Sacred Reading

One of my favorite spiritual growth books out right now is "The Wired Soul" by Tricia McCary Rhodes. She talks about how our brains are being rewired by technology (for better or for worse), and how we need to put to practice certain behaviors to allow ourselves to continue to grow and not shut down neurological pathways that help us connect with God.
The first practice is slow reading. Not necessarily Bible reading, but just taking the time to be fully present with what we read. Sadly, our society is moving further and further away from focused time reading. Most people don't read books for leisure at all. And the leisurely reading that does occur is in the context of a screen, which changes the way our brains intake the information. I don't need to expound on this too much; most of us have seen articles about this. What I do want to expound on is the way I've started practicing slow reading.
It's much easier to swallow the reading whole and come up with a couple of things to remember from the book or the article. But if we sit and savor, take small bites and chew before we swallow, our hearts can be filled with content and words that we might have otherwise missed.
Engaging with reading involves slowing down, taking notes, asking questions, and re-reading. It involves summarizing and retelling what you've discovered or learned. It's a practice that is slowly slipping from our grasp as we consume mass information on a daily basis, often spitting it right back out to make room for some other novel thing.
I didn't mean to lecture so long about that. The intention of the post was actually to recommend some things I've read that have helped me grow spiritually, and give some tips on engaging with what you're reading.

Engaging with Material

First of all, this is easiest to do with a printed text. Obviously that's not everyone's preference, nor is it necessary, but there are actual studies out there regarding the benefit of holding a tangible book as opposed to a screen. Another story for another day.

- Have a notebook nearby and plan to copy at least one key quote or phrase that you like.
- Pause at the end of a paragraph and ask yourself what the author said. If you don't know, read the paragraph again until you do understand what was being said. Then move to the next paragraph.
- As you read things you like, and if it is possible, underline or copy those things to come back to and look at again. You can also use post-it notes within the book to mark and take notes on your favorite parts.
- When you've finished with a chapter, take a few minutes to ask yourself what you learned, what caught your attention, what God might be trying to teach you, and importantly, what you wish to do as a result of what you read.
- Write down any actions you wish to take. Or move on to the next chapter.

Recommendations

A few books that I've looked at recently that were helpful for my overall spiritual growth
 - Confessions by St. Augustine
- The Weight of Glory by CS Lewis (this one isn't an actual book so it's a good place to start because it's short)
- Imitation of Christ by Thomas A Kempis
- The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (this one isn't my favorite but a lot of people have benefited greatly from it)
- My aforementioned "The Believer's Daily Renewal" by Andrew Murray
- The Wired Soul by Tricia Rhodes
- Women in the Word by Jen Wilkin (my favorite Bible study methods book. Counter to its title, it is useful for anyone wishing to discover how to study the Bible on their own).
- Out of the Saltshaker and into the World by Rebecca Pippert - A practical guide to evangelism
- Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer (This one is particularly heavy, but a really good read)

There are obviously countless other classics that are rich and full of growth opportunities, but if you choose one of these ones I'll be able to discuss it with you. If you choose to undertake reading one of these and practice slow reading with them, I'd recommend doing it with a friend so you can discuss what you're reading and stay on track to actually finish it. I'd also recommend devoting some time each day to reading and not attempting to cram in giant swallows one day a week. The more we practice reading carefully and attentively, the better our brains become at doing it. If it's tedious at first, that's because your brain needs some time to wire pathways into that practice. It will become easier and before you know it, it will become second nature. As a bonus, it will transfer to your time reading the Bible as well, but that's probably another post altogether.

Hopefully that helps. I'd like to hear from you. What books have contributed to your spiritual growth? What do you do to maintain attention while reading? And what are some things you've learned from slow reading?