(Part 2) Best christian personal growth books according to redditors

I almost never do this, but I think in this case it is what is needed.

I am almost certainly smarter than you. It's not arrogance or pride at all, it's just a fact. I have a Ph.D. I teach at a Christian University that's higher ranked than yours is. I've been thinking about these sort of issues since before you were born. Now, none of that really means anything. It certainly doesn't mean that I am right. But I do think it's worth listening to what I have to say in this area.

From what I can gather from your post, I don't think you understand the Reformed teachings on predestination. I think you think you do, but I don't think you do. I think either whoever explained it to you did a bad job, or you misunderstood them, or some combination of the two. It's also clear that you have just starting thinking about these issues. It is not at all uncommon for it to take some time for them to make sense for people.

Since you are an intelligent person, you should rely on primary source material. My recommendation is for you to go read the Canons of Dort. This was where the Reformed Churches first formalized their teachings on the doctrines of grace, what has come to be known as TULIP. Read them slowly. Read them again, and look up the scripture passages cited. Read them a third time. Once you understand what is actually taught, then you can start to wrestle with whether it is actually just or not.

To that end, I would recommend the book Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today's World by Richard Mouw which tries to show how TULIP makes sense in a modern world. There are other good books about TULIP out there, but they are aimed at a different goal. This one, I think best fits you.

An internet discussion board isn't the best place to try to answer all of your questions an objections. If you believe that Reformed theology is what the Bible teaches (and I think it is), go find a Reformed church and talk to the pastor and elders about your questions. Or, if you decide the whole Reformed project is balderdash, go find a church in a Lutheran or Methodist or Baptist pastor to talk to.

But to start, I will say that this is completely contrary to Reformed theology:

>You mean to tell me that there are a lot of people who don't even have the OPTION of being saved?

The offer of the gospel is available to all: Repent and be saved. The Reformed Churches confess this, and we've kicked people out who deny it. Everyone has the option of being saved, it is because of our sin that we reject God, and only by his grace that he drags some of us to him.

Are you willing to do anything to change the opinion of your SO?

Please consider listening to this podcast called Dogma Debate which features pro-gay Christian pastor Colby Martin, and consider reading his book, Unclobber by Colby Martin.

Some people get clear answers about some things. No one has full clarity over everything.

This is a book that really helped me. It may help you too.

New Evidence that Demands a Verdict

More Than a Carpenter

Cold Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels On my to read list.

Faith on Trial: An Attorney Analyzes the Evidence for the Death and Resurrection of Jesus

The Case for Christ

The Case for Faith

The Case for a Creator

The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus On my to read list.

The Historical Jesus: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Christ On my to read list.

Besides the apologetics books, you can watch John Lennox on YouTube. He is a very well-spoken and kind (doesn't attack the other debater) debater. Very well thought out responses. The Dawkins vs Lennox debate was awesome! Ditto Gary Habermas as well.

Looking at the wikipedia page its just a collection of interviews with the usual suspects using the usual arguments. anthropic principal, irreducible complexity, the Kalam cosmological arguemnt and near death expirences.

EDIT Some of the 1* reviews on Amazon are also quite informative.

I'm very sorry to hear that, /u/Explorer1007. I'd recommend:

• John J. Murray's Behind a Frowning Providence. It's a very short book. Actually, more like a booklet. So it's a very easy and fast read. Sometimes when you're going through tough times, it's easier to read something short and digestible. I think this booklet fits the bill.
  
  
• Jerry Bridges' Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts for something that's still relatively short but longer than the previous booklet. Bridges' book is written simply and plainly, but speaks powerfully. It's practical and edifying.
  
  
• D.A. Carson's How Long, O Lord?: Reflections on Suffering and Evil is meatier than the previous two books. It deals with the biblical (exegetical) as well as theological issues. Carson is a scholar (PhD, Cambridge), but he has the heart of a pastor, and it shows in this book (and other books of his).
  
  
• Finally, for now, consider the story of Mabel. It's sad, but inspiring.
  
  Please let me know if you'd like more recommendations or anything else really. Please feel free to DM if you prefer. For example, if you're looking at it more from a philosophical point of view, then I can recommend some good Reformed philosophical books responding the problem of evil.

