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Always the Lure... of Books - Part 2
Posted On: 01/23/2021 12:53:21

Last week, I posted a list of books that I “rediscovered” on the shelves of our personal library, books that I know I’ve read but I can’t remember the contents or what I liked about a book. I must have liked it or I wouldn’t have kept it. This week, I want to tell you about the lasting impact that several books have had on my life.

The first book that I daily enjoy reading and re-reading, starting in print and now on my Kindle, is ‘The Voice’ (‘ a modern language, dynamic equivalent English translation of the Bible developed by Thomas Nelson (a subsidiary of News Corp) and the Ecclesia Bible Society. The original New Testament was released in January 2011, the revised and updated New Testament was released in November 2011, and the full Bible was released in April 2012 (copied from Wikipedia). My departure from reading my leather-bound King James Version started in the early 1960s when I was introduced to the paraphrased version called ‘The Living Bible’. I appreciated the absence of the ‘thee’s’ and ‘thou’s’, and other ancient and now unused vocabulary, and often heard myself say, “I didn’t know that was in the Bible!”

Many of you may have heard of the next book.  A family member knew that I liked to read, and because she had enjoyed the book, decided to give me a copy. In addition, she had learned that it was originally written by a person who lived in the town where I had my first nursing job, and met my husband. The title is ‘The Shack’, written by William Paul Young. He wrote this book as an allegory for his early teen children, to help them understand who God is, who His Son Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit is. (An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. "Pilgrim's Progress” is an allegory of the spiritual journey”.)  He forwarded the manuscript to a current author in California for editing, but never expected that it would eventually not only be published, but to have sold over 23 million copies worldwide, spent 147 weeks on the bestseller list, and went on to become a major motion picture. Not far into my reading of this book, I almost stopped because of what I thought could be controversial, but the more I read, the more I appreciated it. I read conflicting comments about this book, but pursued some of the positive reviews written by several other authors that I was familiar with. I also wanted to find out something about the editor. I found Wayne Jacobsen’s web page, and when I saw a link to books that he had written, I was shocked at the first title that I read… “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore”. Did he write that book especially for me? That was exactly my struggle! On further reading, I learned that the book was online as a .pdf file, and no charge, so I decided to look for it and try to read it. It was very thought provoking, but also helpful in my personal spiritual journey. I have read other books that he has authored, including his latest release titled “Live Loved Free Full”.

This may explain the statement that I have included in my ‘About Me’ on my profile page.


Tags: Reading Personal Books



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Viewing 1 - 9 out of 9 Comments

02/14/2021 10:32:02

Hi Mona, thank you so much for sharing your Blog.  I wish I could find that book in the net and read it during my free time.  I am reading the Bible everyday and share it to the people that needs a spiritual strenght .  Have a blessed day and be safe. 



02/01/2021 10:22:43


nightfall wrote:

I will have to look for these books. Our spiritual needs are not defined by joining a church or any certain religion. For most of us we were raised in an organized religion. I don't go to any church these days but that does not mean I've lost my faith in God.

Thanks you for your comment... and I'm slow again in responding. The journey that we are on may be different but our goal is the same. There is always things that we can learn, in spite of our age.



02/01/2021 10:19:54


texasjane wrote:

...   Thank you so much for sharing this with us.  Wonderful food for thought. 

Thank you so much for your comments... I apologize for being 'slow'... again. I'm sure that if we could share an afternoon together, we would have many things to chat about and share. Enjoy your week!



02/01/2021 10:14:29


WritterDeb wrote:

...

Your blog has stirred me to look and see where some of my books are in this house.  Dang it Mona, now I will have to clean as I drag books off the shelves or out of boxes, LOL.  Your blog stirred two spirits at once, OYE

Thanks, Deb, for your comment... your certainly made me smile! I hope you re-discover real "treasures" in your search. If your place is like mine, you will also discover "dust-bunnies" that haven't been disturbed for some time!!!!! 



01/31/2021 10:34:37

Love your list of books and some I have read or "know" about but have not read.  I loved, "The Shack" and then the movie.  "Pilgrim's Progress" I read years ago.  A couple I also loved and have not thought about going back and reading again is, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach and "Illusions" by the same author. 

Your blog has stirred me to look and see where some of my books are in this house.  Dang it Mona, now I will have to clean as I drag books off the shelves or out of boxes, LOL.  Your blog stirred two spirits at once, OYE



01/25/2021 16:56:08


nightfall wrote:

I will have to look for these books. Our spiritual needs are not defined by joining a church or any certain religion. For most of us we were raised in an organized religion. I don't go to any church these days but that does not mean I've lost my faith in God.

Thank you for your comment... in my experience, the "organized" church in my growing up years were filled with a "do as I say, not as I do" mindset. It took a long time for me to learn to have a personal relationship with our Creator God and His Son, Jesus. I'm not done yet! The 'journey' continues!



01/25/2021 05:59:00

I will have to look for these books. Our spiritual needs are not defined by joining a church or any certain religion. For most of us we were raised in an organized religion. I don't go to any church these days but that does not mean I've lost my faith in God.



01/24/2021 04:00:30

You have proven once again one thing I have always felt to be true.  It makes no difference if you follow 'organized' religion and worship in a building.  Your relationship with your maker is personal.  The word religion actually means 'way of life'.   It is not a label as much as it is a set of principals one learns and lives by.  What do you bow down to and humble yourself for?  When we say we love all God's children do we include ourselves.  You don't need a fancy hat or clothes to turn to your maker and say, "Thank you."  The building is not important.  I have church every Sunday.  Me, my maker, and my bible.  I may listen to some hymns on TV.  It is personal.  Thank you so much for sharing this with us.  Wonderful food for thought. 



01/23/2021 16:32:47


kiwibarb wrote:

"So you don't want to go to church any more" rings a bell.  I had the same thought, and then I net my huband who was also like-minded, in his case because he perceived hypocrisy among its members, and that is one quality he could not tolerate in anyone, for any reason. We didn't have access to any Bible except the  standard King James. I learn a lot now from rabbis on YouTube.

Thank you, dear friend, for your comment. My spiritual committment is very real and sincere, but I have a great deal of trouble with congregations who build multi-million dollar structures referred to as their church. In my opinion, it is the people who are the church, not the building. There is so much need in our world, where the money should be going instead of building. We can celebrate 'church' at our kitchen table, in a pub, or on a river bank. We can meet God anywhere because He is everywhere!




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