Around three years ago I did a blog post talking about all of my favorite books that I also found to be really inspiring with life and faith. They were some of my favorite books as well at the time and still are; you can read all about them here! But now it’s been around three years since then, and I’ve had the privilege of discovering a whole genre of music I was oblivious to, various movies that I found inspiring, and of course, more great books! I figured I would share some of my favorites that are also what I think are meaningful; entertainment can be meaningful! In fact, I really think it should be. I have yet to really blog about music before, except for a couple songs in this post here, or movies, so I’m excited to include them on this list as well! Most of these are distinctly Christian of course, but there may be a few on here that are more secular but still have elements of inspiration or faith.

Music

Okay, so I was oblivious to this whole genre of music known as Christian contemporary music. And it’s basically just how it sounds. I always thought that Christian music only consisted of, like, hymns, which I loved but were probably not going to end up on any playlists of mine for, like, everyday things. But enter the world of Christian contemporary music! I BECAME OBSESSED. I love pop music, which basically that’s what this is, a modernized version of songs with just as powerful messages as the ones in hymns. I have tons of songs I’ve found that I love. Here are some of my faves:

“Battles” by The Afters: talks about God fighting your problems and is a great message for anyone going through anything. It has really helped me when I’ve had particular problems that seem recurring and like they don’t go away. It’s that boost of encouragement that God is fighting for you, even if you can only see the little things. It’s really good, definitely one of my favorites.

“His Name” by Urban Rescue: another one of my favorites that kinda goes along with the song above. This one really goes over personal hurts, and this is very powerful for whenever you may feel depressed or broken about life. There’s a lot of people I wish I could forward this one to, so definitely check it out. It’s that quiet yet beautiful reminder that whatever you’re going through, you’re not alone. God will be with you and He alone can heal the despair in your heart.

“Afraid” by Tenth Avenue North: a great reminder for someone like me who worries and obsesses about literally everything, with a great, upbeat tune. It makes me nostalgic because I remember myself in eighth grade and all the things I worried about and how when I found this song, it was just what I needed to hear. Listen to it often; it’s a good one.

“Runaway” by The Afters: I found this one working on my latest novel, and not only does it resonate with one of my characters (yes I have songs that go specifically with make believe people; welcome to the life of a writer), it is really good for anyone hurting inside, feeling unloved or unworthy, or anything along those lines. I don’t know if this one specifically addresses faith like the above do, but The Afters are really good, and this song is very truthful and can be applied to the faith easily.

“Miracles” by Jesus Culture: WELCOME TO MY FAVORITE CHRISTIAN SONG OF ALL TIME. This song is slow and quiet, building into more power towards the end, but that really gets the mood and message of this song perfectly. I found this song at a time in my life where I felt very broken about the brokenness of other people and our world in general. It was a soft, moving reminder of how God can and will work through that in soft, moving ways, if that makes sense. It’s the little things He does, the probing and convicting and soul searching, that are what changes people’s hearts and therefore their lives, and this song beautifully portrays His power.

“Relentless” by Hillsong United: talk about a powerful, urgent message: the message of God’s overwhelming, relentless love. The only thing that can change a person’s life. Everyone should listen to this song! It’s just perfect in every way!

“Because of Your Love” by Chris Quilala: I really like Chris Quilala, and this song by him does not disappoint. This is one of those songs that makes you envision people who really need to hear it, and it just makes you want to forward it to them with an urgency. For anyone who feels unworthy of God’s love or who just needs the reminder of it (and don’t we all), this is the song for you.

“Forgiven” by Sanctus Real: this is a song I’ve had to listen to often, as I am truly my own worst enemy when it comes to my relentless perfectionism and thinking I don’t deserve things, much less God’s love. But this song reiterates what the Bible’s core message really is: that Jesus has taken all of our sins and done away with them; we are completely forgiven through Him. I love this one.

“When I’m With You” by Citizen Way: another song that is really special to me. During eighth grade, I had these recurring problems, and remember how I talked about getting my bad thought life and defiant attitude in this post here? Well, this is when some of my defiance really started to flare up, and I began to have these doubts due to my impatience with God’s timing (surprise, haha, we all know what a patient person I am—NOT). But of course I didn’t want to actually tell God any of this because I think sometimes there’s this unspoken message sent by Christians that, well, you don’t tell Him your doubts, or your frustrations, and I’m that type of person who is very guarded, and so telling GOD felt very scary. But this song…you just have to listen to it. It’s just perfect. If this doesn’t spark your prayer life to be completely authentic and vulnerable with God—which IS what He DESIRES from you—I don’t know what will. It helped me learn that I can be real with God, that He can take it, and it won’t lessen His love for me. In fact, through being honest with Him, even when I don’t like it, that’s how He can mold me and shape me into becoming better. So thankful for Him and our relationship, it really is the only one that counts… <3

