In His Steps had a profound impact on my life.
Ryan Healy emailed me this morning and asked if I’d like to participate in a little project he has going, asking people to write about books that changed their lives. Since I love books, this is a fun post for me to write!
In no particular order, here are 12 books that have had a big impact on my life.
1. The Little House on the Prairie Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I started reading Little House books when I was 7 or 8. I was fascinated by how people from our nation’s history lived. I remember when Pa put a real door on the Ingalls’ little house…and that was considered a blessing!
I remember Laura’s doll, Charlotte, and how having just one doll made her feel. Or the Christmas that Mr. Edwards brought the presents…tin cups and candy sticks. They had so little, but they were so blessed. I think the Little House books taught me that money does not equal happiness.
2. A Marriage Without Regrets by Kay Arthur. I’ve always loved Kay Arthur’s Bible teaching. She sticks straight to the Bible and doesn’t get off on a lot of tangents. I think that’s why I liked her book on marriage. She’s straightforward and tells you exactly what God expects from a husband and wife, as individuals, as a couple, and as parents. And if your marriage is in trouble, Kay tells you to take heart. God can heal broken marriages.
3. A Deeper Shade of Grace by Bernadette Keaggy, wife of Christian guitar player, Phil Keaggy. I don’t remember if I’ve ever talked about it on this blog, but my husband and I struggled to have children. After having our daughter, we tried for two years to have another child. I got pregnant, but then had a miscarriage. It was devastating.
If there’s one event in my life that really shook my faith in God, that would be it. Fortunately, a friend who had also experienced miscarriage pointed me to A Deeper Shade of Grace. The Keaggy’s also experienced a fair share of loss when trying to have children, and I could relate to a lot of what Bernadette wrote. This book got me through a very dark period with my faith intact.
4. The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. I wrote about this recently. I picked up The Hiding Place at the library on a whim one afternoon, and it ended up changing my life. I was amazed by the way the ten Boom family loved and obeyed God, even in the face of danger and tragedy.
5. Debt Proof Living by Mary Hunt. This is the book that started my quest to become debt free. I admire Mary’s willingness to share her story and share what she’s learned from her mistakes and successes.
6. Healing ADD by Daniel Amen. This book was recommended to me by a family therapist who was working with my daughter. I never would have guessed that my super-focused, overanxious daughter had ADD, but the psychologist told me to read the book.
In reading it, I realized that not only did my daughter pretty much have ADD, but that I probably did too…something the therapist had suspected. There was something about low serotonin. Because of Healing ADD, I made the connection between low serotonin, IBS, sugar cravings, and the short temper that had all plagued me for years. One mild antidepressant later, and I’m a new woman. It’s amazing how one little chemical imbalance can have such a negative impact on a person’s life!
7. More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. When I was in college, I pretty much walked away from my relationship with God for a while. I grew up in a Christian home, but like all homes, mine had problems. And I had never made my faith my own. I always believed what my parents and pastors told me.
In college, I started believing what my friends told me, which was that the Bible was outdated and not relevant to life today. After making a complete mess of my life, I read More Than a Carpenter and re-examined what I believed and why I believed it. That convinced me that the Bible was for real and definitely relevant today.
8. It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. This is a new one on my list, and I’ve written about it a lot lately. This book has caused me to seriously examine my relationship with stuff. I don’t need as much as I used to think I do. It’s All Too Much has kick started my journey into simpler living.
9. In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon. This book is where the phraes "What Would Jesus Do?" originated. It’s a classic that really made me think about how little decisions I make on a daily basis can have a profound effect on both my life and the lives of those I interact with.
10. The Bible. The Bible has impacted my life more than any other book. It’s where I turn when I’m hurting, when I need encouragement, when I’m feeling hopeless and helpless. It’s the book I come back to when I’m feeling attacked or unloved. While all of my other books live in my bookshelf, the Bible lives on the floor beside my bed, so it’s always there when I need it.
To find out what books have impacted others, read Ryan’s blog! And if you write a post about the books that have impacted your life the most, he’ll link to your list too. And if you let me know, I’ll be glad to add your link to this post as well!
So let’s hear it! What books have impacted your life?
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What a great list, and a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
I agree, great list! Now I know what your favorites are…
Of course, The Bible has had the most impact on me. Also, I agree with you on the Laura Ingall’s books.
One book I haven’t read in awhile is “Debt-Free Living” by Larry Burkett. It was probably the first personal finance book I ever read, and it really got me thinking what it would be like to live a life without debt and be free to give as we feel led. That’s ultimately where these books and blogs lead, and it will be wonderful when we get to that point.
I just started reading Little House in the Big Woods (the first of the Little House books) to my kids tonight! We read the first two chapters, and I think they liked it. I have never actually read them before, so my hope is that they will like it and want to keep hearing them.
I read debt proof living years ago, and one concept that has remained with me is what she called a freedom fund. Determine what your periodic expenses (e.g., car insurance, gifts, vacations) will be for the year, divide by 12, and save that much each month. It’s a great feeling when the car insurance bill comes in to know you have the money sitting in your freedom fund to pay it.
Great list of books.
Thanks again for participating, Lynnae. I love your list. Interesting that Debt Proof Living was your inspiration and Debt-Free Living was mine. Both our debt reduction journeys started with a book!
I met Dr. Amen at a lecture he gave and then participated in his brain study of injured and uninjured brains. I learned a lot about the damage that can occur even from normal children’s bangs to the head – the kind that happen to most kids who engage in sports.
If you are interested in the brain and how it works, I highly recommend reading “”My Stroke of Insight”" by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. It’s on the NY Times Bestseller list and it’s a wonderful book. Dr. Taylor’s talk at TED dot com is also AMAZING! Oprah interviewed Dr. Taylor and you can check that out on Oprah.com. And Time Magazine named Dr. T one of the 100 Most Influential people in the world. Having read her book, I can see why all the attention.
Dr. Amen’s book is brain science and it’s great at that. Dr. Taylor is a Harvard Brain Scientist, but what she writes about is the science and much more. She really cracks the code to understand how our brains (right and left hemispheres) work and she explains how we can get into our right brain and be happier and more joyful. Aside from any of the science, My Stroke of Insight is also just a great story.