"Immaturity considers the Lord Jesus a helper, Maturity knows Him to be life itself."
"The Christian who yields a hundredfold wants Jesus Christ and wants to want nothing else. He has directed his whole life to seeking Jesus, to developing a personal relationship with Him, to growing into a more intimate and heartfelt knowledge of Him. Jesus Christ is literally the most important person in his life. He allows the Christ to be Lord of his life not simply by agreeing with all the intellectual doctrines about Him but by turning his life over to Jesus
In doing so, he realizes that Jesus wants him not only when he is strong, on top, unafraid, invulnerable to Satan, and in control of every situation. This is the attitude of the thirty-percenters and the sixty-percenters - they have to be perfect or at least very good before they believe Jesus will accept them. That is because they do not know Him. The faith-filled Christian is constantly turning to Jesus for forgiveness. Disgust at his own feebleness and failure only redoubles his trust and dependence on his Lord."
The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning.
"Put bluntly: the AmericanChurch today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice. We say we believe that the fundamental structure of reality is grace, not works ? but our lives refute our faith. By and large, the gospel of grace is neither proclaimed, understood, nor lived. Too many Christians are living in the house of fear and not in the house of love."
Also by Brennan Manning:� Abba's Child, Ruthless Trust, The Signature of Jesus
Finding God by Dr. Larry Crabb.
"My body writhed in pain as I cried out: 'God, I don't know how to come to you. I need to know you, to sense your presence, to feel your love, more than anything else. But I don't know what to do. Every path I follow leads back to me. I must find the way to you! I know you're all I have. But I don't know you well enough for you to be all I need. Please let me find you.'"
The Pressure's Off by Larry Crabb.
"People who live the Old Way believe the Law of Linearity, a law that states there is an A that leads to the B you want.� Figure out what A is, do it, and you'll have the life you most desire. The pressure's on.
People who live the New Way believe the Law of Liberty.� They come as they are. They do not bathe before they approach God. They come to God for the bath.� They feel no pressure to change either their inner life or their outer life, but they desire change in both spheres.� And they are eager to do whatever will create the opportunity for change, even if it means dipping themselves seven times in a muddy river or marching around an enemy?s wall for seven days and blowing trumpets.� They live for the truest desire of their hearts: to know God and to enjoy Him.� They do not live for a better life in this world.� And when their life here is hard, when things fall apart, they most clearly reveal who they are.� They're citizens of another world who most want what this world can never provide. So they wisely indulge their deepest desire and trust God to reveal Himself to them.� Thatss the Law of Liberty."
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges.
"Preaching the gospel to ourselves every day addresses both the self-righteous Pharisee and the guilt-laden sinner that dwell in our hearts. Since the gospel is only for sinners, preaching it to ourselves every day reminds us that we are indeed sinners in need of God's grace. It causes us to say to God, in the words of an old hymn, 'Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.' It helps us to consciously renounce any confidence in our own goodness as a means of meriting God's blessing on our lives.
Perhaps more importantly, though, preaching the gospel to ourselves every day gives us hope, joy, and courage. The good news that our sins are forgiven because of Christ's death fills our hearts with joy, gives us courage to face the day, and offers us hope that God's favor will rest upon us, not because we are good, but because we are in Christ."
The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas WIllard.
"A leading American pastor laments, 'Why is today's church so weak?� Why are we able to claim many conversions and enroll many church members but have less and less impact on our culture?� Why are Christians indistinguishable from the world?'�
To the right, being a Christian is a matter of having your sins forgiven.� (Remember that bumper sticker?)� To the left, you are Christian if you have a significant commitment to the elimination of social evils.� A Christian is either one who is ready to die and face the judgment of God or one who has an identifiable commitment to love and justice in society.� That's it."
Also by Dallas Willard: The Spirit of the Disciplines
In the Name of Jesus by Henri J.M. Nouwen.
"Christian leaders cannot simply be persons who have well-informed opinions about the burning issues of our time. Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the incarnate Word, Jesus, and they need to find there the source for their words, advice, and guidance."
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri J.M. Nouwen.
"One of the greatest challenges of the spiritual life is to receive God's forgiveness.� There is something in us humans that keeps us clinging to our sins and prevents us from letting God erase our past and offer us a completely new beginning.� Sometimes it even seems as though I want to prove to God that my darkness is too great to overcome.� While God wants to restore me to the full dignity of sonship, I keep insisting that I will settle for being a hired servant.� But do I truly want to be restored to the full responsibility of the son?� Do I truly want to be so totally forgiven that a completely new way of living becomes possible?� Do I trust myself and such a radical reclamation?� Do I want to break away from my deep-rooted rebellion against God and surrender myself so absolutely to God's love that a new person can emerge?� Receiving forgiveness requires a total willingness to let God be God and do all the healing, restoring, and renewing.� As long as I want to do even a part of that myself, I end up with partial solutions, such as becoming a hired servant.� As a hired servant, I can still keep my distance, still revolt, reject, strike, run away, or complain about my pay.� As the beloved son, I have to claim my full dignity and begin preparing myself to become the father."
Also by Henri Nouwen: The Way of the Heart, The Wounded Healer
What's So Amazing About Grace?, Soul Survivor, Reaching for the Invisible God, The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey.
Anything by Andrew Murray: The True Vine, Waiting on God, Humility, The Deeper Christian Life, etc.
Desiring God by John Piper.
Adoration by Martha Kilpatrick
To go to Page 2 of Darrin's book list, click here.