Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

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The Superlative Christian Books Which Have Most Influenced Me.

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A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

1 The Bible
2 The Imitation of Christ. I read it as a teenager in school, and again when I was a novice at Mother Teresa’s. Its thinking has influenced mine. It is a book of pure devotion to Christ for Christ’s sake, regardless of rewards which Thomas a Kempis did not expect or receive.
It has practical wisdom such as “Don’t be too hasty to change your situation for wherever you go you will take yourself and there you will find yourself.”
That advice has helped me to stick it out in numerous times of discontent, if I have sinned too. When I experienced unfairness and injustice at a church, for instance, I stayed there for three additional years. I had sinned too, and it’s sometimes better to heal in the place of pain than take your pain with you to the next church. When I finally did leave, I left with a heart with a lot of love and a desire to bless, not the wounded, bitter, angry, vindictive heart I had when I first suffered injustice.
2 When I was 17, I was not sure if God existed. And I was bored to death by Catholicism. During a curfew imposed because of religious riots in Jamshedpur, where I lived, I picked up Catherine Marshall’s lovely Beyond Ourselves and Something More.
It was a blueprint of the spiritual life. I read it, and then re-read it. Soon, I was going through the steps of committing one’s life to Christ. On 15th April, 1979, I became a Christian.
When I’ve been bored, passionless or stuck in my spiritual life, I’ve often turned to these two books, which I’ve read several times. Chapters have been very important to me, especially, “The Prayer that Makes Dreams Come True,” about praying the kind of big, daring prayer which really interests God.
When I applied to read English in Oxford from a small town in India, and was feverishly praying for admission and funding, I read and underlined and practised that chapter again and again! As I have at various junctures when I needed to dream and pray big to get out of small places!!
Catherine’s chapter on forgiveness, releasing the AUGHT against ANY is sweeping and purifying. Could Jesus have been more definite, more clear and sweeping than he was? Forgiveness as a life-style, the ultimate of positive thinking. Oh, help me God!!
3 The Cross and the Switchblade also happened to be in our house during that curfew. I was captivated by the power of God transforming the life of Bronx gangsters such as Nicky Cruz. In fact, I wanted to go to the Bronx and work with them, which was one of the many reasons I joined Mother Teresa’s convent, since her nuns worked there!! (And when I finally did land up in the Bronx a decade later, having got off the subway before Scarsdale where the cousin I was visiting lived—I was terrified!)
I love this story from the book: David Wilkerson used to watch TV from 11 to 1 every night. He wonders what would happen if he sold the TV and prayed instead. So he puts out a Gideon’s fleece : If the TV sells within 30 minutes of the ad appearing, he’ll sell it and pray for two hours every night. It did; he did.
Well, can you think of a more life-changing thing to do than pray for 2 hours a day? Me neither.
The other thing I LOVED was that David discovers his ministry though trial and error, false starts, making an idiot of himself, financial loss, failure and heartbreak.
Just because God is guiding us and we are praying does not mean we will stumble on the right path immediately. For God gives us experience, and forms our characters through all the generous, foolish things we embark on, convinced we are doing his will.
4 Here’s a strange book I love and which has shaped the external events of my life significantly. It was recommended by Catherine Marshall, who knew Clark, and went to his camps: I will Lift up Mine Eyes by Glenn Clark. I’ve written a little about my experience with it here but it deserves a whole post.
Clark guides you through the big prayers—for friends; for “opulence” and wealth, should you desire it; for creativity; for success and influence; for health, helping you to pray for these in a way that’s in tune with the Father’s heart. He points out that we are truly creative and can achieve our heart’s desires when we mount with hind’s feet to the high places, achieving an integration of mind, body, soul and spirit.

