A Place at the Table, day 29

I have a feeling that for the next several posts, the thoughts will be more about life changes than about the fast.  Most of you who follow this blog know that I have made the decision to leave Raintree, the church that I have been at for over 10 years, to pursue church in a different fashion.  I'm sure that there will be many posts in the future about this new plan, but for today I want to focus a bit on the leaving.

My wife and I had a little tiff yesterday over my office.  You see, I am what's known as a "book whore." (It's my own term, but I love it, so I use it.)  Despite the fact that I already own hundreds that I haven't read, I am constantly buying books.  And all of those books have to be out of my office by Sunday -- thus the tiff.  My library is one of my favorite things.  I am a big believer that you can tell a lot about some one's passion for ministry and study based on the contents of their library.  I have books that I disagree with because they're too conservative, and books I disagree with because they're too liberal.  (I made a joke to myself yesterday in the midst of moving 17 boxes of books that the books from a liberal perspective are even lighter to carry!  I thought it was funny and had to share.)  I have a few books that were from my grandfather's library, and a ton of books that were from my dad's library (talk about a heritage!).

Every time that I move my books (and I try to do this as infrequently as possible), I am reminded of how much I love my library.  When I handle certain books, I am reminded of the impact they have had on me.  Books like "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning, "Velvet Elvis" by Rob Bell, "A Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster, "Desire of the Everlasting Hills" and "The Gifts of the Jews" by Thomas Cahill, "SoulTsunami" by Leonard Sweet, "The Tangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter & Matt Smay, and "The Forgotten Ways" and "Untamed" by Alan Hirsch bring back all sorts of memories of where I was in my walk with Jesus when I read them.  Sometimes those memories are filled with longing for a more simple approach, but mostly those memories are filled with happiness over where I am now in the journey -- often BECAUSE of the content of those books.

Books contain information and information can lead us to knowledge and wisdom and transformation.  Whenever I find myself in a funk in my relationship with Jesus, you can probably trace it back to the fact that I'm not reading.  This fast that has literally transformed the way I think is the result of reading a book -- A Place at the Table, by Chris Seay, in case you're new to this blog.

As I loaded up almost all of my library (17 boxes last night -- not sure where they'll all fit in my "home office"), it hit me that a love for reading is one of the most important things that I will hand down to my kids.  I have a 10-year-old daughter that consumed the entire Percy Jackson & the Olympians series in about three weeks.  I have an 8-year-old that is constantly reading Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries or her American Girl magazine.  And I have a 4-year-old who "reads" Chronicles of Narnia picture books all the way to school (while rocking out to the David Crowder* Band, no less.)  She also refuses to go potty at home without a book in hand.  (That reminds me of a Seinfeld plot line . . .)  This will be an important part of the legacy that I leave to my children and grandchildren.  I might not do everything right with them, but I feel like the love that both Wendy and I have for reading is being passed down in a healthy and life-changing way.

Maybe you're struggling with life right now and you're not sure how to pull out of it.  It won't solve everything, but might I suggest trying to better yourself by reading a good book?  If you haven't read "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Manning, that'd be a great place to start, a great reminder of the grace and love of Jesus.  Some others that come to mind are "Permission to Speak Freely" by Anne Jackson, "Blue Like Jazz" and "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years" by Donald Miller, or "Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice.

What books have spoken to you?  What books have YOU read that I need to read?  I'd love to hear your suggestions!