BOOKS...BOOKS...more BOOKS!


The Way of the Heart by Henri Noewen

So, I just read this book in one night basically probably shouldn’t have and wouldn’t recommend that, but some quotes and thoughts I took from it…

“There is seldom a period in which we don’t know what to do and we move through life in such a distracted way that we don’t even take the time and rest to wonder if any of the things we think, say, or do are worth thinking, saying, or doing” --- think about that one for a bit, read it a few times…how true is that!

“Solitude is the furnace of transformation – without solitude we remain victims of our society and to continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self”

“Solitude = the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born”

“They did not think of solitude as being alone, but as being alone with God. They did not think of silence as not speaking, but as listening to God.” – I think so often it is difficult for me not to speak or to not think about anything…to truly clear my head and listen to God...

So then after reading this book it just got me thinking…am I too quick to speak at times? Too quick to offer advice or words rather than prayer? Feel as though I have let my tongue get the best of me this past week, and I have been frustrated with some things and some people and I have been expressing, voicing those frustrations, but when is enough enough??…and why do I feel the need to do it? Sometimes I truly do verbally vomit on people …and its not like I feel better after doing it. So I just pray for discipline…to tame my tongue, to offer prayer before words. Allow me to just listen rather than feeling as though I have to add something to the conversation because my contribution could very well be negative and unhelpful and just make the situation even worse. I pray for the right words to speak to believe and to know when to open my mouth and when to keep it closed!!


Another book…another day…

So I am reading this book called The Heavenly Man (seriously we don’t have a TV, so I spend most of my time reading, how lame is that!!)..anyhow…so I just wonder why am I not like this guy? What would I be like if I lived in China and faced as much persecution as he did? He starts the book off by talking about his childhood and his coming to faith, and he mentions so many miracles and the Lord speaks to him so clearly in visions, dreams, what not…BUT he talks about how he really wanted a bible and how all that he knew about the bible had been memorized by others and then recited to him…and how he yearned for the bible stories and memorized the verses taught to him, but he wanted his OWN bible to read ...to learn from, and I thought geez how much do I value my own bible?? Do I truly treasure it and yearn to memorize passages and verses to share with others? Anyhow, Brother Yun (the guy in the book) turns everything into a mission field. Every day he desires to win over should for the Lord and I just wonder should I desire the same thing? Do I have this burden on my heart for those who are unsaved? Shouldn’t I want to share this faith and God that I have with others? Shouldn’t I be so excited about it that I should want others to have it? Why doesn’t my heart ache all the time? Have I simply become apathetic to things, and stopped caring how things are or how I am because we live in a world and a culture where everything is ok and everything is accepted….and then I think am I too hard on myself?