Popular Christian Books That Address Suffering In 2021

Elizabeth Elliot’s first husband was killed by the tribe he was trying to minister to. She lived through that incredible loss and allowed God to use her suffering to help her learn, grow, and minister more comprehensively to others. This book leads the reader to trust God in the midst of suffering because his love will strengthen the sufferer and empower them to be a more effective Christian.

The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila is a book that helps the reader learn to develop more inner strength and peace, even in times of suffering. St. Teresa wrote this book in 1577 and its principles still hold true today. She was an incredibly strong woman and her book teaches others how to not just appear strong on the outside, but how to cultivate a strong inner strength, presence and peace in the midst of any circumstance.

Perhaps you are a lifelong Christian as is the author, John A.. Cooper. Perhaps you are thinking, I have already let God into my life and my salvation is assured. Perhaps you are not a Christian, maybe you are Muslim, or atheist, or maintain another belief system, or no system at all. Then, this book is for you! Even if you have a relationship with God, would you open the door to your heart even wider and give up everything to live only in the love and Grace of God? Notice the cover art and symbol for the Holy Spirit, the light from the Father, and Jesus, all One God, all of the same substance. Jesus’ hands reach out for you… Will you let Him into your life? Will you open the door even wider if he already lives in you? May Jesus be your Peace? John, You share yourself beautifully, both in your life experiences and in your imagination of scripture scenes, in the way you image Jesus, and how you apply those prayers to your personal and spiritual growth. This is a book that will invite all who read it with humility and courage to seek God in their everyday life experiences, with greater depth, trust, and unity. Thank you for sharing this book with me. – Bob Fitzgerald, former Executive Director Ignatius House, Atlanta, GA; currently Adjunct Lecturer, Spring Hill College; and Spiritual Director. This book is both a personal testimony and a practical guide. As in the story of St. Ignatius, the sudden loss of lifelong ambitions led to the grace of transformation, from self-confident determination to profound surrender, to the living Christ. Cooper shares a condensed version of his personal journal during the Spiritual Exercises in daily life. His notes for 32 weeks of prayer and reflection offer a very practical template for others to make their own journey of transformation. – Christopher Viscardi, S.J., Director of Spiritual Direction Program, Spring Hill College.

The Jawbone of a Carnivore will fill your imagination with tales of adventure, friendship, eccentric people, success and failure, as well as encounters with life and death. While I explore the adventurous life and the pathway to peace that can come from it, I do not offer instructions on how to pray. I will encourage you to believe that the way we live can become a prayer. This memoir of life on the edge of the unknown trusts that you will strike out on your own audacious exploration of the world and the spirit that surrounds it. Perhaps, through this, you will identify your pathway to peace and in so doing find yourself saying on some cold and snowy morning, ”This is a prayer.”

Malcolm Rothwell tells his first-hand story of experiencing the wonderful event that is the London Marathon. From tough training runs to the Big Day, we learn about the guts and determination it takes to prepare for this huge occasion. Through the highs and the lows of this build up, Rothwell shares his interesting outlook, finding comparisons between running and the Christian life. Running the race of life, just as running itself, meets distractions and stumbles over obstacles along the way. As well as reflecting on his own experience, Rothwell also offers runners tips, exercises and thoughts to ponder over at the end of each chapter.

This book was written from personal experience and study on the subject, at a time when I knew I didn’t have all the answers, but there was ‘someone’ who did, and I could reach out to Him. My time and study were put down into words, which then developed into this publication. I still don’t have all the answers, but God does.

Has a revolution taken place in Christianity, or are gay priests still objects of suspicion and disapproval? Is modern society too dominated by businesses too big to be human? Have communities lost control of town planning, or is there hope if only we connect? As both an insider and an outsider, the former reverend Robin Green volunteered to help the first drug addicts in the late sixties, throwing open the Crypt of St Martin-in-the-Fields and his best efforts into helping the needy at home and abroad. Yet he decided that society needed its mavericks as much as its ministers. Resigning from the Church, he declared his homosexuality and went into business with his partner, finding success as both an entrepreneur and in local politics. Now Robin offers a warning about the threats that face our world and an uplifting vision of what ministry means in the modern age. ‘Hope is not about indulging the past. It is about embracing the future with all the lessons learnt from that past.’

Why do we want to share our memories? At a time when an increasing number of people are living longer, for some, later years may be enjoyed as ripe old age. For others, they may be a time of uncertainty, isolation and loneliness. For both, memories can be a resource from the past which enables us to live in the present. For that to happen, memories need to be shared. An Anglican priest for sixty years, Neville Smith seeks a Christian understanding of what it means to be old. Through the Bible, the Church and his own personal experience, he describes the epiphanies of faith, which we can find in many different areas of life as we grow older and as things change around us, leaving us behind in an unfamiliar world. The Church must also move on. As it does so, this book comes as a timely reminder that in looking increasingly to the future, the Church must not neglect those who have formed its past.

Jesus in My Corner, written by Andy Flute, chronicles his struggle to overcome a myriad of life-long challenges with violence and alcohol. For over 30 years, violence and alcohol were Andy’s daily bread until, one day, by the power of prayer, he managed to achieve what no amount of alcohol or prison incarceration could ever achieve. When he was at the point of death, intoxicated with alcohol following a ten-day binging session, I went to see my old mate and prayed for him with Pastor Steve. Andy was fighting the demon of alcohol and he was on the ropes, down for the count. Andy, a former captain of the English boxing team and British Middleweight title challenger alongside sparring partner Chris Eubank and other world class fighters, knew what brutal fighting was all about. This fight was different, one he couldn’t win on his own strength. Andy felt the intense grip and destructive downward spiral alcohol had on his life. Battered and bleeding, with no more strength, he cried out to Jesus. In a truly miraculous turnaround, Andy found Jesus in his corner and almost instantaneously gave up alcohol. During the bleakest of moments, he experienced a spiritual awakening. Slowly, he found his way through darkest era of his life. He came to believe a power greater than himself in Jesus. Now with Jesus in his corner, Andy is an active member of Sedgley Community Church. The Bible employs the analogy of wrestling in reference to our warfare with Satan and his hosts. Andy had a fight that only Jesus could referee, this gigantic battle played out until he was baptised in water. Andy Flute’s willingness to share the most intimate aspects of his life was born out of a deep desire to help others addicted to alcohol and violence. Despite these daunting events, Andy now works hard to live a normal life and raise a family of his own. He regularly attends prison workshops and shares his testimony in local schools. The Lord has made an amazing transformation in his life, He could do the same for you! His good friend, John Cramphorn