Love of Books, Books of Love
In writing my book about the college transition, I have a part in a chapter about how books really helped me grow and mature. There was a time when I was 18 and 19 that I basically had to rethink everything that I believed and why. I guess I had an identity crisis of massive proportion. In the midst of that, I think a good word for me then would have been vulnerable. Like a tortoise without a shell, I was exposed. This made it hard for me to be at ease and relaxed with people...even people who had shown no inclination to wish me ill.
Books were kind of like a pet. They gave me love and expected little in return. The idea that someone would share information, knowledge, and wisdom with me, and I didn't have to do much back besides buying a book or checking it out of a library, was a great deal.
Over the years, I have developed a "Book Hall of Fame" in our library. On this one shelf are the books that have made a major difference in my life. All of the books are Christian. I am not one to think that I have not been helped by books written by non-Christians. I most certainly have. Just like non-Christians have taught me a lot in person about life and more specific things.
However, the books that have risen to the top are Christian works that have been written well. There are a lot of Christian books that are not written well so I do not automatically default to the idea that if something is "Christian"that I will think it will be decent. In fact, some Christian books are so poorly written, it is dishonoring that they have gained a large following among the churched.
One book that is in the 'Top Three" (kind of like a Babe Ruth) in the Book Hall of Fame is a book titled "The Greatest Thing in the World: Love" written by Henry Drummond. It is an exposition on the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians (the Love Chapter). It is so like me to be taught better to Love by a book. That qualifies me as a book worm par excellence.
I periodically review my "Book Hall of Fame" to gain encouragement from my history with them. I had noticed this morning that Drummond's books was missing. I found it behind the other books...it is a short and thin paperback book, one prone to be pushed around and behind amid the massive tomes of other works. It had to rescue it from the back and move it forward. There is a metaphor here...knowledge must always defer to love. Like in Chess, Love is the greatest piece on the board. Knowledge, a love of Knowledge for its own sake, leads to a mean game and Love can be pushed out of the way.
I believe in the power of words because there is a power behind words. God "spoke" creation into existence. Jesus is called the "Word of Life," the Logos, the Alpha and Omega, all terms for the literary. Even the word "Universe" (one word) connotes the literary. Jesus, as the Word, is both literary and literal. His infinite mastery of language, His storytelling, are as deep, and deeper, than the creation itself. In fact, His being the Word is the foundation of creation itself.
And what ties everything together, the book from the Creator and of His Creation? It is Love. It is the bindery of all the pages. To be continued...
Books were kind of like a pet. They gave me love and expected little in return. The idea that someone would share information, knowledge, and wisdom with me, and I didn't have to do much back besides buying a book or checking it out of a library, was a great deal.
Over the years, I have developed a "Book Hall of Fame" in our library. On this one shelf are the books that have made a major difference in my life. All of the books are Christian. I am not one to think that I have not been helped by books written by non-Christians. I most certainly have. Just like non-Christians have taught me a lot in person about life and more specific things.
However, the books that have risen to the top are Christian works that have been written well. There are a lot of Christian books that are not written well so I do not automatically default to the idea that if something is "Christian"that I will think it will be decent. In fact, some Christian books are so poorly written, it is dishonoring that they have gained a large following among the churched.
One book that is in the 'Top Three" (kind of like a Babe Ruth) in the Book Hall of Fame is a book titled "The Greatest Thing in the World: Love" written by Henry Drummond. It is an exposition on the 13th Chapter of 1 Corinthians (the Love Chapter). It is so like me to be taught better to Love by a book. That qualifies me as a book worm par excellence.
I periodically review my "Book Hall of Fame" to gain encouragement from my history with them. I had noticed this morning that Drummond's books was missing. I found it behind the other books...it is a short and thin paperback book, one prone to be pushed around and behind amid the massive tomes of other works. It had to rescue it from the back and move it forward. There is a metaphor here...knowledge must always defer to love. Like in Chess, Love is the greatest piece on the board. Knowledge, a love of Knowledge for its own sake, leads to a mean game and Love can be pushed out of the way.
I believe in the power of words because there is a power behind words. God "spoke" creation into existence. Jesus is called the "Word of Life," the Logos, the Alpha and Omega, all terms for the literary. Even the word "Universe" (one word) connotes the literary. Jesus, as the Word, is both literary and literal. His infinite mastery of language, His storytelling, are as deep, and deeper, than the creation itself. In fact, His being the Word is the foundation of creation itself.
And what ties everything together, the book from the Creator and of His Creation? It is Love. It is the bindery of all the pages. To be continued...
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