5 life-changing books (other than the Bible)
Books have filled my heart and my soul since I was in the second grade in Mrs. Dombrowski’s classroom.
Mrs. Dombrowski, an Australian war bride, opened up the world of literature to me.
You see, on the third day of the second grade, Mrs. Dombrowski handed me a copy of, “Little House in the Big Woods”.
In the hallways of my heart and mind, I joined Laura Ingalls Wilder in that tiny log cabin tucked away in the woods of Wisconsin.
Even today I can close my eyes and join Laura, her sisters Mary and Carrie as they danced to the music of Pa’s fiddle ... as they opened their Christmas stockings ... and as they went to sleep to the lonely cry of a coyote.
When other 7 year olds were riding their bikes ... playing hopscotch ... and eating popsicles ... I had my freckled nose in a book!
The words on the written page have guided me ... challenged me ... restored me ... and comforted me.
I have walked with the famous and the infamous on the pages of a book.
“He who Walks with Wise Men Will be Wise.” - Proverbs 13:20
I have visited places I have never been on the pages of a book.
I have traveled through time on the pages of a book.
I have investigated the minds of great theologians on the pages of a book.
I have become the woman I am today because I have chosen to read classic literature, stirring biographies, stark non-fiction, timeless devotionals, deep theology and even airy fiction.
But most of all ... I have read my Bible.
I thought that this week, I would share with you 5 books, other than the Bible, that have changed my life over the years. These books are different in genre but each one has left miraculous footprints on my heart.
This list, of course, is not conclusive and even now I could list 50 other powerful books that continue to form my mindset and set my course in life! But for today, I will share with you these 5 in hope that you, too, will become a better person due to the written words on the page of a book.
1 – “Suffering is Never for Nothing” by Elisabeth Elliot
Hard times come for all in life, with no real explanation. When we walk through suffering, it has the potential to devastate and destroy, or to be the gateway to gratitude and joy.
Elisabeth Elliot was no stranger to suffering. Her first husband, Jim, was murdered by the Waoroni people in Ecuador moments after he arrived in hopes of sharing the gospel. Her second husband was lost to cancer. Yet, it was in her deepest suffering that she learned the deepest lessons about God.
Why doesn’t God do something about suffering? He has, He did, He is, and He will.
Jesus has walked the ultimate path of suffering, and He has won victory on our behalf.
This truth led Elisabeth to say, “Whatever is in the cup that God is offering to me, whether it be pain and sorrow and suffering and grief along with the many more joys, I’m willing to take it because I trust Him.”
2 – “The Insanity of God” by Nik Ripken
The Insanity of God is the personal and lifelong journey of an ordinary couple from rural Kentucky who thought they were going on just your ordinary missionary pilgrimage, but discovered it would be anything but.
After spending over six hard years doing relief work in Somalia, and experiencing life where it looked like God had turned away completely and He was clueless about the tragedies of life, the couple had a crisis of faith and left Africa asking God, "Does the gospel work anywhere when it is really a hard place? It sure didn't work in Somalia.”
How can we say “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world” when it may not be visibly true in that place at that time? How does anyone live an abundant, victorious Christian life in our world’s toughest places?
The Insanity of God tells a story—a remarkable and unique story to be sure, yet at heart a very human story—of the Ripkens’ own spiritual and emotional odyssey.
The gripping, narrative account of a personal pilgrimage into some of the toughest places on earth, combined with sobering and insightful stories of the remarkable people of faith that Nik and Ruth encountered on their journeys, will serve as a powerful course of revelation, growth, and challenge for anyone who wants to know whether God truly is enough.
3 – The Zion Covenant Series by Bodie and Brock Thoene
Opening in 1936, the Zion Covenant series tells the courageous and compelling stories of those who risked everything to stand against the growing tide of Nazi terrorism that is sweeping through central Europe under the dangerous and deceitful guise of Hitler's Third Reich.
No one is safe during this decade as the Nazi darkness descends upon Europe. Elisa, a talented violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, adopts an Aryan stage name for protection while her best friend, Leah, a gifted Jewish cellist, faces peril.
This 9 book series takes your heart into the evil of World War II and yet gives you hope that God has always had a courageous people who were determined to fight wickedness with the power of their faith.
4 – “Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham by Patricia Cornwell
Ruth Bell Graham is known as the wife of evangelist Billy Graham. It was Ruth who
influenced Billy, as his most trusted life-partner.
In Ruth, a Portrait, we meet this fascinating and remarkable woman. Brimming with anecdotes, this is a breathtaking journey, with stops at many of this century's epoch- making events.
The childhood years of the future Mrs. Billy Graham were spent light-years away--in the China of the 1920s and 1930s. The daughter of medical missionaries, she and her family were caught in a crucible of unspeakable hardship; in addition to pestilence and plague, there was the unstable political and military turmoil surrounding the Nationalist government, the Communists, and the Japanese invaders.
These hazardous realities shaped Ruth Bell and her family, a family inured to difficulties, but buoyed up by their deep belief in God's abiding will.
5 – “Streams in the Desert” by Mrs. Charles Cowman
This book has been treasured by pastors, mothers, leaders, servants, students, and the common person since its publication over seventy years ago. It has established itself firmly in the ranks of Christian classics.
Written from Mrs. Cowman's rich experiences with life, from its dry wastelands to its well-watered gardens, Streams in the Desert is a legacy of faith and wisdom that is time-tested faithfully to the One who alone can slake their spiritual thirst. In the midst of today's fast-paced world, the wisdom of Streams in the Desert remains refreshing, relevant and trustworthy. Turn to it daily, tune out the clamor of living, and let these prayerful writings inspire fresh hope, confidence, and a deep awareness of God's presence in your life.
There you have it!
Five of the best books I have ever read!
I hope that this list will encourage and strengthen your walk with Christ ... the One who is writing all of our stories.
Thanks for listening to my heart this week. As you know by now, my heart is truly not a perfect heart but it is a heart that is filled to overflowing with gratitude for the life I have been given and for the people who walk with me. And, it continues to be a heart that is relentlessly chasing after God and all that He is!