Books Outside the Borders

Almost everything I have been reading lately is between four hundred to six hundred years old.  I am a mystical lover of God and these great works were written by Christian mystics centuries ago.  I have been reading a few recent books that are typically outside the borders of what many Christians usually read.  Here is a short reading list I have been reading for this year.

1.  Evelyn Underhill Mysticism is a classic work on the study and deep theological reflections on mystical writers throughout the centuries.  She is known as a Christian mystic herself and writes with a depth and scholarship and one of the leading authorities on Christian mysticism even though she wrote this at the beginning of the twentieth century.

2.  Carter J. Gregory wrote a book on the mystical view of scripture called The Fourth Watch of the Night.  Carter deals with the mystical numbers in the Bible from Daniel through the Gospels and Paul's writings.  He shows patterns and an intentional form of biblical numerology that is often overlooked or dismissed by the Christian academy today.

3.  The Rev. Dr. Donna Fletcher is a contemporary Christian theologian and mystical writer.  In her book Reflection of the Heart, she writes devotional thoughts about a Christ centered love for God in understanding oneself as well as understanding God.  She interweaves beautiful prose, poetry, and reflections throughout her book.

4.  Deana Deering is a charismatic mystic writer who writes inspirational and spirit-filled thoughts in her The Masterpiece of the Wilderness: Journeys of a Warrior Poet.  Her book connects scripture, prophetic insights, and spiritual words that comfort and challenge the reader. 

5.  Abraham Heschel is an orthodox Jewish writer and one of the most prolific writers of our day.  He writes with such beautiful prose that one is lifted into the heavenly places just reading some of his poetic theology.  A wonderful anthology of his best thoughts is called I Asked for Wonder.

6.  Travis Scholl is a creative and engaging writer and speaks of the mystical journey through a book he wrote on a forty day Lenten journey.  The book is called Walking the Labyrinth which deals with see God in creation, life, family, work, and play.  Scholl powerfully brings the mystical image of labyrinth to life by literally walking through one on a forty day spiritual journey through the gospel of Mark.

7.  Lastly, I have been reading Archimandrite Zacharias book called The Enlargement of the Heart.  This work is about the Eastern Orthodox saint Silouan whose famous saying is "Keep the mind in hell but despair not."  There are always two opposite poles or polar opposite edges we sometimes forget to explore.  We read a scripture about love and say nothing about hate or fear that is its opposite.  We read a verse about double mindedness but don't pay attention to single mindedness as its opposite.  We are told to look up in the Bible but what if God tells us to look down and see how desperate and lost we without God in hell?  St. Silouan powerfully reveals how this spiritual exercise can help us not be attached to this world while at the same time drawing closer to God with Christ-like humility.