New Reads

As the Lenten season continues to move along, we may find ourselves looking for something new in the area of spiritual disciplines.  One thing might be to consider different reading material.  The truth is we often get in a rut in our spiritual reading.  We find an author or two that we really like and suddenly we are reading nothing that does not bear that name.   New and different writers often introduce us to a different viewpoint, or at the very least, can cause us to see old spiritual truths through a different window.

 

If biographies are our choice, we might find some readings about people like George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, E. Stanley Jones, or Charles Spurgeon.  Their stories were written in a different era, but each one had a powerful impact for Christ.  Of course, these are only a few examples.  Or, find some of the spiritual classics such "The Pilgrim's Progress," by John Bunyan, or "The Imitations of Christ," by Thomas A 'Kempis.  Look for some things which have stood the test of time.  There is a reason something continues to be read by one generation after another. 

 

Of course, one thing which keep us from exploring different reading options is that we tend to look for the easy read.  Some of the things we read may cause us to wonder what the writer is trying to say to us.  This is not necessarily a bad thing.  It may just mean we need to read slower, maybe even read shorter portions which allow us time to reflect on what we are seeking to understand.  While we do not have to read stuff that is way over our head, there is nothing wrong with a good read challenging us to think and pray as we journey through it.