Back when I was in high school I had a friend recommend the book, Real Christians Don't Dance (that's not exactly the title - on the cover, the "don't" has an x through it, but that's hard to represent when typing). He actually loaned me his copy and I don't think I ever gave it back.
The book was written by John Fischer, who, at the time, wrote for a couple of Christian music magazines and had a musical career of his own, I think. The book was a collection of essays on challenging the standard Christian mindset. It wasn't a radical book, or filled with earth-shattering ideas, but when I read it, it completely challenged my thinking on what it meant to be a Christian. Furthermore, I think the books quiet, slightly self-effacing storytelling had a direct effect on my own communication styles.
What about you? What books have you read that completely changed the way you think about things (and I'm not just looking for Christian, spiritual, or self-help books here - if To Kill A Mockingbird changed your life, let's hear about it)?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Books that changed you
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5 comments:
For me, the first time I read the C.S. Lewis book "The Last Battle" was the first time I felt like I had a good picture of what Heaven might be like. None of this people sitting around on clouds in the sky stuff. It was the world as we knew it, only better, more beautiful, and more like home than the world before. And everyone you knew in the world before, dead or alive, was there.
I love the book, "Gifts from the Sea" by Ann Morrow Lindbergh. The first time I read it was 1988. I loved it then and I love to read it now. It's amazing and it changes every time I read it!
The first book that comes to mind is "If I Should Die Before I Wake" it was a book I read as a teenager about a girl who knew a guy who was dying. It made me really appreciate each day, but more, each relationship I had and still have. I had a much different sense of our mortality after reading that. Lately I must say it was "Dinner With a Perfect Stranger". It led me to a lot of thinking about how I approach others and how I relate with God. I now feel like I can just casually talk to Him, question Him, and even sometimes doubt Him. He will stay constant no matter where I am or how I am feeling.
The book that affected me the most is "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey. This book is truly amazing in using the human body to teach truths about the church as the Body of Christ and also the relationship of law vs. grace.
Two others high on my list.. "The Great Divorce" by C.S. Lewis (why would a loving God send people to hell) and "The Poisonwood Bible" (Christianity and Western ideas in other cultures).
for me, "angela's ashes" had a huge impact on me. it's about an irish catholic boy and his early childhood struggles. it was very eye-opening to read this story and realize that someone so different from me could have the same thoughts.
another one was "five people you meet in heaven" by mitch albom. this was a haunting book and made me rethink my visions of heaven and life.
E.Rice
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