17 Books To Help Develop Intimacy With God
Many ministers I know wrestle with the difficulty of trying to live a life of transformation and intimacy with God they read about in their Bibles. Most of us long for a deeper inner spiritual life yet regularly experience Dallas Willard’s observation “the greatest enemy of intimacy with God, is service for God.”
Ministry by definition is depleting. Without constant infilling we soon have nothing left to give, or worse, we implode because the pressure on the outside is greater than the spiritual infrastructure on the inside.
One source of infilling are the various spiritual habits, practices and disciplines that help form us spiritually and aid our pursuit of godliness. The following books draw from a rich heritage of Godly believers, and offer practical suggestions for cultivating an intimate and growing relationship with God. They will offer you a path toward experiential Christianity and health for your soul and your ministry.
- Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
- The Sacred Way by Tony Jones
- Keeping the Sabbath Wholly by Marva Dawn
- Sabbath, Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in our Busy Lives by Wayne Muller
- Mad Church Disease, Overcoming the Burnout Epidemic by Anne Jackson
- Sacred Pathways, Discover Your Soul’s Path to God by Gary Thomas
- Clergy Self Care, Finding a Balance for Effective Ministry by Roy Oswald
- Spiritual Rhythms in Community by Keith Meyer
- The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
- Fresh Encounter by Henry Blackaby and Claude King
- Building Below the Waterline, Shoring Up the Foundations of Leadership by Gordon MacDonald
- The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero
- Becoming a Healthier Pastor by Ronald Richardson
- Life on Mission, Joining the Everyday Mission of God by Dustin Willis and Aaron Coe
- Whole Life Transformation, Becoming the Change Your Church Needs by Keith Meyer
- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
What other books would you recommend for pursuing intimacy with God?
Posted on May 2, 2017
