The Me I want to Be by John Ortberg

I've read a lot of books about spiritual growth over the years, alot of them have been by John Ortberg. He is one of my favourite authors and speakers. Some of his other titles are "Everybody's normal till you get to know them", "If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat" and "The Life you've always wanted" to name just three of them. His writing is clear, entertaining and thought provoking. And I generally find lots that I can apply to my life. So, because I've read so many of his books I did wonder if he would have anything new or different to say to me.

I was hooked in the first chapter. He introduces his book by saying that only God knows my full potential and that He is guiding me toward the best version of myself all the time. My uniqueness is designed by God and my spiritual growth is best accomplished when I keep that in mind.

Chapter 4 was my favourite. Find out how you grow. He says that God does not do "one size fits all". What works for one person may not work for me. This made me feel better about not having devotions in the morning. I'm not a morning person, I don't want to talk to anyone in the morning, even God! So normally I will read my Bible and pray in the evening and I enjoy it much more. And God is ok with this. Ortberg says "sustainable spiritual growth happens when I actually want to do what I ought to do (pg.53).

The rest of the book is about finding those things that you want to do that will help you mature and grow in the spiritual life. He talks about temperament; he talks about finding those things that block your growth; he talks about relationships and prayer. His suggestions are practical and filled with grace.

If other spiritual growth books have left you feeling guilty or lazy or both then you owe it to yourself to read this one.