A reading guide
Episode #75: A reading guide
Jan,16 2026
<-#74: Letters of Myriam - Chapter 7 - Letter from Danielby Daniel Mercer II
Introduction: How These Books May Be Used
These writings were not given to replace the Bible, nor to stand as a new gospel. They are additional readings, the way a candle may be placed beside a window without pretending to be the sun.
Christopher never asked to be a prophet. My grandfather wrote what he heard; my aunt wrote what she lived; my mother wrote what she feared and loved. I add only this guide so that a new reader may enter without stumbling over unfamiliar doors.
If you read these pages as commandments, you will be disappointed.
If you read them as conversations, you may find company.
Use them as some churches use the words of saints or the testimonies of neighbors: as reflections that turn the light a little, not as light itself.
Where to Begin
For those meeting Christopher for the first time, I suggest:
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II Christopher – Chapter 1
The meeting in the field. It shows who he was before any ideas grew around him.
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I Christopher – Chapter 3
On prayer and work. This is the seed of everything that followed.
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II Christopher – Chapter 21
On sickness and mercy. Many have found their first courage here.
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Ruth – Chapter 2
On freedom and marriage. It reminds us that these books belong to families, not theories.
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Myriam Chapters 4 and 5 - Quotes from Christopher
To hear Christopher without the polish of scripture.
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Clara - Letter 4 – Teenagers
To understand why our families managed to do so much from so little, and how to deal with your children.
After these, wander as you wish. These books are not a staircase but a field with many paths.
How to Read Together
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Begin with a passage of the Bible, as Christopher's friends did.
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Add one chapter from these books as a second voice.
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Speak first about what you felt, and only later about what you think.
If a line troubles you, do not rush to correct it.
If a line comforts you, do not build a fence around it.
Remember that disagreement is not failure; it is evidence that living people are in the room.
Warnings from a Grandson
Do not use these writings to win arguments.
Do not use them to measure another person's clothing or faith.
Do not say, "Christopher taught," when what you mean is, "I prefer."
My grandfather feared emotion in scripture; he thought it weakened truth. Yet it is emotion that keeps these pages alive. Read them with a warm heart but a cool hand.
Suggested Paths
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For those seeking peace:
I Christopher 6, II Christopher 15, Myriam Chapter 1, Fragment C
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For those angry with the Church:
II Christopher 20, Ruth 4, Myriam Chapter 1, Fragment H
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For parents of teenagers:
Ruth 6, Clara 4, II Christopher 3
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For grief:
Clara 7, Myriam 3, Myriam 6
These are only suggestions, like offering a map to a friend who may prefer the river.
Final Word
Christopher once said, "Scripture is a river. Drink from it, but do not bottle it."
These books are cups passed along the bank. Use them, then set them down.
If they help you love God, your neighbor, and the honest work of your hands, they have served their purpose. If they make you smaller than you were, close them and go outside until the air corrects you.
May you read as free people,
and close the book still kinder than when you opened it.
Daniel Mercer II
Southern Florida, 2017
Note, my mother decided to keep Myriam 6 apart from II Christopher because this is new content of an already well-known book. Feel free to count it as a chapter of II Christopher.
<-#74: Letters of Myriam - Chapter 7 - Letter from Daniel