During these 40 days of Lent, many of us look for ways to deepen the spiritual journey. One way is to pray, to have a conversation with the Divine One. But getting started with prayer isn’t always so easy. First you need to get yourself in the right frame of mind. One way that I like to pray is to first open a book. It doesn’t always have to be the Bible. One author suggests: “Start by reading something that will warm your spirit. Get rid of a coldness that may have developed in your spirit. You have to learn how to kindle a flame in your spirit, to warm yourself up, to give yourself a start.” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
I recommended one of my all-time favorites: An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. My copy is worn, tattered and marked up. She reminds me that God is everywhere if I will but take the time to look. And she teaches the practices that tune our hearts to God’s.
Fiction can also warm the heart. My latest find was Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. It was achingly beautiful and a parable about what love can create and the power of community to restore us.
If you are a fan of poetry, I recommend This Day: Collected and New Sabbath Poems by Wendell Berry. Some days they feel like scripture to me. I also love Consolations by David Whyte. His insight into the human psyche evokes a spiritual awareness I know but have no words to express.
If you enjoy daily devotions, you might like A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God, edited by Upper Room Books. I read it almost every day and find the quotes from spiritual masters to help me hit the reset on how I see the world and the day ahead.
Some other favorites are Falling Upward by Richard Rohr and The Book of Forgiving by Desmond and Mpho Tutu. I would love to know what you read that warms your spirit.
The best Lenten season my family and I ever enjoyed was the year we gave up television for 40 days. It gave us more time to read and play together.
Blessings on this journey we take together to the cross and the empty tomb.
Grace and peace,
Carla
