July 29, 2024
The One who Loves to Build with You
How do you handle your mistakes? What if they're more valuable than you give them credit?
November 22, 2024
If you’re like me, right around mid-November you’re bombarded with requests for your Christmas wish list. I always like to have 1-2 books on the list. The quest for the right book becomes a catalyst for something I’ve discovered that I want to intentionally move toward. I wrestled quite a bit with this process this year, so I decided that I want to help others who might be in the same boat.
Well… if you’re reading this you probably don’t need to be convinced. Perhaps He’s drawing you right now. Do you sense it? He’s eager to meet with you afresh in this season. He has things to say to you, things to give you. You have burdens He’s yearning to break off of you. Are you aware that He has specific desires for you right now?
He's a never ending fountain, an ever-deepening treasure hunt. Everything you need is in Him. I find that when I’m drinking from the fountain of union and communion with God, I have no lack in any area of my life. Despite His bigness, He is always nearer than I perceived. Yet, if you’re like me, you might need help in the journey of intimacy.
Nope. Even the Bible says it’s not enough. We need community. We need the testimony of others. We need the wisdom of those who have gone before us. We need the help of others to recognize the distorted glasses we wear when we read the Bible. God’s primary tool has always been people. When we read books for our spiritual growth, we are tapping into the larger body of Christ, we’ll find that the Spirit pours His life through their words too.
I don’t know… maybe not these books. My plan was to give you 3, then I wrestled with 10. And these are just MY books. You probably have some that I should read. But I’m choosing to be vulnerable here. Displayed before you are 7 books on intimacy that have been highly formative for me. Each author set a feast before me, and I was nourished. These aren’t even all the most formative for me, but I selected this list with a few things in mind for you.
I wanted variety. Some of these are more allegorical. Some are personal stories. Some balance teaching and practice, others lean heavily into one or the other. Some are short and sweet, others are heavy and challenging. As best as I could, I listed them in order of ease (#1 is the easiest read, #7 is the highest commitment). But don’t choose just based on that. Each has a different approach and feel.
There’s a metric I had in mind that might be helpful to you. Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, and Orthopathy. Any teacher worth his salt has these three things in mind when they are discipling others (even if they don’t have the words… it’s probably better that way anyway).
Books that lean more heavily into “Right Thinking,” will focus more on providing you with information. Books that lean into “Right Doing,” will focus more on providing you with practices or exercises. Lastly, those that focus on “Right Being,” will exhort you to particular postures or attitudes in your walk with God. They might encourage you to be brutally honest before God, or to stay humble or bold.
Each of these emphases is important, and it’s good to have a balance of the three. If you tend toward right thinking, consider a book that leans toward doing or being. If you often find yourself in the doing camp, consider whether you need something thought provoking, or some posture work. For each book I’ll list one, two, or three, to give you an idea of their balance. If multiple are listed, they’re in order of emphasis. (I'm probably not perfectly accurate here...but it's probably close!)
The Cure is an allegory that explores a profound choice: pleasing God OR trusting God. If contrasting those is uncomfortable for you, consider reading this book. I’m including this here because the Cure addresses what is perhaps the largest barrier to intimacy with God: SHAME. When God visited the garden for a stroll, where were Adam and Eve? Hiding. Intimacy requires vulnerability, shame causes us to withdraw. The Cure will draw you in with a story you can relate to, and it will invite you to leave behind a performance-based Christianity.
In Walking with God, Eldridge invites you into his personal journey of walking with God and learning to hear His voice. His stories are raw and relatable. He makes mistakes, he feels hard feelings, he questions, yet somehow God meets him in the mess and walks with Him. Principles and concepts can be helpful, but if we want to learn to walk with God, we need to shadow others who are further in the process. This book gives you the chance to see it modeled in real life.
How aware are you of God’s presence with you right now? Pause for a moment and consider it. Are you awake? Are you aware? With the help of historical figures such as Jean-Pierre de Caussade and Brother Lawrence, Boyd invites you into a lifestyle of constant awareness of the Presence of God. You’ll be prompted to examine your thought life in order to be more fully awakened and connected to the Holy Spirit. I found his questions and exercises frequently hit home for me.
Like Present Perfect, Every Breath We Take examines the issue of “Awareness.” Besides being a shorter, easier to read option than Present Perfect, Wardle leads you into one focused experiential, Rest, Receive, and Respond. I have utilized this tool countless times, both for myself and for others to encounter the Presence of Jesus and to interact with Him. Like many of these authors, you can feel the depth of relationship Wardle has with the Spirit. It practically drips off the pages.
They say, “Never trust a skinny chef.” This is sound advice, and it’s why I recommend this book. When it comes to a lifestyle of intimacy with God, Heidi is well fed. When I read or listen to her, longing for more of God rises up every time. Birthing the Miraculous weaves together the story of Mary (from Luke 1) and her own story of carrying God’s promises to the nations. Her stories of encounter with God are profound, and they bring deep things to life.
While there are many Christian mystics worth reading, when I read madame Guyon’s writings, I can’t help but sense her motherly care for me, expressed through deep spiritual wisdom. She writes with such depth, yet she writes to real people with specific barriers and struggles. Somehow 300 years later, she’s reading my mail and challenging my grid for the Christian life. It’s smart to expose yourself to writings of previous centuries, they often poke our worldview formed by the world around us.
A mark of spiritual maturity is when we can continue to pursue God when the good feelings are gone. In Journey with Jesus, Warner briefly introduces a set of spiritual exercises (developed in the 1500’s by Ignatius of Loyola), then provides a structured guide through the disciplines on a daily basis. You’ll learn and engage with the prayer of examen, lectio divina, journaling, imaginative prayer, consolation and desolation, and more. This book is not for everyone, and it’s not right in every season. It must be entered into with commitment and support in place. You’ll want a spiritual director or mentor to walk alongside you to get the most out of it. This book led me into a much richer and deeper devotion to Jesus, thanks Ignatius, you rock!
