Thursday, May 21, 2009

I AM ... A book lover/collector/reader

I cannot get enough of BOOKS!! My poor husband! Our house is overflowing with books. I just do not have enough bookshelves for all the BOOKS I have (nor do I have the time to READ all the books, but that does not stop me from collecting them). *hint hint honey, PLEASE build me that library bookcase you and I talked about when we first moved into the house hint hint*

I Am ... a book lover/collector/reader

This is the chair I got at a garage sale for only $18 when they were wanting $30. This chair was MADE for me! LOL!! I love to sit in it. And I LOVE to read. I will admit that I really do not like to waste my time on fictional books. I rarely read them anymore. But this one, Stepping Heavenward by Elisabeth Printess, is WONDERFUL! It is the diary of a young girl who just turned 16. And it travels with her through her life, marriage, kids (and that is as far as I have read). It encourages me in my walk with the Lord. THOSE are the kind of fictional books I like to read. Books that make a better person BECAUSE I read them.

And I have NOT found many books that are fictional that have that outcome (if you know of any PLEASE let me know!).

So most of the books I read are non-fiction. How to be a better wife... a better mother .. take better pictures... homeschool the kids.. raise Godly kids... well YOU get the idea. :)

But in all that reading, it does me no good without application. I realized that long ago, but tend to need REMINDERS every now and then. To be DOERS of the word, not just hearers.

George Muller decided early on in his walk with the Lord that he needed to stop reading books about the Bible and JUST read the Bible. There really is everything in there for us. And yet, I find little time to read it. But I can find plenty of time to read a book about the Bible (or specifically about a certain TOPIC within the Bible - like parenting, being a helpmeet, etc.). Is that because the Bible is difficult to understand?

I was listening to a local radio station the other day. He was talking about how he and his now wife used to live apart when they were dating/engaged. And by apart, I mean states apart. So they would write to each other. Every day he would get a letter, he looked forward to getting the letter, and would be standing at the mailbox when the mailman arrived. When we was reading her letters, he didn't need to look up words in the Greek or Hebrew dictionary. He KNEW what she meant. And none of it bored him. He loved hearing about her Aunt and cousin second removed. He loved all the begots. He loved every word of her letter, no matter what she said.

God's word is a love letter to US. To ME. To my children. We should love the begots. We should look forward to reading it with the same anticipation we look forward to reading a love letter from our spouse. We ... **I** need to fall in love with my Savior again. And savor His words ... His love for me. And I need to be a doer of the word and not just a hearer.

1 comment:

Wilderness Mama said...

Another very cute picture! I love the hat and the chair! You got a great deal! :)

So true how if you really KNOW God and read His words regularly, you will know His intent! Of course, some English versions are much better than others, and some of them are not very good at all, but if you have a good version, if read in context and not twisted to fit other people's beliefs, it is NOT difficult to understand!!! Of course, you DO also need the Holy Spirit. ;)

I don't have a problem with books in general, fiction or non-fiction, but I have been reading more of the Bible lately and less of other books too! It is partly because our pastor is so hung up on statements of faith, catechisms, etc. I'll probably blog about this soon!