A few thoughts on a few books this lovely November evening.

70. The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. Oh what do I say about this one! Parts of this book thrilled my soul and enlivened my heart to beat heavenward as I considered the love of Christ and all that is mine in Him. Yet still there were parts of this book that irked me. All in all, I am certainly glad I read this one. It is a classic devotional work for a reason and I’ve had it on my shelf unfinished for a good while now. So finally I took it down and began reading, a few pages every morning during my devotions time. I think this served it well, as an aid and stimulus to my meditating on the things of Christ and what it means to be a child of God. There were so many encouraging lines and passages and moments where my heart leaped as I pressed in on what it is to know Christ more. Particularly Book 2 was fantastic, by far the stand-out section of this book. What I loved the most about this book was the focus it demands we place on our honor and devotion to God and what it means to sacrifice all to Him, placing Him before us and humbling ourselves before Him. It’s a well needed counter to the ethos of the day, in which we tend to place ourselves before all else and consider our needs of greater importance. This book simply breathes humility and it does my heart good to meditate on what it means to be truly humble before God and man. I did also mention parts of this book that annoyed me, and I suppose that comes with the territory of reading the work of a 15th-century monastic. There are doctrinal quibbles I have (such as with most of Book 4 covering Communion & the Eucharist, where I have some profound disagreements with the Roman understanding of the aforesaid sacrament) as well as some annoyances at the stylistic tendences in Book 3 (particularly as regards the “dialogue” between the Learner and the Beloved (Christ). I tend to tread carefully when I see words put in the mouth of Christ (even if I’m not always consistent on such), and it bothered me a bit to see so much of that here). There are other Roman doctrines which are seen here and there that I found myself shaking my head at, but I will not go any further to detail them here. Still yet? This book was encouraging to me and did indeed stimulate my heart to consider more what it means to devote one to the Lord and to follow Him all of our days. I would urge discernment if one reads it, understanding that not every word in this book may be necessarily true (as is a helpful reminder when reading any book by human author). But I’m grateful to read a book that puts us in our proper place and gives God the glory and honour that is his due! I’m grateful to read a book that encourages us in humility and Christian service. I’m grateful to read a book that makes me think more about Christ and who He is and what He has done for me.

71. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery. A profoundly emotional book. One that fairly gushes with the pathos that still throbbed in the author’s heart only a bare few years after the Great War had ended, this book makes it seem as the author is still processing such, using this book to heal and understand. There is much in this book that to us now may seem slightly jingoistic or overly sentimental in nature, yet I’d argue it gives us a peek into the past, a window into what the people of the day thought about this great war that still shocks us to this day with the horrors it contained. All in all, I loved reading this one. That may surprise you, as it is a sad work. Yet? This book deals with these sad themes of separation and death and loss with the gravity that is appropriate yet also shows how the characters deal with such and move forwards while still remembering what lay behind. Montgomery does not take this subject and deal tritely with it and attempt to make light of this war. If anything she almost goes too far the other way in attempting to describe this war as the pivot point of human existence! But can she be blamed? I think not. I won’t talk more about this book other than to say it’s well worth the read, one of the best books in the Anne series (not the best, can’t say that about a book where Anne isn’t front and center!). Rilla is no Anne, but she’s still pretty great.