Personal favorite faith classics

There are a few books that have passed the test of time as being extremely helpful in building personal faith.  Certainly, there are other very important books such as the Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan but this list is a personal one and these are the books that have touched me the most and continue to do so.  In this list I am not including books that were first written in the last 30 years.  Although there are several I value very highly I want to offer my suggestions for books that have proven over time (1955 and before) to be tremendous help alongside the best help of all - the Bible - to build a person's faith in God regardless of the circumstances they face.  I know when others suggest books it has a tendency to create a hunger in me to read them.  Here are seven of them in no particular order and all of these are in print...

• Answers to Prayer by George Mueller (1895)
• Christ the Healer by FF Bosworth (1924)
• Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon (1685)
• The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life by Hannah Whitall Smith (1875)
• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale (1952)
• Every Increasing Faith by Smith Wigglesworth (1924)
• Mere Christianity by CS Lewis (1940)

Be It Resolved for 2011 ...

When I was growing up, my little cousin would say "Happy New You!" to everyone he saw after the Christmas holidays, instead of "Happy New Year!" We all laughed because his rendition of the phrase was so cute, but, come to think of it, it was also pretty valid. We typically begin a new year with that liberating sense of a fresh start for ourselves, a clean slate, the past behind us.
We soon find that our hopeful intentions for new and improved lives stall out pretty quickly. Maybe you've given up the whole experience of New Year's resolutions as a bad deal.
While resolutions made under our own steam don't get us very far, the beginning of the year is a great time to create a "wish list" of what you want to see God do for you and through you in the coming year. It's a perfect time to dream big about the future -- and then write it down. There is amazing power in writing down your goals. (Don't let the word "goals" intimidate you; it simply means your hopes for a better future.)
Here are some things on my spiritual wish list for 2011:
*Learn more about what real love is and let it change me
*Follow the Holy Spirit's guidance daily (in the little things as well as the big ones)
*Regularly find rest and peace in the midst of problems and challenges
*Recognize when I am depending on my own understanding, and switch over to trusting God
*Remember that Christ lives in me and through me every day
I have wish lists for material things and natural things, as well, so don't think I'm only talking about the spiritual parts of our lives. I have found, though, that prioritizing the internal helps everything else in my life fall into place.
The great part of this approach is that God will get involved in seeing my wish list come to pass, and it won't be me trying to accomplish the impossible on my own. When I fail at times, I can know there is no guilt or frustration coming my way, just my patient Father ready to pick me up again and help me again on my journey.
Happy New Year!

Lifestyles of the Rich (and Now Famous) Young Ruler

Young and rich sounds like you have it made.. But the guy who came to Jesus in Luke 18 had a problem.
He wanted to know what he needed to do to deserve making it into heaven. After Jesus rattled off several of the commandments, the man confidently replied that he had kept all of them since childhood.
At that point, he probably wanted Jesus to pat him on the back and say, "Wow! You are some dude! Here's your all-expense paid ticket to heaven."
Then he could go off in his self-satisfied way and feel good about himself with no worries about his eternal destiny.
But Jesus wanted to get him off his works trip -- jar his thinking so that he would never be self-satisfied again. Jesus said he lacked only one thing to be perfect: He told him to sell everything he had, give it to the poor, and become a Christ follower.

The young rich guy was flabbergasted. He never expected in a hundred years to hear that.
Jesus deliberately chose something that was impossible for him to do (in his present spiritual condition), so he could quit trusting in his own works and surrender himself to the God who could help him.
So what about you and me? Do we get self-satisfied sometimes in our own spirituality? Maybe God is challenging us with something that is impossible for us to do in our present spiritual condition. Maybe He wants us to surrender everything to Him in humble obedience so He can work the impossible through us.