A Yearly Reading List for Seekers

I'm working on putting together a series of lists; each one with 100 or so books on it, meant to be read over the course of a year by various groups of people; youth ministers, spiritual seekers, youth, etc. Today I'm posting the first 10 of my Seekers list, and asking you who read the blog to comment with other titles that need to go on it. (When you post, give title, author and one sentence or so... "Read this book because...")

A Seeker, in my definition, is someone who has realized the need for something resembling God (although they may not use the proper name when they describe the need) and has begun actively looking, though not exclusively in churches, for a way to fill that need.

1. "Messy Spirituality" by Mike Yaconelli. Read this book because it strips away a lot of the misconceptions people have of Christianity and honestly invites readers to enter Christian life from exactly where they are.

2. "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. Read this book because Manning admits his own struggles and talks about how God is not afraid of people who sin, struggle, doubt and question.

3. "The Road to Reality" by K.P.Yohannon. Read this book because it lays out plainly what's really required in a Christian's life, and challenges people who read it to identify where their lives are off that path.

4. "The Runaway Bunny" by Margaret Wise Brown. Read this book because it paints a picture of how God reacts when we try to get away from Him; not ever forcing us back, but pursuing and walking with us the whole time so that when we realize we need God, he's not far away.

5. "Anyway: The Paradoxical Commandments" by Kent M. Keith. Read this book because it will give you an idea of how you ought to be treated by Christians, and a sense of when to challenge them when they're not open to your seeking.

6. "She Said Yes" by Misty Bernall. Read this book to counter the idea that God doesn't really do anything powerful through people today-- it was all back in Bible times.

7. "Why Believe" by Greg Laurie. Read this book because there are answers here; real ones, with the real questions that go with them, and they will help drop some of the barriers to accepting God's love.

8. "The Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel. Read this book because the author began as an atheist and when he started to investigate what Christians believe, (so that he could discredit them with the facts) he found that he could not escape belief of his own.

9. "A Beginner's Guide to Studying the Bible" by Rolf E. Aaseng. Read this book because walking into the Bible without any idea of what to look for in it is about as safe as chasing a squirrel up a power pole, and as enlightening as walking through an art museum wearing sunglasses.

10. "Surprised by Joy" by C.S. Lewis. Read this book because it tells the story of how one of the world's more celebrated Christians became a Christian.