A Give-Away!

I've been reading a book in my mass amounts of free time since graduation. A friend of mine gave me this book, Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton, and recommended I read it. It's sat on my shelf for... goodness... 2 years or so now? I'm finally getting around to picking it up and I've found myself absolutely devouring it. The idea of silence is scary -- especially for someone as word-oriented as myself. But it's worth it:

The invitation to solitude and silence is just that. It is an invitation to enter more deeply into the intimacy of relationship with the One who Waits just outside the noise and busyness of our lives. It is an invitation to communication and communion with the One who is always present even when our awareness has been dulled by distration. It is an invitation to the adventure of spiritual transformation in the deepest places of our being, an adventure that will result in greater freedom and authenticity and surrender to God than we have yet experienced. (Barton 18)

I'm only just starting to get my "feet wet" with the idea of silence. I've started with setting a timer for a short time to practice this new spiritual discipline. I never realized until trying this just how busy and noisy my mind is. Thoughts are constant! I'm only 2 weeks in, but I've already experienced some amazing transformation. I can feel my heart getting quieter. I feel closer to God.

I want you to explore this spiritual discipline with me. Silence is power. Remember Elijah? He stood on the mountain to see God. God wasn't in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. He was in "the sound of sheer silence" (1 Kings 19:1 - 19). So! For the first time in Humble Beginnings history, I'm doing a give-away!

I'd like to pass on to you this wonderful book that my friend shared with me. Leave a comment below on or before Sunday, January 10. I'll pick someone at that point and mail off the book right before I leave for Africa. Good Luck!