“Love So High” by Hillsong Worship: a beautiful song about the love of God. This would be a good one to fall asleep to, and I’ve listened to it whenever I need to give my heart a break from the strain and stress of the world. Because seriously people, THIS is what matters in life. To know that God loves you completely. When you learn this—REALLY learn it—it completely changes the way you live your life. Because suddenly it’s not all about YOU, because YOU know that YOU are taken completely care of in God. And it makes you filled to the brim with a desire to go tell people this, because what a world that would be… It’s the only thing that can save a person’s broken heart. But more on this in a book I’ll share later in this post…

“Start a Fire” by Unspoken: I love this song because it reminds me of my desire to be a light and help people. Many of these songs were discovered at this time I talk about in this post here, and they were really special to me at that time and still have helped me immensely.

“Say a Prayer” by VERIDIA: another inspiring message about the brokenness of the world but how God can help each of those people and how we have an active role in prayer to help those people. Seriously, don’t ever underestimate the power of praying for someone. This song is a great reminder of that.

“At the Cross (Love Ran Red)” by Chris Tomlin: a beautiful song about all Jesus did for us on the cross, THE most important message there is to share. I even wrote some blog posts all about that, here is one over what He did for YOU.

“Real Love” by Hillsong Young & Free: talk about a song that will get you fired up over God’s love! I love this one.

“Here for a Reason” by Ashes Remain: okay just when I say this is my favorite Christian song, then I will find another one and be like, NO, this is it! Either way, this one is definitely top of my list. I even shared this for a music class I had to take in middle school in eighth grade because we had to find a song that means something to us. Well, I don’t know if it gets any better than this, and it couldn’t have come at a more right time for me than when it did: this song is all about knowing your worth and purpose in life. Another urgent message.

“Fierce” by Jesus Culture: like I said, I love Chris Quilala, and he’s the singer of this song for Jesus Culture, and this is just another beautiful song that illustrates God’s love. I love everything about this one, from the lyrics to the tune to just everything about it.

“Keeper of My Heart” by Kari Jobe: Kari Jobe is a beautiful singer, another fave of mine. And this song is beautiful. I listened to this my first week of starting eighth grade, and based on my feelings which you can read about here, it was the perfect reminder on how God is taking care of me, including the deepest needs of my heart.

“Forever” by Kari Jobe: this song is absolutely beautiful and perfect; it’s one of the first Christian songs that really touched my heart in a way I’d never felt before. I can remember exactly where I heard it and why it was so special to me, too. Well, I first heard it at a Christian retreat I recapped here, but I was inspired to look it up again during the summer of 2016, at my grandparents’ house, after hearing about a situation that absolutely shattered my heart. Sometimes in broken situations, the only thing that can really give you peace is to know that God is bigger than any of it, and He has conquered and done the impossible, and He can oversee it. Plus you just have to take your eyes off of certain situations like that and focus on Him. That is the only thing that can give you peace with some things—well, with anything, but sometimes you just really need that reminder. And this song was perfect for that.

Movies

As much as I like to watch movies, I’ve often found that movies and TV are much harder to find when it comes to having good, inspirational messages. But I have found some good ones.

The Grace Card: I really like the message in this one, and it has an engaging plot. It’s about dealing with bitterness and learning how to forgive, something that I definitely need the reminder of.

Grace Unplugged: this may be one of my most favorite Christian films, ever. I think this one hit close to home for me because it’s about this girl who feels like she’s being sheltered when it comes to her dreams by her parents, and maybe she somewhat is (that’s not what I’m talking about when I say it was relatable though haha), but then she decides to abandon her faith and take matters into her own hands by going to Hollywood, pursuing a music career. I’ve often felt similar desires of wanting to take my own dreams big like that, and I’ve been guilty of craving the fame and fortune aspects of it. But I really liked how this movie offered a truthful insight on how that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I also have the book that ties in with it, which is also wonderfully done.

I’ve seen some other good Christian films, but I don’t know if they were my all time favorites like these ones were, just due to some inconsistencies or other small things like that. And I’m by no means a big TV person, so I don’t really know of any inspirational TV shows, but if you have any recommendations, feel free to comment!

Books

My favorite of them all… I have quite a few new ones to add to the list!

