We are in the middle of the dog days of summer and while I encouraged you to explore other lands last month, this month I want to discuss a few books that ask you to explore your beliefs and expand your understanding of other religions.
Summer is the perfect time to slow down and go within and this time of year poetry really calls to me. Try The Illustrated Rumi: a Treasury of Wisdom form the Poet of the Soul by Dunn, Mascetti and Nicholson. If you have never read Rumi you will be in for a treat! This books not only has beautiful illustrations but it is a mix of story and poetry that give you a look into the Arabic world of Sufism. Here is a small taste of the poetry…perfect as you head to the beach:
Silence lies in the ocean
While words flow through the river
The ocean waits for you, don’t wait for the river.
Look to the ocean and watch its message,
It will come, it will come.
Along those same lines another Sufi exploration is Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the Ninety-nine Names of Allah by Wali Ali Meyer, Bilal Hyde, Faisal Muqaddam and Shabda Kahn. Whether you are Muslim or Christian or any other religion there is something beautiful about looking at the different aspects of God and how each aspect of God touches us. I am studying one name each day this summer and it is a beautiful way to start each morning. This book is beautifully organized so you will understand the groupings of the names and why balancing one name with the other is so important.
For Lovers of God Everywhere: Poems of the Christian Mystic by Roger Housden is a beautiful and transformational book that you might want to always keep with you. I find myself opening it up whenever I have a spare moment…and perusing the inspirational and thoughtful poetry and prayers. One page has the prayer or poem while the facing page has a commentary of the writing or the author. It’s a lovely book to relax with in the long afternoons when you are perhaps too tired or hot to read anything lengthy.
Another beautiful book that connects you to God within nature is John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. I am not one who can just come up with blessings on the spur so I am always drawn to those who can create beautiful blessings that stir the heart. O’Donohue is by far my favorite. I adore his writing and I always find inspiration is his books, including Anam Cara which I have reviewed in the past. Celtic Christianity has a special place in my heart so I always return to this book when I need comfort or inspiration. Some of the blessings seem especially fitting for the summer. Here is a portion from In Praise of Water:
Water: vehicle and idiom
Of all the inner voyaging
That keeps us alive
Blessed be water,
Our first mother.
And from For Eros
May the words of love
Reach you and fluster
Your held self,
The way a silhouette of breeze
Excites the meadow.
Perhaps poetry doesn’t really do it for you….that’s ok…I have one more book that is a bit more standard. Currently there are several biographies out there of Bonhoeffer and I recently read one called Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas which will expand your awareness of this fascinating pastor who stood against the Nazi Regime in the 1930s. His bravery in standing up for his beliefs is remarkable and since I did not know a great deal about his life I found the history very compelling. It will make you think about your faith and what you are willing to stand up for. A few Bonhoeffer quotes that stand out and represent this pastors faith in action…
“There is no way to peace along the way to safety. For peace must be dared. It is the great venture”
“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
These are words to ponder as our summer this year seems to be filled with controversy and social justice issues. I do not believe everyone can be called to be a Bonhoeffer but we each contribute in our own way to the fabric of this world and that fabric can only be made stronger by its diversity. So I hope you appreciate all of the diverse offerings around us this summer and the more you read the more you can appreciate our differences.
Try and stay cool!
Suzanne