So, before you tackle the convo, perhaps read Th Gospel According to Harry Potter. It was written by a woman specifically to address these issues. She pulls out Christian themes throughout the books and relates them back to gospel messages.

http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Harry-Potter-Spiritual/dp/0664231233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406179184&sr=1-1&keywords=the+gospel+according+to+harry+potter

Recently a combination of A Praying Life and Spiritual Depression has completely changed the way I pray. Daniel 9 is also beginning to hold a formative place in my prayer life.

You'll be amiss to search for a book that will change your actions... Look for something to help you change the bent of your heart more towards God and God's grace, flowing out of that relationship, will enable repentance and real change.

A risk of contradicting myself, I hold both authors of this book, How People Change, in very high regard. I've only read the first few chapters but it has a good focus. Again, on the heart and its relation to God over and above mere actions.

I'd highly recommend: Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn't the Only Option-And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062428594/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_6CVJDbNTNZH2S

The author is a priest herself and came to my Episcopal campus ministry and we had a really good discussion about these issues. It's a really good book that thinks about sex in a more productive way that isn't based around shame. She also has some things in there about LGBTQ folks.

I just want to point something out real quick both for OP and everyone replying. Introversion is simply a way of managing social energy and processing information internally vs. externally. It is not synonymous with anxiety, depression, and lack of social skills.

For those issues, OP, I do suggest you get help. Talk to someone professional, whom you are paying to unload your junk on. They can help you get a different perspective on things and build social skills. They can also prescribe you medication if necessary for any biochemical contributors to your depression. I say all this because I've been there. Being depressed sucks, especially when you don't have friends. Medication for a time helped.

As far as being an introvert, I would say congratulations - I'm one too! If you haven't yet, try out the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. It can help you realize more information about yourself - how you process information, make decisions, your priorities, etc. It was very helpful for me. Also check out Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

My bad memory. Here's the book, which is actually titled The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society.

I'm late to respond, but feel compelled to.

I am a Christian, and have been so since my early childhood. Prayer, Bible reading, faith and community are the pillars of my life.

I have had to come to terms with the fact that God is not a divine Santa Claus, who will give me all that I want, if I behave well, and ask nicely.

More than a decade ago, I asked God to save my marriage: He didn't. I asked him to heal my dad of cancer: He didn't. While I could somehow rationalize the end of my marriage - it was the logical consequence of some extremely poor choices, I just could not make sense of my father's death. These events led me to test and examine my faith in a way that I had not before.

It took me a few years to work through these questions. In some ways, I'm still working through them. In this time, I have raged, I have cried, I have been bitter, angry and jealous of everyone else's seemingly perfect life. Going to church every week and seeing all the people my age living my dream life, while I stand on the outside, looking on, were and are one of the hardest things I've had to face. Most of the women in my age group now have teenagers. Some of them have had surprise 3rd, 4th, 5th pregnancies! Young women who were born when I was in high school are now having children. And here I stand, remarried at 35, now turning 41, still waiting for my first child.

In my head, I know that this is a lopsided view. I know every single person has struggles, some that are public and visible, many that are not. But that doesn't lessen my loss, and that is also true.

What has also happened in this time is a maturing of my faith. Today, it is stronger, storm battered, weathered. I have a more clear eyed view of God's love. I've relearned that God's love for me is not earned by my actions. It is not proved by whether He gives me what I pray for. God loves me unconditionally, and He proved this by what He accomplished on the cross. Period. Nowhere in the Bible does God promise that life will be fair and equitable to all. In fact, it is filled with countless examples to the contrary. What the Bible does reveal is a God who walks with his people, strengthening, comforting, and yes, sometimes delivering them.

As I face infertility, I find strength by leaning on God and His word. I still weep and rage. But I find immense comfort and strength in knowing that God sees me, He cares, and He will answer my prayers - though I can't predict what the answer will be.

OP, others have mentioned this before me, I will echo their advice. Lean in to your pain. Struggle with your questions. Cry, scream and rage at God if that's what you honestly feel. He is big enough to handle it.

