5 Books That Changed Me

Over the course of a couple years, while I settled into the role of motherhood, I came across 5 books that changed me.  I had no idea at the time that they would be so meaningful that I would share them here over 10 years after first reading them.

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FIVE BOOKS THAT CHANGED ME

The first book on my list, the Bible, was one that I grew up with.  But the other four books were ones that I know God led me to at just the right moment to encourage and push me to seek Him more.

1. BIBLE

I grew up in a Bible-believing home.  What a blessing that was!  But I’ll be honest and tell you that I didn’t actually read the Bible much on my own…if at all.  Something about becoming a mother and having a baby girl really gave me pause to think more about this.

It took a few years from that point and more exactly, it took a huge wake up call in the form of a health concern to draw me towards reading the Bible on a regular basis.  Once I committed to beginning to open this amazing book each morning, I was hooked.  Almost ten years later now and I’ve read it cover to cover many times.  No matter the season in life, the struggle I was in, the joyful seasons, the fearful ones…the Bible is the answer to them all.

I have had a few different Bibles over the years and a few versions.  But I have a neat story about this one.  Over five years ago, I had been wanting an ESV Bible.  For some reason, I had a stirring in my heart about it.  Finances were so tight at that point and we had many Bibles in our home, so I couldn’t justify the expense.  But God knew and He would answer that desire of my heart.

Sometime later, I went to visit my parents and my mom outright gave me a brand new ESV Bible!  She said that she wanted to try out that version, but the words were too small in it for her.  {Sorry for spilling the beans on this one, Mom!}  I forget what her reason was for not returning it, but I knew right then that it was as a gift from her and God!

2. EXPERIENCING GOD

Through a series of amazing events, when we only had two small children, we were led to our first small group Bible study.  It was an amazing group that became as close as family to us in the years to come.

When we joined the group, we jumped in on a book they were already reading through.  Very kindly, they gave us a copy and I cautiously began to read it.  You see, I had never read any type of “Christian” book besides the Bible and short devotionals.

I’ll be honest and say that I felt out of my league and the book was difficult for me to understand.  But I pressed on and attended the meetings.  I had never known the lessons about God that this book taught and I’m happy to say that I’ve re-read Experiencing God by Henry T Blackaby and Claude V King quite a few times since.

3. THE LIFE

Browsing through one of those stores that gets all the extras that name brand stores can’t sell, I came across The Life by J. John and Chris Walley.  I still have the price tag on it for 99 cents.

It was the first book that I ever read that dove into the time period, culture, and meaning of the life of Jesus.  Maybe I learned about some of these things in college, but I wasn’t paying attention then unfortunately.

I found the topic fascinating and it really helped to solidify my faith.  Learning about the little details in the Bible that we often don’t think are important, and then coming to find out their significance was pretty amazing to me.

We recently went through this book during our homeschool morning time and we each found it amazingly encouraging.  {You can read about our morning time HERE.}

4. THE RESOLUTION FOR WOMEN

Way back before online business, there was this thing called bookstores.  Ha!  But I do remember the day I found a new Lifeway store in a nearby shopping plaza.  I hadn’t been in a Christian book store in over 20 years and I was downright excited.

I would often pop into that bookstore and look around.  My kids loved to come as there was a tv playing Veggie Tales in the back corner.  It was a win-win for all of us.

One day, I came upon a book called The Resolution for Women on the sale shelf.  It sounded intriguing, even though I had no idea who the author was.  I slowly began reading through this book and it was the biggest relief I have ever felt.  You see, I thought I was the only woman out there who struggled in all the areas that Priscilla Shirer talks about.

This book gave me boldness in sharing my heart more openly with other women in hopes that it would encourage them to be more open as well.  I began to give this book away as gifts and have even had to re-buy a copy for myself on multiple occassions.

And it turned out that the author I didn’t know anything about {Priscilla Shirer} wrote many books that have encouraged, challenged, and inspired me in the years to follow.  {I could easily write a much longer list of books that changed me and include a few others that she authored.}

5. NOT A FAN

Lifeway for the win a second time.  Again, I came across a book by a new author that really piqued my interest.  Bringing it home, I couldn’t stop reading it.  Another person who was reading my mind!

Except, this time, it was a man.  And he was a pastor.  At some point I realized that and have listened to many of Kyle Idleman’s sermons over the years.

This book really pushed me out of my comfort zone and called me out on the ways I was simply acting as a “fan” of Jesus.  I have read this book a few times over the years and my two older children have read it as well.

There have been many books that have come and gone over the years.  But these five books that changed me will always hold a special place in my heart.

I’d love to hear which books have had an impact upon your life.

You may enjoy these posts, as well:

• Books About Parenting Teenagers
• Mother and Daughter Book Chat Night
• Books for Homeschool Moms
• How to Start a High School Book Club

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