Hungering in the Book Store

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot

Oh, glorious day!  The sun is shining and streaming in the window creating a rainbow of sorts.  Bookcase after bookcase filled with books of all genres.  A shaken black tea is by my elbow, a stack of books and magazines waiting to be perused.  I just can't help but smile!

Emily came back from California last night -- actually 1 a.m. this morning.  All gorgeous and sun-kissed.  Bubbling and oh-so-happy with her week.  We gave her a little surprise and brought someone to carry her luggage with us -- which only added to the sparkle in her eyes. We spent the night in the city and  RB had a meeting today with a colleague at the Indy Center so I've been basking in this perfect place for several hours.

Do any of you just ache to read all the books available?  I find myself almost frantic because I want to dip into them all, gathering wisdom and knowledge, feeding my soul on the beautifully crafted words. Choosing a stack to devour is hard.  This stack I chose contained a few I wanted to sit and devour, but, at least in one case, I was uh...no, don't want to waste my time on this.

While I love reading biographies, writing market books, business books and even picture books, I find myself pulled to those which teach me more about my God. Because even more than my craving for general knowledge, I hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Sitting at a table in Barnes and Noble I thought of the changes occurring in my life and was challenged as I read Jason Crabb's "Trusting God to Get You Through."

However many seasons are ahead, they are all chapters of the same journey.  Even the changes we least expect are part of God's plan to lead us where He wants us to be.  However uncomfortable life's surprises might be, they are signals of God's promotions.  With each sift, He draws us up higher to a place where He knows we will need to trust Him more.  It is a place of sweet surrender.

Mother Angelica's "Private and Pithy Lessons" was full of practical and down-to-earth truth.

God wants to tell the world, "I am going to do it."  The weaker we are, the more confidence we should have.  God uses the weak things of the world to confound the strong.  Whether you are a child, an old person, or a sick person, you can be a terror to the invisible foe.  

Henri Nouwen in "Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk," said,

The discipline of the book leads us on the road to true inner obedience.  Through the regular practice of regular meditation we develop an inner ear that allows us to recognize God's Word that speaks directly to our most inner needs and aspirations.  

Then I read in Debbie MacComber's "God's Guest List,"

In real life, God's presents don't always come gaily gift-wrapped, and they are not easily recognized.  Some even initially come looking like challenges.  And often these gifts are people shaped.

Dipping into one chapter then another, I am startled by the phone and the call draws me back into "real life."  It's time to leave this perfect place, but I found a few new friends to put on my Kindle wish list, to devour as I try to satisfy my "hungering and thirsting after righteousness."

With David, I pray, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."