Today it was 98 degrees Fahrenheit in Lancaster, and the humidity was stifling. It reminded me of why summer is my least favorite time of the year. But the garden is growing wonderfully, as long as it is watered heavily every day. Even the heat has its compensations in fresh vegetables and long lazy evenings. With the coming of summer, I thought it might be a good time to recommend a few books for summer perusal, and here they are:
Love’s Redeeming Work: The Anglican Quest for Holiness ed. Geoffrey Rowell, Kenneth Stevenson, and Rowan Williams. Oxford University Press, 2001. “The writings of the early fathers of Anglicanism have been supplemented over nearly five centuries by the thoughts of each succeeding generation. Love’s Redeeming Work brings together the central writers from each era into an outstanding collection that will introduce today’s readers to this incredibly rich and varied heritage.”
Celebrating the Saints: Daily Spiritual Readings to Accompany the Calendars of The Church of England, The Church of Ireland, The Scottish Episcopal Church, and The Church in Wales edited and compiled by Robert Atwell. SCM Press, 1998, 2004. “This selection of readings of ancient, medieval, and reformed (and occasionally, contemporary) spirituality reflects the author’s scholarly background and many years of prayerful reflection on the Christian tradition.”
The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth ed. R.A. Torrey, et. al. Baker Books: reprint 2008 of the 1917 edition. “In 1909 God moved two Christian laymen to set aside a large sum of money for issuing twelve volumes that would set forth the fundamentals of the Christian faith, and which were to be sent free to ministers of the gospel, missionaries, Sunday School superintendents, and others engaged in aggressive Christian work throughout the English speaking world.”
The Divine Hours: A Manuel for Prayer by Phyllis Tickle. Doubleday, 2000. “…a contemporary Book of Hours to guide Christians gently yet authoritatively through the daily offices.”
Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World by HRH The Prince of Wales. Harper, 2010. “Harmony exposes how the patterns of the natural world, which for centuries were woven into the fabric of human life, have been lost in the modern age. That loss has come with a price…”
The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton. Ignatius, 1993 reprint of the 1928 illustrated edition. “…it is a timeless allegory about the ongoing battle between Christianity and the forces of nihilistic heathenism.”
England’s Cathedrals in Watercolour by Peter Hume. Scala Publishers, 1999. “Hume’s paintings reveal the genius of design, quality and craftsmanship of buildings that were originally built, not as works of art but as an homage to the glory of God.”
The Literary Gardener by Walter Chandoha. Willow Creek Press, 1997. “ …a loving marriage of the written word with beautiful vignettes of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and grasses- that captures the nurturing quality in nature that has inspired poets and writers and just plain folks for hundreds of years.”
Summer of ‘49 by David Halberstam. Perennial Classics, 2002. “…classic chronicle of baseball’s most magnificent season, as seen through the battle royale between Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees and Ted William’s Red Sox for the heart of a nation.”
Seabiscuit: An American Legend
by Laura Hillenbrand. Random House, 2001. “The true story of how three men and a great racehorse captivated the world.”
I hope that the dog days of summer might afford us all an opportunity to consider challenging new ideas and comforting old ones, all within the framework of a story told well.
Faithfully,
Bill+
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