Ruth's Ramblings

Books of 2004

I was asked by several people on what books to start reading. It got me thinking of all the different books on my shelf (if you know me by now, I'm an absolute bookworm). I've experienced alot of personal transformation from books - it's never a passive activity for me! As Barbara Hughes puts it,

"Why should we bother with Christian reading apart from Scripture? All the Christians who have come before us are offering a wealth of accumulated knowledge and wisdom. To feed on their ideas and experiences is to reject spiritual anorexia. Great Christian writing will magnify, dramatize, and illuminute life-giving truth for us. Others have walked the same pathes we want to walk. They've chronicled the pitfalls and posted warning signs for us along the way. They've pointed the way in their descriptions of spiritual delights that will draw us onward and upward."

So here's a list that have transformed me significantly (thus far) in 2004. Some I've already finished, some I'm still in the midst of, but all are selections that I have already come back to re-read and re-apply, all over again.. and again.. and again..


Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Workbook, Henry T. Blackaby and Claude V. King.

Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home, Richard J. Foster.

The Purpose Driven Life: What On Earth Am I Here For?, Rick Warren.

Every Woman's Battle: Discovering God's Plan for Sexual and Emotional Fulfillment, Shannon Ethridge.

Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions, John Piper.

The Gift of Pain: Why We Hurt & What We Can Do About It, Philip Yancey and Dr. Paul Brand.

Disciplines of A Godly Woman, Barbara Hughes.

Knowing God, J.I. Packer.


Of course, beyond books, there are personal experiences and influencial situations and individuals that have shaped me this year as well. But not everyone can share in those - so these I impart to you. Enjoy!

Posted by Ruth at 12/20/2004