Okay, I have discovered what it is that books do during all of those long nights alone in my office. They mate and multiply. I have spent the better part of the last two days packing the books in my office. As I pack, I am trying to cull out as many books as possible, and my donation pile is growing.
There are some very good books in my donation pile. There are books that have been an instructive part of my past, and many that are still relevant. There are some old friends in that pile. However, as I look at my books as potential items to pack, lug, and unpack, I have been discarding many worthy books. My current criterion is to ask myself, “Will I open this book ever again?” For instance, many preaching books that I relied on a decade ago, when the lectionary was the main guide for my preaching, are not as useful now. When I do preach on the lectionary these days, I do much of my research online. Other books are outdated, and other books simply weren’t as good as I thought that they would be.
There are still plenty of books that have made the cut and are moving to Blue Springs. These are books that I hope will help me to be a more effective pastor, whether through the import of the theology, the beauty of the language, or the practicality of the advice. (All of my Erma Bombeck books are coming, of course.) These books, however, had better know how to behave themselves after dark!
