My Books, My Friends

My Books, My Friends
Growing up in on the mission field of Holland, with no cousins or close friends at church, I was used to loneliness and aloneness. I would sometimes play with some of the little neighborhood girls, but to them I was what I call a “back burner friend.” If their first-choice friends weren’t available to play with, then they would settle for Lydia and me; otherwise, we weren’t really usefully to them. I learned at a young age to make books my best friends. They were always there, always reliable, always ready to share their intriguing contents with me.

The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you the knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination. ~ Elizabeth Hardwick

The Wonderful World of Books
Oh, what wonder lies in the world of books! A person who finds no pleasure in reading has been robbed of such great joys! A book is a time machine in itself. It can whoosh you away to ancient lands or send you speeding ahead to behold the events of the future. In a book you can be anyone you want to be ~from a princess to a pauper, a Southern belle to a slave. Your horizons are limitless. In a mystery book you are the clever detective solving confusion and crime; reading a biography you experience the joys and sorrows of an individual’s life as though they are your very own. In a book based on history, you can grasp in a small way what life was like during a particular period of time. Theology books draw you into the spiritual world and give you a better understanding of God and His divine nature. War books explain all the details surrounding past wars, how they began and what transpired during and after them. Recipe books open up the world of taste and explain the proper way to prepare delicious dishes. The smooth flow of poetry sooths the word-thirsty soul, while rhyming children’s books send napping little ones off on their dreamy flight. This is just the beginning of all the wonderful books this world contains.

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. ~ C. S. Lewis

The Power of Imagination
Certainly, books are a world of their own. That’s the wonder of them; they release you from the present and allow you to create your own world. Unlike a TV that shows images as they are, a book allows you to use your imagination and picture things the way you see them in your own mind. Nobody can peek into your brain and tell you how it is supposed to be; it is your right as the reader to allow your imagination a chance to soar, creating wonderful pictures in your mind that nobody else can copy or criticize.

My dad reads to us before bedtime. One day our family described how we each pictured the position of the house, barn, fields, and road which were depicted in our book. We each gave a different account of where our imaginations had placed all of the objects mentioned. We were all reading the same book, our ears heard the same words, yet our minds all created settings that varied greatly from the other’s. I thought that was very interesting.

I have re-read books that I read years earlier, and what I find amazing is that my mind always pictures the characters and position of house, etc., the same as when I first read the book.

Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier. ~ Kathleen Norris

My Books, My Escape
As a girl, my afternoons, after having completed my school work, were spent pouring over books. They traveled with me in the car, train, bus, and plane. Truly, if books could talk, mine would be sure to have some interesting stories to tell. My free time was spent with my nose buried in a book, always hungry for more words. I devoured new books so fast that Dad would have to limit how much I could read each day.

Books are a good way to escape life, the unpleasant circumstances that we sometimes find ourselves in. As I mentioned before, books are a world of their own, and that is the wonder of them, for they release you from the present and allow you to create your own world. Now, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but as the Bible says, we need to do everything in moderation (Philippians 4:5). Sometimes I do enjoy reading, if for nothing else, to get my mind off of disturbing situations in church, etc. It’s refreshing to step into another world for a short time, but I’m always happy to step back into my own world. Problems must be faced; we can’t use books to hide from the realities around us…unfortunately.

I remember a time when Dad forbade me to read, because he was concerned that my constant reading was my way of blocking out reality. I was lonely, and I didn’t always enjoy living in Holland. My parents thought I might be creating my own world of fantasy and, therefore, thought it best for me to set my books aside for a time. Well, that wasn’t the case; I simply enjoyed reading. At the time I didn’t particularly cherish the idea of saying farewell to my friends. Now I appreciate their foresight; I understand that they were looking out for me.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~ Charles W. Eliot

My Books, My Teachers
Not only are books a great way of learning about countries, peoples, wars, history, etc., but they are also a wonderful way of learning the basics of English grammar and punctuation. I have to admit that English has never been my strong point. If it weren’t for all the reading I’ve done over the years, my writing would probably be atrocious.

