‘Be thou the well by which I lie and rest;
Be thou my tree of life, my garden ground;
Be thou my home, my fire, my chamber blest,
My book of wisdom, loved of all the best;
Oh, be my friend, each day still newer found,
As the eternal days and nights go round!
Nay, nay—thou art my God, in whom all loves are bound!’
In 1880, the prolific author George Mac Donald self-published a long poem in book form as a gift for his friends. He called it, in full, A Book of Strife in the Form of the Diary of an Old Soul. It contained a new seven-line stanza for each day of the calendar year, written as prayers expressing Mac Donald's longings, struggles, and joys in everyday life.
The Diary was originally printed with a blank page facing every page of poetry so that readers could supplement Mac Donald's diary with their own. This feature in particular, along with the spiritual wisdom and literary artistry of the text itself, was beloved by C. S. Lewis, who gave a copy of the book to his future wife, Joy Davidman, as a Christmas gift in 1952.
Now in this deluxe edition, Mac Donald's classic devotional resource is again available with the blank pages he envisioned alongside the complete text. With a new introduction and explanatory notes by historian Timothy Larsen, the beloved writer's prayers find new life for enthusiasts and first-time readers alike.
– Complete text of Mac Donald's classic work—one poem for each day of the year
– Thoughtful layout with a blank page for journaling opposite each poem
– Introduction and annotations by historian Timothy Larsen
– Deluxe features including cloth binding and bookmark ribbon
Table des matières
Introduction
1 January
2 February
3 March
4 April
5 May
6 June
7 July
8 August
9 September
10 October
11 November
12 December
A propos de l’auteur
Timothy Larsen is Mc Manis Professor of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, an Honorary Fellow in the School of Divinity at Edinburgh University, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He has written eight books, including A People of One Book: The Bible and the Victorians, and edited a dozen volumes, including most recently The Oxford Handbook of Christmas.