What I Am Reading Now

Herbert presents The Complete Apocrypha by Christopher David Richardson

There are some books you cannot pass by. Instead of reading what is already waiting in my library, I am reading this new finding. I have been in the lookout for a collection or compilation of the apocrypha in one volume. There are many to be found, however, this one seems to have a larger number of books or fragments included. Some I have read already from other sources, but the majority I have yet to read. The book presents the Ethiopian bible, one of the oldest sources for these books or manuscripts, many which did not make it into the other more modern renderings of the bible as we know today.

I started with The Book of Enoch, and it is one of the longest included here; fantastic so far. I am enjoying this book immensely and cannot wait to read more of the other apocrypha books included here. If you are looking for a source that includes many, as well as background/history on each text, this seems to be a good source. A great addition to my library for sure.

A Season of Letting Go

Photo by M.A.D.

As I sit and write this post, I can see leaves dancing in the air. There is a tree that lets go of its leaves very early in the season. In August, it sheds a few leaves and by the end of September, it is almost if not bare. It is the only tree around here that loses its leaves early. It is one of the trees we saved when we set out to clean up this place. It was growing in the middle of overgrown bushes and weeds. We removed everything around it and decided to keep it. Today, it has grown more than twice its size and it is a favorite of crows and other birds. Deer love to eat the berries that fall on the ground early summer. I don’t know what kind of tree it is, and it really doesn’t matter. It looks pretty and is useful to the wildlife; it does what it is supposed to do.

Are we as that tree? Do we do as we supposed to do naturally, or do we let outside forces influence us to the point that we lose our inner strength and end up doing something that does not feel natural to us? Are we able to shed our leaves, to let go of every regret, ill preconception, judgement, and negativity? Sometimes, it is possible, but when our inner strength is lacking, we need a savior. We need a savior to remove all the weeds and thornbushes that surround us; we need help.

When our leaves are too heavy to carry, and we are surrounded by weeds, our Savior is just a prayer away. He will clean up around us and help us shed that what is too heavy for us to carry around. Just as the tree is transformed in a season, and renewed the next, so are we when we call upon Him, our Savior Jesus.