Here are some books I highly recommend, in no particular order.

Note: Most of these books were published before 2008; I just happened to read them in 2008.

+ The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, with Bill Moyers

Campbell spent his life studying mythology and its role in emotional and spiritual development and in the development of religions, cultures and societies.  In this book, written shortly before his death, Campbell summarized much of what he learned.

This is a very important book.  Why?  Because, according to Campbell, mythology has shaped us, for good and bad.  Knowing how we’ve been shaped helps us adjust the way we think about things.  Knowing how we’ve been shaped helps us live more fully in reality, in truth and in love.

Campbell wrote a lot about how mythology influenced religions, including Judaism and Christianity, and about how they often used myths (or stories) to communicate their ideas.

Also, many religions and cultures told similar myths.  Some Christians and Jews might be surprised to learn, for example, that many stories in the Bible are very similar to stories told by other cultures and religions.

The creation stories in the Bible, for example, are very similar to creation stories told by other cultures and religions.  Also, other cultures and religions had stories about a great flood, virgin births, walking on water, resurrection, etc.

As someone who grew up in the Christian tradition (on the conservative side), I found this book especially fascinating, enlightening and helpful.

+ Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow:  Discovering Your Right Livelihood by Marsha Sinetar

Don’t be fooled by the title; this is not self-help flim-flam.  Sinetar writes brilliantly about how our emotional and spiritual development influence our vocation.  According to Sinetar, as we grow in self-esteem, we’ll make more and more decisions (including decisions about our vocation!) that are in line with our true self (who we really are and what we really love).  Often our vocation will evolve as we evolve, as we grow in self-esteem.

(If Sinetar’s theory is accurate, and I think it is, I may soon be a piano-playing rock star or a writer for a hit sit-com or a stand-up comedian.)

Sinetar deeply understands the journey of emotional and spiritual development — this is a smart, smart book!  — and she addresses core issues.  If you’re wrestling with what to do with your life (i.e., what career path to follow, etc.), or if you just want to grow in self-esteem, this is an outstanding resource.

+ The Devil in the White City:  Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larsen

Three words:  fascinating, disturbing, inspiring.  This is a true story (though it reads like fiction!) about the incredible events surrounding the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.  Much of the book focuses on the stories of two men:  Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the fair’s construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer masquerading as a charming doctor.

If you’re from Chicago, or just love Chicago, this is a must-read.

+ Eat, Pray, Love:  One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

This book is funny and deep — a great combo!  I appreciated Gilbert’s vulnerability (she talked openly about her depression, insecurities, sex life, spiritual journey and much more).  I admire her growth journey.

Also, this book is filled with funny, fascinating and quirky characters, such as Ketut Liyer, a loving, light-hearted, elderly, almost toothless Balinese medicine man.

+ God Laughs & Plays:  Churchless Sermons in Response to the Preachments of the Fundamentalist Right by David James Duncan

Duncan is an amazing writer, and really funny, smart and deep.  In this collection of essays, the writing alone (the words, sentences and rhythm of it all) is worth the read — but he also says some really profound things about spirituality, Christianity, politics and environmentalism.

+ Co-Dependence:  Healing the Human Condition by Charles L. Whitfield, M.D.

What is co-dependence?  Here’s a quote from the book:  “The cause of co-dependence is a wounding of the True Self to such an extent that to survive, it had to go into hiding most of the time, with the subsequent running of its life by the false or co-dependent self.  It is thus a disease of lost self-hood.”

I deeply appreciate and respect Whitfield’s understanding of emotional and spiritual development.  If you struggle with codependency (like I do), or if you just want to understand it better, this is a great resource.

Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of Eat, Pray, Love, which I read this past year and really loved.  It’s funny, touching, deep (at times profound), fascinating and really funny (or did I already say that).  In it Gilbert shares incredibly vulnerably about her journey of emotional and spiritual growth.

Gilbert recently spoke at the TED Conference, an annual conference about ideas.  Her short talk (I think all talks at the TED Conference have to be under twenty minutes) is about a different way to think about creative genius.  It’s funny, fascinating and touching (kind of like Eat, Pray, Love, huh?).  Enjoy!

(Quick side note:  many of the talks from this year’s TED Conference are available online for free.  Some of the smartest, most interesting people from around the world shared their ideas.  Perhaps give yourself a personal development gift by carving out some time to watch one, two or ten talks.)

Here are some of my favorite books from last year, in no particular order. All of these have helped me in my journey of recovery and growth.

Belonging: Bonds of Healing and Recovery by Matthew Linn, Dennis Linn and Sheila Fabricant Linn | This book is definitely on my top five all-time list! It’s been profoundly helpful for me, and I know it’ll continue to be. The Linns write with amazing simplicity, grace and love. They do a phenomenal job integrating emotional and spiritual growth. One of my big take-aways: According to many psychotherapists, shame is at the core of the “psychic pain” that fuels addiction, and belonging (i.e., unconditional love) is the key to recovery and healing.

