Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox
This is my all time favorite children’s book. Not well known, sweetly sing song-e with a great moral at the end - especially geared for a kid like me. More information at Amazon.com

Allure of Hope by Jan Meyers
Many years ago it occurred to me that hope is a risk and that just didn’t make sense to me. Jan explained why hope is a risk and why it’s a necessary risk to take to live life to the fullest. This book has answered nagging questions and done more to impact my spiritual growth like no other. More information at Amazon.com

Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
As evidence by the lengthy series of devotional I wrote based from this book it is clearly a favorite and also made a huge impact on my Christian walk. Each time I have read it I have gotten something new out it. More information at Amazon.com

Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge
For me this book was like eating a large steak. I had to read each chapter twice to get it fully digested. But all this additional chewing was well worth it. It just filled in the blanks it made me feel beloved by the lover of my soul and that’s a good feeling. More information at Amazon.com

Journey of Desire by John Eldredge
I had never thought too much about heaven but this book made me realize that eternity is full of worship and that it will be more than singing the same chorus over and over. This made me feel a lot more comfortable about going to heaven…  I have also been challenged not to let my deep desires go unnoticed or repressed but to live them out to the glory of God. More information at Amazon.com

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge
If you want to understand men better then this is the book to read. More information at Amazon.com

10,000 Things to Praise God For by Jan Lynette Dargatz
There have been times when finding something to praise God for has been difficult. There have been times when I just wanted to know what someone else was praising God for. In college, my roommate Brandy and I would read a few pages from this book before going to bed and we would highlight or star the ones we felt a particular “Amen” to. More information at Amazon.com

What Happens When Women Pray by Evelyn Christenson
Great stories and truly meaningful ideas that can be implemented so easily in a prayer group. One of the simplest yet effective ideas I have gotten is when praying in a small group where each person shares, to pray after each person instead of at the end after everyone has shared. Something so simple has made an impact on the prayer groups I have been in because for a few minutes the focus is one just one person and their needs. More information at Amazon.com

I Went to the Animal Fair
The best way I can describe this book is that it comes full circle in such a beautifully way. It is a painful book but sometimes to deal with our own pain we need to process with someone that has been down that road before.  Healing can be grueling but in the end quite glorious. The author captures the day to day moment to moment process with poetic prose and imagery that is real and sometimes startling… but that’s life isn’t? More information at Amazon.com

Anticipatience by Sharon Virkler
Finally a singles book that doesn’t read like fingernails on a chalk board. OK, not everyone will agree with me on that note. There was some of the usual stuff in there. But there was actually some new ideas that I had just never thought of before. And I got all fired up. Just ask my dad… More information at Amazon.com

The Complete Works of E.M.Bounds
I discovered Bounds at time when I was in a season of prayer and fasting and a little brokenhearted. He made sense and was in a way, a cheerleader for lack of a better word, to keep on praying and then pray some more because it does matter. It does make a difference. I often got a picture of this fiery little man standing on a soapbox under a big tent saying with great authority and fervor, “The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men…Men of prayer." More information at Amazon.com

The Spirit Controlled Woman by Beverly LaHaye
This in depth look into personality temperaments was just eye-opening to me 10 years ago when I first read it. I started to figure out why I do some of the things I do and why I act the way I act and what I can do to harness my weaknesses and make them into strengths. Mostly it helped identify my strengths and weakness so I could put a name to a feeling or reaction. More information at Amazon.com

The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman
Yet again, one of the books that’s made a huge impact on my life. Though you never know from my dating track record…  It has helped me understand people, students and significant others (when I happen to have one) much better. More information at Amazon.com And don't forget to check out the CWP Love Language pages.

Daughter of China by C. Hope Flinchbaugh
I am partial to this book because I met the author and she deeply ministered to me. Her book is phenomenal look into the terrors and joys of being a Christian in China. More information at Amazon.com

Love Walked Among Us by Paul E. Miller
Jesus became so much more real to me as I was reading this book. It was challenging and refreshing. I just kept thinking I wish ______ would read this book that way they could see who Jesus really is. More information at Amazon.com FIX PHOTO LINK

The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel
It has been a long time since I read this, but American history came alive for me in this book. To think upon "the how" of God’s hand was constantly on this fledgling nation was just awe-inspiring. More information at Amazon.com

Prescriptions for Nutritional Healing by Phyllis A. Balch
I refer to this book quite often when a case of hypochondria over takes me or I hear of a friend or loved one that has some kind of health issue. It is a good place to start in understanding the condition and offering some alternative healthcare suggestions. I used the book extensively when I was battling Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. More information at Amazon.com

The Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson
I read this as part of American Literature class in college. I had never heard of the story/book before, but I was greatly moved.  At 20, it started to sink into my head the importance of memorizing scripture or at the very least memorizing the principles and concepts and getting the truth deeply planted in the heart so that when in some kind of captivity, you will always have the truth of scripture with you. Mary survived an Indian captivity because the Word was in heart and it gave her strength to rely on the truth she had studied. It made it my business to get to place where I really knew scripture well because of this book. More information at Amazon.com

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Author), Quentin Blake (Illustrator)
I just love this story. I loved reading. I loved reading it to my former students. I loved that my cousin Gene memorized the poem about what one of the bugs loved to eat. Its just a great book with lots of ties to the good ol’ days of 3^rd grade. More information at Amazon.com

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The story of unrequited love. Who doesn't love a class theme? Yet, there is redemption in the end… More information at Amazon.com

Loving Soren by Caroline Coleman O'Neill
This was a page turner for me and also a timely, much needed, look into what happens when we make an idol of the man we love. It was not your typical novel. It is based on the life of Soren Kierkegaard. I am convinced that it was a better read for me because I didn’t know anything about Soren - other than that he was a famous writer/philosopher. Not knowing more about him made the book more suspenseful. More information at Amazon.com

Galway Chronicles by Brock and Bodie Thoene
Each of these books is a wonderful look into the life of the Irish before, during, and after the Potato Famine. The love of family and freedom for your fellowman were the overarching themes as well as the devout convictions of Irish Roman Catholics at that time. A great read, with character you can’t help but love and plots that keep up late turning pages… More information at Amazon.com