Little has encouraged my soul and grown my faith more than the stories of Godly men and women who have gone before me. After all, we have a whole chapter in the Bible dedicated to recounting the faith of incredible people from the Bible (Hebrews 11) and the Psalms are full of directives to pass along God's wonderful deeds to the next generation. Hearing others' stories of lives lived fully, boldly, and faithfully is part of how we grow our own trust in the goodness & greatness of God! We see Him show up for them and our hearts start believing He'll do the same for us. Because He will.
I try to read at least a handful of Christian biographies every year and thought I'd share some of my favorites (or to-reads!) here.
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1. This is my current read, and I'm absolutely loving Brother Andrew's story. I can't wait to see how he gets from where he is now to where I know he ends up!
2. Katie Davis grew up just a few miles from me with a very similar upbringing. God used her story to open my heart up towards adoption + increase the boldness in my prayers. Her second book, Daring to Hope, was just as beautiful. If you haven't read these, order now or find them at your library.
3. Elisabeth Elliot has been a spiritual mentor in my life, and this book forms the basis for her subsequent ones. If you don't know her & her first husband's story, it will blow you away. Read on.
4. Dare I say The Hiding Place is one of the dearest books I've ever read? If you didn't have to read it in High School, read it now! And then read all her other books because oh my heart, Corrie is just the sweetest spit fire for the Lord. In My Father's House tells about her life pre- The Hiding Place and Tramp for the Lord tells about what happened right after The Hiding Place.
5. My brother told me to read The Heavenly Man and I'm so glad I listened. His story is incredibly different than anything we experience in the Unite States and my eyes were opened & challenged. I almost think I need to re-read this every few years as a reminder that God is so (so) much bigger than I allow Him to be in my life.
6. Noel Piper put together this book highlighting the stories of five faithful women... and their extraordinary God ;) It's an excellent place to begin if you're just starting to read biographies (it's a pretty small book) & would be extra fun to read with a group of women. It's always fun to see which woman's story ends up speaking directly to each person's heart.
7. Ah, George Muller. Few people have encouraged my prayer life like him. This book moves a little slower than the others, but I was so blessed by it.
8. Oh Sister, you want to read this. It helped me understand both the Muslim faith & the Christian faith in a deeper way and had me praising God for appearing to people in dreams. So good.
9. Probably all of you have heard of C.S. Lewis-- this is his book that talks about how he went from being an atheist to a Christian. It's enlightening and beautifully written.
10. Another Elisabeth Elliot book, but this time she's telling the story of Amy Carmichael. I actually haven't read this, but I'm off to order it ASAP because I've heard only the best things about it.
11. Real talk: This has been sitting on my shelf for a year. It's a big, intimidating book! But I know it's going to be amazing when I actually dig in. Have you read it?
12. Last, Evidence Not Seen. There is something extra special about women reading the stories of women and this is a beautiful one.
Have a favorite? Let me hear it on Instagram! @dearmushka
