Reddit mentions: The best devotional books

To Get Started: - Face to Face by Kenneth Boa. This book gives you prayers formed from the Scripture, and some open guidelines. This helps me as my from-the-heart prayers can often get jumbled or off-course and unfocused which leaves me feeling crummy and discouraged. This book gives me Scripture, alongside some suggestions so that I can take 10 minutes or 30 minutes depending on the prompts and Scripture. It kind of feels like the book is teaching me how to pray in a way that's truly intimate. Its also great for me because I can get hung up on the "brainy" side of things (dissecting word meanings, looking for motifs in books, etc) and this can bring it back to my heart and my real life.

 

pray-as-you-go podcast is kind of similar. Its Catholic produced, but usually speaks towards what is common among most churches. They read a passage of Scripture and provide a guided meditation for prayer. Great for during drives, commutes, or daily walks/runs.

 

Marathon walk: I would also suggest starting journal while reading through the Bible (a printed copy, not ebook) using some sort of reading plan. When reading through a book of the Bible, I keep a journal with which I track prayers and questions regarding what I'm reading. I initially read just with prayer (regular Bible, no study notes), asking the Holy Spirit to open up my heart. Then, I make notes of challenges, questions, etc -- whatever pops into my mind. Then later I'll take those verses and look it up in study Bibles or commentaries, or sometimes even google it or put it out there on some online community to see what others think. I like the M'Cheyne plan personally.
I don't follow date guidelines, which is why it took me 2 years to make it through the plan instead of one!

 

For fun and inspiration: I like looking up Bible journaling on YouTube and seeing how different people use artistic expression to express worship. Its so fun, even though I don't do any of it! I also like studying historical Christianity through the Great Courses series or other online university courses. I also enjoy listening to any podcast by the Christian Humanist Network.

 

I've heard 66 Love Letters by Larry Crabb is a good supplement to daily readings, but I haven't checked it out yet. Might be a helpful tool though!

Welcome. Good luck on your path. Do know that faith ebbs and flows. Right now, you've had a powerful experience that moved you significantly--to a whole new faith. That's great. In a few months, or years, or maybe never, things may settle down and feel less powerful. But that doesn't mean they're less genuine. Be open to the journey and its ebbs and flows. Though if you're a fan of Ignatian spirituality you probably have a sense of that!

As far as books, I think The Anglican Way and Your Faith, Your Life are great introductions to the Anglican/Episcopal traditions. They are basic, but they might help you pick up some facts you're missing out on. For better understanding the Book of Common Prayer and liturgical worship, I'd recommend Inwardly Digest to start and the Commentary on the American Prayer Book if you really want to dive deep on specific aspects of the book. To understand the Nicene Creed, one of our primary statements of faith, try The Nicene Creed. It's written by a Catholic theologian but really helped me understand more pieces of this prayer that Christians share.

If you are interested in the more mystical/Ignatian modes of spirituality, both of these are Catholic but apply well to Anglicanism: Richard Rohr's Center for Contemplation in Action (love their daily reflections!) and many of the books by Father James Martin, SJ.

Lastly, read the Bible just a little bit every day! It will help you get more familiar with things. Try choosing a daily devotional like Sacred Space or Day by Day which will give you snippets of reading and reflection. It'll help you grow to understand scripture better.

• J.C. Ryle, Thoughts for Young Men ($8)
  
• J.C. Ryle, Holiness ($8)
  
• John Bunyan, Christian Behavior ($6)
  
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in the Spirit ($2, used)
  
• Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Christian Solider, $11 used
  
• William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour, selections, $12
  
• Voices from the Past, $20 used -- this book is FANTASTIC for both being thought-provoking and helpful in its own right, but also as a jump-off point to whet the appetite for reading the Puritans. I've discovered (and read) so many worthy books for free on Kindle that I've originally discovered through this little book. Bit over your price point, unfortunately, but this is a great book I wish someone had given me when I was a teenager!
  
  These are all good and helpful to young people.
  
  EDIT: Also, The Swans are Not Silent series by John Piper is amazing; I especially recommend The Hidden Smile of God and The Roots of Endurance. However, these are all free for download (legally) here, and it pains me to recommend buying what can be gotten for free! You might recommend them to him though! Most of the above are also free to download (not the Lloyd-Jones, or compilations) but the price is lower and the volumes larger, so I think it's worth having a paper copy for a gift. :)

Well, okay, but you asked people to describe how it feels. I am saying that it feels very much like when you get the warm-fuzzies looking at a sunset or cuddling a puppy or whatever. It's no coincidence many poets compare love to nature.

