The following are my “Two Thumbs Way Up” books for 2006. All of these books challenged and inspired me; a few of these books stirred up some fear and lots of questions. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr

Randy and I had the honor of meeting Richard (a Franciscan priest) in Albuquerque last month. I love Rohr’s view of God, Christianity and life — and this little book gets to the heart of Rohr’s views. No doubt I’ll reread this book many times!

2. Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey From Bozeman to Banaras by Diana Eck

Eck is a comparative religion professor at Harvard and head of the Pluralism Project. She’s a devoted Christian who clearly has a deep, intimate, experiential relationship with God — and she’s a pluralist. In the book she explains why. Don’t worry, this is not an academic book; it’s scholarly, yes, but also very personal, intimate, easy to read and loaded with stories. It’s fabulous! I’m sure I’ll reread sections of this book many times.

3. and 4. If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person and If God Is Love: Rediscovering Grace in an Ungracious World by Philip Gulley and James Mulholland

In these well-written, engaging books, the authors communicate a “radical” view of God’s grace and unconditional love. I found myself saying “amen” to almost all of their points!

5. Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical by Shane Claiborne

Claiborne is truly a radical! My oh my, I was laughing, crying and oh so challenged by Claiborne’s radical approach to following Jesus. Wow, this really is a must-read; it’s an important book. I don’t think you’ll see things the same way after reading it.

6. The Dark Night of the Soul: A Psychiatrist Explores the Connection Between Darkness and Spiritual Growth by Gerald May

If you’re interested in deep spiritual growth, you’ll get a lot out of this book. May does a fabulous job describing and explaining in simple terms “the dark night of the soul,” which St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila wrote much about. Before reading the book, I thought I knew what the mystics were referring to when they mentioned “the dark night of the soul,” but I found out I really didn’t have a clue. This is an especially important book for those of you who do some spiritual mentoring or spiritual directing.

7. Any books by the Linns (Matthew, Dennis and Sheila Linn)!

The Linns have an amazing ability to write clearly, simply and intimately. They’re passionate about making complex concepts and ideas very simple to understand — and they do a great job! Their books are mainly about emotional and spiritual development, and most of their books include some theology. In 2006 I probably read 4 or 5 of their books. Here are some of the titles: Good Goats: Healing Our Image of God, Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives You Life, Understanding Difficult Scriptures in a Healing Way, Healing the Purpose of Your Life.

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