5 Books That Changed Who I Am

Catherine of the picket fence has linked me in a meme and I have to say, a hard meme.  


So the challenge of the meme was to list 5 books that have changed who I am.  My honey and I joke about me not being a reader, but the truth is that I love books.  There was a slower time when I read non-stop and, therefore, thinking of five books should be easy.  But it's not just thinking of five books I've read or five books I really like, etc.  It's books that have changed who I am.  Dude.

It's been a week since she tapped me in her own post on the topic.  Catherine has quite a list - she is a constant reader and amazing thinker.  These days I am having trouble remembering to put make-up on my face, so we'll see if I can remember the five books I thought of. . .

1.  Romans -  I was going to say the Bible and it would have been a true statement.  I was thinking, though, and when I read/studied Romans in 1996 my life was forever changed.  My view of God was changed.  My understanding of myself was changed.  My hope.  My security.  Me.  What a great book within the Great Book.

2.  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - This one may seem silly but it's truly a book that changed me at the core.  The imagery brought to life Truths that may have seemed flat.  C. S. Lewis gave us a great gift in this book and I honestly pick up new treats each time I read it.  One of the scenes that changed who I am is the scene after Peter slays the wolf.  You'll have to go read it for yourself.

3.  Putting Amazing Back Into Grace - Is it feasible to not remember specifics from a book but know that it was instrumental in your formation? I read this book at the time my eyes were being opened to the whys of reformed theology and it put into words so much of what was happening in my heart and guided me through some of the haze too.

4.  Stepping Heavenward - The novel that reads like the journal of a girl who shares so many of my shortcomings.  I remember reading this book and thinking parts could have been written by me.  I was challenged, convicted, encouraged - changed.

5.  Respectable Sins - I actually have five more pages to go in this one, but I can tell you that I am a changed person because of this book.  I might just write Jerry Bridges a letter, I tell ya.  This book combined with a sermon by our pastor, Mark, and a Bible Study lesson from another pastor, Ben - - - things came into focus that I have been trying to understand for YEARS.  An easy read but a HARD read.

Now the fun of taking part in this little exercise is that I have to tap a few of my friends to do it too! So, I'm going to spin my little bottle and the winners are: Coralie, Megan, Madelyn, Rebecca, Jawan and Allison.  Of course there is no law that says you have to participate, but I picked you because I really would like to know.   The rules are below. 

• Tag between 3 and 5 people
• link back to this post.
• call the post '5 books that changed who I am’
• enjoy.