Suggestions for Books, Journals, Planners and More!

Remember the Disney song, When you Wish Upon a Star?  The song tells us that when you wish on a star, your dreams come true.  It’s cute for a Disney movie, but if that was a reality  we’d all be driving brand new automobiles.  I just checked and my 2005 Jeep is still siting in my garage (and I still love it!).

On Monday I encouraged you to ask yourself two questions:

1. What do I wish I had done less of in 2018?
2. What do I wish I had done more of in 2018?

When I used the word wish I am not desiring to imply that this year your good wishes for something better will move you forward in your walk with God and in your personal life.  Have you heard the statement,

Wishers and “woulders” are poor housekeepers.

Merely wishing makes us poor at everything!  If we desire to have things go differently this year we’re going to have to implement some changes.  We’ll need to add and we’ll need to refrain from whatever will keep us from making this year different than last.

I have been receiving some private messages from readers asking for suggestions for tools for their spiritual growth this coming year.  Wow!  What a blessing!  Today’s post is dedicated to pointing you to my favorite “tools.”  These tools are in the form of books or plans and will help equip you as you endeavor by God’s strength to move forward in 2019.

Books ~ Let me start by sharing ten books that I’ve found to be super helpful.  Some of these I’ve read multiple times.  There are books on prayer, spiritual revival, marriage and Christian womanhood.  These books have truly shaped my life over the last 30 years.

1. A Woman After God’s Own Heart – Elizabeth George I would read this every other year when my girls were home.  It touched on everything I was dealing with as a Christian woman, a wife and a mom.
2. Experiencing God – Henry Blackaby Need direction in your life?  Here it is!
3. Seeking Him – Nancy Leigh Wolgemuth Revival will follow this study!
4. Loving God With All Your Mind – Elizabeth George This is another book I read and reread through the years.  Our thinking shapes everything we are and do.  This is so helpful.
5. Adorned – Nancy Wolgemuth Titus 2 is laid out so clearly and plainly.  This is another book that should be read and re-read!
6. Fun Loving You – Ted Cunningham – No relation!  Just a good book on marriage!
7. What is it Like Being Married to Me? – Linda Dillow An eye-opening, convicting look at marriage.
8. The Kneeling Christian – Anonymous A powerful book on prayer that will challenge your prayer life!
9. God is More than Enough – Jim Berg – This book helped me overcome some fears in my life!
10. The Gospel Comes With a House Key – Rosaria Butterfield Sharing the Gospel using your home.

• Get a highlighter and mark your books up.
• Write down in a journal what God is teaching you.
• Pray about the things you’re reading.
• Share the truths your learning with others.

Prayer Journals ~ 

I shared here  about my prayer journal and how I set it up.  You can still email me (see the contact info on my homepage here) and ask for the prayer journal download, if you’re interested.  I’ve shared it with MANY ladies over the last year.  The download will give you two journals – one for yourself and one to share!

I recently received a copy of A Prayer Map for Women and found it really refreshing.  Your prayer requests are in more of a journal format.  It’s a great tool for praying!

Bible Plans – 

If you haven’t come up with a way to study God’s Word, here are my suggestions:

• A One Year Bible – This plan takes you through the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs each day.  It’s such a good mix – especially when you get a little bogged down in the prophetic books.
• Chroniclogial Bible – I haven’t used this, but have heard great reviews about how you’re reading God’s story as He made it all happen. This plan, the one above and MANY more can be found on the You Version  app.  They’ll help keep you on track, remind you of your scheduled reading, and even offer to share your plan with others!
• A book study, like Seeking Him.  The studies that make you dig deep are the best.  Jesus the One and Only is a good devotion, but you need to dig into God’s Word so you will learn of His nature for yourself.
• A verse by verse study of a book of the Bible using commentaries on-line is a huge blessing. I love Bible hub for study.

Podcasts ~  It’s incredible what we have at our fingertips on a daily basis to help us to learn about our God!  I listen to many different pod casts on a regular basis.  It’s a great thing to listen to while getting ready in the morning, driving in the car, or while working at home.  Here are some of my favorites:

• Revive Our Hearts
• Modern Homemaker
• Focus on the Family
• Love Worth Finding

Planner ~ I’m very much a planner and have used a notebook of some sort for years.  I change as the ones I use go out of print.  But I can’t tell you how much more I accomplish when I use one!

I’m currently using the Happy Planner for the first time and I’m really happy with it.  I was so glad to get one on Black Friday for $10!!!  If you’re near a Hobby Lobby, you can use their 40% discount and get a good deal.

For several years I just used a planner book and sheets from the Dollar Spot at Target.  It had a monthly calendar and daily squares to mark my agenda.  The thing I love about the Happy Planner is the size and that it lays flat.  My Target notebook would not lay down flat…just a little annoyance.

The key is just using it.

• Write down what you want to accomplish each day and check it off.
• Write a menu out for the week so you know what you’re having for meals.
• Write down the passage you’re going to memorize
• Write how many pages you want to read each day
• Write in your appointments and agenda

Seeing those plans staring at me on the page motivates me to get it done!

There you have it, friends!  My favorite tools that help me move forward in my walk with God.  I still have a LONG way to go, and I’m taking the same steps as you to continue the process.  We’ll need growth until the day we go Home to heaven!

Which of these tools were helpful to you?  Which will you implement?

Refresh your spiritual life!

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