Five Books That Changed My Life

Through reading, I have learned from people I have never met. Concepts I would not have considered entered my mind, and new thought processes took hold to change me. I read lots of books. Last year I read over 90, and the year before over 100, but through the years, only a handful rise above the rest to a place where they made such a significant imprint upon my mind that they changed me. Here is my list.

1.      The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis.

My dad read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to us when I was eight. I immediately fell in love with the “not tame, but good” lion, Aslan, and I identified with little Lucy. Through C.S. Lewis, I was introduced to stories that held deeper meanings. Years later, in sixth grade, I found the rest of the set in the school library and devoured them.

As an adult, I still pull the set off the shelf periodically to read again. Insights I didn’t see when I was young impacted me as an adult. I was mesmerized by the picture of Aslan singing the world into existence. (The Magician’s Nephew) Who doesn’t want to go “farther up and further in” with God? (The Last Battle) As a writer, the opening line of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader makes me laugh: “There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.” But my favorite lines from all the books come from Prince Caspian:

“Aslan,” said Lucy. “You’re bigger.”

“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.

“Not because you are?”

“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.”

2.      Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman by Gladys Aylward and Christine Hunter.

I read this book in high school. My missionary parents had a mission board behind them, but every board turned down Gladys. Even though they turned her down, her call to China was clear, so she went alone.

I knew enough about China to know the language was complex, and the culture was far removed from her own, yet she did it alone. It taught me to listen for God’s call in my life and not give up when things are hard.

Having read the book, I was turned off by the movie, “The Sixth Inn of Happiness,” which supposedly portrayed her life. They made her relationship with a Chinese man into something romantic when the book made it clear it was not. Alone, she had a vibrant ministry and led a hundred children to safety during a war. What a woman!

3.      The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer.

In college, several of my friends were reading this book. I wondered aloud about the title. Why did I need to pursue God when I already had Him? They encouraged me to read it, saying that it would benefit me, and it did. As a result, I went on to read more of Tozer’s books. The Knowledge of the Holy became another favorite.

4.      Have We No Rights? by Mabel Williamson.

As a young single missionary, I read this book. Even though some of her concepts were familiar, I needed to be reminded of them and learn about the others from this single woman. Every so often, when I know that selfishness or a bad attitude is creeping into my life again, I pull it off the shelf to remind myself of its concepts.

5.      Desiring God by John Piper.

In my thirties, our pastor started quoting from this book during his sermons. I heard enough to make me want to read the whole book. Phrases such as “hedonistic Christianity” and “a wartime lifestyle” intrigued me. This book did more to change my life than any other book I read. The exuberant joy radiating from the pages when he talked about living a radical life of “enjoying God” shifted my thinking from having a severe Father whom I had to obey to having a loving Father in whom I could find joy as I followed Him.

This is the only book in my five whose author I met. In fact, I had the privilege of serving under him at his church for almost seven years. Those years changed the trajectory of my life, and I’m grateful for God’s leading me first to this book and then to Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis.

As I have been writing this list, other titles have come to mind, but they don't quite make it into the top five. They are books that I will keep because I like to take them down and use them, but while important, they do not quite rise to the top. But if you're interested in other titles that have made a difference for me, here they are:

1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This one helped me organize my life so I could get more done.

2. The Fight by John White. This one kept me fighting during a difficult time in my life.

3. The Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. This book pointed out errors in my thinking.

4. Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. This book belongs at the top of this list, and almost made it to the top five. Brother Lawrence was a monk who figured out how to stay in an attitude of prayer no matter what he was doing.

5. Warfare Praying: Biblical Strategies for Overcoming the Adversary by Mark I. Bubeck. An important book for fighting against the enemy of our souls.