You all know I love reading. So I love books. Theology books, apologetics books, history books, books on history, many other kinds of books!
Sometimes I wonder if I can idolize books.
I don’t think I do.
But how can one tell as a Christian?
I think one sign is whether or not one can give away books!
That is, one love to also give others’ books. And also from one’s personal library.
Now of course I also love to order new books for people. And when I do that I enjoy it.
Every year I also give away books from my personal library (and I’m not doing it as a stingy way of passing off bad books!). I do let people know these are my used books, if people want them they can have them. Usually I bring it to Church or a BIble study.
In my 24 years of being a Christian, this year was the year I gave away the most books and the year just begun!
This is on top of new gift books I get for people.
More than that I also love it when people read books! And read spiritual books! And I love it when people get closer to God and learn things about God and love God more through the means of reading sound Biblical books!
I suppose in many ways that’s like loving and sharing the Gospel. One love God with knowing and loving the Gospel; but it also lead one to share the Gospel and enjoy sharing the Gospel with others! But to help share the Gospel, one must actually love God and Christ through meditating and knowing and appreciating the Gospel itself!
I LOVE giving books to people. I prefer to get new books so if people want to highlight they can or not be distracted by other peoples notes or highlights. Thank you for ALL the books you have sent me!!!!
I do appreciate your love of books and desire to give away books!! That’s so awesome and our church has benefited from that. During one of my last time with the youth group they shared their appreciation of you and your books! So thank you!!!
I am going to be with Erik and the youth on April 1 and I am SOOOOOOOO looking forward to it!!!!! Are you just waking up or going to bed?!
Considering the many unhealthy things this world leads us to, like the Netflix binge series, books are an oasis of treasure for humanity. Books have played a huge part in my salvation; books like “You, Me and Jesus” by Cliff Richard, “More Than A Carpenter” by Josh McDowell, “The Kneeling Christian” by Unknown. I am forever thankful to God for leading me to Godly books.
Wow thanks for sharing the books that impacted you and were critical to your salvation.
Wow , More than a Carpenter was real good. Except the 16 yr old me was so excited after reading it and tried to get her best friend to read it to. I kept shoving it in her face , i even begged her just to read the last part where Josh gives his life to Christ at the University and forgives his father. Im short i attached a sad memory to one of the most fun books i have read 🥲
Thanks for your kindness and generosity to others. You are blessing so many.
Blessings.
Thanks for reading this and the encouraging words!
Amen. Thank you so much since I am one of those who benefittted. God bless you brother.
God bless you brother!!!
I must be weird. I write manuals for my 40-hour job (describing the operation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and more on equipment using magnetic flux, ultrasonics of various sorts, and other means of testing metals).
However, when it comes to my own reading, I mostly either read my YouVersion Bible or online magazines.
I think it takes a special skill to do what you do with your line of work!
From one book lover to another, I appreciate this post.
Thanks! I bet you had some reading you got done today!
I didn’t get to it yet, but I have about 80 pages to go in the super clunker about Polish American sites. Can’t wait until I’m done with it. What are you currently reading? Probably some T-601 books way over my head.
This is a great idea! I believe The Holy Spirit has lead me to giveaway my most favorite books over the years, because of how much that particular book has helped me to grow in my walk. Like you said, sharing the gospel is also sharing your own journey, through the books the Lord has put into your own hands.
I love reading books and stopping by used bookstores. Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, there are not many bookstores or used bookstores. And the only used bookstore I found in the mall we go to once in a while, closed its doors a few months ago (I would always find a few good books to read each time I was there). And the National Book stores found in many cities here, used to have a lot of books, but the last time I stopped at one, they had almost no books, just paper, pens, folders and so forth…I was so disappointed. I also like to give away books and spend some time each week writing books.
Whoah you live in Philippines! Didn’t now that! That is so cool!!! Are you at Manila or elsewhere??
I have been to Manila, but don’t want to live there. The entire Greater Manila urban area contains about 24 million people, over 20% of the Philippines’ entire population!
I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but now have lived in the Philippines with my son (my wife of 17 years passed away a year and a half ago) for over 14 years on the southernmost island, Mindanao. We live halfway between two large cities. The northern city of Butuan and the southern city of Davao.
I usually take my books to the Goodwill, now believing I need to be more strategic. 😊 Thanks
So encouraging to hear you do give away 📚😀
Giving is receiving.
Yes that’s what the good book says!!
