Confessions from a Book-a-holic

Hello.  My name is Julie.  And I’m a book-a-holic.

I really, really am.  It’s hard if not near impossible for me to keep from scanning a bargain in a bookstore, or clicking on Amazon for their latest recommendations, or being tempted by the many publishers who are aware of my addiction and fill my email box every day.  Three new ‘fixes’ arrived yesterday, and yes, I am reading all three at the same time.  They are all so good (usually at least one in a bunch is a dud) that I couldn’t make up my mind this time which one to stick with.  Don’t bother giving me advice about getting a library card and just borrowing books.  I’m way too far into my addiction to give books back, unless I give them TO someone. 

I do have a new favorite from my trio, however, and if I could wave my magic wand (and I will, once it is out of the shop….parts are on back order, they tell me), I would have every small group and every congregational member read Margot Starbuck’s Small Things with Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your Neighbor.  The title sounds dorky, yes.  Way too simple for our sophisticated West End crowd, especially for their pastor of Christian Formation, who has a masters degree with honors from a very prestigious university.  I’m not even sure why I ordered it, except that the forward was written by Tony Campolo, whom I have a secret crush on, and that even though I find myself in the “God-business,” I want to find something exciting to do that’s out of my comfort box—besides becoming another Mother Teresa.  At this point in my life, I just want to bring a smile to a face and be able to fit it into an already people-laden lifestyle. 

Margot delivers.  She is so HUMAN!  She resonates with those of us who lead hectic lives, and yet hear Jesus saying to the rich young ruler, “Go home, sell all you have and give to the poor.”  He leaves, sad.  And we hear the story, sadly.  Most of us aren’t rich, young, or rulers.  We need to be responsible citizens, making a decent living, doing the right thing. Paying our bills, raising our children, caring for our elderly--but even non-Christians do those things.  We hear, we believe, and we want to do, but we don’t quite know WHAT to do. Margot, in a non-preachy, fully forgiving, grace-filled and humorous way, shares stories of small things we all can do with great love, which will indeed change the world.

As Tracey Bianchi, pastor, activist and author of Green Mama says, “I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever comes in contact with another human being.”  I’m not sure it gets any better than this, my friends.  At least that’s the view from my desk, this Maundy Thursday afternoon.

Grace and joy,

Julie