Day 6 - Another Book (Give)

Tonight I gave Mark Levin's "Liberty and Tyranny" to Steve, our small group leader.  Steve's a political animal, so I know he'll appreciate the book.  That book was not hard to give away (and, Steve, I'm sure I'll find something more meaningful to give to you and Keri at some point here!  We've got a long way to go!) and not because I didn't like it.  It was easy to give away, it seems to me now, because that's exactly what I should do with the majority of the books I read.  Why buy a book, read it, and then stash it away on some bookshelf somewhere?  Now sure, I always dreamed of a future house in which I would have my own little "study" where I could display all my books on numerous shelves covering three of the four walls (the other wall being reserved for the bay window that looks out over the lake!).  And I would invite guests into my study for the sole purpose of giving them the opportunity to admire my collection of books.  OK, so I've just admitted to myself and you that there is definitely an element of pride in my desire to accumulate books and for that reason alone, it is a good idea for me to give some away. 

Lately, when the kids have asked for some new toy or such, Melissa and I have told them, "We're needing to get rid of things, not add to them."  It's true, but I can't promise that in the midst of giving away books that I won't go and buy a few more.  I heard of one today that I'd like to get - Andrew Klavan's "Identity Man".  I've never read anything by Klavan, but I'm curious.  That would be light reading... it's a thriller.

A heavier book that I am currently reading for a second time (it's short) and Melissa is reading for the first is "Radical" by David Platt.  The subtitle is "Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream."  It is a challenging book. I borrowed Storly's copy as we were on the plane returning to Indiana from Haiti and then bought my own copy a few days later.  Platt writes:  With the best of intentions, we have actually turned away from Jesus. We have in many areas blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are antithetical to the gospel he taught.  

I find myself more and more convinced that the reason we don't see God's power more frequently evidenced in the American church is because we have settled for a comfortable existence and for doing only what can be accomplished in our own power with our own resources.  Agree or disagree?