As I do at the end of every year, here is a list of the books I read this year that were not only interesting but changed how I live.

  • Stop Fixing Yourself: Wake Up, All Is Well (Anthony De Mello): Bookstore shelves groan under the weight of self-help books. The problem is that many of them are predicated on the twin ideas of self-hatred (what you don’t like about yourself) and self-violence (how to kill it). De Mello’s book was a breath of fresh air, focused on the more positive approach of giving up the mental programming that is convincing you are unhappy. I have long been a fan of De Mello’s works, but this one really stood out.
  • The Cycle of Grace: Living in Sacred Balance (Trevor Hudson and Jerry Haas): As a correction to the overemphasis on doing, the field of spiritual formation has focused on being. However, the pendulum has swung too far the other way. There is little wisdom in the recent literature on how to “do” in a way that is grounded in being. The Cycle of Grace is one of the few exceptions. Based on earlier work of a Christian psychiatrist and a theologian studying missionary burnout, the Cycle of Grace describes a posture towards living out one’s service based on a sense of one’s belovedness, spiritual vitality, and unique calling. A vital resource for ministerial resiliency.
  • Contemplation & Dark Night of the Soul (Rosemary O’Toole): This little book, written by a contemplative nun, is an excellent summary of insights on contemplation and the dark night of the soul. In well under 100 pages, she masterfully distills the wisdom of the Cistercian tradition on how to navigate the “significant issues that befall many of us in the mid-life phase of our earthly journey.”