Three Books For Your 2020 Reading List

Today, I want to share with you aspects I appreciate of three books, which might be helpful and encouraging additions to your 2020 reading list.

• For All Who Grieve: Navigating the Valley of Sorrow and Loss (Smith). This work is authored by my former pastor (prior to our family’s recent cross-country move). In addition to being an author and pastor, Smith is a council member with The Gospel Coalition and president/teacher of Unlocking the Bible. Here is my endorsement of For All Who Grieve: “For all those who grieve: Discover how tears are released and seen by God, how loved ones are valued, how guilt meets grace, and how laments turn to confessions of God’s comfort. See how grief increases hope and how healing is achieved and maintained by the Counselor who knows all when we do not. Can we who grieve release our claim that no one understands? Proof that we can is found in this book and, most of all, in the One this book shepherds us to see. Colin Smith, with the astute pastoral care for which he is known, offers salient insight concerning the most tender areas of the sorrowing heard. I know because of how my grieving heart has profited by his wisdom.”
• Susie: The Life and Legacy of Susannah Spurgeon(Rhodes). Susie is the biography of the wife of famed preacher Charles Spurgeon. The Spurgeons experienced suffering times, and many pockets of encouragement can be found throughout this book because of this couple’s determination to praise the Lord in all seasons. You can read of their sweet marriage characterized by mutual, tender support in sickness and tragedy. As Mrs. Spurgeon’s story progresses over these pages, I discovered a couple of acknowledgments and discussions about the life-altering pain of losing a baby. I did not select this book expecting to read any words concerning child loss—so, stumbling upon these paragraphs was especially sweet. And, because grief is a general theme in the latter part of this biography as well, Susie could be a soothing and relevant read for a grieving mother. 
• Teach Me to Feel: Worshiping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life (Reissig). Reissig writes as one who has experienced two miscarriages. Most recently, she nearly lost her youngest baby as well as her own life. Through it all, she has long loved the book of Psalms. In this devotional, Reissig examines various psalms and how they can help identify, express, and direct feelings common to human experience. Her chapter on grief begins, “Grief is a harsh master. It is a whole-body experience. It affects everything in you, from the inside out. It steals your strength. It laughs at your sighing. It crushes you. It leaves you alone for a while, before returning suddenly . . . ” (103). She continues with relatable words, expounding on Psalm 31 in view of grief feelings. Reissig has an ability to explicate a biblical concept while anticipating potential objections, allowing her interactions with those countering viewpoints to shape her treatments—all of this to say, her words don’t feel cheap or trite. A moving chapter, “Ashamed,” on Psalm 51 is also included, and the book helpfully starts with the first and second psalms as a foundation—on the word and kingship of God. Reissig’s writing has appeared on the Hope Mommies blog (see here); also, she is the speaker scheduled for the Hope Mommies 2020 retreats.

Bonus: Though not directly on grief, I have seen a number of you mention your appreciation for Hope When It Hurts, by Kristen Wetherell and Sarah Walton, in Hope Mommies’ private discussion groups—it is a devotional on suffering from those who have endured chronic pain. So, you might be interested to know that both Wetherell and Walton have new books releasing this year. As of my writing, these are yet-to-be-released titles. Wetherell’s is Fight Your Fears: Trusting God’s Character and Promises When You Are Afraid, and Walton’s (co-authored with her husband) is Together Through the Storms: Biblical Encouragement for Your Marriage When Life Hurts. 

Lianna (@liannadavis) is wed to Tyler and mom of two dear daughters. She is author of Made for a Different Land: Eternal Hope for Baby Loss (Hope Mommies, 2019). More of her writing can be found at her website.

We would be honored to share your story as a Hope Mom on our blog. On Saturdays we feature Hope Moms’ stories in order to showcase God’s faithfulness even in the midst of such deep sorrow. If you would like to have your story shared on our blog for this purpose, learn more and submit here.