often it arrives at your doorstep within hours. There are countless good books available to us! These are just three books God has used to grow me specifically as a woman seeking to follow him with all my heart, soul, and mind.
