Reading For Personal Growth

As we prepare to move into the summer months, one of my favorite parts of this season is having a little more opportunity to enjoy good books. I am always on the lookout for books that challenge me and push me toward personal and spiritual growth. I often ask people about books that have impacted their lives and when a favorite author or leader puts out a list of books they recommend, I usually find myself making a couple orders on Amazon. I decided to put out a list of some of my favorite books that have been meaningful to me. This is far from an exhaustive list, but I hope you can find a suggestion that piques your interest this summer.

Great books to read to young kids:

1.    The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – This is a set of seven classic stories that will transport you into a wonderful land and will cause you to see the love of Jesus in a beautiful way. I read this set of stories to each of my children as they were growing up.

2.    I’d Choose You by John Trent – Particularly good for preschool children.

A few of my favorites on marriage:

1.    Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas – Helps us see why God created marriage and how he uses marriage for His purposes in our life.

2.    The Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller – Another great biblical look at the purpose and power of marriage.

3.    Love and War by John and Stasi Eldredge – Shows the messiness and grace of fighting for a good marriage.

4.    Making Happy by Les and Leslie Parrott – Super practical helps for making a happier marriage. Stresses the importance of autonomy and taking personal responsibility to invest into your life and marriage.

Books that help you see the depths of God’s love for you:

1.    The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning – I have recommended this book to so many clients who struggle to understand God’s love for them. Impactful!

2.    Abbas Child by Brennan Manning – Helps us to see our worth in God’s eyes.

Authors to help you grow in your relationship with God:

1.    Renovation of the Heart or The Divine Conspiracy, both by Dallas Willard, one of the greatest Christian thinkers of our time. These are not easy reads but they both take the reader into great depths of life with God.

2.    Soul Keeping or The Life You’ve Always Wanted, both by John Ortberg. These books are immensely practical. Both will lead you to discover helpful tools and spiritual practices to grow your relationship with God.

Some books for personal growth:

I have so many books to recommend in this category. Here are a few of my favorites. All of them focus on an aspect of personal growth from a Christian perspective.

1.    Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero. A great integration of emotional and spiritual health.

2.    Managing Leadership Anxiety, Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss. A wonderful look at healthy leadership and team dynamics through a family systems lens.

3.    The Gift of Being Yourself by David Benner. A great book for self-discovery through a dual lens of scripture and psychology.

4.    The Soul of Desire by Curt Thompson MD. This book helps us to see that our desires are both created and fulfilled in our relationship with God.

5.    Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright. This book will literally fill you with hope as you see how God’s working in the world will bring the future restoration of all things and the beauty of His kingdom into the world today.

Books that make me long for heaven ... and life with God:

1.    All Things New by John Eldgredge. This author has a captivating writing style that caused me to long for the restoration of all things and the time that is not so far away when faith becomes sight. As I was nearing the end of the book, I started to mourn that the book was almost finished.

2.    Imagine Heaven by John Burke. This pastor looks at scientific studies compiling the details of thousands of people who experienced a NDE (near death experience) and who reported experiencing details of heaven. He compares these narratives with descriptions of heaven from scripture and the result is a book I simply could not put down. I could easily identify with the apostle Paul (who also reported a vision of heaven in scripture) when he wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ but to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Here is my challenge for you. Pick a book, perhaps one that sounds good from this list, and enjoy a time of growth this summer. If you need to speak with someone, remember the staff at Renewing Life is always here for you. Simply give our front office a call at 702 434-7290 and they can get you scheduled this week.

Mark Whelchel, M.S., LMFT

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