Pastors have libraries. Academics have libraries. Pastors who are also academics (or vice versa) have libraries.
I agree that there is just something about a book. To hold it, touch it, smell it... My iPad holds more books than my bookshelves do but it doesn't feel the same. It doesn't smell the same. Honestly, it's not as impressive to look at, either.
But my iPad is more functional. I'm not the kind of guy that dog-ears a lot of pages or has sticky notes hanging out of my books so I find the functions of the electronic books better. You can see all the notes and highlights in one place and then click to go to that page in the book. For the most part, ebooks are cheaper. And I can pack up my library and move it easily. In fact, I do that almost every day. Yesterday I had my entire ebook library with me at a coffee shop. Today my library is in my living room. Tomorrow it could be at the church.
But real books (as opposed to ebooks) have advantages. The entire concept of a "page turner" is awkward with an ebook but is exactly what your favorite book is. The inside front cover of your book is a great place for a personal note from the person who gave it to you. You can loan your book to someone - I hope you get it back! Or you can just pass it on to someone else and not care about getting it back.
After moving into a new home several years ago, Deana and I had an open house. A friend stood at the bookshelves gazing at our collection. He said, "You can learn a lot about a person by looking at their library." After everyone left I removed some books from the shelves.
After moving to a new church several years ago a member stopped by the office and noticed a particular book. She took offense even when I told her it was a Bible study showing how the book and movie were not biblical. It wasn't the book but a book about the book. She thought I shouldn't even have that.
So your books reveal a lot about you. I have spent most of the last decade reading about what is known as the incarnational/missional movement. I'll not explain that now but it's a call to be the church like the first century believers were the church. I have many, many books on the subject. Real books and ebooks.
I spent three days recently shelving books for a new pastor in town. He has over 4,000 books in his library. (I do, too, but most of mine are on my iPad and don't take very long to shelve.) I noticed that he had only a few of the books on the incarnational/missional movement. That's not a big deal, really. It just shows a different perspective or focus in ministry.
He spent years at a seminary teaching preachers about preaching. (I also spent years at a seminary but I was learning how preachers are to preach!) He has dozens of books (probably hundreds) but I only have maybe a dozen. It's all about perspective and focus.
I say all of that to get to the point of asking you to look at your library. Maybe you are a paper-page-only kind of reader. Or you may only have ebooks. Or you can be somewhere in between with a mix. But take a look. You'll see a pattern that gives away some of your preferences.
Novels. Biographies. Poetry. Classics. Science fiction. History. Romance. Suspense. And on and on.
My library is deep but narrow. I have a lot of books but not books about a lot of subjects. I should branch out. Maybe you should, too. As I branch out into new genres I want to make sure I'm not filling my mind with stuff that contradicts the Word of God. I should be able to find books that don't hack away at my foundation of faith. I should steer clear of books that ignore biblical principles of how we are to live.
That may sound easier than it really is. I guess we who are Christians owe a great deal of thanks to authors and publishers who bring us books we would be glad to put on our bookshelves. Or in our iPads.
No comments:
Post a Comment