Comments (36)

You state Buddhism is represented in your list, but unless I am missing something there are not any Buddhist texts here. FYI the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu and the Bhagavad Gita are not Buddhist texts. Its sad that the Post publishes people from famous families instead of people who actually know what they are talking about when it comes to religion.

Dear Dr. Shriver,

If you have not yet read them, I would like to share with you and your readers books that changed my life:

1. )The Diary of St. Faustina-Divine Mercy in My Soul

2.) The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena

3.) True Devotion To Mary by St. Louis De Montfort

4.) The Hidden Treasure- Holy Mass by St. Leonard

There are many, many more. We have been blessed with so many excellent writers; I also have learned very much from the writings of Lucia, the eldest of the Fatima seers.

God Bless you.

Meg

You are posting a list of books for the soul, books by authors who don't believe a soul exists and want to share that view? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

ALL THINGS TOGETHER NOW

I recall having read that poem of Monty Python posted by an atheist blogger named PAM on this forum . It is meant to show how stupid God is, right?

The only problem with the message it is meant to convey is that Monty Python seems to be unaware that in God's sight there no ugliness. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Ask Steve Irwin, the late Australian hero, who loved wild animals that most human beings consider/ed ugly.

I found another link to information about Saint Benedict of Nursia and the Benedictine Order:

http://www.osb.org/gen/benedict.html

I apologize if I mistook the book 'The Holy Rule of Benedict' for the Rule of Saint Benedict. I have not even checked if the books are the same!

http://www.osb.org/gen/rule.html

Summer reading for the other side.

"Atheist Universe" by David Mills

"The Portable Atheist" Edited by Christopher Hitchens.

"Doubt; A History" by Jennifer Michael Hecht.

"Why I am Not a Christian" by Bertrand Russell.

"Facing Up" Science and its Cultural Adversaries.by Steven Weinberg.

"The Portable Voltaire" edited by Ben Ray Redman.

"Irrationality" by Stuart Sutherland.

"God;The Failed Hypothesis" 'How Science Shows God Does Not Exist.' by Victor Stenger.

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins.

All things dull and ugly,
All creatures short and squat,
All things rude and nasty,
The Lord God made the lot.
Each little snake that poisons,
Each little wasp that stings,
He made their brutish venom.
He made their horrid wings.

All things sick and cancerous,
All evil great and small,
All things foul and dangerous,
The Lord God made them all.

Each nasty little hornet,
Each beastly little squid--
Who made the spikey urchin?
Who made the sharks? He did!

All things scabbed and ulcerous,
All pox both great and small,
Putrid, foul and gangrenous,
The Lord God made them all.

Amen.

~ Monty Python

I just found the link to this terrific online library:

The Holy Rule of St Benedict (and other books):

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/benedict/rule.i.html?highlight=the,holy,rule,of,st,benedict#highlight

Thanks for the suggestions. The Bible is my favorite place to go in times of sorrow, happiness, thankfulness, pain, guilt, troubles, etc. God's plan is for us to have this book to guide us. Why else would it have survived longer than any other text, even in a world that has tried to get rid of it more than once.

How come every "spiritual classic" is at least 2,000 years old? Why do we treat the tribal mores of various bronze-age goat-herders as the paragon of wisdom?

And if the way that can be told is not the eternal way, then why the heck didn't Lao Tzu stop on the first page?

Break free of religion and its shallowness! Try Road to Reality by Penrose and A Tear is an Intellectual Thing by Neu.

"At the height of their power, the bible is prohibited to be read by their flock. How can they if they can't even own one?"

Yeah, now *everyone* can run around pulling verses out of that book and claim 'God Commands' whatever irrational thing they wanted to do, anyway.

What *were* they thinking?

Doesn't make the medieval Church any more right, but looking around these days, I can kind of understand the reasoning. A lot of the people demanding we put the ten Commandments up in courthouses can't even name them, never mind deal with anything complex.

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. A perfect cure for patriotism, and historically acurate accounting of the spread of greed and Christianity across what are now the states.

E. Nkonoki-Ward wrote "Our challenge is to spread the message of Our Lady of Fatima, "

Why can't Catholicism stick to the Bible? Don't thay have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ that they have to invent so many ladies from so many places?

