A few of my favorite things--Spiritual Growth Books

I truly believe you are what you read.  Smut in, smut out.  Fluff in, fluff out.  Reading and watching crap isn't profitable.  That's why I avoid vampire romances.  Really, ladies, you're reading that?  C'mon.  But I digress. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul teaches us to think about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, and praise worthy and "the peace of God will be with you" (Philippians 4:8-9).

I have a few spiritual growth favorites and can't encourage you enough to read them.  I feel especially strongly about the first two, as they have played a strong role in shaping my faith.

1.  Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, by John Piper--a true classic and powerful exposition of the Christian faith.  The thesis of the book is a slightly tweaked version of the Westminster Catechism and is my life mission statement: The chief end of man (the reason we are alive) is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever (is to enjoy God fully, which gives the Him credit and honor that He deserves).  The book is dense and challenging but so worth it--rich truth in, rich truth out.

2.  Heaven, by Randy Alcorn--I began reading this book after Mark's mom was diagnosed with a terminal disease in 2009.  As she suffers in her sickness our family is increasingly heavenward in our thinking and dreaming.  Heaven is a lengthy study of what the Bible says about heaven, what we can expect, and what the Lord will bring to pass on earth and in heaven in eternity.  One of my favorite ideas from the book is that this life is the before life--heaven is the real life (not the after life).  We were made for heaven and it's coming for those who believe.  After 13 years of following the Lord, this book changed my life, in that I began to truly imagine, expect, and live for what is promised to come.

By the way, Alcorn also wrote Heaven for Kids, which both Zoe (8) and AbbyGrace (6) have read and enjoyed very much.

3.  Calm My Anxious Heart, by Linda Dillow

4.  Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream, by David Platt