I hope you can find a group of people, or even one person, who is willing to walk with you on this road. If and when you are up for it, read books or blogs written by people who have walked through difficult paths.

Thank you for sharing your vulnerability. Sending you much strength and peace.

In addition to others directing you to Augustine's Just War theory, I would add C.S. Lewis's essay "Why I'm Not a Pacifist." I cannot find it only, but it was published in Weight of Glory. I was a pacifist when I was younger and now I'm on the cusp of joining the Armed Forces.

Please don't feel guilty.

I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. May I suggest a book?

Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Ed Welch

One key thing I learned from the book though is that anxiety and fear are telling us something. Listen to them and you can often find the root issue.

Medicine can be helpful as well, to take the edge off but be cautious of the side effects, both long term and short. I still have residual effects from medicine I stopped using over five years ago.

Remember, no body has ever died from a panic attack and they always pass eventually. Make sure you are taking things slow and reducing stress by pray, meditation, exercise, and healthy eating.

All the best.

Which James White? I hear good things about Dr. James Emery White, though I have never read any of his works.

This James White is a different story. He's not really a "doctor", all his doctoral degrees come from an unaccredited institution. I haven't interacted with his work too much, mostly because he comes across as a bit arrogant and confrontational in the works I have read. His apologetic work often strikes me as disingenuous, uncharitable, and often pseudo-historical towards those he is arguing against, especially Roman Catholics.

I do have quite a few books I would recommend:

First, I would read the following:

The Heidelberg Catechism, The Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort

These are collectively referred to as the "Three Forms of Unity", and are the baseline documents for continental Reformed (Calvinist) churches. In addition, I recommend the following:

Good Introductions

Letters to a Young Calvinist by James K.A. Smith

Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport by Richard J. Mouw

What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul

A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin

Digging Deeper

Pilgrim Theology by Michael Horton

The Christian Faith by Michael Horton

The Institutes of the Christian Religion in the 1536, 1541, or 1559 editions by John Calvin. Also available online here

Reformed Dogmatics by Herman Bavinck

Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof

As well anything by the following authors:

Modern: R.C. Sproul, Michael Horton, James K.A. Smith, Cornelius Plantinga, Alvin Plantinga, John Piper, and Tim Keller.

1800s & 1900s: J. Gresham Machen, Herman Bavinck, Abraham Kuyper, G.C. Berkouwer, and B.B. Warfield

Pre-1800s: Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, and John Knox

I would encourage you to check out a book called Just Do Something. It will help you with those very questions, from a well respected Bible teacher.

Check out Unclobber


https://www.amazon.com/UnClobber-Rethinking-Misuse-Bible-Homosexuality/dp/066426221X

This is pretty misguided sounding to me just skimming it. For example, "If asceticism denies people pleasure from the senses" is like saying "if surgery cuts people open and mutilates their bodies"... The end of asceticism isn't denying pleasure, but getting closer to God, and it is a matter of fact that for most people, sensory pleasure results in distance from God and that is the only reason to give it up. If sensory pleasure doesn't result in distance from God, then there is no reason to give it up. Many times it brings us closer to God, for example if we eat a nice meal due to hospitality, but the fathers recognize that we can consciously or unconsciously use this as an excuse in order to gratify our flesh, so they are even careful about this. Also, sometimes denying pleasure makes us proud and farther from God, in which case many saints (the only one that specifically comes to mind is St. John of San Francisco, but I've definitely encountered this sentiment before) encourage us to not deny ourselves as much, so that we don't become proud (St. John forced a young boy to eat meat during lent so that he would not become self-willed and proud; I have heard a story about a monk being ordered to eat meat by his abbot after repeatedly confessing pride at never having broken the fast). Asceticism is about radically confronting our experiences and values and struggling to remove the bad and make the good grow. If someone simply had pleasurable experiences all the time and for some reason this had no spiritual effect on them, then they would be called to some other, different type of asceticism than the rest of us depending on what came in between them and God.

