"Learning to Hear God" by Jan Johnson

As another reference for retreats, this book is a bit better than some of Johnson's other retreat books. While there is the same introduction on what a retreat is and how to go about it, something is different. Sure, the same structure of repeated Bible verses and prompts / questions are provided, but the explanation and depth of verses are very well researched and lined up together. Many Old Testament verses are included that show how people listened to and interacted with God before they had a concrete "Bible" to hold in their hands. Since this is something many Christians tend to gloss over when reading the Old Testament stories, Johnson's emphasis on the simple fact really hits home. Readers put themselves in the characters' shoes and try to understand what it was like to listen to God directly. In the process, hopefully readers learn how to get more out of their Bibles and really connect.