Mamas in Faith

For a handufl of years I had had the pull to explore the Word of God on a deeper level and the only way I understood how to study something was by going to more school. For me learning has always meant going to a formal type of school. The first time I had looked into some kind of formal schooling for this pursuit was after I had got out of the Navy and was recently postpartum with my third little back in 2019. I was told not to pursue it by a couple of people so I ended up agreeing with them and slowly drifted further from study. I tried to read books that others had published, listen to podcast by so called Christian women who were popular in different spaces. But I still lacked the skills to understand what I was reading in the Bible. Which may sound crazy, considering I grew up a believer in Christ for as long as I can remember. Fastforward to when I was in crisis mode after having my fourth little. I looked everywhere for some kind of faith and how to grow closer to God because it was clear that He was the reason my tiny human was alive. A lot of things had been explored and invested in, in the time period between my third and fourth littles. But as God would have it, it had connected me virtually with a handful of women that I look up to today. One of which held a virtual book club featuring the book “Faithfully Different” by Natasha Crain. It was then that I knew I could no longer stay at the church I was trying to make seem right and I needed to pursue some more scholarly level learning of the Bible and God. I quickly found out how to pay for school, and figured out where to go. Which lead me to Liberty University online, which allowed me to pursue the education I was desiring while still being able to be present for my children, without having to travel.

Below you will find a list of the Top Ten books from my last two years while studying for my Biblical Ministry degree. My hope is that by sharing these you will be encouraged to not only read your Bible but books to help you undertand it better and your relationship with God.

1. Unlocking the Scriptures by Hans Finzel
2. Letters of Grace and Beauty, Jesus the Hero, Symbols and Beauty by Leland Ryken
3. Rose Handbook of Bible Charts, Maps and Timelines
4. Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
5. Strongs Concordance
6. The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck
7. With (Reimaging the Way You Relate to God) by Skye Jethani
8. Praying with Paul by D.A. Carson
9. Mama Bear Apologetics by Ferrer
10. M is for Mama by Abbey Halberstadt

The first six are more geared toward understand the Bible and appropriate context as you read while the last four are more geared to life. There are various other books that could be added to the list because it is in no way an exhuastive list but these are the ones I found most impactful in the last couple of years. (and yes if you caught that the list actually has twelve books plus the one I mentioned in the opening)

A bonus series I would add that is a fantastical way to engage in the metatnarrative that is presented in the Bible would by the Chronicles of Narnia.

I am always looking for more books to explore so if you have any that you have found helpful please feel free to share with me.