The Bible is a complete book. They want to feel a "sense of holiness" by relating with these ladies instead of just simple reading the Bible and follow it.

The only time Catholics were allowed to have a Bible is when they can't stop the spread of it anymore. At the height of their power, the bible is prohibited to be read by their flock. How can they if they can't even own one?

Dear Dr. Shriver:

Our challenge is to spread the message of Our Lady of Fatima, the message which gives us the only way to peace..........so simple, but so ignored by those who have the key to the true peace as the Fatima Crusader shares through a message brought by Corallie Graham:

"God Endorses Fatima"
Our Lady promised the three chid seers at Fatima that there would be a miracle so all would believe. Seventy thousand (70,000) people witnessed this miracle where the sun zig-zagged in the sky, gave off all colors of the rainbow, fell to the earth and, as instantly, returned to the heavens. Meanwhile they had been standing in pouring rain, mud up to their ankles. When the sun receded back into the heavens, they were suddenly dry and clean.

Now that is a stupendous miracle from God, Himself. So then why is the world still waiting for a ten minute prayer especially to bring peace to a war-torn world?

This is what our work is about. We will not let the Message of Fatima be silenced. We will stand to the end, until we bring about the fulfillment of Her requests and the ultimate triumph of Her Immaculate Heart.

A ten minute prayer! She didn't ask for a million dollars. She didn't ask us to climb a mountain or swim an ocean; She asked us to pray. It's not impossible.

........I'd like to read you a little poem that I think is quite appropriate. It was written anonymously some years ago. It;s called "Listen to Me." The person who wrote it is implying, if Jesus were here today, standing before you, what would He say?.......

Listen to Me

Just stop a while and listen to Me,
I have a question to ask of thee.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

I chose Her to be My very own, and
greater perfection was never known.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

I was born through Her so we all
would be spiritual members of one family.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

I've sent Her to you with a
Message Divine, not once or
twice, but many a time.
And still you're ignoring My Mother.

Like a wreath of graces Her Rosary,
She's given to Her loving children as
a key to Heaven.
And still you're ignoring My Mother.

She came with My message to La Salette,
but those request have not been met.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

I sent Her again, to the cave at Lourdes,
but just as before, you spurned Her words.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

To the fields of Fatima again she came,
for prayers and sacrifices in her Son's name.
And still you're ignoring My Mother.

I sent Her to earth from Heaven above,
so you would give Her your honor and your love.
And still you're ignoring My Mother.

When you ignore My Mother, you ignore Her Son,
Because to Me, She's the dearest one.
Why are you ignoring My Mother?

You'd better amend and do not tarry,
the ideal way to Jesus is Mary.
So stop ignoring My Mother."

Let us all petition Pope Benedict XVI to heed the request of Our Lady of Fatima to consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in union with all the Catholic Bishops of the world so that we may all live in the period of peace promised. And let us, each and everyone of us, strive to do God's will in every way, during every day.

Those of you who share in reading this message are many who are unknown to me, personally, but now that you have put your eyes upon what is written, here, please know that you will be forever in my daily prayers.

God bless you all, especially you, Dr. Shriver and your family. You may remember that the symbolic "torch" was passed to you after your wonderful speech at the Blessed Pierre Toussaint dinner in Hartford.

Add the Fatima Crusader to your summer reading and be blessed.

My choice for spiritual summer reading is long. It is by Hermann Hesse. Narcissus and Goldmund is a retelling of Jesus's parable of the Prodigal Son set in Medieval Europe. It is also about contemporary times and finding spiritual affirmation; is it in ascetism: withdrawing from conflicting images of who the ideal person should be from popular culture, or is it from engagement with popular culture and all its fantasies and fascinations and in the end dying with integrity, being authentic to one's true self. I believe the 19th and 20th century Existentialists are instructive about living a values oriented life and living a life that values all living.

Ah, yeah, that makes sense, JJ. The anti-semitic Zionist threatens to destroy his own sacred stuff with weapons he don't have, just to spite himself.

I can't say it makes any less sense than what some others feel about the region, but somehow I get the notion that nefarious plan isn't gonna happen. Frankly, I figure the monotheists around there could do worse than say, "OK, let's all get together and get rid of this stuff we been fighting over for our-God-knows-how long. We obviously can't handle it. Kind of like that Tower of Babel thing."