Anthony De Mello was a Catholic priest, but don't let that put you off reading his works, as he was essentially banned by the Church. This book describes what I was talking about - attachments vs preferences and how love is not something that can be "found," but something that is always with us:
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Love-Meditations-Anthony-Classics/dp/038524939X

I've been researching love for years - all different angles. One of my favorite topics!

You may also be interested in this book as well:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_General_Theory_of_Love
... more of a scientific/rational approach. Discusses the concept of limbic resonance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbic_resonance

You might also just want to start here -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love

> I am talking about the love people feel for each other, not some ethereal love for the universe.

It's not a love for the universe. It's love as energy, something within us. When we feel love for another person, what we are experiencing is a reflection of the love that is already within us.

>To me, faith is defined as "the belief in something for which there is no direct evidence."

I think if you really focused deeply on the nature of theism and faith, you'd see that this definition encompasses not just gods but also all of our non-axiomatic philosophies. Take science: it can't even prove itself, so how do we know it's valid as a method of ascertaining reality? Saying, "because it works" shifts the goal posts from veracity to pragmatism -- from truth to what works.

I'm thinking of Tolstoy, who said: "without faith it is impossible to live." He probably didn't mean it in the way I'm meaning it.

I mean that faith, which can be equated with trust (which in turn signifies inclinations of the will, i.e., you can't just "believe" without showing some type of change in your behavior), is needed to move and live for all of our philosophical assumptions which can't (because they're assumptions) be proven. Take the existence of the outer world, other selves, uniformity in nature, induction, etc. All these things are what we would call "common sense," but this doesn't undermine the fact that we can't (and no philosopher so far has) proven these using reason. They're intuitive or instinctual axioms we have about the world, arguably hard wired into us.

What happens if we doubt these? We can't possibly move or live; we're bound in a constant state of skeptical paralysis. Without faith we can't be human. Religious faith is another flavor of a faith that's essentially no different than the daily faith we have in our basic assumptions.

What I'm sensing is you're somewhere between the contemplation and determination/preparation stage of the stages of change, fueled by a conviction that atheism leads to a sort of nihilism whereas you want the security of theism in contributing to something that goes beyond this. So your task is to read. An excellent introduction is JP Moreland's Scaling the Secular City, the best book on apologetics I've read. More broadly, and with less bias because it's an anthology, I always recommend Shatz's Philosophy and Faith, which goes through multiple areas regarding God with contributions from atheists, agnostics, and mostly theists. The great Catholic theologian critical of Catholicism, Hans Kung, has a classic called On Being a Christian that's one of the most intellectual and insightful justifications for Christianity in writing.

There are plenty others. Moreland in particular does an excellent job of unveiling how materialistic explanations are something we tend to accept uncritically, and through criticizing them does a great job of making them appear very problematic.

I found some smaller spiritual guides helpful at that age. My Daily Bread and Imitation of Christ are great ways to do small but important daily reading. Try to attend daily mass if you can; get to know the priest and seek out volunteer opportunities. The best way to feel the love of Christ is to give it away to others.

And don't struggle too much. Relax and float to the top, secure in the love and peace of God.

My husband's parents were curious as to why I was getting packages literally EVERY SINGLE DAY.. between personal orders, my bestie surprising me, & you guys! So he explained RAOA to them. I'm not sure what was said, or their reaction.. but I'm sure mom gave him one of her famous looks. You know the type. I want to get her this, this, & this. (Sorry for more than one item -- I couldn't choose! I'm not religious in the slightest, so I don't know which she'd appreciate the most) She always writes verses on Post-its & places them around the house ALL the time. I feel like she'd LOVE them.

My husband on the other hand.. completely different reaction. He thought it was really cool, bc it allows me to socialize (since I don't have friends out here), fulfills my need to gift people & spread happiness, and he knows how much I like getting mail. He totally gets it. He even stole one of my gifts! 😂

Hey, arguing was the wrong word to use. You know, we may disagree on stuff, but if seeking God makes you happy and makes you feel like you're changing for the better, you keep on keeping on. I'm honestly really happy for you, ya know?