Many, many of the prayers I prayed as I went through Clark’s book have been answered!
5 The Celebration of Discipline. Again, a book I read early on in my Christian life, and have often re-read. I love and have been influenced by Foster’s ideas on prayer, silence, fasting, spiritual reading, simplicity, and holy leisure. A gem, like many of Richard Foster’s books.
6 C. S. Lewis– If I want to think about a right-brain subject like faith or sanctification or the Christian life in an analytical left-brain way, I turn to Lewis, who has already thought and spelled it out. I love Mere Christianity, The Four Loves, The Weight of Glory, and his books of essays, such as God in the Dock.
6B And for incisive, thoughtful, brilliant reflections on the spiritual life,
try Thomas Merton. Perhaps start with New Seeds of Contemplation. 

7 Prayer—Prayer has been one of the delights and most influential things in my life, and I love reading the books of bold and deep pray-ers. I love O Hallesby’s  lovely, deep book Prayer, and recently have been interested by Sun, Stand Still by Steven Furtick and am reading The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson. 


I was influenced in praying bigger by Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez, a prayer I pray regularly when I find my life and (godly) influence stalled.
8 Memoir—Lewis’s Surprised by Joy, Thomas Merton’s Seven Story Mountain, Augustine’s surprisingly honest Confessions,and one I read recently, Grace Outpouring by Roy Godwin, founder of Fflad-y-Brenin.
Frederick Buechner memoirs Sacred Journey and Now and Then are prose melting into poetry. I also love his The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale.
9 Other favourites—John Piper’s Desiring God, which rightly focuses on the joy in the Christian Life if we live it correctly.
10 The Pilgrim’s Progress. How often Bunyan gets it just right!! See his musings on The Valley of Humiliation.
11 Poetry. My thinking has also been shaped by the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins who plumbs the heights and depths of the spiritual life!
 Father and fondler of heart thou hast wrung:
Hast thy dark descending and most art merciful then.
and George Macdonald’s exquisite Diary of an Old Soul.
12 The Holy Spirit—I will happily read of anyone’s adventures in chasing Him. I love Martyn Lloyd Jone’s Joy Unspeakable, about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and Simon Ponsonby’s More. Also Jim Cymbala’s Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.
13 Best book on forgiveness as a lifestyle in difficult relationships—Jack Miller’s superb Come Back, Barbara
14 Simple Living—Doris Janzen’s amazingly inspiring Living more with Less. Just reading her ideas excites and stimulates me.
I love reading. Someone stop me before I ramble on!!
Tell me about some of your favourite spiritual books! Please!
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Comments

  1. Hi NATE, Yes, Eldredge's books are rich and deep and important. I guess I didn't include them because I gulped them down rather than read them, and so they didn't influence me as much. I am listening to them on my iPod at the moment.

    JANTE, Yes, I read I Heard the Owl Call my Name in my late teens, and remember its feel, its mood, its sadness and beauty vividly. I need to re-read it. Thank you for reminding me of it.

  2. I Heard the Owl Call my Name- Margaret Craven, first read at a difficlut time in my journey to ordination and regualrly since including on my rpe-ordination retreat last week.

  3. The Circle Maker by Batterson is probably the most influential book I have read this year. It helped me put together some things I was still not clear about after reading Cymbala's Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (a few times), as well as Fresh Faith & Fresh Power. Those in conjunction with Chazown by Craig Groeschel had me asking the right questions. The Circle Maker helped me start praying the right prayers.

    Other books that have been deeply influential include D. Stephen Long's The Goodness of God, John Eldredge's Desire, The Practice of the Presence of God by Br. Lawrence & a few select sermons by John Wesley from the collection of volumes so titled.

  4. LA, I have gone through years in which I sped read books, rather than read them. YOu know, flicking through them & just reading paragraphs which grab me. I still do that more more books than I actually read word by word.

    You don't need to finish a book, just read the paragraphs which grab you. Michael Hyatt the blogger says publishing's dirty secret is that most books are at least twice as long as they need to be.

    I also started a reading recovery plan this year. http://networkedblogs.com/xyTMu. But if your plate's full; it's full. You WILL have more time as your son grows older.

