If you have read a book that has touched your life in someway and you would like to see it here in the book list then please just email us giving us a brief description of why/how it touched you.

 

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyers
Joyce puts into simple, humourous language the answers to the struggles experienced by many Christians as we attempt to 'renew our minds' with the Word of God. She speaks in a simple and straightforward manner, identifying with those of us who have problems and sharing with us her own experience. This book encourages and teaches us how to overcome the mindsets which have held many of us back for far too long. If you really want to live an abundant life and enjoy all that God has for you here on planet earth, do yourself a favour, and buy it!

Travelling Light by Max Lucado

Psalm 23 is probably one of the most familiar Bible passages, right up there with John 3:16. "The Lord is my shepherd..." Perhaps it is too familiar. Have we become so accustomed to hearing it that we have forgotten the wonderful promise it contains? Traveling Light is a verse-by-verse exploration of Psalm 23, brought to life by comparing us to travelers weighed down with excess spiritual baggage. Each chapter identifies a different burden that we may be carrying in our life: flawed views of God, self-reliance, discontent, weariness, worry, hopelessness, guilt, arrogance, facing death, grief, fear, loneliness, shame, disappointment, envy, doubt and the longing for heaven. This walk through the 23rd Psalm reminds and encourages us to take God at His word and release those burdens to Him. As usual, Lucado supports his material with plenty of scripture, sharp analogies and just the right amount of humor. For added impact, be sure to work through the study guide at the end of the book. Then get ready to lose some luggage.

Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard

This book is like Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress only in that they are both allegories that give a wonderful overview and perspective of the Christian life. But Hinds Feet in High Places has much more heart, and I found it to stir the heart and soul in deep ways. It is the story of Much-Afraid leaving the Valley of Fear that she has always known, and embarking on a journey to become a new creation. The thing about this book is that it talks about the deepest longings and fears of our hearts in following God--following Him when we can't see ahead of us, when we feel like we're going in circles, when we feel like He is not taking us where we want to go, and how following Him can mean laying down the deepest desires of our hearts just because God asks us to, and we know Him to be good and loving. I enjoyed this book immensely, and found it both challenging and filled with grace; which is a rare find in Christian books which often offer only one or the other. All in all this is a love story between Much Afraid and her God; a God who calls her to a path that is filled with sorrow and suffering that take her to a deeper place of dependence on him, and also a God who is there the instant she calls for Him. This is a book that I will probably read every couple of years, as I am at different places in my own journey, and will always see something new that I didn't see before. It is well worth investing in.

The Screwtape Letters: Letters from Senior to a Junior Devil By CS Lewis

Definitely one of the best of C. S. Lewis books I've come across, and the man has written a fair number of good books I think. What stands out about this book is how it approaches the Christian life, and human experience in general, from the devil's perspective. The book is really a series of letters between a senior devil and a junior devil which lends insight into how the devil deceives man. As a Christian, I found the book both a challenge to be watchful and alert and also a reassurance of the Lord's ultimate power over Satan. The book is an entertaining read as well, humorous in many part. A piece of literary genius and a great Christian devotional book. Highly recommended!

Purprose Driven Life by Rick Warren

The Purpose-Driven Life will help you understand why you are alive and God’s amazing plan for you—both here and now, and for eternity. Rick Warren will guide you through a personal 40-day spiritual journey that will transform your answer to life’s most important question: What on earth am I here for? Knowing God’s purpose for creating you will reduce your stress, focus your energy, simplify your decisions, give meaning to your life, and, most importantly, prepare you for eternity. This recording offers a blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century—a lifestyle based on God’s eternal purposes, not cultural values. Using over 1,200 scriptural quotes and references, it challenges the conventional definitions of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and evangelism. In the tradition of Oswald Chambers, Rick Warren offers distilled wisdom on the essence of what life is all about. Full of hope and challenge, The Purpose-Driven Life will be a classic treasured by generations to come.

Don't Just Stand There Pray Something by Ronald Dunn

Do you feel guilty, defeated, somehow powerless as you soldier on in life? Would you like a friend to come and help you? Someone who is kind, who's a great pray-er, who has learnt the hard way, who won't be shocked by failure because they've failed like that themselves? Now, it is my delight to report that I have had such a friend these past few months. His name is Ronald Dunn. I've had him beside me most mornings in my times of reading the Bible and - praying. Or, to be more accurate, often feeling stuck about praying. I've been able to turn to him, lucky me, and every time he's come up with a friendly suggestion, that's encouraged me and got me praying there and then. Compared to the recent past, it's been like falling off a log. Because it's been so encouraging, I'd like to pass him on to you. It's his book, rather than the man himself, that's been beside me. It's called: "Don't just stand there...Pray Something!" Ronald Dunn is a pastor who must be in his seventies by now. His church started a prayer ministry 30 years ago, which blossomed and became well known. He's learnt through long experience of helping others to pray. He explains prayer to me naturally, making it simple. But the book is not simplistic: it breaks prayer down into small parts, so that you feel it's easier to see - sort of - how it works. It has charged my prayer batteries, and answered prayer has become a regular feature. Well, well - prayer works. It's a marvellous thing that transforms life. Dunn makes you laugh. He's folksy, yet sharp-witted. He tells stories, many against himself as he stumbled along learning to pray. He makes you want to believe Jesus' promises and get praying right away. It feels easier to do, though it's funny how there always seems to be something trying to stop you. The devil knows he has no defence against our prayers, so he tries to stop us from even beginning. My little discovery was the pleasure of munching a page or two at a time, and then praying, using what I'd learnt as a spur. The problem was that it's such a good read that I wanted to read the whole thing, without praying. And then, er, pray at the end. But anything that puts off the moment of praying too long - whether it's talking or thinking about it, even preaching or reading about it - we should treat with scepticism. Rather than eat a massive meal and then hope to begin the long journey, better to eat and drink a bit, walk a bit, eat and drink a bit more, walk a bit more. The prayer muscles then get a chance to build up.