Also, I want to recommend this. I just finished reading it myself, and it helped me to really understand the deepness of our savior's love. It takes the gospels and expounds them in short story form with little explanations at the end.

Anyway. Have a good day, yeah?

This verse is one I turn to when I'm feeling down in this sense.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2077

Psalm 77
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands,
and I would not be comforted.
3 I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated and my spirit asked:
7 “Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”
10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
12 I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
13 Your ways, God, are holy.
What god is as great as our God?
14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

I'd also recommend picking up a daily devotional, personally I'd recommend Streams in the Desert, it's fantastic.

https://www.amazon.com/Streams-Desert-Graduates-Devotional-Readings/dp/0310282764

Heidelberg is best Catechism (only half joking).

I use the edition found in Ecumenical Creeds and Reformed Confessions.

If you are looking for a study guide, Body & Soul: Reclaiming the Heidelberg Catechism by Craig Barnes is good. I like Kevin DeYoung's book The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism too. It is nice in that it has one short chapter for each Lord's Day section. If you wanted a somewhat different approach you could try Learning Jesus Christ Through the Heidelberg Catechism by he-who-shall-not-be-named.
For an actual commentary, Ursinus wrote one.

Websites: The CRC online version is nice and easy to use, but it's just the catechism itself (no additional resources). The Canadian Reformed Churches
have a pretty neat website: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/ that has a ton of resources.

The Westminster shorter / longer catechisms are fine too. If you want to compare the various Reformed confessional statements, Joel Beeke and Sinclair Ferguson's Reformed Confessions Harmonized is a great resource.

I use the Catechism for Young Children with my kids. We really like it, but there is some archaic language and some of the answers are a bit long for young children.

I've heard good things about Tim Keller's New City Catechism - it has so really neat "new media" resources, but I've not used it myself.

Some excellent answers here but the short answer is yes, Catholic as a I am, I have recognized the ritual and rites of Catholic practices to be deeply spiritual, holy, and “ceremonial” magick in a sense. It’s important that no matter what you practice that there is no “lip service” where you treat the prayers and litanies as blah blah blah but instead pray with fervor and focus on the Word and sacrificial Rite of the Mass.

I’ve been watching The Mystery School on YouTube by mindandmagick and he does a great job of explaining magick and the important of ritual on the subconscious. As a practitioner of it he talks about his ceremonial magick temple(room in his house) and how sacred he treats it and how seriously he preps for rituals and decorated his temple. He doesn’t let anyone in that room either and has no disturbances interrupt him. This got me thinking about the Mass and how the church demands the same sacredness and solemnity. It’s all meant to prime our subconscious and build our energy and intent to a communion with a higher power intent on doing good will in the world.

Catholics have magick. We have the Prayer to Michael the Archangel for protection. We have the Rosary Novena for petitioning for favors. We have chaplets and the Holy Sacraments. We have our spiritual cleansing ritual in the form of the Sacrament of Confession and believe in fasting and prayer to bring ourselves closer to God. And of course, the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

I like reading a book compiled of prayers from various mystics and saints that are powerful when wielded with faith, like anything, it’s all about faith in what you’re doing. No lip service! Prayers and Heavenly Promises

Jordan Fisher Smith, one of the Lyme disease patients documented in Under Our Skin (a required film for Lymies!), is the only person who I am aware of who claims that he is “cured.” His treatment was long-term antibiotics, as well as Chinese acupuncture & herbs, supplements, a clean diet, exercise & proper sleep. Jordan’s struggle is partially described in a 2006 article for Backpacker—“Reality Bites: Lyme Disease”. In 2016 he said, “I was treated for 7-1/2 years and have been totally cured now for 8 years. There are others.”


Ally Hilfiger, designer Tommy Hilfiger’s daughter, wrote a (great!) book titled Bite Me, describing a nightmarish experience with Lyme that began in her childhood. She now refers to her health status not as “cured,” but instead, “managed.”


“Managed” is a term that resonates with me. I do not believe there is a cure for Lyme (if there were wouldn’t we know about it by now??), however I do know of people who find a “managed” place and are able live fulfilling lives. That is my goal, and I wish this for you too!


