Page 15 - Built For God Handbook (Annotated and Explained Edition) - The Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching - The New Evangelization - Pope John Paul II

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For these reasons, I suggest you avoid the temptation to
rush through this book. Instead, try reading just one chapter every
day in an eighty-one-day experiment. First, find a place to read free
from distractions. Then, approaching the text with a heart open to
change, read a single chapter of the Tao, the commentaries, and
the Bible verses related to it. Be sure to spend time in prayer and
meditation after you read; otherwise, the lessons are too easily
forgotten in the course of the day. Many people find it helpful to
keep a journal of their thoughts, to help them retain what they’ve
learned, and to serve as a handy reference later. Finally, look for
opportunities during your day-to-day life to try out the principles you
will be discovering. You will be pleasantly surprised at how quickly
they bear fruit.

At the end of your eighty-one days and the eighty-one
chapters, take a spiritual inventory. How have your thoughts
changed over the last eleven weeks? What are you doing
differently now? Do you have an increased sense of peace and
stillness in your life? As you continue to explore these new ideas,
you very well might find yourself repeating this eighty-one-day
experiment.

God has worked many miracles in bringing this book to
fruition, and writing it has truly been a labor of love on my part, as it
nearly consumed my normal life for five years. I pray that in reading
it, you, too, will be drawn closer to God—for the oneness with God
in Spirit empowers us to live a life of holiness.