Trying to sit down and think of some of my favorite books came to me during the night and kept me awake for a couple of hours. Here’s what I came up with..
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- Star Trek
My love of Star Trek began in the 60’s with the original series. That was followed by six movies. Then there came the spin-off series, Star Trek The Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek Deep Space Nine and then Enterprise. The newest of the new Star Trek movies have given us a modern look to the popular characters. During those 30 plus years, various approved authors started writing new adventures for each crew of the Star Trek family. I read those books voraciously. New adventures with Kirk, Spock and McCoy, then Capt. Picard, Will, Geordi, Data, Worf and Deanna, Capt. Janeway, Chakotay, Tom and Tuvok and then Capt. Sisko, Odo and Kira. Then later, to tell the beginning, there was Capt. Archer, Malcolm, Trip, and T’Pol. I collected over 100 books of new adventures and stories of my favorite characters that I read and reread until my library and my bank account called a halt.
The Bible
I have many translations that I’ve read and studied over the years. I own the New Jerusalem, NIV, American Standard Version, The Message Bible, the Revised Standard, and even have one with four translations including Amplified version in one volume. I tend to stick with the New American or the One Year Bible which has a daily reading from both Old and New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. I’ve read the Bible cover to cover several times, even skimmed through Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. My favorites are Psalms, parts of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the prayers in Daniel, and the Gospel of John. When I need to keep myself motivated, I use the One Year Bible.
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
This is a little book full of daily devotionals. After many years of keeping a prayer journal, recording words and scriptures full of reassurance, comfort and hope given to her in fellowship with the Lord, Sarah Young decided to share the words which led her into a deeper more personal relationship with God. These daily readings are written as if Jesus is talking directly to you giving a personal message. It is powerful and inspirational. If you have felt the need to draw closer to Him or renew your fellowship, this is the book for you.
Good Morning, Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn
The story of Benny Hinn’s personal encounter with the Holy Spirit and how that experience dramatically changed his life is a story God has used hundreds of thousands of times around the world to touch the lives of others.
This inspirational work tells of Hinn’s encounter with the Holy Spirit, and the unfolding of Scripture that followed. Hinn shows how to recognize the voice of the Spirit; offers seven steps to a more effective prayer life; provides freedom from fear of the “unpardonable” sin; and shares God’s Master Plan. (Barnes and Noble.com)
This is an autobiographical book telling Benny Hinn’s journey from childhood to adulthood and his search for and experiences with the Holy Spirit despite objections from his family. I found it fascinating.
They Speak with Other Tongues by John Sherrill
A classic that has inspired millions of readers worldwide, They Speak with Other Tongues is the story of one man’s encounter with the Holy Spirit. John Sherrill, a young reporter for Guideposts magazine, set out to gather information about a strange new occurrence happening all over the country. A skeptic when it came to speaking in tongues and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, Sherrill was determined to retain his objectivity while digging out the facts. What he found would change his life.
As John Sherrill relates the biblical and historical background for speaking in tongues, examines contemporary events, and shares his personal experience, he gives life-changing insight into this still-for-today gift of the Holy Spirit. This book is textbook reading for any Christian seeking to better understand the Holy Spirit or walk in the power of the Spirit day by day. (Barnes and Noble.com)
This is autobiographical and compelling. From skeptic to believer you get to share in his journey to understanding the Charismatic Movement of the Church in America. Written in the 1950’s it has been republished several times. One of my favorites.
Nine O’clock in the Morning by Dennis Bennett
This is Dennis Bennett’s autobiographical account of how a high church, Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian was drawn to the Pentecostal experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. (Barnes and Nobles.com)
My personal experience of converting to Catholicism and meeting a community of Charismatic Nuns who believed in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues, led me to seek out more information on this subject. This is also one of my favorites, telling the story of skeptic to believer.
Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
This is the first and only allegory I’ve ever read. It is simple as well as deep enough to cause you to think.
Hinds’ Feet on High Places is one of the most successful works of Christian fiction. It is the story of a young woman named Much Afraid and her journey away from her Fearing family into the High Places of the Shepherd. It is an allegory of the Christian life from salvation through maturity. It doesn’t actually describe life in Heaven, but shows how the Christian is transformed from unbeliever to immature believer to mature believer, who walks daily with his/her Lord as easily on the High Places of Joy in the spirit as in the daily life of the mundane and often-times humiliating trials that tempt us to lose perspective of who we now are in Christ.
This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti
This is a page-turner. Peretti paints amazing mind pictures of the temptations we face every day and the unseen spiritual world of demons and angels. The best I’ve come across of this type of book.
Ashton is just a typical small town. But when a skeptical reporter and a pastor begin to compare notes, they suddenly find themselves fighting a hideous plot to subjugate the townspeople—and eventually the entire human race. A riveting thriller, This Present Darkness offers a fascinating glimpse into the unseen world of spiritual warfare. Tyndale House Publishers
The Beginning
This is the first book in a set. All are told by the angels in heaven giving us a unique perspective on familiar stories. The Beginning tells the story of creation. Includes The Escape which is the telling of the escape of the Israelites from Egypt in the Old Testament. The Birth, The Triumph and the Return tell the life and death and resurrection story of Jesus. There is some anti-Catholic bias in one of the books, but if you can overlook that these are wonderful retellings of favorite Bible stories.
This volume in The Chronicles of the Door explores the mystery and marvel of God at work. In The Beginning, God’s creation of the world is viewed from the angels’ perspective. Man, the crowning glory, rules Creation in full fellowship with his Creator—until he succumbs to the fallen Angel of Light, and the Door is closed. Enthralling and fast-paced, this book can introduce non-Christians to the God of Creation and the purpose for living while offering believers a richer dimension to their faith.
This is a great ‘first’ list. If more favorites come to mind later, I can always add to this list or write another blog. Another look into the secret life of estherlou…
And the journey continues…
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