Some points here, like that we should enjoy what is from God because it is from God, echoes sentiments in Orthodox teaching. There is a story (from the life of a desert father, don't remember which one) about a monk who said he will only trust God, so he won't eat anything unless it comes directly from God. Some neighboring saracen tribes who were hostile to the monks decided to make peace with them and brought a lot of food to them to feast on in reconciliation, but this monk denied doing so because it isn't from God, he said. But it is clearly from God because he did not seek it out, so he was chastised for denying this food. There is also a story I think in the life of St. Benedict of Nursia (but that is a guess) about a monk who was living in such severe asceticism in a cave that he didn't even know what day it was and had no contact with the world; he was revealed to the saint and the saint went to him on Pascha with a lot of food to feast in honor of the holiday, and urged the monk to eat this food he wouldn't normally eat in honor of God. But whether or not sensory pleasure falls into categories like this seems highly variable and individual.

If you are interested in further reading, I highly recommend this https://www.amazon.com/Struggle-Virtue-Asceticism-Secular-Society/dp/0884653730 book. By no means exhaustive or systematic, but it talks about foundational questions regarding asceticism and the worldly response to it in detail.

Also good: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/podvig.aspx

and http://www.stxenia.org/difference.html

Introverts in the Church

The Introvert Advantage

The Introverts Way - Living a quiet life...

Introvert Power - Why Your Inner Life is Hidden Strength

Networking for People who hate Networking

There you go. Just a few. Read all of these on Kindle.

I totally agree. It’s such a. Tricky doctrine as it can sound heretical or at least really challenge our thinking. I mentioned this book but I’ll put a link here. It really helped me form my thoughts about this doctrine and just a challenging read in general. We need to guard our teaching with the upmost care, I found this book to do a good job with that while challenging my view of unity with Christ. :D

https://www.amazon.com/One-Christ-Evangelical-Theology-Salvation/dp/1433531496/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=one+with+christian+evangelical+theology+of+salvation&qid=1565008071&s=gateway&sprefix=one+with+christ+&sr=8-1

There's a few, but three that I'd read are:

https://www.amazon.com/Torn-Rescuing-Gospel-Gays-vs-Christians-Debate/dp/1455514306/

https://www.amazon.com/UnClobber-Rethinking-Misuse-Bible-Homosexuality/dp/066426221X/

and http://www.godandthegaychristian.com/

Write or read?

If anyone's interested (and in hopes of putting the "Harry Potter is anti-religion" argument to bed for good:

https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Harry-Potter-Spiritual/dp/0664231233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510434595&sr=8-1&keywords=the+gospel+according+to+Harry+Potter

https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Faith-Harry-Potter-Multigenerational/dp/0819233552/ref=pd_sim_14_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0819233552&pd_rd_r=7Z4F6JWW0MXW0GWD5X06&pd_rd_w=55jVa&pd_rd_wg=xWDDV&psc=1&refRID=7Z4F6JWW0MXW0GWD5X06

https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Harry-Potter-John-Granger/dp/1414300913/ref=pd_sbs_14_4?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1414300913&pd_rd_r=VN2K3B25KAF5VQASJAEB&pd_rd_w=6L98T&pd_rd_wg=qSnuH&psc=1&refRID=VN2K3B25KAF5VQASJAEB

It's in the collected Weight of Glory if you're looking for a hard copy version. A lot of good sermons in there.

I took a religion class called "Theology in Pop Culture" at my Catholic high school. The Gospel according to The Simpsons was our text book and we analyzed an episode a week to find the religious message in it.

The rest of the week we just watched various episodes of The Simpsons. It was a good class.

I'm ISTJ and studying to be a Catholic priest. I think it would surprise people how many members of the clergy are introverted... and, like you're saying, how much of the vocation is really suited for introverts.

Maybe you've read it, but there's a book written by an introverted Evangelical pastor on introversion and church life (especially as a minister): Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture.

Yep. Founded and ran a large LGBT Christian organization for 16 years and wrote a book about being gay and Christian and why churches like the one I grew up in need to change their approach. I’ve also got a YouTube series coming soon to help answer Christians’ questions and debunk anti-gay Bible myths.

There are tons of us out there. I’ve got a blog at GeekyJustin.com where I talk about a lot of this stuff.

