I love books. Books are the reason that I began this blog in the first place. It has been my dream to accumulate enough readers in order to feed my book addiction. I love the way a new book smells; I love the unmarked and unsullied pages; I love to break in the spines properly. I love old books, too. I love the coffee stains, the pen and highlighter marks, the dogears, and yes, the smell. This is why I'm not so crazy about computer books. They don't smell right. Smell, as you all know, is very closely associated with memory. So if you can't smell the book, you can't remember what you are reading. A good test tip is to bring a small piece of page from the book you were supposed to be studying, if you get stuck on a question, sniff the page. It'll all come back to you I assure you.
In the two years that I have been pastor here at FBC Plaquemine, I have managed to make it through two books on Sunday mornings: Genesis and now Ephesians. Next stop is James! Ultimately, it was a toss up between James and Hebrews, but I had less commentaries in James so I went for it. Now, I have an excuse to spend more money on more books...hallelujah! What, you don't think that's a very spiritual way for a pastor to determine which book he will teach the flock from? Gideon had his fleece; I have mine. Mine happens to be connected to that book which I have the least commentaries for. Seems perfectly legitimate to me. Of course, I have almost zero commentaries for Leviticus, but I'm just not ready to go there yet verse by verse.
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Two Voices
12 years ago
7 comments:
Try listening to Leviticus on CD...done it. Can't say it was easy, but it was the only way I could make it through the book. Reading it tends to be the equivalent of a Benadryl for me.
Have you been to Cottonwood Books on Perkins Road in Baton Rouge (near the Perkins Rd. overpass)? Not much in the way of theological books, I don't think, but it was the wonderful used-book smell that always drew me back there. The proprietor, Danny, is really nice and helpful, too.
That last post reminds me...back in May I got to visit Boston and went into a bookstore in downtown called Massachusetts Bible Store or something of the like. It was in an alley near the historic district and looked like it came straight out of Harry Potter. Very interesting place that definitely had that "bookstore smell". I think you would have enjoyed the place, albeit rather small.
Maybe someday a candlemaker will come up with an old-book scented candle. I have some old books that I consider to be dear friends. (They really smell better than some of my human friends)
Brad,
This is remotely related:
Will you give me some brief feedback on this post I wrote yesterday:
Rationalism and Post-Modernity
I want some hermeneutical-related feedback to gauge my position. Lest all the Sojourner readers think I am trying to get readership on this particular post, please don't go over there unless you want to see my ignorance!
Now I'm SURE. You and Waterfall have got to have some ancesteral link.
Gwen
Alec Motyer is good on Leviticus in the IVP BST series - light but readable - not that you wanted to know about Leviticus but there we go. He also did the BST on James, and although I haven't used it Motyer is always worth it. Douglas Moo is the other one on James I'm familiar with, in the Pillar series.
And if anyone does make a book-scented candle, let me know! I'm told that Tumbridge Wells in England is THE place to go for bibliophiles. Old bookshops gallore.
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