*That* would impress me.

But, yaknow, JJ, the thread's about 'summer reading' not 'summer ranting.'

B R E A K I N G -- N E W S:

The IRANian "AL-TAQiYAH" [islamic-Zionist] Army threatened to Destroy the "KABBA" & the "DOME Of The ROCK" if PERSiA & their Mulla's gets attacked by any Judeo-JEWS & or Judeo-Christs secondaries , or Judeo-Hindu's [via HinDUTVA, aka Hindu-Zionists] teriary's or Judeo-Buddhists et al.

Hi Raymond--

Revival comes when majority Settlers become Pioneers...

I already mentioned these two books in another context, which could be added here:

The Book of Proverbs (The Old Testament)
The Ramayana (Hindu Epic)

Hark! My lover—here he comes
Springing across the mountains,
Leaping across the hills.
My lover is caramel chocolate heaven=]

yours truly kps

Hark! My lover—here he comes
Springing across the mountains,
Leaping across the hills.
My lover is CARAMEL CHOCOLATE HEAVEN=]

yours truly,
kps

from Brennan Manning's "Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus":

SETTLERS and PIONEERS

"There are two views of life in Christianity and two kinds of people. Some see life as a possession to be carefully guarded. They are SETTLERS. Others see life as a fantastic, wild, explosive gift. They are PIONEERS. The visible church is an outfit with an abundance of settlers and a few pioneers. The invisible church is the fellowship of pioneers. To no one's surprise there are two kinds of theology. Settler theology and pioneer theology. Settler theology is an attempt to answer all the questions, define and housebreak some sort of "Supreme Being," establish the status quo on Golden Tablets in cinema scope. Pioneer Theology is an attempt to talk about what it means to receive the strange gift of life and live! The pioneer sees theology as a wild adventure, complete with Indians, saloon girls, and the haunting call of what is yet to be.

The Wild West offers a stage for picturing these two types of theology. Settlers and Pioneers use the same words but that is where it stops. To see what I mean--read on:

THE CHURCH

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the church is the courthouse. It is the center of town life. The old stone structure dominates the town square. Its windows are small. This makes the thing easy to defend, but quite dark inside. Its doors are solid oak. No one lives there except pigeons and they, of course, are most unwelcome.

Within the thick, courthouse walls, records are kept, taxes collected, trials held for bad guys. The courthouse runs the town. It is the settler's symbol of law, order, stability, and most important--security, The mayor's office is on the top floor. His eagle eye scopes out the smallest details of town life.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the church is the covered wagon. It is a house on wheels--always on the move. No place is its home. The covered wagon is where the pioneers eat, sleep, fight, love, and die. It bears the marks of life and movement--it creaks, is scarred with arrows, bandaged with bailing wire. The covered wagon is always where the action is. It moves in on the future and doesn't bother to glorify its own ruts. The old wagon isn't comfortable, but the pioneers could care less. There is a new world to explore.

GOD

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--God is the mayor. The honorable Alpha O. Mega, chief executive of Settler City. He is a sight to behold--dressed like a dude from back East, lounging in an over-stuffed chair in his courthouse office. He keeps the blinds drawn. No one sees or knows him directly, but since there is order in the town who can deny he is there? The mayor is predictable and always on schedule.

The settlers fear the mayor but look to him to clear the payroll and keep things going. The mayor controls the courthouse which in turn runs the town. To maintain peace and quiet the mayor sends the sheriff to check on pioneers who ride into town.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--God is the trail boss. He is rough and rugged-full of life. He chews tobacco, drinks straight whiskey.The trail boss lives, eats, sleeps, fights with his men. Their well being is his concern. Without him the wagon wouldn't move--the pioneers would become fat and lazy. Living as a free man would be impossible. The trail boss often gets down in the mud with the pioneers to help push the wagon which frequently gets stuck. He slugs the pioneers when they get soft and want to turn back. His fist is an expression of his concern.

