Here are 100 books that What Did You Expect? fans have personally recommended if you like
What Did You Expect?.
Shepherd is a community of 11,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I am a Christian author who loves to see when relationships, rooted in Christ, succeed. I have been married for 13 years and during that time we have had ups and downs and have found that our relationship would have never succeeded if it wasn’t for Christ and being grounded in his truths. I have sought out ways to cultivate healthy a marriage and often find myself studying and reading on how to best have our relationship reflect Christ and his love for the church.
The Meaning of Marriage was released shortly after my husband and I got married.
As newlyweds, it shaped how we viewed our marriage from a Christian perspective. It helped us to put Christ at the center and love each other as Christ loved the church. As many also experience, the first years of marriage contained many challenges.
Reading The Meaning of Marriage helped us to walk through difficult without losing our focus on why we were married in the first place.
"Incredibly rich with wisdom and insight that will leave the reader, whether single or married, feeling uplifted." -The Washington Times
Based on the acclaimed sermon series by New York Times bestselling author Timothy Keller, this book shows everyone-Christians, skeptics, singles, longtime married couples, and those about to be engaged-the vision of what marriage should be according to the Bible.
Modern culture would have you believe that everyone has a soul mate; that romance is the most important part of a successful marriage; that your spouse is there to help you realize your potential; that marriage does not mean forever, but…
I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church, and in 2016, I published a best-selling marriage book, Your Marriage God's Way, with an accompanying workbook. Soon after that, I began receiving invitations to put on marriage conferences across the nation. My experience teaching on marriage, performing marriage counseling, and meeting so many married couples has given me a strong biblical understanding of marriage.
Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has been helping couples have happier, healthier marriages by teaching husbands how to love their wives as Ephesians 5:25 commands, and by teaching wives how to respect their husbands as Ephesians 5:33 commands.
Despite what the world says today, men and women are different and they have different, not just desires, but needs. The book also contains testimonies of transformed marriages. Husbands and wives will learn principles for talking to, thinking about, and treating each other biblically.
A New York Times best-selling marriage book making a difference! More than one million copies sold!
Based on over three decades of counseling, as well as scientific and biblical research, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife, Sarah, have already taken the Love & Respect message across America and are changing the way couples talk to, think about, and treat each other. What do you want for your marriage? Want some peace? Want to feel close? Want to feel valued? Want to experience marriage the way God intended? Then why not try some Love and Respect.
I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church, and in 2016, I published a best-selling marriage book, Your Marriage God's Way, with an accompanying workbook. Soon after that, I began receiving invitations to put on marriage conferences across the nation. My experience teaching on marriage, performing marriage counseling, and meeting so many married couples has given me a strong biblical understanding of marriage.
I have been a big fan of John MacArthur for years. His commentary, which I recommended in another one of my lists, is the first commentary I look at when preparing sermons.
Generally, when I want to listen to a sermon on the passage I am preparing to teach, I usually try to find one of his sermons first. Not surprisingly, his marriage book found a place on my list. Just like the other books in the list, he holds a complementarian view of marriage, which is to say he believes the Bible teaches that men and women are equal, but not identical. This is God’s “Divine Design.”
For decades culture has blurred the lines between men and women, all in the name of equality. Yet instead of creating harmony, this approach has caused frustration and confusion, leaving families broken and hurting. Divine Design draws reader back to God’s intention for men and women, and tackles big issues such as authority in marriage, mothers in the home, and the innate differences between males and females. Readers will discover how embracing their unique design can foster security, balance, and love in a marriage and family.
I am the teaching pastor of Woodland Christian Church, and in 2016, I published a best-selling marriage book, Your Marriage God's Way, with an accompanying workbook. Soon after that, I began receiving invitations to put on marriage conferences across the nation. My experience teaching on marriage, performing marriage counseling, and meeting so many married couples has given me a strong biblical understanding of marriage.
The subtitle of the book helps you understand Gary Thomas’s purpose: he wants to help his readers see that marriage is not primarily for our happiness.
