2026 Practice: Spiritual Reading
Each year we highlight a spiritual practice as a church body and in 2026 we're focusing on spiritual reading - reading books that will hopefully inspire us to live with greater levels of daily faith. To help us do that, we'll be looking at missionary biographies - stories about the lives of men and women who have said "yes" to following Jesus wherever He leads.
The hope is that in reading their stories, our hearts will be stirred by their trust in and obedience to God and that we'll begin to see ourselves as missionaries in the places God has planted us. These biographies are not meant to replace our time reading the Bible, but to help us see how Biblical Truths can be lived out today.
Each month, we'll highlight a different book for those who want to read along together. We'll meet on the last Wednesday of each month (February-November) for a Book Discussion for those who can join.
We would love to know how this practice is impacting you. Please take a few minutes to let us know HERE.
JULY READING: "Through the Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot
ABOUT: In Through Gates of Splendor, Elisabeth Elliot recounts the true story of five missionaries who gave their lives while seeking to share the Gospel with the Waorani people of Ecuador in 1956. Through this powerful account, readers are challenged and inspired by their extraordinary courage, unwavering trust in God, and the remarkable example of forgiveness that followed a tragic loss.
Note: There is also a movie about this book HERE.
Additional Resources:
- JOIN US for Book Discussion about his life on Wednesday, July 29 from 6:30-8:00 pm. Please sign up HERE if you plan to attend.
- CLICK HERE for a guide with questions to reflect on as you read.
- CLICK HERE for prayer resources to pray for the countries you are reading about.
COMING UP:
AUGUST READING: "Peace Child" by Don Richardson
Previously highlighted:
FEBRUARY: "Bruchko" by Bruce Olson
MARCH: "God's Smuggler"
APRIL: "Chasing the Dragon"
JUNE: Hudson Taylor
- Book discussion recording - coming soon!
- Book discussion slides - coming soon!
- Purchase: "Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret"
- Purchase: "Hudson Taylor: Deep in the Heart of China (Christian Heroes: Then and Now)"
Full list of recommended biographies:
Below is a list of recommended biographies. Each month, we'll highlight one book for those who want to read along together.
ABOUT: A Chance to Die tells the story of Amy Carmichael, a woman who courageously followed God’s call to the mission field and spent over fifty years serving in India. There, she founded the Dohnavur Fellowship, rescuing and caring for vulnerable children who came to know her as “Amma.” Through her life of obedience, sacrifice, and deep faith, Amy’s story continues to challenge and inspire believers to examine their own commitment to Christ.
ABOUT: What happens when a nineteen-year-old boy leaves home and heads into the jungles to evangelize a murderous tribe of South American Indians? For Bruce Olson, it meant capture, disease, terror, loneliness, and torture. But what he discovered by trial and error has revolutionized then world of missions.
One Woman's Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong's Drug Dens
ABOUT: End of the Spear tells the story of Steve Saint, whose father, missionary Nate Saint, was killed while serving in Ecuador. Years later, Steve returns to the jungle with his family when the same tribe asks for help. Through this journey, he uncovers painful truths, wrestles with forgiveness, and discovers how God continues to work through reconciliation, obedience, and grace.
ABOUT: Born into a wealthy Prussian family, George was entitled and struggled with selfishness and dishonesty. After encountering The Lord and surrendering his life to Him, he gave up his inheritance, moved to England and devoted his life to caring for hundreds of orphans living in Bristol. This book offers a picture of deep trust in the Lord to provide and protect.
ABOUT: Gladys took significant risks to travel to China in wartime to share the gospel and offer humanitarian care including leading the evacuation of over 100 children from advancing enemy forces. This book highlights God's protection of and provision for those who are called according to His will.
ABOUT: As a boy Brother Andrew dreamed of being an undercover spy working behind enemy lines. As a man he found himself working undercover for God. His was a mission filled with danger, financed by faith and supported by miracles.
ABOUT: This is the gripping story of how God took a young, half-starved boy from a poor village in Henan province and placed him on the front line for Jesus, in the face of impossible odds. Instead of focusing on the many miracles or experiences of suffering, however, Yun turns his gaze to and centers his story on the character and beauty of Jesus.
