WHAT ARE YOU READING? ARE YOU READING AT ALL?

"A good book is an event in my life."
                    Stendhal


"Whenever you read a good book...a door opens to allow in more light."
                   Vera Nazarian

"One of the fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may."
                    Joseph Smith

 I love to read.  I've read probably 70 or more books in recovery the past three and a half years, and I just keep reading.  Here's what I've discovered...there are many, and I mean MANY, really wise, smart, kind, truth seeking, truth loving, remarkable people out there who write books.  And I have learned so much from them, and continue to do so.  But really it's not just in the learning.  It's in the experiencing.  What is really fun is to read a sentence, a paragraph, or a chapter and have that moment when you realize that this is real...maybe I've known this my whole life, but now it makes sense.

Most importantly though, for me, are books that help me along my spiritual path, which happens to be the same path I'm following in my recovery journey.  In my 'former life" I used to read a lot of thrillers and murder mysteries, books about the CIA, FBI, and other alphabet government agencies.  I enjoyed them, and once in a while I still do...Patterson, Baldacci, Grisham, and other authors.  They're fun, but once I began my "new life" I realized something.  I had been using these books much like I had been using porn and sex...to numb my feelings and to escape real life.  To zone out.  Early in my Desert Solace experience I began reading different books...Eckart Tolle (heavy) and Bob Goff (light).  Both served me really well, and lit my path pretty well.

When I left for Desert Solace, Kristen threw in the November 2016 issue of the Ensign magazine, which is the monthly magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  This was the edition with all the general conference addresses from the previous month.  Do you think a porn and sex addict was spending much time reading the Ensign each month, or studying the conference talks?  Uh, No.  But I began to read those talks a few days after I began at Desert Solace, and I was amazed!  So much of what was said was about recovery!  Who knew?!  About repentance, and forgiveness.  About a change of heart.  About how I was really God's son, and He loves me.  And all kinds of cool stuff!  A few weeks later, after I'd finished the last talk, I wrote Marilyn a letter and told her that there were eleven specific talks that she HAD to read...they were so great!  I underlined so much stuff, wrote notes in the margins, and discovered (experienced) so much about the gospel and the Savior that seemed new to me...and I had been a member of this church my entire life.  I was so excited...and still am.

I remember as I read that Ensign, there were many pictures of people attending the conference sessions, and they all looked so happy.  They were all smiling.  And I cried.  I wanted to be that happy.  I'll never forget that...

If you're LDS, or really a Christian of any denomination, you may have had your bishop or pastor or priest tell you to "read the scriptures and pray more" to get rid of your addiction.  Sure, those are important, and I have discovered new meaning in doing both of those on a daily, or more, basis.  But...it's not enough.   It only works when there is a willingness to transform, not just change.  When there is an urgent need for a new life, and new light.  In recovery the scriptures have become "real" to me, and have such depth and meaning...I experience them in a completely different light than I ever did before.  Light being the key word...

So...my point is...READ.  Below I'm listing some of the favorite books I've read in recovery.  Books that really mean something, that are not designed to just help me escape, but that allow me to experience and learn more, and maybe something new, about my relationship with myself, God, Jesus, Marilyn and my family, and other people.  Books that point me in the right direction, and teach me what can really work in my life.  Because so much of what I used to do just did not work. 

 By the way...some of my very favorites are by non-LDS authors, because the paradigm is different than in our LDS culture,  The language is different...much of the time it's just more real and straightforward.  And when there may be doctrinal differences, that's OK, because I can look for the point. The big picture.  The meaning.  The truth.  And I get to choose what to do with it.  But I also love to read the words of modern prophets and apostles, who are so wise and in tune...

As Joseph said, we're looking for truth no matter where it comes from, or from whom.  There are SO many inspired people in this world, and it is so much fun to learn from them...so here's that list of some of my favorites...any one of these may be life changing for you:


"Light In The Wilderness", "Spiritual Lightening", and "The Godseed" by M. Catherine Thomas
"The Four Agreements", "The Fifth Agreement", and "The Mastery of Love" by Don Miguel Ruiz
"Believing Christ", and "Following Christ" by Stephen Robinson
"The God Who Weeps", and "The Christ Who Heals" by Fiona and Teryl Givens
"Beyond the Battle: A Man's Guide to His Identity in Christ in an Oversexualized World" by Noah Filipiak
"The Peacegiver", "The Holy Secret", and "Falling To Heaven" by James L. Farrell
"Way of The Peaceful Warrior", by Dan Millman
"Zero Limits" by Joe Vitale
"The Jesus I Never Knew", and "What's So Amazing About Grace" by Phillip Yancey
"Letters To a Young Mormon" and "Grace is not God's Backup Plan" by Adam Miller
"Traveling Light" by Max Lucado
"The Power of Stillness" by Jacob Z. Hess, Carrie Skarda, Kyle Anderson, Ty Mansfield
"Love Does" and "Everybody Always" by Bob Goff
"Love Lives Here" by Maria Goff
"The Life You've Always Wanted" by John Ortberg
"Falling Upward" by Richard Rohr
"A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller

"Unwanted" by Jay Stringer

"The Return of the Prodigal Son" by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Happy reading...