OLD GUYS

Old Guys
One thing I love about my husband, Dave, is the fact that he is 12 years older then I am. The way I like to explain it is that he graduated high school when I was graduating kindergarten! Unfortunately, people look at us and say " I don't see any age difference." Therefore, either he looks young or I look old! I love that he is 12 years older than I am because I can feel better about getting older by telling him that I will ALWAYS be 12 years younger then he is! I really do love my "old" guy!

Lately, I have met some other distinguished "old guys". A.W.Tozer, John Edwards, William Law, R.A. Torrey, Watchman Nee, Charles Trumbell, Charles Spurgeon to name a few. I met them in the books I have been reading. I have found that they have so much to say about our walk with the Lord. The depth of their messages is greatly lacking in what we hear and read today. For the past few years I have been pursuing books with a deeper content. As Betsy Shoppy said the first day we met "I am so tired of reading fluff." Betsy encouraged me to read a few meaty books like Sitting in Gods Sunshine, Resting in His Love by Alicia Britt Chole (Not an old guy but a no-fluff-allowed contemporary author)and Born For Battle by Matthews (Hard to get but well worth the search!). I want to encourage you to look at what sits on your bookshelf. Do you only see fluff? Cute titles that caught your eye but are low on content? Are there any meaty classics written by "old guys" on your shelf? If not, would you consider investing in one and commit to chew on something meaty?

I can hear the groaning already! Sadly, we have lost the pleasures of reading. I know it takes time and if you only have time to read your Bible please don't set aside The Book for any other! Sadly, I often hear Christians say that they hate reading. Do you know what? It was a book God left for us not a DVD or audiobook on CD or MP3! He doesn't download it to your ipod everyday either. Believers, be readers! Remember the slogan "Reading is Fundamental"? Reading IS fundamental to our spiritual growth. Reading, journaling and prayer adds up to spiritual GROWTH! Reading is one of the basic skills that will cause you and I to think, explore and expand our understanding of Jesus Christ. It is worth the effort!
I gotta go. I'm going to start a fire in the woodburning stove, grab a cup of tea and a blanket, and curl up on the couch to read something that an old guy wrote. I may even ask my "old guy" to join me!
"Till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." 1 Timothy 4:13 KJV "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV Kathy Withers