A good book is a great gift! I love giving them. This morning I sent off a copy of V. Raymond Edman’s, The Disciplines of Life to a new friend. Dr. Edman’s book is a condensation of a series of chapel sermons he presented to the student body at Wheaton College during his presidency. Each reading is a reminder to acquire wisdom, or how to apply knowledge.
I am sending another book to a friend of more than 50 years, a book on preaching. Bob is already a fine preacher, solid teacher and a thoughtful communicator, the kind of person who will continue to learn. The book will encourage him, I hope. The "I hope," is an indicator of the anxiety factor in book giving. What if the one to whom I send the book hates it and thinks I am a Neanderthal? It does happen on occasion!
The "I hope," factor is a worthy risk to take, especially if the book is a classic like Dr. Edman’s. The Disciplines of Life was copyrighted in 1948 and has gone through more publications that some author’s books have sold. The wisdom of truth and life application is timeless. It is more contemporary than today’s headlines.
Receiving books is a second love. Friend Bob, the old college friend who has been preaching for nearly half a century, sent me an Alan Redpath title, Victorious Christian Living. The book is a series of deeper life studies from Joshua preached while Redpath was a pastor of Moody Church in Chicago in 1953. The call to personal holiness is timeless and reminiscent of pulpit themes from my childhood. Redpath’s knack for quoting poetry and hymn lyrics enriches the text. Bob sent me a book he described as "thrift store salvage" that is priceless.
Ah, books! They are wonderful gifts.
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