What Christian book impacted you most?

[Meowfuzz]

I am an avid reader and just love Joyce Meyer. I find her so inspiring and encouraging.

When I was going through a tough time in my life, I found her book "The Battle Belongs to the Lord" so inspiring. It shows you how worship is so important and effective in battling the enemy. It helped strengthen my walk with Him during that time.

What book has impacted you and/or turned your life around?

[tokenyanke]

I just finished reading 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper. It is the most amazing book!

[Determinedtolose]

Originally Posted by tokenyanke

I just finished reading 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper. It is the most amazing book!

I read that one too and I totally love that book!

[Star123]

Hi Ladies, I read that book about the 90 minutes and loved it. Years ago I read a similiar book called, "caught up into paradise" Dr. Robert Ebby. Anyways, it was an actual account of this man's experience with heaven like I've never hear of before. The doctor had apparently fallen off a balcony, split his head open and then went to heaven. His story was so amazing and exact that I've never forgotten his experience. When he came back to earth, he was in the hospital and finally recovered from his masive injuries. But, the way he described heaven was just so surreal to me, because he described every color, flower and detail to a "T". I looked him up on the internet and a piece of his story is still being told. Here's a brief account,

The below is from Doctor Richard E. Eby's "sneak peek" at Heaven.
From his book; A Physician's Amazing Account of Being "Caught Up
Into Paradise" ...Richard Eby, then in his 60's was lying on a sidewalk
with his skull cracked open from a fall when this happened.

The Sights of Paradise: "Absent from the body; present with the Lord." In the twinkling of an eye Jesus took me out of this world. I cannot adequately describe the astonishment, the amazement, the sheer shock of this event. One moment in suburban Chicago, the next moment in suburban Heaven. One moment in the miserable humidity of a midwest city, the next moment in the most exquisite place "prepared for you, that where I am ye may be also." One moment with a flesh-restricted mind, the next moment with a heaven-released mind whose speed of function was that of light!

My initial gasp ("Dick, you're dead") was as quickly followed by an overwhelming sense of Peace--peace so complete that I instantly knew it was the promised gift of the Spirit from our Lord. I had no memory about my life on earth at this time. I was enjoying a heavenly "body"; I was totally me. Aside from the complete absence of pain and the total presence of peace (neither of which I had ever known on earth), I looked like me, felt like me, reacted like me. I was me. I simply suddenly had shed the old body and was now living anew in this fantastic cloud-like body!

I was the same size, the same shape, as the person I had seen in the mirror for years. I was clothed in a translucent flowing gown, pure white, but transparent to my gaze. In amazement I could see through my body and note the gorgeously white flowers behind and beneath me. This seemed perfectly normal, yet thrillingly novel.

All this time I was instinctively aware that the Lord of Lords was everywhere about this place, though I did not see Him. Instantly the sense of timelessness made all hurry foolish, so I resumed my anatomy lesson, knowing that He would appear in His own time. It all seemed so normal in this fantastic anteroom of Heaven.

My feet were easy to see. No bifocals needed. I had instantly noted that my eyes were unlimited in range of vision; ten inches or ten miles--the focus was sharp and clear. ("We shall mount up as eagles," said King David--he was alluding to their pinpoint eyesight perhaps!) There were no bones or vessels or organs. No blood. I noted the absence of genitals. (How unneeded when in Heaven there is no marriage nor childbearing--His body of believers being already completed!) The abdomen and chest were organless and transparent to my gaze, though translucent to my peripheral vision. Again my mind which worked here in Heaven with electric-like speed answered my unspoken query: they are not needed; Jesus is the Life here. He is the needed energy. There was no air to breathe, no blood to pump, no food to digest nor eliminate. This was not a carnal body of organs, mortal and temporary!

My gaze riveted the exquisite valley in which I found myself. Forests of symmetrical trees unlike anything on earth covered the foothills on each side. I could see each branch and "leaf" - not a brown spot or dead leaf in the forest. ("No death there" includes the vegetation!). Each tree, tall and graceful, was a duplicate of the others; perfect, unblemished. They resembled somewhat the tall arbor vitae cedars of North America, but I could not identify them. The valley floor was gorgeous. Stately grasses, each blade perfect and erect, were interspersed with ultra-white, four-petalled flowers on stems two feet tall, with a touch of gold at the centers. Each was totally alike! (No two earthly flowers can be identical, nor is anything else since the Genesis curse.)

Having been an amateur botanist as a schoolboy, I immediately decided to pick a bouquet. To my amazement the unexpected happened. My thought (to stoop and pick flowers) became the act! Here in Paradise I discovered that there is no time lag between thought and act. A word, spoken or thought, became fact! (I instantly realized how the heavens and earth were so quickly made from nothing that appeared: God had simply thought what He wanted, and there it was. No sluggish man-invented committees were involved).

