for the love of reading...

Before I start my actual post, I just wanted to insert a quick note: Yesterday my prayers were answered.  After a rather impressive display of thunder, lightning, a torrential downpour and pea-size hail, the sun finally came out!  We were graced by it's presence for almost a whole hour.  Exciting!  Of course, after his little airing, Mr. Sun retreated back into the clouds and gave way to more rain, but I won't complain.  I had my one hour of sunshine and I am perfectly content!

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Last night I made out a schedule for all of my reading.  Okay, I admit, it's taking things a little far, but having it all written out and being able to see "the end of the tunnel" is quite refreshing.  I take great pleasure in having an agenda down on paper.  Whether or not I actually follow it to the letter is another story.  But, I like to keep it around because it's nice to able to pinpoint a finish date on the calendar and begin looking forward to a fresh start.  I love to read, and turning that last page is something that I really look forward to.

I have a schedule for just about everything.  When and what to read, when and where to clean, when and what to cook, when and where to go, when to bake bread, when to wash my hair (if you had my hair you'd understand!), you name it and I probably have it scheduled out.  As I said, writing it out is one thing, but actually following it is another.  I have gotten much better at this over the years, but there are still times when I toss the schedule out the window.  I'd hate to become so focused on what needs to be done that I couldn't enjoy the day.

Anyway, back to the reading.  In addition to finishing up the Bible reading challenge (Yes, I got a little behind.  I didn't always keep to my schedule :), reading Idols of the Heart by Elyse Fitzpatrick (which I plan to re-read many many times!), and reading for Sarah's combined History, Literature, and Writing, today I am beginning another study.

I received the Great Christian Classics from Generations with Vision as a Christmas gift.  While I've been itching to pick it up for weeks, I really wanted to finish some of the other books before I really got into it.  Last night, I could stand it no more and I decided that today was the day.

This morning was spent copying pages out of the study guide so that I could write on them freely (and in pen!).  I wish I had done that with other workbooks when I was younger.  There are some that I would love to use again. 

This study contains excerpts written by St. Augustine, St. Patrick, John Knox, John Bunyan, and John G. Paton.  I have the Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John G. Paton, but I've never read the entire book.  That might be a good one to begin at the end of this study.

I am so looking forward to working through this book!