Library Team
August 2018
Reading well and writing well are connected
I found a book! Now, please don't laugh. I know, I know, I'm ALWAYS "Finding a Book." But that's what I do! I'm always looking for books and materials that I think will interest you and your children, and those to help us in our walk with the Lord and with each other. The title of the most recent book I found for the library is Write to Discover Yourself, by Ruth Vaughn. It looks well loved, although some of the pages are a bit "yellowed," and the text on some of the pages is underlined. But what's important to me is that now the book is mine to love a while longer as we continue to age together. I am looking forward to reading it!
I have always thought of writing as a communication tool, like talking face-to-face, calling on the phone phoning or sending an email, so when I saw the title of the book, I was gobsmacked!*
*gobsmacked – utterly astonished or astounded
That's because being able to discover something new about yourself gives a whole new reason for writing. To discover yourself is why we keep diaries and journals, write meditations, and send cards or letters to our family and friends. And it is especially meaningful for them when our cards and letters include poems or inspiring prose. Because the poems and prose that inspire us can also inspire them.
Many stories are inspirational, too.
You may ask, "What value do stories offer?" Well, whether it's a story about your family history, a fantasy whose main character is somewhat like you, or a "prophesy" of what you hope will happen in your future, a story can be a way of understanding the things that are most important to you. And a good story can do so much more, too!
For example, consider the Bible and its many, many stories. If you go online to https://bible.org/book/export/html/21042, you'll see that bible.org says there are 255 stories –starting with "Creation" and ending with "New Jerusalem." You can also visit https://overviewbible.com/authors-who-wrote-bible/ to discover how many authors were inspired by God to write these stories, and which author wrote which book!
I do find some stories in the Bible difficult to understand, but by meditating on a passage, writing about what it means for me, and talking with others, I begin to understand more.
Practice! Practice! Practice! Write! Write! Write!
Being able to write well helps us think more clearly about things we want to understand better. And the more we write, the more we can understand what we read. And we are also able to understand ourselves better. Practice helps us learn how to put the subjects, verbs, and other elements of our sentences and paragraphs in better working order. I practice by writing almost every day, and I'm still learning. Just ask my editor!
So, the conclusions to this "Soap Box" discourse are the following:
1. To write well, we need to learn to read well enough to understand what the writer is saying to us. And to read well, we need to learn how to write well. We need to practice both of these powerful skills. Practice! Practice! Practice!
2. Also, let's think critically about the current trend of discounting the importance of books because of the new technologies that let us read on our computers and other electronic devices. Printed books will remain important because they are simply more "human" than an electronic device. It certainly seems like that to me, anyway!
3. I also think we do our children, and the children of future generations, a great disservice by not reading beautiful picture books to them. And if we fail to encourage them to write when they become a little older.
Visit the Church Library Soon!
I hope you will visit our library soon. There are over 4,000 items that you can check out for as long as it takes you to read, watch or listen to them. The library is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. To use it, please contact the church office at 408-241-7635.
And, on Sundays, the library is almost always open after the service. Sunday morning is also the perfect time to see what's in this month's the wide selection of books and other materials in the "Book Nook," which is located in the church lobby.
If you have any questions or would like more information about our church library, please contact me at jerri@scfbc.org. I enjoy helping others who love to read even more than I love reading!