Down a Country Road
Eric E. Wright
Day One Publications, 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84625-106-1
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1 ESV*).
God has chosen to reveal something of his presence and power through creation. This led the Apostle Paul to write: “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20 ESV).
Eric Wright, with a life-time in vocational Christian ministry, both internationally and here in Canada – evangelism, church-planting, pastoral ministry, seminary teaching, writing and editing - brings God’s two books of revelation together in fifty-two superbly crafted seasonal readings. Down a Country Road (Day One Publications, 2008) does for 21st century readers what Jesus did for 1st century listeners – illustrate and reinforce spiritual truth by observing the surrounding creation.
Just as Jesus used “salt and light, trees and flowers, weather and sheep to illustrate divine truth”, Eric Wright draws vital spiritual lessons from observing life in the creation around him. Through fifty-two devotional readings – one for each week of the year, organized by month and following the four seasons – Eric Wright shows us how to see God’s truth in the everyday cycle of life.
Here is a sampling of what is in store for readers of Down a Country Road. A Scotch pine, toppled by howling winds, teaches a vital lesson about the importance of strong inner character. Noxious weeds which provide food for Monarch butterflies reinforce the importance of caring for this beautiful creation. The challenge of removing roots from garden soil – it added a week to Eric Wright’s work one summer – warns us of the ever-present danger of missing roots of bitterness which can grow in our lives. A picnic on the shores of the mighty St. Lawrence River recalls how Scripture utilizes the metaphor of rivers to convey rich truth about God’s relationship with his people.
Wright effectively establishes the importance of these readings in the opening paragraphs of the book:
We drive our ingenious machines along a labyrinth of asphalt pathways to vast malls, office towers, factories and sprawling suburbs. We arrive home, where, with the click of a button, our garage doors open. Inside, we have dishwahsers and microwaves, televisions and stoves, clocks and stereos. Outside, we have domesticated gardens, patios and swimming pools. Satellites orbit above us. We send probes into deep space.
We have arrived at the pinnacle of history! We are the lords of all we survey, sovereign over nature – a concept invented in the eighteenth century. We, the sophisticates of the twenty-first century, arrive in state-of-the-art hospitals and leave in elegant, gilded boxes.
Is this all there is? Absolutely not! God’s providence undergirds all of life. The operation of the created universe is so dependable that we often take it for granted: the rise of the sun in the morning, the tides that sweep our oceans, the hearts that pump life through our bodies and the kidneys that expel poison from our systems. These are not the result of blind forces, nor do we exist in a serendipitous moment in almost infinite time. We have not happened upon the luck of the draw in a cosmic game of chance.
Hebrew partriarchs, psalmists and prophets knew that the reality of God as Creator and Ruler of the universe is the most foundational fact of existence…(page 11).
I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring to see how God reveals himself, and his truth, in the everyday rhythms of life. Down a Country Road may be purchased online from the Author, at Amazon Canada, Amazon USA, or Christianbook.com.
