From the Pastor's Pen

Dear Friends, 

Wow, what a day it has been.  My husband, Mike, is leaving the Sturgis Church and this Sunday is his last Sunday with the congregation he has served for 21 years.  So today Mike and I have been packing up his office.  We actually started the process the weekend before we took vacation, and we will hopefully finish tomorrow.  So tonight I am thinking about books! 

My husband loves books even more than I do.  I arrived in Elkhart about one year ago with 30 boxes of books for my office.  I worried there would not be enough shelf space in the office, but the Elkhart Church has lots of shelf space for pastor’s books.  I guess you all believe your pastor should be well read!

Mike, however, has many more books than I do, and we both determined many of his books would be needing a new home.  Mike has in mind that he would like to do Interim ministry for the next several years as he moves toward retirement.  I suggested to him, that he was not going to want to be hauling 40 boxes of books around with him if he changes churches a couple of times!  So we have been sorting and boxing books to give away.  We have several nice boxes set aside for Anna and also for my son Austin.  The rest?  Fortunately a few kind folks at the Sturgis church have offered to shuttle the book boxes out to the area used book stores for Mike.  We think we will have Mike down to maybe 15 – 16 boxes when we’re all done!  Not bad!

I do understand Mike’s fascination with books.  I learned many years ago that books enable me to continue to be taught.  When I finished my formal education, books because my teachers.  Sometimes they are even better teachers than the in person variety because I can get them to slow down and repeat themselves if I didn’t understand the first time.  And if I’ve forgotten a key point years later, I can go back and read it again!  So books help me to learn and grow in the quiet of my home or my study at the church.

Among the books I like to recommend for reading, I am happiest to recommend my favorite books in the Bible.  The Bible is a difficult book to read if you start at the beginning in Genesis.  Actually Genesis is pretty interesting, but most people get bogged down in the detailed instructions for the Tabernacle construction in the middle of Exodus.  And if they make it through Exodus, Leviticus is the undoing of most Biblical readers.  So my favorite book in the Bible is Luke, followed by Acts.  Luke has all of the parables of Jesus, some wonderful stories of compassion, and the women stories!  Acts is full of adventure and the passion of the early disciples.  They are such an inspiration to faith!  If you’re looking for a quick read, however, try Philippians.  It full of hope!

My husband likes to say, “Books are your friends!”  They are indeed and they introduce you to friends who can teach you and help you along the way – especially in the scriptures.  Pick up a book and enjoy some happy reading tonight!

Peace,

Sally