If CSI came to my house. . .

If CSI came to my house, they would have to go no farther than my nightstand to get a complete profile of my life.

Chapstick, four pens, a pad of Post It notes, a highlighter, an empty candy wrapper, and books. Several books, in fact.

CSI could tell at a glance that I'm a writer, because of the profusion of writing implements, especially Post It notes. Every writer is seized by the propensity toward brainstorms at the most inconvenient times. Mine seem to happen when I'm drifting off to sleep, falling back  asleep, or praying. They are rude, persistent, and noisy. Like two-year olds having tantrums, great ideas demand center stage--NOW. Keeping a notepad by my bed allows me to acknowledge them without granting them authority over my agenda.

CSI could also discern from the items on my nightstand that I'm a chocolate lover. With nuts, please. Chocolate without nuts is a waste of good chocolate. I don't eat it every day, but when I want it, it had better be there, hence the stash in my nightstand drawer.

But the most obvious deduction our friendly investigators would arrive at from the book collection on my nightstand is that I'm a Christian. And since Christians come in all shapes, sizes, and inclinations, they'd have to do a little more sleuthing to pigeon hole me. My books, defying gravity in a haphazard stack, provide ample clues:

1.  My prayer journal. My prayer journal would reveal all kinds of secrets. I'm recording prayers of intercession for those I love as well as those I'm trying to love. It's a place to list the many things for which I thank God. 

There's even a section for requests to which God has said no. Across each of them, I choose to write Thank you. Write thank you for saying no? Expressing thanks when God says no to a request is how I acknowledge that I trust God to know what's best for me. Some thank yous are very hard to write.

2.  The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children. An inseparable companion to my prayer journal is a copy of this book by Stormie Omartian. It's the most valuable resource I've found to bolster my faith, direct my prayers, and help me purposefully intercede for my daughters.

3.  My Bible. John MacArthur's One Year Bible is the first book I open after journaling my thank yous. I use a selection from the Psalms as a template to praise God, then read parts of the Old and New Testaments. 

I often hear God speak during this time. Just today, after praying for someone I love who is away from the Lord, God comforted me through the story of the dry bones coming to life in Ezekiel 37. "I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them." God's Word promises, "Then they shall be my people, and I will be their God."

4.  A Godward Life.  A John Piper classic, this devotional challenges my thinking and invites me to ponder the deeper truths of the Christian life.  His thoughts are timely and often instruct me how to interact with today's culture as a winsome witness for God. Most devotions are only two pages long. I read them in five minutes, but ponder them for the rest of the day.

So if CSI were to examine the evidence on my bedside table, they'd come to the conclusion that I'm a Christian writer who loves God, her family, and chocolate. And has chapped lips.

Guilty as charged.

What books are you reading right now? Do they make you more like Christ? Please share your favorites in the comment box below and join the conversation. (Email subscribers, click here.)



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