Books That Have Changed My Life

I woke up this morning thinking about the various books (besides the Word of God) that have made a huge impact on my life, and thought I would share them with you.  I often want to give people books for the pure sake of sharing the wisdom inside, but it's always an awkward gesture.  It's especially awkward when the books are self-help types.  It's like offering someone a mint, "take a hint."  Or when someone "lends" you a book and then you don't read it for a whole year, and they actually wanted it back...  But maybe someone will read my experience with these books and say, "Hey, I could use some of that wisdom," and perhaps they might just be impacted in a positive way.  So here we go.

Book # 1: Uprising, by Erwin McManus

This book has a lot about what good character looks like and I read it when I was seventeen.  At the time I was going through my first broken heart.  I had just broken up with a boy I was utterly obsessed with and my relationship with my mother was in shambles because of it.  There was one quote in particular that has been burned in my brain ever since I read it: "A direct benefit of gratitude is the freedom from bitterness."  Clearly the Holy Spirit made those words jump out at me, because I knew I had some serious bitterness against my mother.  From that day I started to thank her for all the little things she did.  It hurt my pride at first, but eventually I realized how much she really took care of me.  In the end, it changed the way she treated me too.  Instead of all the yelling and biting remarks, we simply started thanking each other.  I know it was the Holy Spirit who gave me the strength to do it.



Book # 2: Captivating, by John & Stasi Eldredge

This book messed me up!  I was twenty when my discipleship leader required us girls to read it and at first I was extremely skeptical.  I thought, "How is this book--this generalization of all women--going to address me and the mystery of my own soul?"  I was a little insulted to be lumped into a stereotype.  But no joke, one sitting, I was in tears.  Sometimes I would read a page and have to stop to cry.  Sometimes I would read a sentence and have to stop.  Sometimes it was a paragraph.  This book talks about issues that come from fathers and what every woman needs from fathers and mothers.  It puts things into perspective and validates so many thoughts and feelings.  I felt like John and Stasi were having a personal conversation with me.  Stasi has a story about a moment she reconciled with her mother, and it inspired me to ask my mother, "did I ever make you feel like you weren't good enough for me?"  She looked at me as a tear ran down her face and replied, "sometimes."  I apologized to her, and she apologized to me for the same thing.  We both cried and hugged.  It was a healing moment I'll never forget.

Book # 3: Mystical Union, by John Crowder

This book is a theological revolution.  Even for the pentecostal, at first read, it could seem almost heretical.  But I feel that John Crowder has an amazing revelation of grace that needs to be shared.  I think people who are turned off by legalistic, traumatizing church experiences need to read this book.  It will make the gospel seem like actual good news for once. :)  The grace of God is irresistible, but too many leaders have condemned people for sinning to the point that when they come to church they just feel like dirt.  God is too often associated with guilt and shame, but, that's not even from Him at all.  He's so full of grace it's not even funny.  I'd say of all books I've ever read, this book has had the most profound impact on my life to date.  It is the ideas in this book that caused my theological ship to crash onto shore. 



Book # 4: Between Noon and Three, by Robert Ferrar Capon

In the realm of Christian help books, people are always trying to dumb down and simplify their writing so that anyone can understand their concepts.  So I lost the joy of reading because I need intellectual stimulation.  But this book is not for the simple-minded.  It has renewed my joy for reading simply by being complex in writing style.  I would compare Capon's personality to that of C.S. Lewis, yet his vocabulary is more developed.  Once again, this book might feel like a theological slap in the face, but for real, this guy knows what he's talking about.  It starts out with a story about an affair between two people and the rest of it is an analysis of theological ideas concerning grace.  He lays out an outrageous metaphor that anyone could potentially be offended by if they are not ready to have their their theology shaken and rearranged.  Unless, of course, you yourself have already been completely altered by this powerful revelation of grace.  Mmmm, God's grace is so good.



Well, there you have it.  If anyone has read any of these, or if you actually decide to read this because of me, definitely comment on here.  I want to know what kind of impact these books have left on you!  And it would bring me joy to know I had a part in making someone happy.