Books

As a child I not only learned to read, but learned to love reading.  My mother was mostly responsible for placing me midst books and encouraging me to read.  Trips to the library and the arrival of the bookmobile were much anticipated things.  As I look back I remember being inspired by some of the people I met through the pages of books.  One of the first who left a lasting impression was Albert Schweitzer.  He was a man who wore many hats, but the one which inspired me the most was the one he wore as a missionary doctor to Africa.    

Through the years there have been many others whom I have met through reading which opened my life up to the way God calls to live a life that makes a difference for the Kingdom of God.  John Wesley, E. Stanley Jones, Oswald Chambers and Charles Spurgeon were others whose witness transcended their times and reached into mine.  I am grateful for their stories and the way they challenge me to continue on the journey of faith.   

But, even before I found the library and its books, I was given a Bible filled with heroic struggles of faith by people whose lives have blessed generations of believers.  The patriarchs of Genesis, the kings and prophets of Israel, and the men and women of the New Testament became a part of my life long before I understood fully that there was more than just a story on the pages in front of me.  Unlike all the books I have read, this one known as holy scripture is divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit and has on so many occasions re-directed my life and given it meaning and purpose.