The Beautiful Life
As we began our process of moving to Italy some 10 years ago, I began to meet with a spiritual director. His influence in my life and care for me as we journeyed through support raising, moving, and ministering abroad can’t be overstated. Early on, he made reference to a collection of writings I’d never heard of. He suggested I get a hold of the Philokalia and slowly read through it.
Admittedly, I was skeptical and uncertain as to what these writings actually were. What I found was a collection of writings from Spiritual Fathers of the Church on how to live life with God. In the Greek, Philokalia means the “beautiful life.” The beautiful life, the blessed life is available to those who sincerely seek first the Kingdom. It is indeed a beautiful compendium and resource to those who wish to seek God and live in union with Him.
The Beauty of Tradition
Since that time, I’ve found myself reading more and more of the Eastern Fathers. As a child of the Evangelical movement, I had never been exposed to most of the Fathers of the church save perhaps Augustine. Luther, sure. Calvin, came up quite often. Jonathan Edwards, Zwingli, Wesley, many of the “saints” of the protestant reformation were names I’d heard over and over as I grew up in the Evangelical world. But for the most part, I’d not interacted with much that came before the 16th century.
And so, I began to explore the writings of men and women who walked closely to Jesus and shared their wisdom and struggles with the Church. There is beauty in the body. For us Evangelicals, there is much wisdom to behold if we truly want to explore the bounds of Christendom.
Many have asked me over the years, “what are the top writings that have transformed the way I think about life with God?” So, I put together a list of 10 books that have impacted my walk with God. These books are a great testament to men and women who’ve struggled and persevered in life. They are examples of faithfully pressing on towards the goal.
Though I’ve recommended many of these books over the years, I’m increasingly inclined to let people gravitate towards them when (and if) they are ready.
My Top 10 Books
In no particular order:
1) Johannes Baptist Metz – “Poverty of Spirit”
2) St. John Climacus – “The Ladder of Divine Ascent”
3) Theophan the Recluse – “Unseen Warfare”
4) Gabriel Bunge – “Dragon’s Wine and Angel’s Bread”
5) Metropolitan Hierotheos – “Orthodox Psychotherapy”
6) Compiled by Igumen Chariton of Valamo – “The Art of Prayer”
7) Madame Guyon – “Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ”
8) Various Authors – “The Philokalia”
9) Evagrius of Pontus – “Talking Back”
10) Dr. William Fahey – “Foundations of Western Monasticism”