Monday, July 31, 2006
Books I can't live without
By Tim R. Alanib
Pen Talks
AS A minister, writer, and teacher, I can't live without these three very important books: the Bible, a dictionary, and a pocketbook.
I consult the Bible first before I write on any subject under the sun. It keeps me on my way. It is a compass.
A man started through a dense forest. The trees were so thick he could not see the sun nor the sky above.
After he had walked for some time, he realized that it was nighttime! "I had better start for home," he said to himself. After getting his bearings, he set off in a new direction. He was so sure he was right he didn't bother to consult his compass.
After walking for some time, the man said, "By now, I ought to be out of the forest, but I'm not. I had better take a look at my compass!" Consulting the compass, how surprised he was to discover he had been going west when he though he had been going east. He did an "about face" and eventually he emerged from the forest and saw the welcome lights of his home.
The Bible is a compass. We cannot go astray when we obey it. It lights up the darkened pathway of life, enable us to steer clear of hazards and pitfalls, avoiding the detours caused by our own mistaken judgment. (Adapted from Gems of Truth).
Ideas are expressed with the use of the vehicle of words. Words change and it change their meanings as well. A dictionary is a must.
In 1675, Sir Christopher Wren laid the first stone on what was to be his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral in London. For 35 years he labored on the massive project, and in 1710 he presented it for inspection to his sovereign.
Queen Anne, England's grand monarch pronounced it "artificial," "amusing," and "awful." Sir Christopher was delighted.
For in 1710, the word "artificial" meant artful, "amusing" and "awful" meant "full of awe," "awe-inspiring."
A pocketbook is another must for me. Any production of ideas in print needs money -- for paper, ink and the like.
Thoughts on money
* Money is an article which may used as a universal passport everywhere except heaven, and as a universal provider for everything except happiness.
* Good uses of money: Buy property, Gen. 23:9,13; buy food, Deuteronomy 2:6,28; give as an offering, Deuteronomy 14:22-26; repair God's house, 2 Kings 12:4-15; pay taxes, Matthew 22;19-21; use for the Lord, Matthew 28:27.
* Bertha Adams was 71 years old. She died alone in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Easter Sunday, 1976. The coroner's report read: "Cause of death... malnutrition."
After wasting away to fifty pounds she could no longer stay alive. When the state authorities made their preliminary investigation of her place, they found a veritable "pigpen... the biggest mess you can imagine."
One seasoned inspector declared he had never seen a dwelling in greater disarray. The pitiable woman had beg food from neighbors and gotten what clothes she had from the Salvation Army. From all appearances, she was a penniless recluse -- a pitiful and forgotten widow. But such was not the case.
Amid the jumble of her unclean, disheveled belongings, two keys were found which led officials to safe deposit boxes at two different banks. The discovery was absolutely unbelievable. The first box contained over 700 stock certificates, plus hundreds of other valuable certificates, bonds and solid financial securities, and cash amounting to nearly $200,000.
The second box had more currency $600,000. Adding the net worth of both boxes, the woman had well over a million of dollars. Bertha Adams hoarding was tragic, and her death was an unusually grim testimony to the shriveled focus on her life. Her great wealth did her no good whatsoever. Its proper use could have meant good health for her and many others.
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