I recently discovered that I was making some punctuation errors due to the large amounts of reading I’ve been doing lately. I continually noticed that all quotation marks were placed outside the commas and periods in my book. It puzzled me, so I checked into it and found that I had been using my quotation marks incorrectly. Oops! :)

Grammar Book
More on Grammar

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. ~ P.J. O'Rourke

Judging a Good Book
I once received a book and was told that is was really good and had minimal touching in it, etc. Well, it sounded good to me. 1 Corinthians 7:1 tells us that it is good for a man not to touch a woman (that works the other way around too). I haven’t found one love story that did not have pre-marital touching in it (I wish Christian authors would discover 1 Corinthians 7:1 in their Bibles). Janette Oke is my favorite “romance” author, because, though she does have some touching in her books, it’s not written in a slimy, super detailed way, and she does not use inappropriate phrases like some other authors I have come across. Morality and respect are extolled in her books. Her men are portrayed as honorable gentlemen, and her women are described as virtuous ladies.

As I was saying, I received a book from someone and happily began reading it, thinking I had finally found an author who did not believe in touching during courtship. I finished the book, feeling obligated to read it since it was a gift, but I decided I would never read it again. I did not appreciate the thought patterns of the suitor about how his girlfriend would look in shorts. First of all, that is lust (Matthew 5:28), and secondly, a woman should never wear shorts (Deuteronomy 22:5). There were some phrases that were uncalled for. The only time God was mentioned in the book was when some catastrophe occurred and they suddenly needed divine intervention. God is not to be “used and abused” in this way. A friend who talks with a friend only in a time of need isn’t a very good friend. If the author can only find time to mention God during the stormy times of life, then she can’t walk very closely with Him. The Lord is a Friend to be called upon and spoken with on a daily basis.

After a time, I began wondering why I even had the book on my book shelves since I never planned to read it and would never lend it out to anybody. Then I began thinking, if I were raptured today, would I want someone to find this book on my bookshelves? They would see my Bible and my other Christian books. They would know that I am a Christian. Would I want them to know I read that book? I decided that it would not do to have someone find that book alongside my Bible. I would be embarrassed, so I threw it out. It was then that my conscience stopped bothering me. I’ve decided something since: I’m never reading something like that again, gift or no gift.

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and a few to be chewed on and digested. ~ Sir Francis Bacon

Personal Preference
Everyone has their own interests. A book that might interest one person another person might find dull. I find pioneer history about the great western expansion very interesting. I enjoy reading books based around this time period of wagon travel across barren prairie land, populating new countryside, and building prosperous farms and ranches. I guess this is one reason why I enjoy Janette Oke’s books so much.

Okay, I’m going to go on a little rabbit trail here. Though Janette Oke’s books are categorized as romance, and there is a love story in each one (yes, love is a part of life!), she emphasizes the value of the family, the warmth of family love, hard work, helping others, having a strong character, and living lives that bring glory to God. What I like about the books is that there is no dating. The young men and women wait for God to bring their spouses along and only enter into a romantic relationship with the idea of marriage being the end result. I also like the fact that the ladies are described as only wearing dresses, since the books take place back when women still followed Biblical principles and pants weren’t even an option for females. (Would to God it had stayed that way!) The gospel is given in almost every book as the main characters witness to their lost neighbors and friends. Not only do they witness with their words, but they live what they believe; you see the impression this makes on all who observe their godly lives. Janette’s characters struggle with bitterness, hate, death, and the sorrows that life tosses our way, and they come through having conquered them. Janette’s books should be classified as Christian family books, because that is what they are.

I like WWII history. I have a personal interest; my grandfather was an active Dutch Underground Resistance Fighter during the second World War. He was caught after blowing up a Nazi tank and was sent to a concentration camp. I’m interested in hearing the stories of those who survived the war. My papa was a little boy during that time and has countless stories to tell. My dad is also very knowledgably about that time period, and we often watch war documentaries and movies together as a family. Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place gives a detailed account of the horrors of the WWII while allowing the Lord’s glorious light to shine through her dark experiences in various concentration camps.

Being an independent, fundamental, Bible-believing Baptist, I have a special interest in my heritage ~Baptist history and the preservation of my KJV Bible down through the years. Reading about the unspeakable torture my Baptist forefathers endured gives me a deeper appreciation for the freedom we Baptists enjoy today. I am so blessed to have not one, but four Bibles on my book shelves. I can worship my Savior freely without the fear of being imprisoned or worse. God is so good! The Bible Makes Us Baptists is a good book I would recommend about Baptist history.

I also enjoy reading mystery books and biographies about missionaries and other heroes of the faith.

A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Recently Read
Around the time of my birthday I began reading a 4-book series I borrowed from one of the ladies in our church which takes place during ancient Russian history. It was interesting to learn more about the tsars and customs of that nation.
I received Roses for Mama from my parents on my 20th birthday. I read the book several years ago, and remembered crying as I finished it, which meant it was a good book. I hinted once or twice that I wouldn’t mind getting it for my birthday, and Mom, being as sweet as she is, ordered it for me from the States. After finishing my devotions on Saturday morning, I happened to glance at my book shelves and saw Roses for Mama. I had forgotten that I even owned it! I looked forward to taking up my favorite pastime of reading before bedtime. (I find it relaxing and a good way to get my mind off the day’s events and slowed down so I can actually fall sleep. Sometimes I wish there was an off button for my brain. I’ve tried my bellybutton, but it doesn’t work.) Anyway, it has been said that I demolish books. I guess I’ve lived up to my record, because I read Roses for Mama, a 222 page book, within a 24-hour time period. Don’t ask if I cried at the end. :)

You know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. ~ Paul Sweeney

Currently Reading
I am currently reading several books. In my Bible reading I’m in the Book of Ruth. (I’m reading through the Old Testament this year.) The Bible is a book I read every day. Even if it weren’t “required” I would read it simply because it keeps me nice. Let me explain. I’m not a nice person naturally; it’s not in my nature to be kind and gentle. Sometimes I find that I’m nasty and easily irritated. Then I stop and think back, realizing the reason ~I missed my Bible reading that morning. (Thankfully, for my parents and siblings, it doesn’t happen too often.) I’m not even sure how to explain it… God’s Word feeds the Holy Spirit inside of me. Even if I think I don’t get anything out of my Bible reading, somehow the Spirit of God in my heart is fed, and He keeps me on the “straight and narrow.”

Along with my Bible reading, I like to read a passage from one of my devotional books, My Utmost for His Highest or Morning & Evening. For some variation I sometimes read a chapter from some other book that encourages me to be the godly young lady God wants me to be, such as His Chosen Bride and Dear Princess. I’m also slowly but surely going through our church’s discipleship course. At the moment I’m reading through a book called I Have to be Perfect, written to missionaries and preachers’ kids about the turbulent times of the ministry and how to cope. I’m hoping to write something more in-depth about this book when I finish reading it. Well, that covers my devotional time.

As for my “fun reading” I’m currently reading First We Have Coffee, by Margaret Jensen. I’ve read this book several times, and it only grows more precious to my heart each time I read it cover to cover. It is the story of Margaret, the daughter of a Norwegian pastor, her mother, and her mother’s God, as seen through her young eyes. This book is full of lessons learned by Margaret about faith, trust, and devotion to God and the ministry, family love, the joys and trials of life, and the miracles that happened as her mother’s prayers were answered by an ever faithful God. Oh, to be such a godly woman! I read a portion of this book to my family, and I had to stop several times as I choked up with tears. This book shows the awesome power of our Lord and gives Him all the glory due to His wonderful name.

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down and commence living on its hint....What I began by reading, I must finish by acting. ~ Henry David Thoreau

The Best Book
Of all the books in all the world, the greatest of these is God’s Word, the Bible. I read my first words from its pages, and the first phrase I ever memorized was Ephesians 6:1 ~“Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.” My life revolves around this Book. I find my every comfort and joy in its precious pages. It is my final authority. I’m working hard to apply its principles to my life every day, so that I might please my Savior in all I do and say.

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” John 21:25

No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books. ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

God be thanked for books!