Although it is a gift and frequently fills us with joy, marriage is also very sanctifying, which is to say it makes us holy. Few things in life help us grow spiritually as much as marriage. When we get married we learn to be patient, gentle, and we frequently have to find ourselves being forgiving. And these are all wonderful graces.
What if God designed marriage to make you holy instead of happy? What if your relationship isn't as much about you and your spouse as it is about you and God?
In Sacred Marriage, bestselling author Gary Thomas uncovers the ways that your marriage can become a doorway to a closer walk with God and with each other. Join over one million others who have already uncovered Thomas's tips for fostering a sacred marriage.
Within the pages of Sacred Marriage, Thomas invites you to see how God can use your relationship with your spouse as a discipline and a motivation…
The question I have for Christian authors is this: are we Christian authors or authors who are Christian? The realm of horror is the perfect genre to explore the human condition in all of its depravity. Why do Christians avoid this genre when at the end of the day? I grew up watching horror movies with my grandmother and I enjoy the thrills and chills, the questions the genre asks, and the various ways horror can be depicted. Christians understand the dark forces that underlie our natural world. And we understand the darkness within ourselves. But unlike Hollywood horror, we know what the solution – Christ. So that’s why this is a passion of mine.
I first heard the audio dramatization of this book on a podcast call The Untold Podcast, showcasing speculative fiction from Christian authors.
The story is short, telling of our unnamed narrator who is struggling with sin in his life. He reads the Bible verse, if thy hand offend then, cut if off. From there begins his meltdown into wanting to take off his hand because he has done sinful things with it.
What made this one so chilling is the rational outlook of the narrator. Then comes the grisly bits that make you squirm in your chair as you listen. Now, it’s in book form and I guarantee you, it’s a very good book. Thank God for grace!
I am a french writer, I like to write satires and tongue-in-cheek books about society. Work, children, France, social classes... When you find the right angle almost everything can be funny. With my writing I want to entertain, but give the reader something to think about. I hope this list will make you laugh as much I did.
A. J. Jacobs, a journalist, decides to read the Bible and try to follow it literally for a whole year, to the point of eating locusts, throwing small pebbles at couples he suspects of adultery, slaying idolatry, and speaking the naked truth… Struggling to follow archaic rules, he lives a disconcerting experience under the perplexed eyes of his family and becomes quickly out of step with the present time. The Year of Living Biblically depicts a clash of worlds with a caustic humor and I’ve burst out laughing a couple of times. I recommend it to believers and non-believers, both will be amused by this witty book that gives us food for thought.
From the bestselling author of The Know-It-All comes a fascinating and timely exploration of religion and the Bible.
Raised in a secular family but increasingly interested in the relevance of faith in our modern world, A.J. Jacobs decides to dive in headfirst and attempt to obey the Bible as literally as possible for one full year. He vows to follow the Ten Commandments. To be fruitful and multiply. To love his neighbor. But also to obey the hundreds of less publicized rules: to avoid wearing clothes made of mixed fibers; to play a ten-string harp; to stone adulterers.
I’m just an everyday person. I don’t have a fancy title or lots of degrees, but I do have experience being close to God and a never-ending quest to know Him more. His love is so good that it absolutely must be shared. So if I, in all of my ordinariness, can learn extraordinary sacred things, then I can bring others along the journey, too. His presence in my heartaches, struggles, joy, and adventures has sustained my life, and I don’t know any credential that could testify any clearer that a journey with God is worth taking.
If scholars are still trying to completely understand the Bible, how are we supposed to navigate it?
Inspired steps back and takes a look at Scripture, inviting us to ask questions and know it better, from both a spiritual and literary perspective. While I didn’t agree with everything the author suggests, everything made me pause and think. It’s a rare book that both challenges and encourages, but this one most certainly does both.
If the Bible isn't a science book or an instruction manual, what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she embarked on a journey to better understand what the Bible is and how it's meant to be read. What she discovered changed her--and it can change you, too.
