Dear friends,

This morning, the aroma of hurry and hustle lingered around my desk. I knew I needed to go outside to the field behind my office to read and write. 

That’s where I am now. Just moments ago, a spotted fawn wandered within fifty feet. He didn’t notice me noticing him; in the stillness, I forgot myself and remembered the gift of being alive.

A great book can have a similar awakening effect. It can settle the anxious soul and unsettle the complacent one. It can open a fresh perspective and loose a tongue-tied heart. It can ignite a fire of vision and illuminate the way to intention and practice. Spiritual texts, in particular, can serve us best when read without hurry — ​“as a gift, not a task,” Chris Hall writes.

Reading is on my mind because the Renovaré Book Club just announced this year’s official selections. A lot of thought and ​“prayerful arguing,” as Carolyn Arends jokes, goes into whittling down dozens of book options to just four. We’d love for you to join us on the journey, but even if you don’t, each year’s booklist is a wonderful place to discover a book that deserves a slow reading. (Check out the books and details here.)

“If you’re too busy to read, you’re too busy,” Richard Foster once said. That’s true of spending time in nature as well. Frankly, I’ve been ​“too busy” for either. But carving out time this morning to do both allows me to return to life’s pressing tasks a little more settled, centered, and God-connected.