Add it to the library,

https://www.amazon.com/Trumpocalypse-End-Times-President-Globalist-Armageddon/dp/1478993596

Of possible interest:

The Struggle for Virtue: Asceticism in a Modern Secular Society, by Archbishop Averky Taushev (Russian Orthodox)

Have you ever heard of this book? My Christian friend gave it to me so we could read it together and it started a few really great discussions between us (I'm agnostic and bi).

You should definitely check out CCEF. They are some seriously wise counselors and educators in this area.

Have you read How People Change by Lane and Tripp?

As well, they have a number of other resources they recommend: http://www.ccef.org/resources and in particular Blame it on the Brain by Ed Welch is a highly recommended resource.

However, their biggest benefit, IMO is the training that they provide for pastors and other counselors.

I have no idea if this is a good book or not, but previously I had been recommended Running Scared by Ed Welch.

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


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I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

Sorry man, at work. If you want to actually do any research, look up some of this guy's books. https://www.amazon.com/Case-Creator-Journalist-Investigates-Scientific/dp/0310242096

He initially was an atheist due to science and decided that he wanted to disprove God, and actually came to believe in him through the process. I have read many of his books and he interviews a lot of prestigious scientists in his books. If you're open to hearing other sides of science than you may get something out of it.

You clearly must have some beef with Christianity to get on here and bash my beliefs when I never spoke a word with you, and that's what I mean by insecurity. I'm not forcing anything on you nor attacking your right to believe what you want.

In 1901, Duncan MacDougal decided to try to weigh the soul by hooking up the dying to a precise scale. And while science has essentially just shot holes in the method, Duncan had positive results. As these people died, they lost weight—roughly twenty-one grams. He repeated the experiment with dogs and saw no weight loss post mortem. I am not here to shoot holes in his science. I am here to ask the question, what if he was right?

If this experiment proves that the soul exists, there is an afterlife. So if there is an afterlife, something exists outside of this world. And if all that is true, I need to make sure that my soul is going to the right place. 

If the soul exists, a religion is true. And if my math is right, it’s the most powerful system in the body. It’s not necessarily Christianity out of sheer logic here, but it could be.

• If the soul exists, how does it work?
  
• How does it affect the decisions we make and our habits and behaviors?
  
• If the soul exists, how does it factor in to addiction and mental health?
  
• Why is faith the perfect solution for addiction and mental health?
  
• What is love?
  
• How can we love better?
  
• What did Jesus mean when he said "Love your neighbor as yourself”?
  
• How can we fear God?
  
• Why is forgiveness important?
  
• Why is pride harmful?
  
• How can grief be overcome with love?
  
  In this book, I take an original approach at all these questions, and much more. If you think that faith has nothing that it can bring you, you should read this book. If you are wondering how you can use you beliefs to make better decisions, this book is for you.
  
  Soul Science is available for preorder now on Amazon [$0.99]. It drops August 1st.

I’m not assuming anything. Read what evangelicals that believe the world is about to end that also support trump think: https://wava.com/movies/blogs/religion-today-blog/end-time-prepper-jim-bakker-proclaims-god-sent-donald-trump-to-prepare-the-church-for-the-rapture?apt_credirect=1

https://www.amazon.com/Trumpocalypse-End-Times-President-Globalist-Armageddon/dp/1478993596/ref=nodl_

“Trumpocalypse explores the enigmatic prophecies and "biblical codes" involving Trump, and asks whether God raised up President Trump as a fearless leader to guide America and the free world through a series of major crises as the biblical end-time narrative unfolds, as many people with prophetic gifts are predicting, and shows why everyday Americans and evangelicals have rallied around Trump as their last hope of saving America and averting the horrors of the Apocalypse. It further reveals why Trump and millions of "deplorables" are fighting to stop the hidden agenda of the Establishment, and how the perplexing chaos enveloping the planet could paradoxically signal the beginning of the great end-times awakening that millions are praying for. “

I’m not interested in reading your speculation about what evangelicals might believe. Don’t bother responding if you aren’t going to cite what actual conservative evangelicals believe.

If this video talks about Adam/Eve, Noah's Ark, etc... being unbelievable and probably not real - I'd have to agree. That's not what my faith is built off of.