Evans knows firsthand how a relationship with the Bible can be as real and as complicated as a relationship with a family member or close friend. In Inspired, Evans explores contradictions and…
I am an animal communicator and author of many books about our deeper connections with the animal world. A powerful dream featuring an archetypal Snake ignited my curiosity about snakes and inspired me to learn more. I immersed myself into the history, biology, and incredible diversity of snakes as well as their role in art, myth, medicine, and dreams. I also lived with two rescue snakes: a shy ball python named Carl and lively corn snake named Chloe. What I found was not only fascinating but life-changing. This book celebrates the mystery of Snake and the undeniable wisdom and healing that it offers our world.
A thorough look at the origins of Christianity and how the once powerful role of serpent (along with the goddess) was undermined and cast as a tempter and deceiver.
Pagels details how a rigidly-patriarchal interpretation of Genesis perpetuates the myth of separation and disconnection from spirit, nature, and ourselves. While snakes as animals are not covered in any depth, this book does explore why negative perceptions of snake still figure so prominently in Western collective consciousness.
A National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author deepens and refreshes our view of early Christianity while casting a disturbing light on the evolution of the attitudes passed down to us.
"Confirms her reputation as both a scholar and a popular interpreter.... Continuously rewarding and illuminating." —The New York Times
How did the early Christians come to believe that sex was inherently sinful? When did the Fall of Adam become synonymous with the fall of humanity? What turned Christianity from a dissident sect that championed the integrity of the individual and the idea of free will into…
I am passionate about writing, reading, and recommending books that help people understand how to improve their relationship to God and to others. Verbal advice only goes so far. The wonder of books is that they contain the wisdom of years and lived experience that can encourage and equip readers long after the writers are gone. In addition to being an author of Christian living books, I have a graduate degree in biblical studies as well as decades of experience in adult education, public relations, and ministry to women. I also speak internationally on spiritual living.
This is the ONE book I recommend to younger women who want a mentor’s advice on what’s truly most important in life. The author writes from the perspective of a “seasoned sister” who was often asked to share how she was able to raise a large family, work, run a ministry, and write multiple books while at the same time maintaining a vital spiritual relationship with God.
Lucinda Secrest McDowell gives practical, accessible advice about love, authenticity, prayer, dealing with suffering, sharing one’s story, and much more. I recommend listening to the audio version read in the author’s own voice. This book also works well for book clubs and Bible study groups.
Do you have the strength of soul you need to live out God’s story for your life? Let award-winning author Lucinda Secrest McDowell show you how to become soul strong! How do I know my life makes a difference? How am I supposed to balance life when it seems I can’t catch a break? How do I move forward spiritually and with purpose? The answer to these questions and more is in learning how to live Soul Strong. The journey of faith is truly “a long obedience in the same direction.” It’s a deep commitment and an even deeper empowerment.…
We are two dads, both with three kids, who are on a journey of trying our best to raise our kids in the way of Jesus. Of particular interest to us both is exploring how Jesus overcomes evil. Does He beat up the bad guys like superheroes do? Does He drop bombs on them, like nations do? With all the struggles kids experience at school—and everything they hear about evil occurring around the world—we think it’s important for kids to learn how Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, even from the earliest ages.
We want kids to learn that peacemaking is first an inside job. And we can experience this peace in the presence of God. Before we respond to the conflicts around us, God wants to calm the conflict within us. This is a big part of what it means to know Him as the Good Shepherd.
This book makes David’s most famous song into a meditative prayer–and it helps parents invite their children into the peace of God. If our kids can learn to slow down and find peace through being with the good Shepherd from their youngest ages, they will naturally become peacemakers as an overflow of His leading!
From the creators of the bestselling Jesus Storybook Bible-with over six million copies sold-comes Found, a board book retelling of Psalm 23 in child-friendly language that helps little ones know they are always cared for and protected by God. And the colorful, engaging illustrations of a shepherd with his sheep will hold your child's interest as you snuggle up and read together.
The Lord is my Shepherd. And I am his little lamb. Through words young kids can understand, and vibrant illustrations that pair perfectly with the text, your child can experience the comfort and security of Psalm 23. And…
