Books, Part I: Perspective Changers

I've read 81 books over the last year. I know this because of my nerdy book spreadsheet, of course. 

This "Part I" will cover nonfiction books that changed my perspective on life/situations/stuff.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand: 
The story of runner Louis Zamperini during World War II. After his plane crashes, he floats in the Pacific for weeks before being captured and tortured by the Japanese. Afterwards, he deals with the repercussions of his experience – unhealthily at first, then gracefully after becoming a believer. I read this mainly while pumping in the middle of the night. Suddenly my lack-of-sleep problem didn’t seem so bad in comparison to the physical and emotional pain he had experienced. This is also a reminder of God's BIG grace. 

Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn: 
This one took me awhile to finish, because like most of Alcorn's books, it's quite long. He also wrote the Heaven book I blogged about in 2013. In this book on money, he compares our attitudes and habits pertaining to money with what the Bible says it. It unpacks how to live in light of eternity.  

Spiritual Parenting by Michelle Anthony:
"Now what if we as spiritual parents agreed to do something different than merely manage our children's behavior? What if we put our energy toward setting our children in the path of the Divine and watching them fall in love with Jesus?... One option warns, 'Don't fall in love with the world' while the other option offers, 'fall in love with Jesus and the world will look less attractive.'"

A Practical View of the Prevailing Religious System of Professed Christians in the Higher and Middle Classes of This Country, Contrasted with Real Christianity by William Wilberforce:
How's that for a title? I read this book because I read Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce by John Piper. Wilberforce was an English politician during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He worked to abolish the slave trade within the British Empire, a goal which was finally achieved a few days before his death in 1833. In his book, Wilberforce points out the differences between most "Christians" and the Christianity described by the Bible. Talking about sin and morals, he said, "Religion is suffered to dwindle away into a mere matter of police. Hence the guilt of actions is estimated, not by the proportion in which according to Scripture, they are offensive to God, but by that in which they are injurious to society."

The best "perspective-changers" are the ones that point me back to God and His Word.