ABOUT: In darkness God's truth shines most clear. Corrie Ten Boom was the first licensed female watchmaker in the Netherlands who became a heroine of the Resistance, a survivor of Hitler's concentration camps, and one of the most remarkable ministers of hope in the twentieth century. In World War II she and her family risked their lives to help Jews and underground workers escape from the Nazis. In 1944 their lives were forever altered when they were betrayed, arrested, and thrown into the infamous Nazi death camps. Only Corrie among her family survived. This is her incredible true story--and ultimately the story of how faith, hope, and forgiveness triumphed over unthinkable evil.
ABOUT: It is possible to live a life that is totally dependent on Christ for everything. The many miraculous answers to prayer that missionary Hudson Taylor experienced are exciting testimonies of God's gracious provision. His life illustrates: what is needed to endure trials, how faith is strengthened, how to rely on the promises of God, the rewards of sacrifice and perseverance, how to discern God's purpose for your life
ABOUT: Profiles of African-American Missionaries features the lives and ministries of the great African-Americans who have gone to the world with the message of Christ. It is a collection of stories sharing the ministries of several African-American missionary pioneers from the 1700s to the present, dealing with all the social and ministry issues that they had to face here and abroad. Readers will be inspired by the dedication and commitment of these great African-Americans, as they lived out God's great commission to go into all the world and make disciples of all people. It will inspire and challenge all readers to greater personal involvement in God's worldwide mission.
ABOUT: Catching Their Talk in a Box follows Joy Ridderhof into Honduras, Mexico, Alaska, the Philippines, and Africa. She and her helpers face lack of money, wartime restrictions, equipment needs, mechanical breakdowns, travel hardships, and uncertainties. Through it all, answers to prayer multiply. The organization she creates, Gospel Recordings, continues to record the Good News for those with no written language. Betty M. Hockett captures the spirit and dedication of Joy Ridderhof, a one-of-a-kind woman. She tells Joy’s story especially for children, but promises, "People of all ages will find inspiration in this faith-filled life." Catching Their Talk in a Box is the fifth in the "Life-Story from Missions" series of ten books. This description may be from another edition of this product.
ABOUT: Engulfed in the darkness of Irian Jaya's Snow Mountains live the Yali, naked cannibals who call themselves lords of the earth. Yet, in spite of their boldness, they live in terror and bondage to the women-hating, child-despising gods they serve. Missionary Stan Dale dared to enter their domain and be an instrument to change their future. Peace Child author, Don Richardson, tells the story of Dale, his wife, his companions, and thousands of Yali tribesmen in Lords of the Earth . This unforgettable tale of faithful determination and zeal against overwhelming odds brings unlikely characters together in a swirl of agony and bloodshed climaxing in a dramatic, unexpected ending. Readers will find their perceptions of how God moves enlarged and inspired by this classic story. For parents and youth leaders looking for real-life role models for the new generation of young people, you will want to meet the Dales in Lords of the Earth . This description may be from another edition of this product.
ABOUT: From Cannibals to Christ-Followers--A True Story In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson risked their lives to share the gospel with the Sawi people of New Guinea. Peace Child tells their unforgettable story of living among these headhunters and cannibals, who valued treachery through fattening victims with friendship before the slaughter. God gave Don and Carol the key to the Sawi hearts via a redemptive analogy from their own mythology. The "peace child" became the secret to unlocking a value system that had existed through generations.
ABOUT: Praying Hyde is a biography about the American missionary John Nelson Hyde, who served in India and became known for his intense, fervent prayer life that led to powerful revivals. The book details his journey from a struggling preacher to a "man of prayer" through a life of deep intercession, fasting, and reliance on God. It highlights his unwavering faith and selfless dedication, and serves as a spiritual challenge to readers to embrace a deeper life of prayer.
ABOUT: What can be accomplished in an ordinary man who trusts in an extraordinary God? George Mueller discovered the endless possibilities. These excerpts from his diary allow Mueller to tell his own story. Join him on his journey from a life of sin and rebellion to his glorious conversion. Share his struggles and triumphs as he establishes orphan homes to care for thousands of English children, depending on God's response to his prayer of faith to supply all things.
ABOUT: Jones recounts his experiences in India, where he arrived as a young and presumptuous missionary who later matured into a veteran who attempted to contextualize Jesus Christ within the Indian culture. He names the mistake many Christians make in trying to impose their culture on the existing culture where they are bringing Christ. Instead he makes the case that Christians learn from other cultures, respect the truth that can be found there, and let Christ and the existing culture do the rest.
ABOUT: Radically ordinary hospitality in a post-Christian world. Shares how Christian hospitality helped soften her heart toward Christianity. She uses her home and everyday living to share Christ with neighbors, friends, and her community. Very tangible handholds for living missionally at home.
ABOUT: A memoir by missionary Amy Carmichael detailing her early 20th-century experiences in Southern India. The book provides a candid and often harrowing account of the realities of mission work, including the harsh social conditions, poverty, the caste system, and spiritual warfare she and her fellow missionaries faced while trying to alleviate the suffering of women and children. It serves as both a historical record and a powerful call to action for readers, urging them to confront injustice with courage and compassion.
ABOUT:In 1956, five young men traveled deep into the jungles to establish communication with the fierce and isolated Waorani tribe. In a nearby village, their wives huddled around a radio receiver, eagerly awaiting news of the historic encounter. The news they received sent shock waves around the world and changed their lives forever.
ABOUT:After years of imprisonment and solitary confinement, enduring inhumane torture, Richard Wurmbrand emerges with a powerful testimony of courageous faith. Even today, believers are suffering and dying for Christ, yet their faith will not falter under the most unthinkable persecutions. In this stirring account, Wurmbrand (founder of The Voice of the Martyrs) encourages us to remember those in chains and equips us to help our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.
ABOUT: Highlights the conversion to missionary stories of several Muslim women living in the Muslim world. It sheds light on the dangers they face and the role they play as the spiritual gatekeepers of their homes as well as the role they play evangelizing within their communities.
ABOUT: Amanda Berry Smith (January 23, 1837 - February 24, 1915) was a former slave who became an inspiration to thousands of women both black and white. She was equally at home in the slums of a large city, or the stately homes of the nobility. Redeemed, first from slavery and then from the bondage of sin, she traveled all over the world, testifying to rich and poor alike about the necessity and the power of a sanctified life. Amanda's autobiography is quaint and truthful. She painstakingly relates details of her life as a humble washerwoman cum evangelist, thus opening a window into her world which is of value and interest to Christians and non Christians alike. Living when she did, Amanda faced many obstacles in her faith journey. An African American woman preacher was bound to be anathema to many, even within the church, but this intrepid evangelist was consumed by the message of Christ's full and free salvation and was not going to allow prejudice of any nature to deter her. Amanda often abashed and silenced her enemies through a winning combination of truth, love, and utter devotion to the Master she served.
ABOUT: Rebecca’s Revival tells the extraordinary story of Rebecca Protten, an enslaved Caribbean woman turned evangelist who helped shape the rise of Black Christianity in the Atlantic world. Born in 1718, Protten gained her freedom, joined Moravian missionaries, and preached to enslaved Africans in St. Thomas, helping form the earliest African Protestant congregation in the Americas. Despite persecution, her ministry left a lasting mark on African American religious life. Her remarkable journey—marked by trial, travel, and cross-cultural mission—offers a powerful window into the beginnings of Afro-Atlantic evangelicalism and its transformative impact.
ABOUT: James O. Fraser left a promising career at twenty-two to serve the Lisu people of China. Despite hardship and disappointment, his prayers were answered as thousands came to Christ and indigenous churches took root. Told through personal letters and vivid stories, this biography by Fraser’s daughter highlights a life marked by faith, perseverance, and God’s power at work.TIP: To read these books for free, check your local library. For free audiobooks, listen through the Libby app and connect your account to your local library card.