JESUS

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--Jesus is the sheriff. He is the guy who is sent by the mayor to enforce the rules. He wears a white hat--drinks milk--outdraws the bad guys. He saves the settlers by offering security. The sheriff decides who is thrown in jail. There is a saying in town that goes like this--those who believe the mayor sent the sheriff and follow the rules won't stay in Boot Hill when it comes their time.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--Jesus is the scout. He rides out ahead to find out which way the pioneers should go. He lives all the dangers of the trail. The scout suffers every hardship, is attacked by the Indians, feared by the settlers. Through his actions and words he shows the true spirit, intent, and concern of the trail boss. By looking at the scout, those on the trail learn what it really means to be a pioneer.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the Holy Spirit is a saloon girl. Her job is to comfort the settlers. They come to her when they feel lonely or when life gets dull or dangerous. She tickles them under the chin and makes everything O.K. again. The saloon girl squeals to the sheriff when someone starts disturbing the peace. (Note to settlers: the whiskey served in Settler City Saloon is the non-spirituous kind.)

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the Holy Spirit is the buffalo hunter. He rides along with the wagon train and furnishes fresh, raw meat for the pioneers. The buffalo hunter is a strange character--sort of a wild man. The pioneers never can tell what he will do next. He scares the hell out of the settlers. Every Sunday morning, when the settlers have their little ice cream party in the courthouse, the buffalo hunter sneaks up to one of the courthouse windows with his big black gun and fires a tremendous blast. Men jump, women scream, dogs bark. Chuckling to himself, the buffalo hunter rides back to the wagon train.

THE CHRISTIAN

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the Christian is the settler. He fears the open, unknown frontier. He stays in good with the mayor and keeps out of the sheriff's way. He tends a small garden. "Safety First" is his motto. To him the courthouse is a symbol of security, peace, order, and happiness. He keeps his money in the bank. The banker is his best friend. He plays checkers in the restful shade of the oak trees lining the courthouse lawn. He never misses an ice cream party.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the Christian is the pioneer. He is a man of risk and daring--hungry for adventure, new life, the challenge of being on the trail. He is tough, rides hard, knows how to use a gun when necessary. The pioneer feels sorry for the town folks and tries to tell them about the joy and fulfillment of a life following the trail. He dies with his boots on.

THE CLERGYMAN IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the clergyman is the bank teller. Within his vaults are locked the values of the town. He is suspicious of strangers. And why not? Look what he has to protect! The bank teller is a highly respected man in town. He has a gun but keeps it hidden behind his desk. He feels he and the sheriff have a lot in common. After all, they both protect the bank.

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the clergyman is the cook. He doesn't furnish the meat--he just dishes up what the buffalo hunter provides. This is how he supports the movement of the wagon. He never confuses his job with that of the trail boss, scout or buffalo hunter. He sees himself as just another pioneer who has learned to cook. The cook's job is to help the pioneers pioneer.

THE BISHOP

IN SETTLER THEOLOGY--the bishop is the bank president. He rules the bank with an iron hand. He makes all the decisions, tells the tellers what to do, and upholds the image of the bank. The settlers must constantly be reassured of the safety of their values. The bank president watches the books like a hawk. Each day he examines all deposits and withdrawals. The bank president is responsible for receiving all new accounts. This is called "the laying on of hands."

IN PIONEER THEOLOGY--the bishop is the dishwasher. He does the chores so the cook can do his job. He supports the cook in every way possible. Together the cook and dishwasher plan the meals and cook the food provided by the buffalo hunter. They work as an interdependent team in all matters related to cooking. Humming while he works, the dishwasher keeps the coffeepot going for the pioneers. Though the dishwasher has an humble task he is not resentful. All pioneers realize that each man's job is equally important. In fact, in the strange ways of the pioneer community, he is greatest who serves most. (A bishop is the servant of the servants of God. If the servants of God are cooks, what else would a bishop be?)

In SETTLER THEOLOGY, faith is trusting in the safety of the town: obeying the laws, keeping your nose clean, believing the mayor is in the courthouse. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, faith is the spirit of adventure. The readiness to move out. To risk everything on the trail. Obedience to the restless voice of the trail boss.

In SETTLER THEOLOGY, sin is breaking one of the town's ordinances. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, sin is wanting to turn back.