—————
FWD: The complexity of “managed” >>

💚 Thought I’d share something I just wrote to my sister. Sums up the reality that has unfolded in the past 6+ years while being treated for late-stage Lyme disease. As they say— take what you want and leave the rest:

“Oh ya there is definitely a ‘secondary lyme syndrome’ meaning lyme and/or lyme treatment will cause or enable other issues/ailments/diseases. It's a catch 22... like chemo, it can wreck you almost as much as the cancer. U just have to hope your immune system has been boosted enough after treatment to fight off anything new. Immune system will always be comprised tho because there is no ‘cure’ for lyme, the bacteria is always lurking even tho antibiotics can take care of a lot of it. U just have to try to eat clean, rest, no stress, take supplements, stay as healthy as possible so as not to allow the bacteria to take over again. Kind of like AIDS patients - they have to be really careful.”

So, there it is. Defend yourself against Lyme disease and if you suspect you have it, see a “lyme-literate doctor” to help nip it in the bud. 💚

Well, it depends on how much these kids can handle.

Every Catholic should read The Imitation of Christ

The Lamb's Supper really gives a fantastic understanding of the Mass. You'll never look at it the same again. There's even a study guide for it!

I stumbled across Aquinas in middle school and I thank God every day. He's the reason I stayed a Catholic. I understand the Summa Theologica is hard to read, but perhaps Peter Kreeft's A Shorter Summa will do.

For the younger guys, I think Patrick Madrid is an ok choice. I think his classical Where's that in the Bible? will do.

For your older middle school kids (7th to 9th grade), please, please read Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Here's a beginner version. Teenagers are teenagers, ya know? They need to be aware of these things if their parents aren't discussing it with them. We live in a sex-driven society and we need to make sure they don't get off track :)

Good luck with your classes!

I can recommend some books.

For general theology:

• Being, Consciousness, and Bliss by David Bentley Hart
  
  
• On the Divine Names by Pseudo-Dionysius
  
  
• This argument and this other argument, which are some of the best out there for God's existence
  
  
• Summa Theologica by Aquinas
  
  
• The Last Superstition by Ed Fesser
  
  For living a Christian life:
  
  
• Way of the Pilgram
  
• The Life of Moses by Gregory of Nyssa
  
• Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom
  
  
• The Brothers Karamozov
  
  
• Centuries of Mediations by Thomas Trahearne
  
  For adjudicating between denominations:
  
  
• The Orthodox Way by Timothy Ware
  
  
• The Story of Christianity by David Bentley Hart
  
  
  Some essays and blogs:
  
  
• A blog, Glory to God for All Things
  
  
• Some essays, "Christ and Nothing", "Gods and Gopniks", "Daniel Dennett Hunts the Snark", and "Why Don't We Believe in Fairies"
  
  
  Do you need a denomination? Yes. All truths cannot be equally valid; therefore, some denominations must be closer to the truth than others. In the end, Christ teaches that the Church will be preserved throughout history. The question to answer for yourself is: what is the true Church? Obviously, I'm Eastern Orthodox and am convinced my Church is the fullest expression of Christianity, so read my comment as being spoken by a person from a particular group who has his own biases. Feel free to check out Orthodox Christianity if you start looking our way.
  
  Edited

A few days ago I found this essay, "The Logic of Trinitarian Doctrine" by Phillip Cary. It's designed for a beginner and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot from it: https://www.scribd.com/document/2385278/The-Logic-of-Trinitarian-Doctrine-by-Phillip-Cary

He has a follow-up essay here detailing more of the history of the doctrine of the Trinity: https://www.scribd.com/document/253541820/Historical-Perspectives-on-Trinitarian-Doctrine

There are also these books:

• The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters by Luke Timothy Johnson - it's an overview of the Nicene Creed's development. I like Johnson's style alot - because he's not just writing a history, but also trying to argue that the concepts in the Creed are central to Christianity - and my church once read it for their adult Sunday School class to good benefit.
  
  
• The Trinitarian Controversy in the Sources of Early Christian Thought series, edited by William G. Rusch - a useful and short anthology of key ancient writings in Trinitarianism.
  
  
• Classical Christian Doctrine by Ronald E. Heine - it's not just about the Trinity but it's my favorite introductory book on the early church's theology and really solid.
  
  ALSO: I've never read this, but it's been recommended to me: Worshipping Trinity: Coming Back to the Heart of Worship by Robin A. Perry
  
  

My grandparents and dad always used [Living Faith] (http://www.livingfaith.com/).

Personally, I bought a Roman Missal and read the daily readings from that. The Catholic Company also has a wonderful "Morning Offering" email that formats like this.