Healing Spiritual Abuse & Religious Addiction by the Linns | Yep, the Linns again. One of my big take-aways: According to the Linns, part of healthy spirituality is giving myself and others spiritual freedom.

Reading the Bible Again for the First Time: Taking the Bible Seriously But Not Literally by Marcus Borg | This was an important book for me, in part because I grew up in an environment that taught that the Bible is God’s Word — that God wrote the Bible through human authors, that everything in the Bible is true and, in fact, that the Bible contains the Truth. One of my big take-aways: According to Borg, the Bible is a human product, and the authors of the Bible were expressing their best understanding of God, Jesus, humanity and the universe.

Practically Shameless: How Shadow Work Helped Me Find My Voice, My Path and My Inner Gold by Alyce Barry | If you’d like to better understand how doing Shadow Work may help you mature emotionally and spiritually, this is a great place to dive in. Alyce (whose brother is Cliff Barry, one of the pioneers of Shadow Work) writes so clearly and vulnerably. One of my big take-aways: According to Alyce, the human shadow could be called “the box built by shame,” and healing the shame transforms the box into a life of more freedom and love.

Healing the Child Within: Discovery and Recovery for Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families by Charles Whitfield | This book is considered a classic, and now I know why — it has been so helpful! Most of us (if not all of us) have some Inner Child, or Child Within, recovery work to do. This book is a great place to start! One of my big take-aways: According to Whitfield, the Child Within is our True Self (as opposed to our false self or codependent self).

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle | This book might be in my top five of all time, at least top ten. Very few books I’ve read have as much spiritual authority as this book. It’s one of the best descriptions of the transformational journey from ego (or false self) to True Self. One of my big take-aways: According to Tolle, it’s not the emotional pain (what Tolle calls the “pain-body”), but identification with it that causes the suffering that I inflict on myself and others. (Sounds like “shame,” doesn’t it? Do you sense a theme in these books and in the transformational journey?)

Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh | I’ve told several of my friends that if this was the one and only book that every human being read, we’d all do just fine … in fact, the world would be an absolutely wonderful place to live. Like Tolle’s book, this book has some serious spiritual authority. This truly is a classic. So simple, yet so deep and profound. It might crack my top five of all time list. One of my big take-aways: According to Hanh, to have direct experience of God, or of Ultimate Reality, we must abandon our notions of God, Buddha, nirvana, self, non-self, birth, death, being and non-being.

True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh | OK, this is a very slim book (104 pages) about how to deeply love another human being (and yourself). Hanh writes with such beautiful simplicity, grace and tenderness. One of my big take-aways: The Four Mantras: “Dear one, I am really here for you.” “Dear one, I know that you are there, and it makes me very happy.” “Dear one, I know that you are suffering, that is why I am here for you.” “Dear one, I am suffering, please help.”

One of my favorite authors — and someone who has become a mentor to me through his books — is David Benner. Benner is a psychologist and spiritual director and writes about counseling, spiritual direction and the integration of psychology and spirituality. He’s a very smart, clear, engaging writer with a knack for making complex ideas easy to understand. If you want to dive into Benner’s books, I highly recommend starting with his trilogy: Surrender to Love, The Gift of Being Yourself and Desiring God’s Will. I think those three books, which describe the process of deep spiritual and emotional transformation and growth, are absolute must-reads. I’d start with Surrender to Love.

Being a huge fan of Benner, I was thrilled to discover that back in 2003 he helped create a journal called Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation, which is focused on the deep spiritual and emotional transformational journey with God. Some of the other people involved in this publication are: Larry Crabb, Gary W. Moon, Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, Margaret Guenther, John Ortberg, M. Basil Pennington and Jeannette Bakke.

Conversations comes out twice a year (spring and fall), and the spring 2007 issue, entitled “Spiritual Direction,” is now available. You can check out the table of contents and order a copy (for $15) on the website.

To get a good feel for what Conversations is all about, read a couple of the free articles from back issues. I’ve loved what I’ve read thus far! I highly recommend reading the first issue, the spring 2003 issue, which is available for free in PDF format. I think that’ll really help you get a feel for what Benner and friends are trying to do through Conversations. And that first issue includes an interactive review by Benner of Richard Rohr’s book Everything Belongs, which is one of my favorite books. Also, definitely consider reading the second issue, the fall 2003 issue, which is entitled “True Self / False Self .” Excellent stuff! And also free.

I’m finding Conversations to be a great resource as I journey with God, myself and others. I hope it’s helpful to you, too!

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.