I love books and lately I have found myself with a little
more time to read and though the majority of my time I have devoted to reading
dog training manuals – I have also been able to read other material. Here’s my reading list.
If you find yourself like me trying to domesticate a little
wolf, I would highly recommend Dog Training for Dummies. Though the dummies series has breed
appropriate volumes, I feel like the best one is the one that started their dog
training series and thus encompasses various training methods. I first bought the Shih Tzu version and I had
to order the one that helped me train Dollar, because I felt like the Shi Tzu
volume focused more on breed specifics than actual training. Dollar was a great dog, perfectly trained by
me with the help of Dog Training for Dummies; thus, I am now using it
to train my reckless, little pup, Francis.
I have started my first lectio divina bible study and have been
studying “The Gospel of Mark.” As I find myself drawn to the study guide,
connecting each day with themes found in this specific gospel – I decided to
read the entire gospel to get a better understanding of my current bible study. It’s wonderful reading scripture
and having a guide to point out certain things that are historically
significant, or stylistic to the author and also having the freedom to just
jump into the biblical stories and get a better understanding of the characters,
the times, and of course Jesus more profoundly.
When I am struggling the biggest hurdle can be my thoughts,
which being Bipolar don’t need much assistance jumping into the abyss of
helplessness. It is during these moments
when I feel like I am having such a challenge controlling my mind, that instead
of giving into the negative chatter I pick up a book and redirect my focus to "holy thoughts." For Christmas I was given
two volumes of Words of Wisdom by Father Warren J. Rouse. He is one the priests that lives in Sierra
Retreat House and when I went on my Franciscan retreat, he was advertising the
third volume. I have found his
reflections so helpful in helping me fight gloomy thoughts and to bring my mind
back to God. He really has great insight
into the peaceful, comforting heart of God.
Books have always been my great friends and they continue to
help me in my journey (smile).
No comments:
Post a Comment