Feature Friday: 2019 Non-Fiction Books of the Year

I read a lot more non-fiction these days (my plan worked!!) but still way less than fiction, so doing this post still makes sense. Some amazing books ended up on my shelves this past year, including some advanced reads, so I'm not quite sure how many books will be on this wrap up list. I'll try to keep it to fifteen or fewer :)

I tend to write long reviews on books, so with a few exceptions, I've just linked the title to my review to keep the length down. If the description sounds interesting, then click through to read my thoughts! Comment below if you've read any of these or if you now want to read any!

1. Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien - What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our contemporary setting, we often bring modern Western biases to the text...
   
2. Ordering Your Private World by Gordon MacDonald - This was a very insightful book; different from any I've read before. It's about structure for your spiritual life, from which flows the structure of your outer life. I really appreciated the look at rest and sabbath. How resting is different from leisure. I had never thought about that before.
3. The Reason For God & The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller - This was the least read book on my shelf this year and I am amazed! More people should read these books! They are so good!
4. The Secret Thoughts of An Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield - I am so inspired by her hospitality, her curiosity, and her outlook on evangelism.
   
5. Finding God's Life For My Will by Mike Donehey - "Perhaps God isn't giving me the plan because He wants to be the plan."
   
6. Own Your Everyday by Jordan Lee Dooley - Do you ever feel the pressure to prove yourself? Or to "figure it all out" as you're waiting in seasons that seem like the awkward in-between? Does it ever feel seem that you're the only one with "unfigured-out dreams"?
   
7. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi - In Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, Nabeel Qureshi describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with friendships, investigations, and supernatural dreams along the way.
   
8. No God But One by Nabeel Qureshi - Addresses the most important questions at the interface of Islam and Christianity: How do the two religions differ? Are the differences significant? Can we be confident that either Christianity or Islam is true? And most important, is it worth sacrificing everything for the truth?
   
9. Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas - This book says so well what I’ve been formulating from my learning. I will definitely be reading it again and I hope to go through it someday when I’m engaged. Gary has a lot of good words and practical advice. Highly recommend and I’d advise purchasing a copy as you’re going to want to underline and highlight a lot!
10. Back Roads to Belonging by Kristen Strong - With an understanding voice that will speak into your own circumstances, Kristen Strong walks beside you along the less traveled but more satisfying third way--the back road way--to belonging: remaining in Christ and relaxing into the unique role God has for you.
    
11. Grumpy Mom Takes A Holiday by Valerie Woerner - Valerie shares what she’s learned so far about sending Grumpy Mom packing and embracing a joyful, intentional motherhood that is so much better than you thought possible.
    
12. Anxious For Nothing by Max Lucado - Anxiety is at an all time high, but there's a prescription for dealing with it. Max Lucado invites readers into a study of Philippians 4:6-7 where the Apostle Paul admonishes the followers of Christ, "Do not be anxious about anything . . ."
    
13. Safe to Feel by Phylicia Masonheimer - In this 30 day devotional, I'm challenging you to dive into the "why" behind your own affection struggle. You'll ask some hard questions, seek the Lord in prayer, and take some bold steps of action.
    
14. Stop Calling Me Beautiful by Phylicia Masonheimer - If you are hungry for a deeper, more vibrant spiritual life, Stop Calling Me Beautiful teaches you how to pursue the deeper truths of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him. I don't know if this will work, but I'm trying to link to the book trailer here.
    
15. Elisabeth Elliot - I read a lot of her books this year; pretty much all the ones I could get my hands on (The Savage My Kinsmen; A Path Through Suffering; Joyful Surrender; Loneliness; Through Gates of Splendor). I love her writing. I love her testimony. I love how, when I read her story, I see God at work in powerful ways and I am inspired to love Him more and trust Him more. Her story is hard. It makes me question 'why' in many cases, but to see how she went through it all and to see the fruit... these books are her wisdom. Her legacy. All that she experienced grew her and she left it behind for us to be encouraged. I cannot recommend her books highly enough.