Well that was cool timing

I had a wonderful little surprise last night. If you saw my post yesterday on discouragement, Kem Meyer was giving away a free copy of Mark Buchanan's new book "Spiritual Rhythm" which talks about drawing near to Christ in every season of your soul. That means the dark times in winter as well as the vibrant days of spring.

I got home and had a package from Zondervan on my desk. That's odd, I didn't order anything. Open it up and guess what it was?  Mark had sent me a (surprise) copy of his new book Spiritual Rhythm (!??)  How cool is that? Free books are one thing, but the timing of this one and the fact I had only heard of the book that very morning to encourage me, now that's a God thing. Spiritual Rhythm indeed. I can't wait to read it :)   Look back here for the review.
Or check out on the Engaging Church blog an interview with Mark, part one and part two. Here's one quote I found quote interesting:

The idea that Christ forms us through seasons is, I believe, a more biblical and a more practical way to understand and steward our spiritual formation. Most models of Christian spirituality measure progress by the depths and strength of our commitments. Busyness is equal to maturity. The model of seasons – that our souls pass through winter, summer, spring, fall, often in no particular order, and that Christ meets us in all these places - measures maturity by how well we steward each season. Winter, for example, is about pruning our activities, not adding more. It’s about becoming unbusy.

So if you're in the Winter right now... it's ok. God is still with you.