Looking for a place to feel inspired and challenged? Like to share a smile or a laugh? Interested in becoming more familiar with Canadian writers who have a Christian worldview? We are writers who live in different parts of Canada, see life from a variety of perspectives, and write in a number of genres. We share the goal of wanting to entertain and inspire you to be all you can be with God's help.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Read Any Good Books Lately? - Austin
I spoke at the Church Library Association of Ontario Spring Conference in Orillia on Saturday, May 7th. I felt I communicated effectively for the most part. Yet one concept, cut from my notes because it was poorly articulated, somehow demanded expression. My words on that issue proved clumsy and inadequate. That has compelled me to wrestle with it a bit more.
As a church librarian I have the joyful privilege of connecting people with wonderful resources collected over the years. Many truths are timeless, but somehow find fresh expression every few years. Many truths that seemed self-evident a generation ago must be expressed in new language for this generation to grasp. And perhaps most significant of all, knowledge of the Bible, common even among people who did not embrace its message a generation ago, has become more and more rare within the church itself. Most North American churches have many people in their congregations who have not and do not read their Bibles. The most careful, Bible-centered preaching cannot bridge that gap. All the accumulated wealth of biblical truth found in a wonderfully stocked library cannot bridge that gap. A librarian's skill, with intimate knowledge of the collection, cannot bridge that gap.
Sometimes I feel an almost aching need to shout at people as they come in to our library: "Ignore every book on these shelves. Sit down with your Bible. Get to know it. Then come back."
Sometimes I feel the need to shout to myself: "Put down that book. Turn off the computer. Spend time in the Bible for itself alone. Quit pretending the eight translations within one step of your computer, drawn from often as you write -- are read for their own message. Take time to draw closer to God. Hear Him. Know His voice."
My reading time has dwindled with eyesight problems. How much priority do I put on God's Word within that now limited time? Some questions prove much more comfortable to ask of others. As I have celebrated small improvements in my eyesight over the last three months, my reading has increased once again. Yet I cannot claim to have gone oftener to my Bible. So I dare not challenge others without challenging myself. As a librarian, caretaker of wonderful resources, I MUST remember that these are a supplement to Bible knowledge, never a substitute. I MUST remember that for myself as well as for those I minister to.
I believe strongly in inspiration for today's writers, myself included. I am convinced God speaks through the words His followers wrestle with and commit to print. Yet the inspiration of the Bible is -- I am fully convinced -- somehow of a higher nature, with a necessity and an authority far beyond anything I have ever penned.
Is there a way, in a well-stocked church library, to point people to the Bible and ask one simple question. . .
Have you read any good books lately?
Labels:
Bible reading,
Church Library,
priorities
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts
-
Write Canada is more than a professional networking conference. It’s a safe place where beginning and intermediate writers can learn ...
-
Inspiration hardly strikes on an empty stomach. For this, and other reasons, writers must eat. And if you like minced beef (and you...
-
This spring I have decided to read through some classic works that I have never actually perused. I thought I'd start with C.S. Lewis. ...
-
Writers—especially those who aspire to write books—are currently being told that the publishing industry is undergoing a massive change. Th...
-
By Rev. Dr. Ed & Janice Hird By Rev. Dr Ed and Janice Hird What if most of the people in your family died from incurable illnes...
-
My present journey through the Bible has landed me in the book of Jonah, a good place to land in January. When Jonah opened his in-box he f...
-
On Thanksgiving Sunday, our daughter and son-in-law blessed us with our first grandchild. My heart sings as I gaze in ...
-
I regularly pray, asking God for wisdom and direction for all the little and big decisions of my year, weeks, days and moments. I trust that...
-
Last week, I read this quote, “ Don’t regret growing older, it’s a privilege denied many.” I though about the truthfulness of this quote....
-
Hey Mr Tambourine Man By the Rev. Dr. Ed Hird One of the most romantic dates that my wife Janice and I go on is to the local librar...
2 comments:
You raise a very important issue here, Brian.
Perhaps prospective buyers and readers of Christian faith-based books need to know that the greater their knowledge of the biblical scriptures, the better equipped they will be to read such books with a discriminating and discerning eye, and the greater will be their delight when encountering truth presented in engaging language.
Brian: Your statement about 'timeless truth finding fresh expression every few years' is so true. I think I'll put your sentence on the bottom of my emails to initiate thought about expressing truth in new language. Thank you for your creative thought.
Post a Comment