I've known for years and years that if I want to buy Mel a present for his birthday or Christmas, there are two options: classical / good movie soundtrack music, or, a good book. I never remember what music he does or doesn't have, so I usually go for the book(s). (Of course, I've also bought him books he's already got, too, but that is ok - we just give it away to someone else and I go looking again.)
It used to be easier to buy him books because I could go to the bookstore and actually look at them and decide. He is fairly particular about what he reads and I hate spending money on a book that when I ask him how it was, he just shrugs his shoulders and says, "ok."
Realizing that Mel's birthday was coming up way too fast, I started shopping on the internet about 6 weeks ago. By accident, while reading someone's blog about something totally unrelated to finding a book for Mel, I clicked on to a web page and ended up at Tim Challies. It was interesting stuff. I forwarded the address on to Mel, figuring he would be more interested in it than I was.
A few days later Mel and I had a discussion about the spiritual gift of discernment, in the midst of a discussion about contemplation and contemplatives. As is my norm (anyone who knows me, knows this is true) - after the discussion I went looking for info on the internet. A person has to be pretty careful, looking for information like this on the internet. There is a ton of stinking garbage out there in the cyber world that tries to pass itself off as "good stuff." So not only did I type in 'discernment spiritual gift' but I also typed in 'reformed' hoping that would narrow it down a lot. I didn't want any New Age junk to wade through, or at least a lot LESS of it! Imagine my surprise when one of the first sites that came up was Tim Challies!
It was a review of his new book,
The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment.I read the review and decided then and there that I had found Mel's birthday present. However, since I was buying for him for me (heh heh), I thought he needed another book, too, just for him, so I looked around some more and found another one. They both arrived on Thursday or Friday - a couple days late, but within the birthday time limit.
I had to wait, however, to get my greedy little hands on it. He insisted that it was his birthday present and that he should read it first. (see me tapping my foot in impatience!) Fortunately he is a very fast reader and had it devoured before the end of the day. It has taken me a bit longer to get into it, but that's ok. With my eyes not as good as they used to be, I read slower and for shorter periods of time. I am enjoying this book. A lot. Very much. I'm only in the 3rd chapter and I'm already reading parts of it aloud to Mel. He is being very patient with me since he himself just read the book only a few hours ago! :):)
I will be writing more about this book and the whole subject of discernment. Oh my! It is amazing to me how excited this whole subject and the book have made me.
Sometimes I try to step outside myself and look back at myself and think about what I am seeing. Right now I see myself and say to myself, "Girl, sometimes you are just plain weird. A book on discernment has got you this excited? Weird, weird, weird!"
You just gotta love it.