God Loves You by David Jeremiah: EVERYONE in the WHOLE WORLD needs to read this book. I’m not exaggerating at all. There are some books I’ve read that have changed MY life, but I know they wouldn’t have that same effect on everyone. But this one… Wow. I don’t care who you are, you really need to read it. It’s one of the most urgent messages you could ever hear: the truth of God’s perfect, unfailing love. I also love David Jeremiah’s writing style. I’ve read various Christian nonfiction books by some different pastors, but I think his is my favorite. He has a way of being scholarly while still being understandable for people who aren’t as into that. And if you ever read a book in your life, even if it’s just one, it really should be this one. It is literally a whole book on God’s love, and whatever you think you know about His love, this book will stretch your knowledge of it. I promise. Plus, one thing I really liked about it, is that he goes over some of the commandments and rules that God has set for us and how those reflect His love toward us. Because yes, you can be loving while still having boundaries and rules, something this society has forgotten. Rules are meant to protect you, and he talks about that more in the book. He also talks about some hot issues in society, like abortion, and where God fits into those and even how His love applies to that. Seriously, you just have to read this book. It’s over the most urgent message this world needs. I also have a blog post about God’s love for you here.

Ten Questions Christians are Asking by David Jeremiah: like I said, he’s a great writer, and I read multiple books by him during eighth grade. This was another really good one of his. I bring a free reading book to all of my classes just in case, and I remember one time I had it just sitting out on my desk, and one of my teachers asked me if they could read a summary of it, so of course I was like go for it. With some of my teachers, I may know them outside of school or have heard enough to know that they are Christians, but then there are others where I don’t think they are, just because of little things I pick up on that say otherwise. And this was one of those teachers where I didn’t know where they stood in faith, but if I would’ve had to guess I would’ve said probably not. But I won’t forget how there seemed to be this genuine curiosity in it, almost like that type of soul searching you hear that people do. And I just wanted to say, READ THE BOOK! You will LOVE it. Because the truth is, the questions in this book aren’t JUST asked by Christians. They’re a great introduction to the foundation of the Christian faith, questions like how you can find forgiveness or is there an unforgivable sin? In all honesty, that’s why I bought the book, is because I wanted to know about an unforgivable sin—if there was one. Remember my worry about that I talk about in this post? Anyway, I just loved this book; the answers are far from generic. He answers each question thoroughly and precisely. I highly recommend it. And like I said, this is another one that is good for anyone: people with no faith or people with a serious faith.

Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury: this book reminded me a lot of a story kind of like the movie Grace Unplugged. It is about a guy with a very strong faith in Jesus, and he has a great singing talent. Anyway, he tries out to be on this singing show—called Fifteen Minutes—and his family is worried about what his new life of fame may do to him and his faith. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll just say that it was something I needed to hear. I oftentimes find myself with a rather innocent desire like this kid—to be famous so you be a light for Jesus to as many people as possible—but that innocent desire can easily turn into something worse and bring bad consequences. It really shows you how the world of fame isn’t all people dream of. I liked this one a lot.

Disappointment with God by Philip Yancey: a book I got at my retreat, I have to be honest with you: I don’t remember as much about this one. It was two years ago I read it, BUT I do remember really, really liking it. It answers the tough questions people press against God in what I remember to be both theological and relatable, and it made me think of things I have never thought of before. And I actually shouldn’t say I don’t remember this book because there are some parts I do, because it shifted some of the ways I thought about God—in a good, more informative way. The one thing I will say about this book though is that I had my mom read it after me, and she wasn’t as big of a fan of it because she thought it was a little too scholarly/theological than what she normally looks for, and I agree. Though I was like, oh I thought it was perfect to understand—BUT eleven year old and younger me also read through Revelation and thought that was easy to understand, so! I later found out how wrong I was, and sometimes I think I just act like I get the gist of things and I don’t, so make what you want of that!

But in all seriousness, I did pick up on the fact that he does have a different style, and he’s definitely more theological/scholarly than David Jeremiah; Philip Yancey requires more thought to be put into what he is saying, if that makes sense. It’s not so much that he is smarter or anything because they’re both very insightful; I think their styles are just different. But if you really like to dig deep into theological, deep matters like he does, then I think you would really like this. I loved it, personally, but I really like going deeply into things and having to concentrate on what I’m reading. However, my mom said there was a part near the end she really liked, where he basically summarizes everything he goes in depth into in the book, and so if these are questions you struggle with, I still think you should give this a read because you may find some good insight from it.

Wow, I think that does it! I’m so thankful I get the opportunity to learn and be inspired in my faith through other talented people. Let me know if you check out any of the things I listed and what you think!! Also feel free to send me recommendations! 🙂