I made a decision this past spring–a commitment, really–to fast from all secular books for the entire Summer of 2012. The whole decision to fast just kind of happened. I had a few books still on my To Read shelf that were faith-based, and as summer began I decided that I wouldn’t read anything else until I had finished those books. Then, I downloaded more faith-based books on my Kindle, and before the school year even ended I had 6-8 books to read. At that point, I just decided that I would only read faith-based books, and I committed all of my summer reading to be for His glory that I may grow in Him and come to know Him more intimately.
You see, I’m a complete bookworm. At the close of every school year, I get really excited about all of the books I might devour during break, and since my summer started on May 1st this year that meant a whole extra month of reading! (You can call me a nerd, it’s okay, I do all of the time.) The truly awesome thing is that most of the books I’ve been reading have forced me right back into Scripture, so I can hardly read these books without an open Bible in front of me for reference. AWESOME!!
Anyway, God has really spoken to me through these books, and He’s used them to shatter some stereotypes, world views, and incorrect assumptions (especially about missions)…He’s also used them to increase my understanding of who Christ is. And the more I read, the more I fall in love with Him. I mean, to be that culturally outrageous and yet to love that deeply…oh how I desire to be like Him.
I have read books ranging from topics of spiritual warfare to the Holy Spirit to missions to the life of Christ. It’s been transforming, eye-opening, encouraging, convicting, and so much more…I’m not sure that I want to read secular books again…seriously!
So here are a couple of the things that have impacted me the most.
A book I finished last week uses a phrase often, and in almost every situation, I get all teary-eyed. When talking about the miracles Jesus performed or the parables He told, the author often explains that we see a costly demonstration of unexpected love (Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey). This has struck a particular chord with me. It’s one thing to love people, but didn’t Christ love people to a point that it was costly to him? I mean, it ended up costing him his life. And weren’t those acts of love so unexpected to both the recipients of his love and those who witnessed them that the leaders plotted his death? So I’m reassessing what it means to love as Christ loved. In what ways does my life reflect that kind of costly love? Do I avoid reaching out to people because of what it might cost me…reputation, comfort, convenience?
Another book I just finished this week was suggested to me with divine timing. It’s all about having the faith and courage to step out and do whatever it is that God is asking of you. As I stand here on the edge of the precipice of a new [we’ll call it] adventure, I have nearly been paralyzed into inaction by my fears: fear of failing, fear of rejection, fear of struggle, and fear of the unknown. However, I started reading In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and the author’s exhortations and the Scripture to back them up spoke to me profoundly. I needed to read that “maybe God wants to stack the odds against us so we can experience a miracle of divine proportions.” And more importantly, God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go.
The cool thing is that these are just two books! There are so many other things that have touched my heart, changed my worldview (or at least started the process…complete change takes time), convicted me, and encouraged me. It has been such an amazing summer of reading, learning, and loving more deeply.
In case you are interested, here is a comprehensive list of all of the books I’ve read this summer. I would encourage you to read any of these books…
All That You Can’t Leave Behind (Murphy)
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God (Chan)
Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity (Chan)
For Married Women Only (Evans)
Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit (Chan)
In Every Place (Abernethy)
In This Place (Abernethy)
Kisses from Katie (Clark and Davis)
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Genocide (Ilibagiza)
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (Platt)
Not a Fan (Idleman)
Winter Spring Summer Fall (Murphy)
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes (Bailey)
Simple Church (Rainer and Geiger)
Christianity with Power (Kraft)
Wild at Heart (Eldredge)
Good to Great in God’s Eyes (Ingram)**current read
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Batterson)
Here are the books that are still on my To Read “shelf”…
Mere Christianity (Lewis)
More Than a Carpenter (McDowell)
The Case for Christ (Strobel)
Love Does (Goff)
Beautiful Outlaw (Eldredge)
A Woman After God’s Own Heart (George)
If you have other suggestions for faith-based books that you’ve read and loved, PLEASE send them my way!
