I love reading but I don’t always have as much time to read as I’d like. You too? This summer I’ve managed to finish a few books, so I thought I’d share what I’ve read – and what I’m currently reading. Maybe you’ll find your next Book below!

The Caleb Quest | Mark Atteberry

When I worked in the corporate communications area of LifeWay, we constantly had opportunities to bring home books. The retail folks passed along their samples, the church resources division shared their review copies, and I rarely turned away free books. Um, did I mention they were FREE BOOKS?  I’ve hung onto this little book for YEARS – mainly because I love the name Caleb (yes, I’m a little partial) – but this summer, it was also on top of my “Read This” pile, so one day I picked it up and I’m so glad I did!

If you’ve ever had a dream that doesn’t seem to be coming to fruition, read this book. Atteberry does a great job of applying biblical truth to sort out our desires from what God’s desires may be for us.

Courageous Leadership | Bill Hybels

This past year, I’ve experienced quite a few ups and downs with ministry as I’ve wrestled with other things in my life. Fear has weighed pretty heavily in the equation. This was my second time to read this book, and it was just as encouraging as the first time.

Bill Hybels, if you’re not familiar with him, is the senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church which is located in the Chicago area. It would be hard to estimate how many churches and ministry leaders he and his church have impacted, but I would guess it is in the hundreds of thousands. In this book, he shares a lot of his own personal challenges as a young pastor starting out in ministry, but he also gives wise advice. One of my favorite sections is towards the end, when he spotlights different leadership qualities from a variety of different individuals in the Bible like David, Nehemiah and Deborah.

If you are working in a church vocation, or serving as a ministry leader in your church or other type of ministry, I’d encourage you to read this! It also makes a great gift for a pastor in your church or someone you know who serves in ministry.

A Life That Says Welcome | Karen Ehman

Something that’s been my focus for the last couple of years is finding ways to be a better hostess and opening our home to others. I’m in the middle of reading Karen Ehman’s book on my Kindle app, and it’s such an encouragement. There are wonderful tips and practical strategies to apply. If you struggle with the idea of inviting friends into your home, or you break out into a sweat at the mere thought of someone other than your immediate family coming over, than you need this book! She does a great job of breaking down what might be overwhelming to some, and establishes early on why hospitality is biblical and something we should all desire to do.

Breaking Up With Perfect | Amy Carroll

I had the privilege of meeting Amy last year at She Speaks when she was my speaking mentor, and her first book is just as open and down to earth as she is in person. I’m in the middle of reading it, and I’ve loved what I’ve read so far! All of us struggle at one time or another with the heavy burden of expectations we put on ourselves, and Amy does a wonderful job sharing her own experiences and encouraging the rest of us to not give in to those pressures! Read this book for a beautiful reminder that we don’t have to be perfect to be happy, and share a copy with a friend!

The Traveler’s Gift | Andy Andrews

One of my friends in Nashville is a huge fan of Andy Andrews and his work, and is constantly posting about him and his books on Facebook. While I don’t read a lot of fiction, (writers read what they write, which means I read a lot of nonfiction) I read his book The Noticer awhile back and just started Traveler’s Gift on iBooks (Side note: I’ve been an Amazon/Kindle girl forever, but we’re also an Apple products family, and since Apple launched the family share feature, I’ve tried buying more books over on iBooks so my husband and son can read them too – if I think it might be a book they would also like!).

Such a beautiful work with so much meaning about life! I love it when a book hits on subjects I’m dealing with in my own life, and this one definitely does that. If you’re looking for a simple but meaningful read, I highly recommend Andy’s books, starting with this one.

So… What are You Reading?

That’s what I’m reading right now – what about you? Tell me what you’re reading, in the comments – I’d love to add some new titles to my growing “Read This” pile!

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The post My List of Five: Books for July appeared first on Sara Horn.