Over the last several years I have had a tradition of reading The Purpose Driven Life over Lent and also reading Peter Marshall's, The First Easter, over the several weeks leading up to Easter. I watch The Passion of the Christ on Good Friday. I thought some of you might like to read with me during Lent and we can leave it at that or we can discuss as well. If you don't already have the books and don't want to purchase them, I am sure your library carries them...However, they are both great books to have in your personal collection of books.
I will start reading PDL on February 25th and The First Easter probably in mid march as it is a very quick read. I will probably try to read 5 or 6 pages a day - it goes very fast.
Everyone have a great day!
7 comments:
Never commented before but have been reading your posts for a couple of months. Someone just suggested a couple of weeks ago that I should do PDL again. I have done it a couple of years around my birthday in October but skipped this year. Since I am trying to find my place of service in my church, maybe now is the time to do it again.
Shellene
Hi Shellene ~
How awesome to hear from you. Maybe you were the reason I felt compelled to ask for people to join me in my Easter reading this year!
I have also been thinking a lot lately about where my place of service is with my church. In the past, I've always felt like I was being pulled in so many directions with having young kids, wanting my "me" time, etc, that I've always just put off the time to help out at church. Also, not sure where I fit in there.
Recently it has really been dawning on me just how many people it takes to make the church run successfully and effectively and how much I benefit from the work of others. I am even more excited than usual for this year's reading of PDL!
I'm so glad you came out to say hi!
Julie
Julie,
Been thinking I need to read Purpose for a while now. Hm.
Anna
Julie I'm in. A pastor gave it to my husband years ago and neither one of us have touched it. I'm glad you brought it up.
I'm in a book "club" right now with some girls here..we're reading "The Shack". It is really good so far...hard for me to not read ahead. Have you read that one?
I love your holiday tradition...and I think I may adopt it for myself (haven't read or heard of the First Easter)
~Helen
Helen,
I REALLY enjoyed The Shack. I loved how it took God out of this imagination box we've possibly put him in and made us really break free of some of those stodgy ideas that are man made/Hollywood made. The truth is, we don't know and can't know right now, but I loved how this book ignited my imagination.
I love the fact that it might bring people closer to Him because of the warmth and caring and friendliness that it relayed - people who don't understand yet that He is our best friend, our Papa, the One who cares the most about us.
The First Easter's author, Peter Marshall, was a Scottish immigrant-pastor and chaplain of the United States Senate in the late 1940s.
Here is an excerpt from the introduction to The First Easter by Peter Marshall's wife, Catherine.
"After Peter's death I found in my possession 96 Easter manuscripts from eighteen years and four months of preaching. In reviewing these sermons covering the events of Passion Week, I quickly found myself caught up in drama - sheer, engrossing drama, at times tender, at times terrible. And always I found myself moved by Peter's ability to enlist the emotions on the side of faith.
Thus The First Easter unfolded itself. My only part in it was to shape from the many sermons Dr. Marshall's re-creation of each scene as event followed event, and to edit the material only where necessary to weave it together.
Here, then is Easter - the triumphant morning of Christianity - seen through the eyes and described from the heart of one man."
Oh wow, Julie, that sounds great! I'm going to amazon RIGHT NOW!!!!!
:)
Helen
Post a Comment