Books That Changed Me
Books change our lives, in big ways and small. I’m always interested in reading others’ book lists, so here is my list of books that changed me. These are the books that made me a Christian, made me comfortable with my witchy side, made me a progressive Christian, made me self-reflect…
Water, Wind, Earth, Fire- This beautiful book teaches prayer using the elements of nature. It helped me to see that my “witchy” side actually comes from traditional Christian teachings. It’s not “woo-woo,” but firmly grounded with scripture readings, prayers, and quotes from Christian Saints.
Jesus for President- This book completely changed my spirituality. I was a puritanical, patriarchal, evangelical Christian, and reading this book (along with Shane’s first book, Irresistible Revolution), completely changed the way I read the Bible and saw Christianity. It gave me another lens to see through, and hope in the possibilities of the Church.
Celtic Way of Prayer- Esther DeWaal showed me that my prayers were okay. My prayers while I prayed, or cooked, or tended my family. They are holy and steeped in tradition. That there’s not such thing as “secular.” All moments are sacred.
Julie- I know this is an odd one among all the non-fiction spirituality books on this list, but this is the book that made me a Christian in the first place. It gives a picture of what it would look like to live a life of service for Christ, which I had never actually seen in the church. I wanted that, and so dedicated my life to serving Jesus, hoping that the fruits would come.
The Last Battle- C.S. Lewis gave me permission to adopt what I call “Tash theology” (which teeters on Universalism, but not quite): the idea that someone can be serving love all their life in the name of a deity, no matter how unloving the deity, and they are really serving Aslan. To me, if you’re in service of Love, you’re in service of the Divine, and I don’t really care what you call Them.
The Enneagram by Richard Rohr- I honestly like Fr. Rohr more as a speaker than a writer, but his description of life as a One was so spot on for me that it was like he had held up a mirror to my entire life. I’ve read lots of enneagram books since, but this one was my introduction. I now use the enneagram every single day as a tool for understanding myself and those I love.
I’m always looking for the next life-changing book. What books have changed your life for the better? Leave your list in the comments!