As for a book that isn't meant to be a daily devotional but served as a great one for me on my first reading of it, thanks to its short sections, is Thomas a Kempis' The Imitation of Christ.

Good luck and welcome home!

Here are some ideas.

RC Sproul's Essential Truths of the Christian Faith is a great summary of many key ideas.

His The Holiness of God is a classic that packs quite the punch.

Also by Sproul, The Crucial Question booklet series is a great series of shorter booklets that explore a few important topics in a bit more depth without being overwhelming.

Sproul's What is Reformed Theology? is a decent overview that is pretty approachable.

Beeke's Living for God's Glory is a decent introduction that I think can be helpful in that it starts to unpack some of the broader implications.

Looking at creeds and confessions is also solid. Here are decent ones for the Westminster Confession of Faith (and this one too) and Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism.

In case you want to watch instead, Ligonier Ministries will post 1 free video from their teaching series every day.

As for listening, there is Renewing Your Mind

Agree with everything you wrote, and I'd love to see an answer!

I also would like to add that the best religious book I ever found for raising a critical thinker (and completely subverting religion, as well as teaching listening comprehension skills) is Sticky Situations, 365 Devotions for Kids and Families.

They're a series of (often unintentionally hilarious) short stories, followed by multiple choice, "What would you do?" options, and a recommended Bible reference.

For example:

>It is a cold, windy and day and it's just beginning to snow. Jean is on her way into the store to pick up a gallon of milk for her mom when she notices a car with its lights on. The driver is nowhere to be seen. Jean's mom is waiting for her because they have to get home for a quick supper before choir. She really needs to hurry. What should Jean do?

>Should she...

>A. Say, "I wonder how long his lights will last" and keep walking?

>B. Try the doors, get in, check out the tapes, and take a few?

>C. Try the doors, get in, and turn off the lights?

>D. Try the doors and finding them locked, take down the license plate number and report it to the store cashier?

>E. Leave a note saying "You should be more careful. Leaving your lights on can run down the battery"?

>For help in knowing what Jean should do, read Matthew 7:12.

Of course, the obvious answer (as it so often is for these stories), is none of the above! Usually can come up with good answers on their own, but I'd add, "Don't go trying to break into someone else's car, little girl. Just mention it to the store clerk, and again to your mom."

Matthew 7:12, by the way, is "do to others what you would have them do unto you". Which is a verse that leads to all sorts of interesting discussion with kids. Such as... "If I was Kitty, I'd want to wear doll clothes!" ;-) I taught my kids that the Bible verse is incomplete. What it ought to say is, "Do to others what you would have them do unto you, if you were them." Putting yourself in the other person's shoes is very important. Though even that doesn't take into account people who want things that are bad for them.

And I can't think of a single adult who'd like to have a young child messing around in their car, trying to turn their lights off!

You might want to try meditation/mindfulness. Read the book Mindsight, it will teach you how and why this will help.

Think of your mind as the hub of a wheel. Imagine the spokes moving out in all directions, connecting to our sensations (our five senses & the external world), our internal body (heart, lungs, etc), mental activities (feelings, thoughts, memories), and interconnectedness (with other people and our surroundings). The rim.

At the center (the hub), we are at peace. Everyone has a hub. But often times we get stuck on the outer parts of the wheel (in your case, feelings, thoughts, memories & maybe interconnectedness) and we can't find peace. Meditation can teach you to recognize when you are on focusing on the rim instead of being at the hub. Being your thoughts instead of seeing them for what they are.

I'd also recommend "The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello". It's a very short book with solid advice. You've attached your happiness to your STBX. Any time we attach to something for our happiness, we can't be happy because we become anxious of losing it. In your case, you have lost it. I'm in the same boat, so no judgement. We have to learn that we don't need them (or anyone or anything else) to be happy. It takes time, and mindfulness can help with this as well.

Maybe these can help you.

When my kids were younger, they really enjoyed Grandpa's Box by Starr Meade. They also enjoyed several of the biographies by Simonetta Carr.

Currently, we're using Training Hearts, Teaching Minds in our family devotions and it's been very good.

Sounds like a great opportunity to depend on God and grow in faith.

