March 9, Sunday Morning -- Reading The Psalms

In the heart of the Mission District, spending few sunny moments before walking the few blocks to his church, Cornerstone, on 17th near Guerrero Street.
Reading Psalm 119:133

Order my steps in thy word;
And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

His favorite book: The book of John in the New Testament. He likes it for the joy of God's love for us. God chose us. We didn't have to choose him--he loved us first.

Other books he likes--Catch 22, by Joseph Heller; Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison; The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He likes reading from the era of the 20's.

When he was young he liked the Narnia books, by C.S. Lewis and The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

I felt a common bond with him: We had both lost our cell phones--he, on a recent trip to India, and me, at the somewhat less exotic Ferry Building-- and, because we use them as clocks, neither of us had any idea what time it was. He turned on his car to check the dashboard display. He had five minutes.

While we walked together towards his church (I was on my way to my book group in Hayes Valley) he told me about why he was reading Psalm 119. For guidance. He is considering moving to India and taking a job working with a Real Estate developer. While the U.S. economy is growing just 1 -2 % per year, India's economy is growing 8 - 9 %, and this rate is rising, creating a need for more infrastructure and more housing. The increased development has created a 20% deficiency in the amount of power needed to what is created. This deficiency causes frequent and sometimes lengthy outages. The position, he said, would be challenging and one he needs to learn more about.


Are there books you've read--religious, inspirational, mental science, fiction--that you go to when faced with making a decision?