​

I don't blame really anyone who doesn't believe, Christianity has done some pretty horrible things in the name of God throughout history and even today. But all of that stuff was never built off of anything Jesus said, it was built off of Old Testament stories and rhetoric (much like the whole narrative about homosexuality). Its outdated and dangerous.

​

My point is, don't assume you know what I believe just because I'm a "pastor".

​

Check this out if you want to know how I could be a pastor and not believe some things in the Bible, and somehow I'm not a hypocrite.

https://www.amazon.com/Irresistible-Reclaiming-Jesus-Unleashed-World/dp/0310536979/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1549563968&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=irristible+stanley&psc=1

​

I'm not really interested in talking further, but I hope you can ease off assumptions of people who are different than you in the future.

https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-according-Simpsons-Bigger-Possibly/dp/0664231608#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1491390694384

There was a priest at my Catholic Church that used to teach bible studies based around the book The Gospel According to The Simpson's.

Have you read this one?

http://www.amazon.com/One-Christ-Evangelical-Theology-Salvation/dp/1433531496

Andy Stanley wrote a new book concerning all Old Testament laws and how they do not apply to the Church age.

I am still working through this, but the idea should produce an interesting discussion.

1. Jewish scholars can support me here if it applies, but the Old Testament covenant is between Israel, descendants of Abraham, and God, not Gentiles. So unless your a Jew, or a “God Fearer,” it should not apply anyways.
   
   
2. The establishment of the New Covenant replaces the Old. For a Christian, in Christ we have a new, “better” covenant, and the old should be discarded. (Hebrews 7:22, 8:6, 13)
   
   
3. Therefore, while the Old Testament is precious and completely God’s Word, for the New Covenant Christian it is Holy History and used for wisdom and inspiration, not prescription.
   
   Again, this is a fairly new idea to me and I would have to revisit Stanley’s exact ideas to elaborate. However, I will simply leave it here for the sake of discussion.
   
   Edit: The book is called Irresistible
   
   Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World
   
   https://www.amazon.com/dp/0310536979/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_OQY1DbZ650JAP

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Christian-Sex-Chastity-Option/dp/0062428594

You should check out this book. Kinda opened my eyes to some things. I think that God wants us to be responsible with our sexuality and heart, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is as rigid as most Church's or Christians make it out to be. I waited years before having sex with a woman because I had this belief and when we did have sex I realized that we were not emotionally compatible. I think that sex is always a risk and it sounds like you are swinging from one extreme to another (Promiscuity to abstinence). This is generally a normal reaction to our issues and I don't blame you for taking space from meaningless sex. Maybe you are needing to develop an emotionally validating and secure relationship before engaging in sex even if that means premarital sex or waiting to marriage. My worry is that your biology and belief system will tell you to get married so you can have sex, which could have just as dire consequences as having promiscuous sex (marrying someone you don't trust or who is wrong for you).

I TOTALLY understand the difficulty in balancing spiritual beliefs, biology and all the pain and consequences from sex and relationships. Keep walking the path and seeking out God and he will show you more and more of himself and yourself.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0664231608

The Gospel according to The Simpsons, Bigger and Possibly Even Better!

The Gospel According to Harry Potter: The Spiritual Journey of the World's Greatest Seeker https://www.amazon.com/dp/0664231233/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_eS16AbG82SCEB

I'd be more willing to accept arguments for same sex marriages if the same people that advocate it also advocate against remarriage and promiscuity. Instead the most vocal examples people point to are books like http://amzn.to/2a1VXAH

hey, I strongly recommend checking how these two books.

• Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Saint Porphyrios
  
  
• Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: the Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica
  
  I spent many years depressed and it was these two books which finally pulled me the last bit out of it.
  
  One of the key insights from the first book which really helped me was "When a person has the Grace of God, his good thoughts are unbelievably powerful, because it is the power of God Himself that acts in us".
  
  Of course there can be all sorts of things in your life that might be causing the depression but the takeaway is that, if you earnestly believe in God, earnestly respect him, earnestly want to be emotionally close to him, earnestly pray each day, then he will fill you with hope and faith and then your "good" thoughts will be much more powerful than normal and your depression will disappear.