All Time Favorite Books that Changed my life
In order of when I first discovered the goodness...
1. The Bible
Obviously. If you haven't read it, you should give it a try. I read it in it's entirety for the first time when I was 16 after thinking about the hypocrisy of calling myself a Christian and yet having never read the book that says what I supposedly believe. I have read it several more times since then. By far, this is the most influential book and it continues to teach, scold, mold, challenge, encourage and bring me lasting joy.
2. If God Should Choose - By Kristen Stagg
I read this book for the first time during my junior year of college. This was the first book I ever read that piqued my interest in living life overseas. It was also one of the first times I read about mere humans who lived extraordinary lives of deep satisfaction coupled with laying their lives down. The book is about the death of Roni Bowers but it also is intermingled with the story of her and her husband Jim from birth to the time of her death. One of the things that stuck out most to me was the way her husband responded to her death. He was so trusting of our Father that even though God chose to take her life, Jim still responded with a resounding, 'He is Faithful'. In this book, I witnessed the most beautiful of worship songs, even in my emptiness and grief, God is enough.
3. Don't Waste Your Life - By John Piper
I read this book my senior year of college. The book begins with a story of an elderly man in a church service that finally decides to make Jesus the Lord of his life. Piper remembers the man afterwards weeping loudly saying 'I've wasted it, I've wasted my life!' Piper explains in the book that retirement isn't really an option for a believer. He gives an example of a couple who moved to Florida upon retirement and spent their days playing softball and collecting seashells. He said that one day that couple will stand before God and the beginning of their eternal life. He will ask them what they accomplished during their life and they will pitifully say, 'Look God, we have these shells.' The book came at a transitional time for me. I remember the previous summer saying to myself that I wanted to use that last college summer to invest it in eternity since I would be working the rest of my life. After reading this book during my senior year, my viewpoint shifted into the realization that I only have a short time, a mere 75 years to impact eternity and thus my life, job, summers, weeks, weekends, everything should be spent glorifying God and impacting eternity. It showed me that when I reach the end of my earthly existence and stand before God, success, beauty, money, how many buildings I helped design, how many new cars I managed to have, none of this will matter, only what I have done for God will matter. It is a sobering thought and it has helped hone my vision to what truly matters.
4. The Problem of Pain - By C.S. Lewis
I have pretty much always been a C.S. Lewis fan so when I went to a discount book store and found a few, cheap books by him, I snatched them up. One of the books I got for a steal was this book. I didn't actually get around to reading it for another year or so. The summer after I graduated from college I went to Brazil for a couple months expecting to have a job waiting for me from my former internship upon my return. That job dissolved and I found myself without work and income for several months. That season of my life has been one of the hardest seasons thus far. I guess you could say it was a painful season and so I sought solace from my literary Lewis friend. Lewis says that pain is God's megaphone to get our attention to the fact that something is wrong. God uses pain in our lives to grow us in areas. During that season, God used my pain to teach me that I wanted control of my life but I needed to instead release my grip and trust Him. It was a pivotal moment in my life and one I look back to understanding that pain is usually for our good and when things hurt we should go directly to God to see what He is trying to tell us.
5. Epic - By John Eldredge
This book completely renovated the way I read literature and is one of the reasons I love reading stories and watching movies. The book describes how all great stories, the ones that last, have a common storyline:
-At one point, things were good in the world
-By the time the reader arrives on the scene something bad has infiltrated the world
-Usually an unexpected hero breaks into the picture
-There is a beauty to rescue
-A great sacrifice is usually required and often by the hero's death
-At times there is a resurrection of sorts
-The story ends with a reunion of sorts
Consider these stories/movies: Braveheart, Titanic, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Tangled, Pinocchio, etc.
This storyline kind of reminds me of another story I know.
-In the beginning, things were good, there was no sin
-A snake slithers into the scene and causes the Fall of Mankind
-Thousands of years later, Jesus breaks on the scene
-Mankind is His beauty/bride to rescue
-He sacrifices Himself for His bride
-He resurrects from the dead 3 days later
-In the end, there will be a great reunion in Heaven
I can't help but find this storyline in many movies and books. The Bible says that 'the earth is filled with the glory of God'. This book showed me that God has even infiltrated literature and movies through people who may not even follow Him or believe in Him.
6. Searching for God Knows What - By Donald Miller
This book begins with the silliest of stories about the author's ignorance. I found myself laughing at his stupidity and wondering why on earth I was reading the words of someone so clueless. In spite of his cluelessness, Miller is a profound writer and I found myself quite often in awe of the depth of his writing compared with the frequent silliness throughout the book. This book showed me first how painful the fall must have been for Adam and Eve. Prior to the fall, they knew no sin, no shame, no pain, no doubt, no self-consiousness. They lived in complete and pure union with God, His love and favor flowing constantly into their souls. How much pain, shame, shock, doubt must have come from that first moment where sin, darkness, disease entered the earth? Miller says that from that moment, people have been searching for someone or something outside of themselves for their value. He goes on to explain how we have hierarchies in our society where some people are valued above others. In high school, the football captain and cheerleader is in the highest valued position and all other students are striving and backstabbing to make their way up the chain to the most valued position. He gave an example of a lifeboat from one of his previous classes:
"If there were a lifeboat adrift at sea, and in the lifeboat were a male lawyer, a female doctor, a crippled child, a stay at home mom, and a garbageman, and one person had to be thrown overboard to save the others, which person would we choose?"
He said the class didn't hesitate to decide who had the most value and who could be dispensed with. He went on to say that if it were up to Jesus, He would jump out of the lifeboat Himself and choose to save every last one of them because He loves and values EVERYONE. This book taught me that I am deeply valued by God and if I am looking anywhere else, I will come up empty. It also taught me that every individual on this planet is deeply valued by God. There was so much more goodness in the book but I will let you read the goodness for yourself. I may actually read it yet again after reminiscing about the goodness.
7. God's Smuggler - By Brother Andrew
Oh.my.goodness. Do you want a non-fiction book about a Christian that reads like a J.J. Abrams television show complete with cliffhangers and keeps you on the edge of your seat? Do you want a book that will challenge you to heights of faith? This book is for you. I have been through the book twice now and both times, I am in awe of the faith of this man and all the miracles God accomplished through him. It wasn't always this way. The book begins with a boy/man who was very wayward and wanted nothing to do with God. Eventually, he chooses to put his faith in Christ and learns that God is faithful, God is a King and as such He gives to His children extravagantly. His faith challenges me to new heights of faith and trust in a God who gives Kingly gifts. Over and over again, God provided for him financially. In addition, He smuggled Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and over and over again he was given irrational favor and protection. By far, this is the most exciting biography I have ever read.
8. One Thousand Gifts - By Ann Voskamp
This book changed my life. The overall premise of the book is that we lack joy because we are ungrateful. The author breaks down the meaning of the word 'eucharisteo' which happens to be the same word used when Jesus gave thanks at The Lord's Supper. Essentially, He was giving thanks for the bread of death. The root word for eucharisteo is charis which means grace but it also consists of the the Greek word for joy as well. Jesus saw His death as a gift of grace and gave thanks for it and it yielded joy. The same is true for my life. When I am ungrateful about anything, I have a sour attitude. When I recognize things as grace and give thanks for those things, joy comes to my life. Voskamp began a journal seeking to find 1,000 gifts from the Father and encourages readers to do the same. She describes it as 'unwrapping gifts of love'. I have since unwrapped 2,800 gifts and I'm still counting. When I find myself in sour moods, I start giving thanks for the small things and I find life doesn't look as bleak as I originally thought.
To check out edition 2 in this series, click here.
