1. The Bible. Need I explain why this is the #1 book that has influenced my life? It gives me wisdom, hope, joy, guidance, and life. It helps me to know God. It is how I hear from God. It helps me pray when I don't have words to pray. I can't imagine not reading it.
4. Desiring God, by John Piper. At first, it was hard to choose which Piper book most influenced me. All of his books (and blog posts and articles and sermons and tweets and etc.) have had a great impact on my spiritual life. But, I think if one reads Desiring God, they've gotten the gist of most of his other books. And since his blog, which is called Desiring God, is the probably the most influential blog for me, I went with that title.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Not only is this one of my top 5 favorite novels, but it's also the one I have read the most often. It stirs up strong feelings in me (positive and negative) about being from Alabama. It gives me hope that racism can be overcome (Atticus Finch). It helps me not judge those I don't understand (Boo Radley). It reminds me how teachable children are (Scout Finch). I just love it. I might go pick it up and read it right now.
6. Christian Theology, by Millard Erickson. Please don't laugh at how nerdy I am. But I promise I read every single word of that fatty fatty book, to the point that I started calling it my boyfriend, since I carried it everywhere, devoured all its words, and even fell asleep with it from time to time. Did I love the book? Nope, that's why we eventually broke up, haha. But--I'm so glad I read it, and while I read it, I began to figure out what I believed. I stopped going along with what others believed simply because that was the direction of the current...but I figured out for myself and have been able to stand by it since then. Even more, if I didn't figure it out then, or have since become confused on what I think about something theologically, Erickson's book gave me the tools to figure out what I believe.
7. 1000 Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. Sort of like Platt and Piper, it was more Voskamp's overall teaching that has influenced me more than just her book in particular. A few years before I read her book (or knew anything about her), I was trying to figure out a way to cultivate a continual attitude of gratitude. Her methods of counting gifts gave me what I was looking for.
8. Honeymoon in Purdah, by Alison Wearing. This is a memoir of a woman who traveled around Iran, and her impressions of the people and culture. A friend of mine gave it to me in the wake of 9/11 when I was, like most Americans, wondering all about Islam and Muslims and why people would want to blow up our country. My friend, knowing that most Muslims aren't like what we see on the news, gave me the book to show me the normal (and I would add, positive) side of Muslim people. That book began my love for a people that continues until today.
9. The Book That Must Not Be Named. You who have read it know to which book I refer. I don't know a better novel about courage, friendship, loyalty, good vs evil, and sacrifice. And further more, it's just so much fun and so well written and etc., that truth be told: I'm actually in the middle of it right now.
10. The Baptist Hymnal. This is a weird one to put on the list, I imagine, but here's the thing: Music greatly influences my heart, my attitude, and my worship. And hymns, more than any other type of music, influence me the most. I even had one year that I read through the Baptist Hymnal as part of my daily quiet time. It was like reading theological poetry and it was wonderful.
What books have most influenced you? What do you think of the books I listed?
4 comments:
Great list....but feeling somewhat left out because I don't know which book is The Book Which Cannot Be Named and now I am dying to know!!
Marianne, I suppose I could also call it the book about The Boy Who Lived. Check your FB messages, I'll tell you the real title. :)
I've read all but #6 and #8 and would quite agree with your assessments, which makes me think I must needs check out those other two (though "fatty fatty" is a rather intimidating description....). I thought I knew to what you referred in #9, and the comments confirmed my guess, but you threw me off by using "book" (singular)....also, why must it not be named???
notpoems, the Story of the Boy Who Lived must not be named because it bothers some people that I read it and like it. Since I view it as one story, I don't think of it as separate books.
Post a Comment