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Besides the holy/sacred texts of your religion..


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I had felt spiritually motherless my entire life, until I read "When God Was a Woman" by Merlin Stone. It was life-altering for me. I liked "The Great Cosmic Mother" for the same reason.

 

Great thread! I have always had an interest in various religions and am looking forward to other people's recommendations...

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Dr. Paul Brand is an inspiration to me. His biography is called 10 Fingers for God, which chronicles his work with patients with Hansen's Disease (leprosy) in India. His discoveries have not only impacted the leprosy community but diabetics as well...his research has led to drastic reduction in amputations.

 

I'm going to quote Philip Yancey (Dr. Brand's writing partner):

 

"If I had to choose one lesson I have learned from Dr. Brand, it would center on the underlying unity of life. So often in this modern world we compartmentalize. Scientists study the material world; priests and preachers study the spritual world. Dr. Brand brings those worlds together. He sees the cosmos in a microbe, the Creator in a nerve cell. To him, the world reveals God and God illuminates the world. For him, whether as a scientist in a laboratory, a surgeon tending to a patient, or a speaker addressing eight leprosy patients--half of whom are deaf-life is an act of worship."

 

I have trust issues, so, many inspirational books are difficult for me to swallow as I can't see if the author's actual life matches what he writes. I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Brand and his wife (an amazing eye surgeon) several times, and the meetings only strenghtened my admiration for them.

 

One of my favorite books he wrote is called Pain, the Gift Nobody Wants (a little dry, but fantastic). Currently I am reading God's Forever Feast, which I think will end up as my favorite of his books.

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These might not be considered holy but they have inspired me- "Till We Have Faces" and the Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis. He is my fav author and his writings have been deeply meaningful to me.

 

I'm in the middle of Perelandra right now! Have you heard the Teaching Company tapes on CS Lewis? Excellent. :)

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Resounding HEAR HEAR!! :iagree:

 

I will also add that Mere Christianity by CS Lewis is a tough read but if you can put your mind to it..it's affirming on so many levels.

 

Tara

 

Mere Christianity really made me stop and think about what I believe and why.

 

I also love My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It's a daily devotional, but it isn't fluff and feel good material. It's very thought provoking.

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Oh my goodness! Absolutely. I have read it 4/5 times and still cry and rethink God and His severe mercy. KWIM?

 

So I grabbed the book to make sure I was spelling his name right and I have found myself reading it again! I can't put it down! I am reading the part about him describing the shining barrier. I get choked up every time. Some of it I think is a little overboard, but the general idea of it is beautiful!

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So I grabbed the book to make sure I was spelling his name right and I have found myself reading it again! I can't put it down! I am reading the part about him describing the shining barrier. I get choked up every time. Some of it I think is a little overboard, but the general idea of it is beautiful!

 

 

I agree. Obviously they were both artists. Now my Chinese, son of an engineer dh and myself, German (read not good at intimacy) would have never come up with that stuff. Of course we also wouldn't write poetry and paint pictures and study at Oxford. But if we did . . . :001_smile:

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Pema Chodron's books: Start Where You Are, The Wisdom of No Escape, When Things Fall Apart, The Places that Scare You.

 

("No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva" is wonderful too, but pretty advanced teachings so don't start with this one!)

 

You feel like she is just chatting with you on your own sofa, but these are really profound teachings and she has a way of making them accessible.

 

Julie

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