Biggest Impact

Real Love: Answers to Your Questions on Dating, Marriage and the Real Meaning of Sex

When I read this text, I was what you would call a nominal Catholic in the sense that I didn't have a daily prayer life, I was lukewarm, and my faith was still seminal.

Mary Beth revolutionized my life in this text by showing the Christian foundation behind love, sex, family, and marriage. Best of all, she challenged me on whether the Magisterium has anything important to say on my moral life.

This was the first in a long line of reading material that has gotten me to where I am today. Finally, Mary Beth visited my parish, and I was able to have her autograph my copy - which was old and tattered. She picked it up at the table where she was sitting when I set it in front of her, and she remarked, "Wow, this one's been read before..," and I was able to thank her from the bottom of my heart for the way God had used her in my life.

Interestingly enough, she was dating Rich Mullins at the time when he died in his car accident, only days before he was to be received formally into the Catholic Church through reception of Confirmation and First Communion:

http://grassrootsmusic.com

[ May 21, 2003, 11:16 PM: Message edited by: Carson Weber ]

 

A.W. Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy". This book brought me out of the dark ages of religiosity, greatly expanding my comprehension of God well beyond the dogma of the church. It enabled me to see the real God of the Bible.

Carson, what are you getting paid to advertise Grassroots Music?

 

Call me crazy, but the book "The Be Happy Attitudes" (1985) by reformed church pastor Rev Robert Schuller totally changed my life. I highly recommend it to anyone, regardless of their view of the man, and regardless of their denominational affiliation.

 

I'd Have to say CS Lewis' "Mere Christianity" Although I dont agree with all his theology, coming from an atheistic background as I did that book did more turn me from darkness to light than any other.

 

As I just mentioned in the other book thread, C.S. Lewis' "Surprised by Joy" is the book that (along with my wife's new choir) moved me from 30-some years of unbelief (I kind of wished God existed, but I didn't believe He did), to a certain knowledge (in faith!) that He did exist, and that He had been pursuing me, wooing me, all those years.

I have an interesting tale related to the concept of Joy (that flash of something or someplace wonderful, outside and beyond everyday life, which is one form of God's call to us). For many years I had variations of what I called my "Happy Dream," where I would be in a familiar house (my grandparent's, my aunt's, my own) and would suddenly discover a secret door or room or floor that I never knew existed, but that promised wonders if I explored it (which, in the dream, I never did). How I hated when that dream ended in the morning! The dream came more and more frequently over the last few years, and then suddenly stopped when I came back to God and His Church -- I had found the secret that was there in my comfortable life all the time! I miss those dreams, just as Lewis missed the flashes of Joy once he converted, but they both served their purpose -- a purpose that can only be recognized in retrospect.

 

Call me silly, but as a young wife and mother of 20(had been married 4 years by then, and 2 kids), I read the Little House on The Prarie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and it really meant something to my life, I learned how to live happy with the little we had, how a real lady was to live and act, and a deeper appreciation of my life as mother and wife.

 

"Me?Obey Him?" by Elizabeth Rice Hanford. This is a very tiny but powerful book on how to submit and reverance ones husband.

"Let Her be Veiled," this book explains the purpose and neccessity of the Christian woman's headship veiling.

"The Godly Home Series," this is not a book, but cassettes with absolutely fantastic preaching on what a godly home can be with the help of the Lord and obedience to His commands.

These tapes can be ordered for free from www.charityministries.org As well as the book, "Let her be Veiled."

 

Here are a few more:

"Full Quiver, Family Planning and the Lordship of Christ," Rick and Jan Hess.

"To Train up a Child," www.nogreaterjoy.org

"Power of a Praying Wife," Stormie O'Martian

"The Truth of Headship and it's Symbolic Practices, a Study of God's Grace and Government," by Spread the Word

 

"The Wall" by John Hersey--the story of the Warsaw ghetto. When I got to the part where the Jewish police picked up their own parents and carried them to the train station to go to death at Treblinka it hit me very hard. How great was the degredation and oppression that one would carry their elderly parents to the police station so that they themself could live another day. It had a life changing effect on me.

 

"Born Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic" by David Currie.

First book on religion I ever read. Brought this prodigal son back to the Lord, very quickly went from a lukewarm/icecold christian to being on fire for the Lord. Great starting point for any protestant or any Catholic who wants to understand the teachings of the Church. Plus it is just an enjoyable personal testimony.

Neal I have an extra copy if you would like one.

 

"Born Fundamentalist Born Again Catholic" by David Currie.

This was another of the very first "religious" books that I ever read, after Real Love by Mary Beth Bonacci. I enjoyed the non-polemical nature of Currie's testimony, and he includes many little facts that you will not find in other expositions of the faith, which are very enlightening. I've given this text to a number of Fundamentalist friends.

 

The book entitled," Notes from the Margin of My Bible" by Wayne Jackson. This book opened my eyes to serious scholarship and sound hermeneutical principles of interpretation.

 

I have to say...I was leary at first...but still I picked up the book and started reading...

"In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon. I was so moved and inspired by this book. I still have it, and have read it many times over.

Sherrie

 

Off the top of my head, "Hail, Holy Queen" by Scott Hahn. I was still a diehard non-Catholic at the point when I picked it up, and it opened my eyes to a lot of misconceptions I had, which led me to study my faith more fervently and eventually led to my conversion.

God bless,

Grant

 

I know the feeling there are just too many good books out there to find enough time but I keep buying more just trying to chip away at my stack each night.

On my nightstand now are two books

Introduction to a Devout Life
by Frances De Sales 1567 -1622 A.D.

and

Abandonment to Divine Providence
by Jean-Pierre De Caussade 1751 A.D.

Then I just ordered Scott Hahn's book "Lord have Mercy" and his other book about the "Our Father". As well as book whose title escapes me but it is basically John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila for Dummies (sp?), I think it is written by Thomas Dubay.

Maybe I need to buy a book on people who compulsively buy and read books.

God Bless

 

He, he.

That is my problem. For every one book I read I probably buy at least three. I am having a hard time to get my wife to understand why I keep buying them. Go figure.

Neal </font>[/QUOTE]We can't have too many books, darling, we still have wallspace!

Psst...kids...daddy needs to put these new bookshelves in your rooms, OK?

 

Born Again Catholic:

I loved this book. It made a big difference in my life, along with Way of the Pilgrim (about 1853) unknown author.

God Bless

[ May 23, 2003, 09:42 PM: Message edited by: Kathryn ]