It is good to share with others: books, food, fellowship.
Amen Frank, amen!
I believe there will be many bookshelves in my Heavenly mansion. 😊
Awesome
Amen! 🙂 Same here! I love giving away books too.
What are some of your favorite books to give away? I guess it largely depends on the person you’re giving the books to.
Speaking for myself, these come to mind at the moment:
* If it’s an unbeliever with no background in Christianity, maybe Why Should I Believer Christianity? by James Anderson or Confessions of a French Atheist by Guillaume Bignon, depending on if they want a more straightforward argument for Christianity or if they want arguments interlaced with biography. Or a book like Can We Trust the Gospels? by Peter Williams if they’re historically oriented. Or if they’re scientifically oriented, I think either John Lennox’s Cosmic Chemistry (which is a hugely revised and improved version of his God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God? or the recent Return of the God Hypothesis by Stephen Meyer which I’ve been reading, but haven’t finished, but I already find excellent. The main issue is it doesn’t quite argue all the way to the God of the Bible, but one can supplement it.
* If it’s a new believer, then I think a good overview of the Bible vis-a-vis biblical theology would do wonders. Maybe Vaughan Roberts’ God’s Big Picture, God Dwells Among Us by GK Beale & Mitchell Kim, or What Is Biblical Theology? by Jim Hamilton. I also really enjoyed The Dawning of Redemption by Ian Vaillancourt: it sets a solid foundation in the Torah or Pentateuch for the rest of the Bible. If they’re up for more of a feast, then The King in His Beauty by Tom Schreiner or hefty but beautifully designed The Story Retold by GK Beale and Benjamin Gladd.
I suppose I could go on, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome, and so I should probably be quiet now! I’ll only mention I have a list of my favorite books in case you might be interested. 🙂
Brother you are always welcome here with your comments as they are so insightful! Our church’s new books to visitors is Why Should I Believer Christianity? by James Anderson largely for the purpose you mentioned, for nonbelievers or even believers. I like also giving Anderson’s book What is your Worldview to nonbelievers who want an apologetics book or also to Christians who asks me what is wrong with other isms.
I also enjoyed the books you recommended by Peter William and Jim Hamilton!
Of course your book lists include books I need to read such as Guillaume Bignon’s bio. I was planning on reading Guillaume Bignon’s other book this year too! Always good to hear from you!
I know that God is your First Love. :))
Aww thanks Maw Maw!!
I love you my Grand.
I will never make a fortune (or probably any money, for that matter) with my books, because I enjoy giving them away too much! 😉 (Right now, there are more copies of my books in Uganda and India than there are in Kentucky.) But no amount of money could give me as much pleasure as seeing a video of students in Uganda giving their oral book reports on my books! Sharing books we love (whether or not we wrote them) is like sharing our hearts. ❤
Wow your books have gone far and wide sister! That is sooo amazing your generosity! I’m glad then I bought your book!
(THANK YOU, Jimmy!)
Giving away books is, I think, a mark of true friendship! I love all the books I’ve received from past teachers and my theological nerds!
Aww that is so awesome sister! Praise God you appreciate them as gifts!
Jim, thank you for sharing your personal journey with books. I appreciate your willingness to share with others. Your discussion invites me to thoughtfully consider what to do with my book collection.
SlimJim gave me a book it’s one of my favorites and I have bought many he has recommended. They are among my favorites.
Ah Beau! Glad sir you do check out the book reviews! When we get near your birthday let me know brother!
It’s going to take me a while to learn the sharing your books part. I have actually sort of stolen or accidentally taken quite many. I waited for the owner of ‘the purpose driven life by Rick Warren ‘ to ask for it back , and when she didn’t i just told myself i was an official owner. And i have fought with a friend before for losing one of my books. Now most of my books are online so sharing them is not actually losing them. But i also rarely share since most of my friends don’t read books , my best friend does read but because she’s not a bornagain Christian, she doesn’t read Christian books at all , she keeps claiming they are boring. But yeah , lots of times , it takes grace to give away something you have loved. Moreso since books clearly create the desire to build your own little library.
It seems many people don’t read these days
Yeah, me and my friend blame the internet and television for our failure to read John Milton books. Am still trying but his Paradise lost is really complicated. I love simple to read books like those of John Piper or Timothy Keller. And C S Lewis books. And ofcourse Christian history but sometimes books like those of the Puritans, say Martin Luther books make you really realise why reading isn’t trendy 😌