Thursday, November 5, 2009

Old Books

Ancient books are sometimes what modern problems call for. Sometimes contemporary Christian books leave me wanting more when I am struggling in life. Some old Calvin (happy 500th birthday) or Luther or Owen fills the bill nicely. Here's one brief example:

"For in Christ He (The Father) offers all happiness in place of our misery, all wealth in place of our neediness; in Him He opens to us the heavenly treasures that our whole faith may contemplate His beloved Son, our whole experience depend on Him, our whole hope cleave to and rest on Him."

Calvin, Institutes, Chapter XX, 1.

Sometimes it takes only a few old words and a few stolen minutes to redirect one's day and one's life.

Wouldn't it be something if we declared a moratorium on all new books for one year so that we could catch up on the books we haven't read yet? Such a thing might make this world a better place.