In SETTLER THEOLOGY,salvation is living close to home and hanging around the courthouse. In PIONEER THEOLOGY, salvation is being more afraid of sterile town life than of death on the trail. The joy of the thought of another day to push on into the unknown. It is trusting the trail boss and following his scout while living on the meat provided by the buffalo hunter.

..If we are not experiencing what Paul calls "the glorious freedom," then we must acknowledge that we are not fully under the sway of His Spirit

And, by the way:

"Hark! My lover—here he comes
Springing across the mountains,
Leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
Or a young stag."

Hey, no fair! When Pagans say something like that, we get accused of 'Congress With The Devil!' :)

I have two texts that should be must reads for those who would have us believe they are followers of Jesus:

The Physicians for Human Rights report, "Broken Laws, Broken Lives", http://brokenlives.info

The Human Rights Watch report, "Locked Up Alone", http://hrw.org/reports/2008/us0608/

If you still believe, after reading these (a total of 182 pages), that there is nothing you should do to change the country you are living in from what it is doing in your name, then quit pretending you believe in anything, and quit reading homilies. Real human beings care.

Yep. Great summer reading. I think I'll brush up on the auld Wing Chun.

"St. Paul is both loved and feared by believers for his strong and uncompromising faith. Few of his writings are better known than his ode to love. If you need to have your confidence in love restored, try this one. A short excerpt follows.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Except people being gay. 'Kill them, their blood shall be upon them. (not you) '

Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean Pierre de Caussade

St. Francis by G.K. Chesterton

The autobiography of Dom Bede Griffiths, The Golden String, is a good read. He mentions several books in it. (I haven't read any of them.)

The autobiography of C S Lewis, Surpised by Joy, is another good read.

Happy summer holidays Dr Shriver and have lots of fun reading!

Dom Bede Griffiths OSB has written a Christian commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. You might like to read it Dr Shriver. I was blessed to be staying at his Ashram when he gave a series of talks on the Bhagavad Gita which was later compiled to form the major part of this book.

River of Compassion: A Christian Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita (Templegate Publishers)
ISBN: 087243253X
ISBN-13: 9780872432536

The Bhagavad Gita or Song of God is a spiritual classic. It belongs not only to Hindus but to all the world, and is part of the spiritual inheritance of mankind. "I want to show," says Bede Griffiths, "how it can be a spiritual guide to a Christian and to anyone in search of a guide on the spiritual path. This commentary has been written for the benefit of people who do not want an academic study of the Gita, of which there are plenty, but who do want to use it as a practical guide in the spiritual life. A Christian who is open to the message of the Gita will find that it throws new light on many aspects of the Gospel and will see at the same time how the Bhagavad Gita gathers new meaning when seen in the perspective of the Gospel." (336 pages)

1 John 4:7-21

1 John 4:7-21 NIV

God's Love and Ours

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

13 We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

19 We love because he first loved us.

20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

4. From the Gospels

Sermon on the Mount: Matthew chapters 5-7

Last Supper message of Jesus: John chapters 14-17

5. Letters of James and 1 John

3. My favourite verses from Isaiah chapters 43 & 44:

Isaiah 43:1-7 NIV

Israel's Only Savior

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the LORD, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give men in exchange for you,
and people in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-

7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

Isaiah 44:1-8 NIV

Israel the Chosen

1 "But now listen, O Jacob, my servant,
Israel, whom I have chosen.

2 This is what the LORD says—
he who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.

4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow,
like poplar trees by flowing streams.

5 One will say, 'I belong to the LORD ';
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,'
and will take the name Israel.
The LORD, Not Idols

6 "This is what the LORD says—
Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
I am the first and I am the last;
apart from me there is no God.

7 Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
Let him declare and lay out before me
what has happened since I established my ancient people,
and what is yet to come—
yes, let him foretell what will come.

8 Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
No, there is no other Rock; I know not one."

testing

2. My favourite Psalms are 23 and 139. I find it soothing to read Psalm 23 over and over again.

Psalm 23 NIV

A psalm of David.

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

Psalm 139 NIV

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, [a] you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Dear Dr Shriver

Thanks for sharing your selection of favourite books. Since you asked readers to share theirs, here my two cents worth:

1. My favourite lines from Song of Songs

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 NIV

6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

Tim that first verse is encouraging girls to sneak boys in their windows,some things really don't change...........