I know that title is startling. Before you dismiss me as deranged, let me explain what I mean. I am not into weird seances bringing up the dead. My date is much simpler. Through books the voices of the dead live. I got a rare joy yesterday to spend a whole day reading. To be more specific, I read from authors who died long ago.
You will not find the selections I perused on the latest top selling list at any bookstore. Over the years I have bypassed that section in bookstores all together. I look for classics. I look for the heavy hitters theologically. I look for books that have stood the test of time. I still read a few contemporary selections, but find the old time tested treasures offer meat for the soul I don't always find in newer books.
Over the years, I have been blessed with thousands of books. I have also passed thousands on to others when I ran out of space. For some reason I feel guilty for taking time out to read. It is such a pleasure to me I feel guilty for reading during office hours. I feel like I should study, pray, write, administrate and shepherd. So I often neglect reading. I don't neglect reading the Bible, but in recent years read less of other books.
At one point in my ministry I set a goal to read 52 books a year. Many times I exceeded that goal. Now it takes me weeks to get through a book. I dabble at it at night, but usually am so tired I fall asleep just a few pages in.
That is what made yesterday so refreshing. I had time to sit back and read truth. If I did not read a book I spent a good deal of time just reading the Bible. Not for sermon preparation. Just reading to enjoy and receive fresh words from God.
People make time to read social media and other things that do not always have redeeming value. In many ways reading has become a lost art. I recall reading about the famous preacher Martyn Lloyd Jones who loved to read. So much so that when the whole family went to the beach he always brought theology books with him. He sat on the beach in slacks and dress shirt reading. I recall a story of pastor and author John Piper taking his sons to a major league baseball game, but also bringing a book with him. He read his book as much as he watched the game. I recently saw a guy at the doctor's office buried deep in the pages of some book.
Somewhere I read one day that a person should never get in the car to go anywhere without bringing a book. You never know when you might find a free a moment to read a page or two.
Each of my books represents someone who had an encounter with God. They took the time to record those encounters with God and His word onto the printed page. Through their writings I too can have encounters with God. There is so much more of God to discover. So much more of God's word to unlock and understand. There is so much more to learn. I find myself more eager to learn at 53 than I ever was in grade school, college, or seminary. I want to learn and devote myself to the books so I can faithfully feed the Spring Creek flock. They deserve a spiritual feast each time we open and study God's word together. They deserve more than fluff.
I thank God for books today. I thank Him for dead guys and gals who took time to record their encounters with God preserved in those books. I thank God for the gift of learning to read, and the mind to reason. I thank God for the books that have been entrusted to me. I may not get to read all of them in my lifetime, but I want to make good headway.
I exhort you to take up reading too. Maybe it will take you months to work your way through one book, but how that discipline might bless your soul. It starts with one book, one word, one sentence, one paragraph, one page and one chapter at a time.
Over my shoulder the dead guys live in the pages of hundreds of books in this home office. They beckon me to come and discover what they discovered. With great anticipation I'll take my hardback section, crack it open to where I left off yesterday, and get lost in the wonder of a book. I hope you will find some time to do the same.
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