:: In.a.Mirror.Dimly ::

Today’s guest post is by Andi Cumbo:

I’ve been reading Christian nonfiction since I was a kid. It was my mother’s favorite type of book, next to good British mysteries, of course. The shelves of my childhood home house Hind’s Feet on High Places and In His Steps, and Mom introduced me to The Screwtape Letters in high school.

So when I’m asked to pick three Christian nonfiction books, well, it’s hard for me to narrow it down. But narrow, I did. Here are my three favorites.

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

Seriously, it is impossible for me to not love a conversion story that includes the words, "F*&^ it. I give up" because, well, that’s the only way I’ve found my path forward sometimes – surrender. Lamott’s story of her "come to Jesus" moment breaks my heart and inspires me to be more real when I talk about my faith.

No Man Is An Island by Thomas Merton

As a writer, one thing I need a great deal of is solitude – time alone and away to think and ponder and get words to the page. The one person who has taught me most about this is the Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton. In this book, however, he challenges us to realize we cannot isolate ourselves, even in our solitude. We must look to one another for help and insight – something that, right now in the U.S., it seems we need more and more.

The Cloister Walk by Kathleen Norris

At a dark moment in my life, Norris’s reflection on her time as Benedictine oblate poured light into my soul. I love her honesty here – her attempt to struggle with routine and “dailiness, “her truth about needing the quiet. Like Merton, she gives me space to find space.

So there, they are – my three recommendations and C.S. Lewis didn’t even make the list, although I hope he will be third on my "meet in Heaven" list, just after Jesus and Saint Peter.

I hope you’ll enjoy the books and that they will help you find space to be more fully the broken, beautiful person you were made to be.

Be sure to visit Andi’s blog today!