In the book Praying Our Way Through Stress: Drawing Wisdom from the Lord’s Life and Prayer (available through Westbow Press, Amazon and Barnes and Noble) I have a list of recommended reading.
One of the most important books I think a person can, and may I say, should read (even though I’ve been told you shouldn’t should on others) is Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types , Authored by David Kiersey and Marilyn Bates. I think it’s important because when a person is working on reducing stress in their lives, one of the ways they can do that is by coming to understand their own temperament and then that of the other people they are in relationship with.
One of the most difficult books for me to read was ‘Choosing Against War: A Christian View ‘A Love Stronger Than Our Fears’ by John D Roth. It was difficult because sometimes it seems like that war is the way the world has always handled problems. I picked this book up after seeing bumper stickers and signs all around that said: War is Not the Answer. If War isn’t the answer, what is? Most of the people I asked said they didn’t know but something had to be better, then I came across this book. Putting this book in my list of recommended reading in no way means I am anti-military, it just means I hope people will read the book because there are so many good points in it.
Healing Invisible Wounds: Paths to Hope and Recovery in a Violent World by Richard F. Mollica, MD was also a tough read as was True Faced: Trust God and Others with Who You Really Are by Bill Thrall, Bruce McNicol and John Lynch. These books can teach the reader a lot about their own healing process and that of other people.
Why did I include The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website? http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org . . . . Because suicide is worth preventing and people who are undergoing stress and change do contemplate and need to speak with people who are unbiased and who care and who can lead them to choosing life instead of death.
And of course I have The Holy Bible listed as the first recommended book – because too often it is the last book people would pick up. Reading and studying the Bible for God’s wisdom and insight for how to live peacefully and hopefully in a troubled world can be a great source of strength for all of us.
People often say they are too busy to read. And that has happened to me on occasion, but just think about how easy it is to read the morning newspaper or comics or sit and watch television for an hour or two. Perhaps start reading the bible for just 15 minutes to start with. Keep a pen or pencil handy – underline and jot notes . . . when I first started reading for understanding someone told me to pray for it before I started reading it. So when I open the bible I pray something like this – “Lord, open my heart and mind to what you would have me learn today. AMEN’ I don’t know why, but I sometimes gain insights I might otherwise miss when I pray first. Perhaps that prayer would work for every book we pick up to read. . . I just thought that now while I’m writing this. I’ll have to try it. . .
Good Reading, Read Prayerfully and God Bless You!
Praying Our Way Through Stress is available at Westbow Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. http://bookstore.westbowpress.com/Products/SKU-000587237/Praying-Our-Way-Through-Stress.aspx
Praying Our Way Through Stress 