Dear friends,

In all areas of life there is a great temptation to mistake knowledge for knowing, information for wisdom. The spiritual life is no exception.

The 17^th-century theologian and educator François Fénelon commented, ​“If we are not careful we will spend such a large segment of our lives in gaining knowledge that we shall need another lifetime to put our knowledge into practice. We are in danger of evaluating our spiritual maturity on the basis of the amount of knowledge we have acquired.”

“Knowledge puffs up,” Paul told the quarreling Corinthian church.

So how do we gain spiritual knowledge in a way that leads to love?

How do we read to be formed, not just informed?

Something of our answer is found in an article written by Richard Foster forty years ago.

Reflecting on the books that shaped him most, he admits, ​“I wish I could tell you how deeply influenced I was as a child by reading Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy, Shakespeare and Milton, such was not the case. So I will share simply something of the pilgrimage of my mind and soul.”

“Pilgrimage” is an important word here. It’s a journey undertaken with a humble heart and with an openness to be transformed. The pilgrim isn’t trying to get somewhere as fast as possible. She wants to become someone along the way. She’s willing to linger, to reflect, to slow down.

This is the way of the wise reader.

Recalling a book from his college days, Richard notes in passing, ​“I read it perhaps twelve times in those years, memorizing several passages.”

Wait.

Twelve times?

I looked up the book: Shadow of the Almighty, the story of Jim Elliot. Yes, one of the great missionary stories of all time, but not a book that would impress most people. No matter, it made an impression upon Richard, over and over. It left a mark.

One of our callings at Renovaré is to highlight the kind of writings that touch the heart, address the will, mold the mind, and instill holy habits…. Then to create spaces to read deeply alongside others.

It is this combination of knowledge plus community and practice that, empowered by God, leads to genuine transformation.

So whether that is classic devotional literature or a great story (which Kristy Lahoda reminds us can also be a vehicle for transformation), may we make time — we’ll rarely ​“find” it — to read slowly, with God, with all our heart and mind.