This morning at church we sang "Great Are You Lord" by All Sons and Daughters. Have you ever heard it? Here are just some of the lyrics:  

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord

It's Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise
We pour out our praise
It's Your breath in our lungs
So we pour out our praise to You only...

The words make me think of Acts 17:25, "since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything" and also Genesis 2:7, "then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." 

All of human life is breathed out by God. It is his breath in our lungs! What a gift. From womb to tomb--from conception to the natural last breath of each person's life--it is God's breath in our lungs. No matter our ethnicity, wealth, religion, gender, citizenship status, ability or disability, health, strength, education, or any other characteristic, we are all breathing God's breath.

On this day--this Sanctity of Human Life Sunday--I am in awe of God's goodness in creating and sustaining life. My prayer is that my eyes and your eyes would be opened to the humanity of all people and that we would be spurred on to love them well. In light of this day and God's gift of life, here are some book recommendations that will help us to honor life. 

Books to help you develop and defend your pro-life philosophy: 

Books that give an autobiographical/biographical look into the reality of abortion and the pro-life movement: 

Historical heroes who championed life: 

Fictional books to help you ponder the value of all lives: 

Books to help you ponder the value of life in the midst of sickness and suffering: 

I have not personally read all of these books--the ones that I have read, I found to be excellent and edifying and the ones I haven't read have been recommended by trustworthy sources. Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments section. This is the time for us who value life to dig deep, read hard, advocate, and speak up for those who cannot--from the womb to tomb. Let's spur one another on to that end.