I found my hand containing a bouquet of identical blossoms. Their whiteness was exciting. I almost had time to ask myself "why so white" when the answer was already given! "On earth you saw only white light which combined the color spectrum of the sun. Here we have the light of the SON!" My excitement was too great to describe in words: of course, I thought He is the light of the world....in the new Heavens no sun or moon will be needed! Then I sensed a strange new feel to the stems--no moisture! I felt them carefully. Delicately smooth, yet nothing like earthly stems with their cellular watery content. Before I could ask, again I had the answer: earthly water is hydrogen and oxygen for temporary life support; here Jesus is the Living Water. In His presence nothing dies. No need for oxygen and hydrogen. I instinctively looked behind me where I had been standing on dozens of blooms. Not one was bent or bruised. Then I watched my feet as I walked a few more steps upon the grass and flowers; they stood upright inside my feet and legs! We simply passed through one another. (My Lord had passed through closed doors and a heavy stone over the tomb centuries ago--with the same kind of body!)

The illumination fascinated me--not a shadow anywhere. There was no single light source as on earth. I realized that everything seemed to produce its own light. Again the answer coincided with my query: the Heavens declare the glory of God; know ye not that His is the Honor, and Glory, and POWER? He is the Light of the world!

The Sounds of Paradise: I stood overwhelmed with the sights of Paradise. God had shown me incontroversial evidence of His planning and preparing a place just for me, as He had promised. But He had more--it was music.

All this "time" (since there is no sun, there actually was no time reference) I had been aware of the most beautiful, melodious, angelic background music that the ear of man can perceive. I was now ready to concentrate on it. It was truly a new song, such as St. John must have heard from Patmos. Not instrumental, not vocal, not mathematical, not earthly. It originated from no one point--neither from the sky nor the ground. Just as was true of the light, the music emerged apparently from everything and every place. It had no beat--was neither major or minor--and had no tempo. (In eternity, how could it have "time"?) No earthly adjectives describe its angelic quality.. Poets have said "music of the spheres." God has said, "A new song will I give them." I heard it--it had to be His composition--every note. Hallelujah! Music by Jesus. No wonder the cherubims and seraphims and multitudes sing around His throne!

The Perfume of Paradise: I was not prepared for the sweetest revelation of all: the all-pervading aroma of Heaven. No one on earth, minister or Bible teacher, had mentioned to me this heady perfume! Like the sight and the sounds, it was everywhere. I bent again and smelled the flowers--yes it was there. The grasses also. The air was just the same. A perfume so exotic, so refreshing, so superior, that it was fit only for a King! Even the special formula given by Jehovah to his priests in the wilderness could not have matched this "sweet savor". Earthly ingredients would fall short of perfection. I simply stood quietly and let it bathe my being.


This book has fasinated me over the years. Dr. Ebby has now passed away and is in heavenly places and I hope he is getting the bride ready for when Jesus comes back soon, to take us home to be with him forever, amen!!!

God BLess,

[yoshi]

I've read several books by Max Lucado that have impacted my life. My favorites are "He Chose the Nails" and "3:16."

[Star123]

Hi again Ladies, I also wanted to share with you all a fiction based book that I just finished reading and have to read over again for the parts I've missed. Apparently it's quite the craze now, and is catching on like wild fire. It's called, "The Shack" by author William P. Young, who was born a canadian but was raised by missionary parents in New Guinea. But, now he lives with his family in the Pacific Northwest. This book is being read at our church in a study group and they are becoming enlightened by what this author is trying to portray in the story.

As for the book, I'd say WOW!!! what a great read. It's a great fiction reading, that is based on the on man's personal encounter with the almighty face to face. The place, a reck of an old shack where he faces his worse nightmare and his greatest fears, when he encounters the God of the universe, [trinity to be exact] and finds the answers to his long unanswered questions that might just dazzle you, and blow you away. An all christian book that I would recomend to almost anyone I meet.

After I read the book, it gave me an insight into what it would be like if it were true or non-fiction. Because if it had really happened, I would want to experience something similiar to the "close encounters of the God kind" that this man experienced in the story. Hey, there should be a book that has that title aye?

[pennylovesdarren]

Captivating was an awesome book!

[Determinedtolose]

I've heard alot of good things about the book "Pilgrims Progress", that I think I may go buy it.

[Dedicated]

Purpose Driven Life---I read it when I rededicated my life back to God! That book was such a great help! It help me wake up with Jesus and to focus on him during the day...that book helped a lot!

[Pcola Girl]

I just got through reading :The Five People You Meet In Heaven"
By Mitch Albom

[gardengoddess]

Max Lucado, "No wonder they call Him the Savior."

