What Are Your "Bookends?"

So far in 2011 I’ve ingrained two strong spiritual “bookends” to start and end my day. They are long-established but probably often overlooked in the face of so many resources and data overload. Their names are The Upper Room and My Utmost for His Highest, and I highly recommend both!

The Upper Room, in its 76^th year, is a daily devotional that many churches purchase in bulk. It does a fantastic job of connecting scripture to story—making the Word come alive through anecdotes and insights from a wide variety of contributing writers from across the world. Each day offers a cluster of verses, a thought for the day or a resource, along with a prayer to accompany the writer’s story. I’ve started using this every morning, and so far have never failed to gain a fresh epiphany that I can apply right away to my life.

I get up pretty early, so that I can have both devotional and exercise time. Often I’m able to combine them; thank goodness for recumbent bicycles!

My Utmost is a collection of writings and talks by the late Oswald Chambers, who was a Scottish Protestant minister and teacher and died well before his time in 1917. I was given my first and enduring copy of the devotion in 1996, and am working through it for the fourth or fifth time. This year I find I’m highlighting sections more than ever. It is an unequivocal call to Christ-likeness, and I go to bed each night challenged and enveloped in the peaceful knowledge that God has come near.

I’m not sure what your current “bookends” happen to be. They will probably vary for each person.

But there’s great value in starting and ending the day in a rather intentional, purposeful manner. Waking up just in time to start the “grind” doesn’t work very well for me, and neither does ending my day in a television-laden haze.

I’ve noticed that the quality of my day—interactions, work accomplishments, etc.—has been enhanced in 2011 as have cemented these approaches into habits. I pray the same is happening or can happen for you!