In this week’s edition of our weekly newsletter, Scott writes about a great way to recharge ourselves spiritually, especially amid difficult times: reading.
Dear friends in Christ, 
The news continues to disturb us. Daily we see that there is much work to do to make sure our nation and our world are places where all God’s children can flourish. That’s not going to change any time soon, though this should not prevent us from relentlessly praying and working for peace, justice, and mercy.
On airplanes, the safety announcements remind flyers to put on their own oxygen mask before helping others. Perhaps there is something to this in our spiritual lives, too. We have to be strong in our faith, so that we can offer faith and strength to those around us. Or, to put it another way, when I am overflowing with a powerful sense of God’s grace in my own life, I am more likely to try to share the blessings of God’s grace with others.
How can we remind ourselves of the deep and abiding presence of God in our lives? There are as many ways to do that as there are people. Personally, I find that reading helps. Sometimes it’s a thought-provoking novel or maybe a book of poetry. It might be a theological book. At the risk of sounding obvious, the Bible is also well worth time reading. Survey data suggests that American Christians don’t read the Bible much. But research data also tells us that there is no better catalyst for spiritual growth than engagement with scripture.
Whatever it takes, I encourage you to kindle the flame of Christ’s love in your own life so that you can be a beacon of light and love in the world.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
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