Page 18 - Built For Greatness - The Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching

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How Do I Read This Book?

Although the Tao Te Ching can easily be read in just a few
hours, the text becomes much more powerful when it is read
slowly, mentally digested through patient prayer and meditation,
and its principles actually put into practice. The richness of the Tao
Te Ching is a lifelong exploration of discovering something new
about yourself every time you read it.
For these reasons, I suggest you avoid the temptation to
rush through this book. Instead, try reading just one chapter every
day in a kind of 81-day experiment. First find a place to read that is
free from distractions. Then, approaching the text with a heart open
to change, read a single chapter of the Tao, 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, both 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 81 days and the 81 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 81-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