[JanMarie3]

These books led me to Jesus and will always have a special place in my heart:

Guide to God
Knowing Jesus
Guide to the End of the World

by: Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz

About the authors:

Bruce Bickel is a lawyer, but he didn't start out that bad. After college, he considered the noble profession of a stand-up comic, but he had to abandon that dream because he is not very funny. As a lawyer, he makes people laugh (but it is not on purpose).

Stand Jantz is a retail-marketing consultant. From the time he was a little kid, Stan's family owned a chain of Christian bookstores, so he feel very comfortable behind the counter.

Bruce and Stan spend their free time as "cultural observers" (they made that term up).

They watch how God applies to real life. Together they have written more than 25 books.

[Zer]

Originally Posted by Meowfuzz

What book has impacted you and/or turned your life around?

A book I picked up in a used book store, meaning it for a niece as a gift, turned out to renew my faith in serendipity - as I noted in the book itself, "this book found me" at a time when I needed to hear its story, a true story: Anna (Mister God - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) still amazes me, decades after chance took me into that shop to see if I could find a good book.

[pooticus]

Hannah Hurnand
Hindes Feet In High Places

[Peskie]

The Heartache No One Sees
It's written by Sheila Walsh, who's battled depression in the past and really hit home with me.

although 90 minutes in Heaven was awesome too!

and Understanding Grief....short read, but helps me realize so much that all these up and downs I've been going thru since losing mom are completely normal, gave me an idea of what to expect and even why it's so much different than when I lost dad.

[Star123]

Hi,

Before I had meantioned a book called "The Shack" by William P. Young, which is fiction but a great read in understanding the trinity and relationship with God on a personal level. Now I'm reading it for the second time and finding interesting things that I'd missed the first time I read it. Our church had a month discussion on the book and on sunday after service, we had a special get together at one of the member's homes. We shared a great meal and discussed the book in small groups for the last time, then we prayed afterwards and had a blessed time fellowshipping with one another.

Next month a new book will be introduced to our study group, although I can't attend these discussions, [due to the fact that I sing with a worship team on sunday morning], but will get a copy of the new book and read it on my own time. I will let you all know about the new book coming up when I get it and will keep you updated.

Have a great day!!!

[Lina2]

The first one was Hinds Feet on High Places. That made an incredible, life-changing impact.

After that:

Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Escape from Twisted Planet by Harold Myra
The Illuminati by Larry Burkett
What Men Live by by Leo Tolstoy
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew
Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand
Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

[SummerSue]

I've read many of the Max Lucado books, and also C.S. Lewis, which appeals to my "intellectual" understanding of Christianity. One book that I thought was terrific inspirationally, is Stepping Heavenward, by Mrs. E. Prentiss. It is her journal of spiritual development or maturity, written during her life in the 1800's. While the language is old-fashioned, the ideas are surprisingly current.

[fatfreddie]

The Case for Christ by Lee Stroble helped me a LOT

[sarahm19]

Originally Posted by fatfreddie

The Case for Christ by Lee Stroble helped me a LOT

Me too! I'm glad someone mentioned The Case for Christ, it is amazing! And perfect for someone who is unsure if Jesus really is God. Oh yes He is!

[CurveControl]

Applause of Heaven.

It was/is a very important book in my life.

[kristinalyn2001]

Anne Rice, the woman who wrote "Interview with a Vampire" recently had a spiritual renewal and got back to her Catholic Roots. She is writing a series called "Christ the Lord" which deals with how Christ lived his life as a child and a man knowing that he was going to become something that not everyone would understand. It talks about his struggles to be as normal as possible while the enormity of his mission loomed over him. I think this book brought me closer to Christ because it showed him not just as the Christ but as an everyday person as well. I am so appreciative of Christ giving his life for me that I feel these books give me a better chance to appreciate his sacrifice.

[CurveControl]

I read Christ the Lord, It was a great book. I had no Idea it was part of a series! What other books are in the series?

[kristinalyn2001]

There is one other book which is called, The Road to Cana and it just came out. For catholics, it will make them think of Pre-Cana which is something we are supposed to go through before marrying in the church. That being said, the book ends in the wedding of someone of significance on Christ's life. The book is very emotional and you feel his torment between living a normal life and being our saviour. I think that there will be one more book and I can't wait!

[CurveControl]

Originally Posted by kristinalyn2001

There is one other book which is called, The Road to Cana and it just came out. For catholics, it will make them think of Pre-Cana which is something we are supposed to go through before marrying in the church. That being said, the book ends in the wedding of someone of significance on Christ's life. The book is very emotional and you feel his torment between living a normal life and being our saviour. I think that there will be one more book and I can't wait!

Thanks! I will look for it!

[Valentine Baby]

Right now I'm reading Joel Osteen's Be a better you. It's awsome and has helped me find God again!