    PENELOPE, you know I haven't read anything by Amy Carmichael, though a mentor gave me a book of her poetry. I will look her up, maybe start with the biography. And haven't heard of Isobel Kuhn. So, thank you so much.

    Thanks, MOLLIE. I don't remember reading Christy, based on Marshall's mother, I believe, but I feel I know it because she refers to it so much in her books and journals. Catherine's life is such a great example for me of writing in the middle of poverty, bereavement, housework, stressful step-kids etc. I suppose her faith carried her through!

  6. So many of these resonate with me and were influential in my life. But I need to add all of Amy Carmichael's books, especially IF and HIS THOUGHTS SAID, HIS FATHER SAID. And then missionary biographies – Isobel Kuhn's memoirs and Elizabeth Elliott's biography of Amy Carmichael.
    Oh there are so many books! Book shelves of them in my study … Very hard to choose! And must no go back and read all those Catherine MArshall books again.

  7. MOLLIE, haven't read Julie. Should look it up. Catherine was so down to earth, and inspired so many people by her gift of “earthing” faith

    BELIEVER'S BRAIN–Yes, I loved Prayers of Life as a young woman, though now, little lingers in my brain!!

    Thanks, DAVID,

    MARGARET, I have the Carothers on my shelf, read it in my early Christian days, and should re-read it. Would love to read Practice of the Presence of God, also on my shelf. Haven't heard of the Father Heart of God, but experiencing it has been transformational for me. Must google it.

    Thanks much, HOLLY. Look forward to reading your book, which sounds fascinating!

  8. We've read and been influenced by a lot of the same books. My husband, from India, met mother Teresa, and she highly influenced him as a young seminarian. Thanka for sharing all these books. I'm saving this post and checking out all of these books you mentioned. Thanks. Holly.

  9. So, here's where I admit it…I don't read books. It's not that I'm not fond of reading – I used to all the time. However, I homeschool my special needs son and I have a part-time job teaching science, so I do a ton of reading for my job.

    It drives my poor daughter crazy – she is on her path to priesthood and she reads all the time and insists that I at least plow through GK Chesterton or Bonhoffer. I am sad to admit that I cannot.

    A while ago, a dear friend of mine and I were in a group discussion at our church regarding the 3-legged stool of piety, action and study. I admitted to the group that I just had no time to really digest good study material. After reading nearly all day for work, I just cannot keep my brain focused to read more for myself. This friend said to me “whenever you walk by the books, gently stroke them and tell them that you *will* read them someday…and right now, you are doing God's work in your family and community”.

    So, I started reading blogs as a way to study my faith. I read several each day at bedtime and when I wake up along with Mission St. Clare's Morning Prayer. It is all I can manage right now.

    Thank you all for your lists, I will continue buying these books, putting them on my bookshelf and caressing them gently as I walk by. I envy you who have time to enjoy these wonderful works of faith. With God's help, I *will* get a chance to read everything I want to.

  10. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis is my No 1 after the Bible.
    Father Heart of God by Floyd McLung
    From Prison to Praise by Merlin
    Carothers
    The Practice of the Presence of God By Brother Lawrence
    Anything by Corrie Ten Boom

  11. Celebration of Discipline would be up there for me too, and Cross and the Switchblade a key part of me becoming a Christian. Thanks for posting these, great to be reminded of what's out there.

  13. Many of the ones on your list. I just bought a new one of sermons by John Wesley on the Holy Spirit that I think will be enlightening.
    I'm reading Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, now.
    Catherine Marshall and many of her books have impacted me. Julie being the first of hers to influence my desire to write. A Man Called Peter and the books you mentioned.
    I read so many and they impact me while I'm reading them. I, too, love books.

  15. Thanks Anita

    The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender
    Surprised by Joy and Till We Have Faces CS Lewis
    The Cross-centered Life CJ Mahaney