Books Lost

"The wall of books around him, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its disasters." Ross MacDonald

I like books. I like to buy books. I like to read books. I like the way books look sitting side by side on my bookshelves. I like how books on a shelf can make me look smart to people who do not know better. Amazon should erect a statue of me in front of their building, and the people at Logos should give me platinum membership status. I have Kindle on my phone, and on my Kindle. Pastors like to tell each other how many books they own. Yet I realize I have owned many books that warranted but one reading, and some not even that. And now I am giving most of my books away.

I have done this in the past. Fifteen years ago I gave most of my books away to an unknown church planter who is now a household name in some circles. I subsequently re-purchased many of those volumes. But seasons and priorities change and I once again find myself giving books away. In this past week several young pastors in town have cleaned me out. They're happy. I'm happy.

Because those books have already served me I'm tired of having them. I do not want to box them up. I do not want to lift those boxes as we relocate. I do not want to read those books again. I want to travel lighter.

And I will need space on my bookshelves for the books I will buy and read in the future.