I may be a little old fashion in a high-tech society because
I collect books. I’m glad that I do
because books are on the endangered species list. Thanks to all the new electronic gadgets and
the evolving smart phone, books will soon disappear. My publisher has conferred that books are no
longer in demand and want my future writings to be in electronic format.
I have a good number of books that the authors have
autographed. I have a signed copy of
Herschel Hobbs’ My Faith And Message,
which Dr. Hobbs autographed three months prior to his death. I will never forget my conversation with him
at a senior adult retreat at Shocco Springs Baptist Retreat at Talladega,
Alabama. We had some mutual
friends. Dr. Hobbs spent his childhood
in north Chilton County a few miles north of where I grew up.
I have several book autographed by Dr. Calvin Miller. It was Dr. Miller that encouraged me to write. And his books are special reminders that we were friends and that his passing left an empty spot in my heart. In his book, The Sermon Maker, Tales of A Transformed Preacher he signed , To Bobby, A Great Friend. In another, The Book of Jesus, that he edited he signed, To Bobby from an old, old prof and admirer. Calvin Miller.
I always date the books that I read. I underline pertinent things that help to
write articles such as this one. I have
my own order to how the books are on my shelves and usually can find them
without much searching. I know most of
my books by color and size and it drives me bananas when I cannot find one
quickly.
Since this is Valentine month, I decided that I would look
for some Valentine cards that my children have given me through the years. I knew that I had some in one of my old
Bibles. Instead, I found a Father’s Day
note that Aaron gave me in 1999. It is a
white piece of paper with heart stickers all over it. On the front, Aaron has written Happy
Father’s Day!! in blue and he has drawn a red heart with I love you in it.
Inside are twenty heart stickers on the left and the sticker
page where the hearts were is on the right.
Above the missing heart sticker page Aaron writes, “Your the best dad
anyone can have you don’t drink and cuss and I thank you for being a good
christian.” The back page has, “from
Aaron I love you always.
There was a Valentine card from Andy. It looked like one a small child would draw,
but was a published card. It said, “Dad,
here’s a Valentine just to say “I love you.””
The inside reads, “No, I haven’t been drinking and I don’t want to
borrow money. Happy Valentine’s
Day.” Love Andy
Little Valentine Cards from Angel simply say, “Will you be
my Valentine.”
I do not know if children still give Valentine cards at
school. I know I had to give them to
classmates that I really did not want to be my Valentine. There were those little girls that chased me
that I really did not need to foster their thoughts about me being their
Valentine. There were those pretty, little girls that I had very special
Valentine cards. I took time to write
special words to declare my intentions.
Some of those little girls I really thought special felt the same about
me as what I felt about the ones I did not want to receive a Valentine. Well, that’s love. Sometimes I have wondered, “Did I run too
fast and from the wrong girls?”
My wife Lisa wrote some beautiful love language in last year’s
Valentine. One special line was, “I go to
sleep every night knowing that I am loved by you & also that you are my one
true love. I’m lucky I could not outrun
her.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8 KJV).
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called the sons of God (1 John 3:1a KJV).
We love him, because he first loved us (1 John
Matthew Henry stated, “As the Father loved Christ, who was
most worthy, so he loved his disciples, who were unworthy. All that love the
Savior should continue in their love to him, and take all occasions to show
it...Christ’s love to us should direct us to love each other.”
HAPPY VALENTINE’S
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