Category: Book Related

I like reading, and often my texts are inspired by something I read, or else I sustain my point with something that I read somewhere. Whenever I do that, I try to categorize it ‘book-related’ in the category of the author, hence all the various categories with names of authors. For book reviews, see that category.

  • Augustine Augustine is another such very inspiring author. So far, I have read the confessions, listened to an introductory course on that, and I have read two little books 'The teacher' and something on the soul. I have also read 'The Trinity'. Based on this I wrote Love loves love and God's image Currently reading: The city of God
  • Barbara Tuchman
  • C.S.Lewis
  • Christos Yannaras I read Elements of Faith by Christos Yannaras. I found this a really wonderful book, very nice to read the eastern perspective on basic issues of faith, and also some very interesting insights on western culture. Also I really appreciated his explanation of how our true life is found in our personal relations with God and other people. This stress of our own personality and God being truly a person, and our relationship as the source of our life, was very refreshing. The language of the book is really complicated though, I’d say it is quite hard to read really. One sentence in this book, namely that we need the 'freedom to fail' inspired me to write the text Lovely Paradoxes.
  • Dallas Willard
  • George Herbert
  • Graham Greene
  • J.K. Rowling
  • James Hogg
  • Josef Pieper
  • Joseph Heller
  • Kathleen Norris Kathleen Norris is my first and big example in writing. I was most comforted by her honesty and sharing her thoughts. She showed me how helpful it can be for others if you share your failures, and that it is really not selfish to write about yourself. The first book that I read of her was The Quotidian Mysteries. I can't begin to describe what a new experience this book was to me. I have also read Acedia & Me, another such very personal, and thought provoking work
  • Kierkegaard
  • Origen
  • Robert Harris
  • Saint Gregory
  • Timothy Radcliffe
  • Tom Wright
Below are the posts that are somehow related to a book by any of the above mentioned authors
Who’s in control

A couple of months ago I wrote a piece titled ‘Who lives my life?’ And the short summary of it was: ‘That’s me, and I’ll really flourish if Jesus is my source of energy’.  As a counterpart to that, this text will deal with the question who controls my life.  That is: who decides about … Continue reading Who’s in control

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Fly like an eagle

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; … Continue reading Fly like an eagle

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All Saints

Inspired by the name of the new church in Amersfoort, and also because we’ve just celebrated the feast of All Saints, I’ve been thinking of the communion of all saints, as we say in the Creed: I believe in the holy catholic Church: the communion of saints. It is a wonderful thought that God gave … Continue reading All Saints

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Who lives my life

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” Gal. 2:20 The words “not I, but Christ lives in me” … Continue reading Who lives my life

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On prayer and quiet

This is my first text ever, that I wrote initially as a letter to my congregation ‘De Jeruzalemkerk‘. I later shared it with Father David, who asked if he might translate it for the Holy Trinity Chaplaincy. I was so encouraged by this, and noticed how much I had enjoyed sharing my thoughts, that I … Continue reading On prayer and quiet

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