Year in Review: Top Ten Christian Fiction

1. Mistress of Tall Acre. Laura Frantz. 2015. Revell. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]
2. Through Waters Deep. (Waves of Freedom #1) Sarah Sundin. Revell. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]
3. A Worthy Pursuit. Karen Witemeyer. 2015. Bethany House. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
4. Daughter of the Regiment. Stephanie Grace Whitson. 2015. [Late March] Bethany House. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
5. The Love Letters. Beverly Lewis. 2015. Bethany House. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
6. Convenient Bride Collection. 2015. Barbour Books. 446 pages. [Source: Review copy]
7. The Imposter. Suzanne Woods Fisher. 2015. Revell. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
8. The Innocent. Ann H. Gabhart. 2015. Revell. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
9. The Crimson Cord: Rahab's Story (Daughters of the Promised Land #1) Jill Eileen Smith. 2015. Revell. 368 pages. [Source: Review copy]
10. Like a Flower in Bloom. Siri Mitchell. 2015. Bethany House. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Year in Review: 10 Songs That Helped Me Survive The Year

2015 was a decidedly difficult but BLESSED year for me. God blessed me through my physical and emotional challenges. Here are ten songs that I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED singing along with throughout the year.

10. Blessings. Laura Story. [Watch Live Performance Video]

It's heart-felt, genuine, devotional.

9. Thank God for Something. Hawk Nelson. [Watch Lyric Video]

If a modern-day Pollyanna had a theme song, this might just be it. It's fast. It's positive. It's encouraging.

8. Soon and Very Soon by Ronnie Milsap. [Watch Video]

Oh-so-easy to sing along with. And to sing excitedly.

7. How Great Thou Art [Watch Live Performance]

Alan Jackson's two hymn albums are ones I've listened to almost weekly since first discovering them this past spring. I love, love, love, love, LOVE them.

6. We Believe. Newsboys. [Watch Official Video]

I love this one so much. There are truths we need to tell ourselves as believers each and every day. This song touches on oh-so-many of these truths.

5. I'm Going Free. Vertical Church Band. [Watch Lyric Video]

This one like, We Believe, contains vital truths that we need to be spiritually healthy. It is also a CLAP-HAPPY song. Love it.

4. Sovereign. Chris Tomlin. [Watch Lyric Video]

I loved this one when I first heard it, but, I didn't really grab onto this song until recently.

3. Blessed Be Your Name. Matt Redman.  [Watch Lyric Video]

I loved this one the first time I heard it--years and years ago. But again, it wasn't until this year, that it became MY very own, lived-in song. Until the darkness closes in on you--you can't really grasp how amazing it is to cling to God.

2. How Can I Keep From Singing. Chris Tomlin. [Watch Lyric Video]

I love this one so much. It is so true. Every line--every phrase--resonates with me.

1. 10,000 Reasons. Matt Redman. [Watch Lyric Video]

I've sung it loud. I've sung it in a whisper. I've cried my way through it more than once. Some happy tears. Some not-so-happy tears. But if one song and one song alone can represent the entire year. This would probably be it.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Year in Review: Top Ten Christian Nonfiction

1. Give Them Truth: Teaching Eternal Truths to Young Minds. Starr Meade. 2015. P&R Publishing. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
2. Praying the Bible. Donald S. Whitney. 2015. Crossway. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]
3. Newton on the Christian Life. Tony Reinke. 2015. Crossway. 288 pages. [Source: Review copy]
4. Transforming Grace. Jerry Bridges. 1991. NavPress. 207 pages. [Source: Borrowed]
5. Stronger. Clayton King. 2015. Baker Books. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy]  
6. The Happy Christian. David Murray. 2015. Thomas Nelson. 256 pages. [Source: Borrowed] 
7. Delighting in God. A.W. Tozer. 2015. Bethany House. 208 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
8. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. Timothy Keller. 2014. Penguin. 336 pages. [Source: Library]
9. Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt Is Not the Enemy of Faith.Barnabas Piper. Foreword by N.D. Wilson. 2015. [July 2015] David C. Cook. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
10. Like Jesus: Shattering Our False Images of the Real Christ. Jamie Snyder. 2016. [February 2016] 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible