A Little Light Reading (Part 1)

So, what does James do with a week away?  Besides a lot of songwriting and journaling and prayer, I read through a large number of books, which I wanted to share with you because each had some interesting insights:

1.  Confessions by St. Augustine.  One of the leading scholars of the Roman empire in his day, but also, a guy addicted to concubines who gives it all up to put his life in God's hands as a celibate servant of the church.  Not only does he show tremendous insight into things like Time-Space (one can speculate no progress was made between the 4th and the 20th centuries) and other philosophy, but for me the heart of the story is his personal testimony (the first 8 or so books).  It's gripping historically, it's the inspiration for numerous songs and theologies, but mostly, this guy loved God and believed he was more interesting and satisfying than everything else he had...and this was a guy who could've had everything.  Augustine is also the smartest Christian I've read, much smarter than anyone who wrote a book of the Bible and even Lewis looks a little light.  At the same time, he's the most down-to-earth writer, revealing every day, easy-to-relate-to episodes that show that really, peoples is peoples, even 1500 years ago: 

Some quotable gems: 

"What is time?"

"One hour passeth away in flying particles." 

This song: 

"Life is vain, death uncertain, if it steals upon us, on a sudden, in what state will we depart hence?"

"Give me purity and give me continence (celibacy), but oh no not yet." (Caedmon's Call Translation)

"I panted after honours, gains, marriage, and Thou deridest me...behold my heart...Let my soul cleave to Thee, now that Thou has freed it from that fast-holding birdlime of death."

"And this is the happy life, to rejoice to Thee, of Thee, and for Thee; this is it, and there is no other."