Books:

http://www.catholicgentleman.net/book/

http://www.amazon.com/Imitation-Christ-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486431851

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-The-Four-Signs-of-a-Dynamic-Catholic-p/1fs-sc.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Christian-Fatherhood-Burnham-Steve-Wood/dp/0972757163/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463572670&sr=1-2&keywords=christian+fatherhood

http://www.ignatius.com/Products/JWAY-P/josephs-way-the-call-to-fatherly-greatness.aspx

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-Every-Mans-Journey-p/1emj-sc.htm

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-Mission-of-the-Family-p/1motf-sc.htm

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-A-Father-Who-Keeps-His-Promises-p/1fkp-sc.htm

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-The-One-Thing-p/1ot-sc.htm

http://cart.dynamiccatholic.com/Free-Journey-to-God-p/1jtg-sc.htm

CDs:

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/facing-your-fears

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-3-stages-of-the-interior-life

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/contemporary-sainthood

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/becoming-the-best-version-of-yourself

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/discerning-god-s-will

Much more at:

http://dynamiccatholic.com/

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/

http://www.ignatius.com/

• Training Hearts, Teaching Minds: Family Devotions Based on the Shorter Catechism
  
• The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism
  

I could recommend a few books :


The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis

Quite light reading and have a good references for spiritual reflections in daily life.

Theology of the Body by John Paul II

This book change my perspective toward "sexual" issues in the modern world, nowadays.

My Daily Bread by Fr. Anthony J. Paone

I read this book daily, personally, whenever i found my faith challenged. As if the book understand my problem at that day.

I hope this help, God bless.

The most life-changing and influential book I have ever read is The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello.

Each chapter is short but powerful. De Mello gives simple advice that really makes you rethink the most fundamental parts of life, relationships, and the way you see yourself.

It's not a 365 devotional, but I have enjoyed this book recently. Scriptural prayer without being rote.

Gently? Not sure, but try The Way to Love by Anthony de Mello, a Jesuit priest. Read the Amazon preview.

> further understanding of Christianity

https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Catholic-Dogma-Henry-Denzinger/dp/1930278225
https://www.logos.com/product/5206/summa-contra-gentiles
https://www.amazon.com/Treasure-Tradition-Ultimate-Guide-Latin/dp/193663936X
https://www.amazon.com/Hell-Its-Torments-Robert-Bellarmine/dp/0895554097/

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Heresies-Hilaire-Belloc-ebook/dp/B00V2S7OQ2/

>and how people practice and live with their faith

https://www.amazon.com/Imitation-Christ-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486431851
https://www.amazon.com/Way-Perfection-Image-Classics/dp/0385065396
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Soul-Autobiography-Therese-Lisieux/dp/0935216588/

>Fiction

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0395974682
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Was-Thursday/dp/1603863303

>nonfiction

https://www.amazon.com/Orthodoxy-G-K-Chesterton/dp/1515241394
https://www.amazon.com/Heretics-Gilbert-K-Chesterton/dp/1490303022
https://www.amazon.com/Revolt-Masses-José-Ortega-Gasset/dp/0393310957/
https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Synthesis-Thomistic-Reginald-Garrigou-Lagrange/dp/1453612661/

You assume it is hard. It is not if you run into the proper arguments.

I used to be a Catholic until I've read The Kingdom of God Is Within You by Leo Tolstoy. This book is not against religion but FOR it. However, it presented Christianity in a light that made it so beautiful that my old view on my faith seamed like a distorted ugly monster.

For a more recent work with some eastern flavor, read The Way to Love: The Last Meditations of Anthony de Mello. It's palm sized and packs such a great punch.

The first one was banned by the Russian Orthodox Church. The books of the second author were banned for a while by Vatican (by the current pope to me more precise, back when he was a cardinal) The ban was lifted but the damage was already done (accidental publicity).

Both books are somehow PRO Christianity. If you read them you will discover a beauty in your own faith way beyond what you can imagine right now. And then, you will try to evolve your understanding... and in this evolution, you will probably reach atheism at some point.

Please buy this book and read it everyday...one chapter at a time

http://www.amazon.com/Way-Love-Meditations-Anthony-Classics/dp/038524939X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317512197&sr=1-2

Sure! I guess it's a first step, but it's not enough or something one can really do apart from religion, i.e. without entering in the Church he founded and using of the sacraments he instituted for us.

... You might find intersting this classic of Christianity: the Imitation of Christ, and here's an online version.

Non-mobile: this

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01B76KBR2/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1524544905&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=adult+coloring+cards+to+color