Stephen Sparks

By the way, how is your personal library doing? I guess I am taking it for granted that you have one. Is it growing? What books have you recently added to your shelves?

I have had the privilege of visiting the home of my boss, Charles Crabtree, a number of times. One of the most awesome rooms in his home is his personal study and library. I can promise you that once you see it, you will never forget it. Although it is a beautiful room with lovely furniture, that is not what takes your breath away. It is the volumes and volumes and volumes (get the picture?) of books he has collected down through the years. At last count, he has between eight and ten thousand books, and he is still adding regularly to his marvelous collection.

Wow, has my library ever grown since coming to this office in late 1998. The titles of some of my books simply tickle me. Would you like to hear just a few of them? Okay, thanks for asking. Here we go: Every Day Is Saturday…Help, Lord! I’m Having a Senior Moment!…Too Soon to Quit…What’s So Funny About Getting Old?…It’s Better to Be Over the Hill Than Under It…Old Age Is Always 15 Years Older Than I Am…A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to Old Age…and the list could go on and on forever.

While visiting recently in Branson, Missouri, I picked up a copy of the book, Life Is Like Licking Honey Off a Thorn, by Susan Lenzkes. Who wouldn’t be interested in reading a book with a title like that?

I confess that this book has been one of those life-changers for me. It is filled with reflections on living wisely in a world of pain and joy.

This journey we call life is one amazing trip, isn’t it? Life is complex. It is both wonderful and painful. Joy and sorrow touch each of us; yet in the midst of it all, we can learn to see God in everything life hands us…and we can trust Him. Susan Lenzkes says that instead of being perplexed when we find thorns and stinging bees among the beauty and fragrance of roses, our surprise should be that God so often graces our lives with roses and honey.

I encourage you to pick up a new book and read it this week/month. Who knows? You might just learn something new and God might challenge you and stretch you in a way you never dreamed could happen. Grow your library–allow the Holy Spirit to stretch you until it hurts!

ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY!