I have high standards when it comes to book acquisition, and I’ve been looking out for a decent copy of Charles Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students for awhile now. In my book-stockpiling endeavors I’ve learned a somewhat counterintuitive rule of thumb: When you’re looking for books by dead guys, sometimes the best copies are old ones. Not only did newer editions of Lectures to My Students cost about 4 times as much as this copy–they were also flimsy, ugly paperbacks.
If you’re wondering, Yes–I am gloating a little.
Don’t miss “Spurgeon is the Man Week” at the Resurgence site. Here’s a piece from the third installment in the series, which is mining Spurgeon’s remarkable life for what he can teach us:
Prayer
Spurgeon prayed both spontaneously by breaking from the affairs of his day to speak with the Lord, and also during scheduled times of prayer for himself that included walks in the woods, days away at a cottage, and months away in France for Sabbath, study, and prayer. Prayer for him was so significant that he aptly said, “Prayer has become as essential to me as the heaving of my lungs.” His commitment to prayer extended to a team of hundreds of intercessors who were appointed to pray for his preaching and people’s hearts during the church service. They prayed on their faces in the church basement that was aptly titled the “war room.” Occasionally when Spurgeon prayed over the sick they were healed and many believed he had the gift of healing. He also told his preaching students that his power, authority, and insight came from continually praying the text of his sermon before preaching it. His church prayer meetings were on Monday nights and as many as 1,200 people attended to pray as the Spirit led, which did not included printed prayers or long prayers because he hated both.
