The heart of it all...

A friend and I have decided to start a book club. Tonight will be our first meeting, and we have a whopping total of 2 members! Woohoo :) Several nights ago, She and I were talking about what we want to accomplish this summer, and I mentioned a book I have been reading. She suggested that we start a book club and we agreed on the current book that I was reading. I've always enjoyed reading but for the past 5 years have fell behind on this hobby. So our first, and hopefully not the last, book is the "The Ransomed Heart" by John Eldredge. Many of you may be familiar with he and his wife, Staci Eldredge, who is the author of "Captivating". I'm not sure why I originally picked up the book except for the fact that it was right next to a C.S. Lewis book I was purchasing ( notice that they shouldn't be next to each other if they were properly stored - alphabetically).

Anyhow, it came into my possession and now I'm finding it to be one of my favorite books. It's simple. It's based on Christian principles. It uses Scripture to explore ways to understand the heart of God better and thus, to understand our hearts better. It challenges you to ponder what you may not want to. In short, the book compiles various readings that Staci and John have written in their various works. I want to share an excerpt from The Ransomed Heart (p. 119). This particular reading was taken from one of Eldredge's earlier works The Sacred Romance (p.149)

" So much of the journey forward involves a letting go of all that once brought us life. We turn away from the familiar abiding places of the heart, the false selves we have

lived out, the strengths we have used to make a place for ourselves and all our false

loves, and we venture forth in our hearts to trace the steps of the One who said,

"Follow me".

This particular quote speaks to me with a strong message. How do we trace those steps? I will undoubtedly step off the path many times, but I'm willing for the adventure, the journey, the path.