Do Books Matter

Do Books Matter?

  

Books matter!  That’s a fact.  It doesn’t matter much whether it is a hand-held book, an eBook or an audible, the fact remains – Books Do Matter.

Jim Rohn, once of the most popular inspirational speakers to ever practice his craft, once said this:

26% of American adults proudly proclaim they haven’t read even part of a book during the last twelve months.

Books take me places.  I’ve been to …

 London

  Paris

   Berlin

    Indonesia

     Japan

      The Old West

       The Florida Keys

        Tombstone AZ

         The cold of Indiana

And places beyond

I’ve experienced gunfights, deep-sea diving expeditions, the hunt for gold, the ravages of war, the harshness of Alzheimer’s, and a lot more.

Reading has opened my eyes and ears to the world at large. 

Do books matter?

They matter very much!

This is what is

on my mind today.

It's All About People Blogsite

P Michael Biggs

Offering Hope

Encouragement

Inspiration

Be Careful around Books

Books are dangerous.  They sometimes awaken the dead.

Books enlighten, enrapture, educate and

illuminate.

Oh my.  We must be careful around books.

You do see, don’t you, that it is the WORDS inside the books that explode and create change. 

Words have power.  Words change minds and hearts.  They enlighten and educate.  They encourage and inspire.

Yes indeed.  Books can cause all kinds of havoc. 

On the other hand … what has a book ever done in your life?

I could name names.  Perhaps I should.

~The Bible is a torch light in my life

~How to Win Friends and Influence People has given me some solid grounding in my people skills.

~The Ragamuffin Gospel has opened up the world of grace to me.

~Brene Brown’s Daring Greatly has helped me understand and deal with shame.

~Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and The Law of Success have given me solid mind conditioning.

~Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World gave me ten principles for a lifetime of living.

I could go on, and if you are familiar with any of these titles, you already understand the power of the words they contain.

If you read, read wisely and with an open mind.

If you don’t read, find the time and make a commitment to yourself to begin this week.

Books are important.

The words inside of them are more important.

P Michael Biggs

It's All About People Blog Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Thing About Books

Books are my friends.

          Books are dangerous.

                    Books change me.

I’ve met some amazing heroes in the books I’ve read.  One of my favorites is Simon Potter in Og Mandino’s The Greatest Miracle in the World. 

Louis L’Amour introduced me to a whole passel of heroes and heroines in his westerns – especially the Sackett series.

And then there are the ideas that I glean from books.

Here’s a sample:

~You become what you think about.  (Various authors say that.)

~The four things to say to your close intimates before you die:  Please forgive me, I forgive you, Thank you, I love you.  (Ira Byock – The Four Things that Matter Most)

~The journey is long, the journey is hard, and the journey is worth it. (Unknown)

~You don’t have to be great to start, but you do have to start to be great.   (Zig Ziglar)

~When it’s all said and done, be sure and push publish – launch it.  (Based on Seth Godin’s advice said in multiple ways in multiple articles and books.)

~The dice don’t dictate. I don’t live by the roll of the dice.  I live by my ability to make choices.  (Seth Godin – What to Do when It’s Your Turn)

~Whose life are you living?   (Paulo Coelho – Warrior of the Light)

~Remember one thing, replied his master.  You do not drown simply by plunging into the water.  You only drown if you stay beneath the surface.  (Paulo Coelho – Warrior of the Light)

~It’s not our abilities that show what we truly are; it is our choices.  (Dumbledore to Harry Potter – Chamber of Secrets – J K Rowling)

Well, I could go on, and I’ve omitted a thousand great Christian quotes from my spiritual mentors.

The point is this -  books are powerful tools in our hands.  I always have multiple books going at any one moment in my life.  And my main resource for writing blogs is an ever-expanding document on my computer called Blog Ideas.  At present, it is 167 pages full of quotes and quips I have picked up in my reading. 

I wrote a post on May 23, 2016 – ABR - Always Be Reading  and it has zoomed to the top in this blog series.  What a surprise.  Some somebodies somewhere have picked up on that post and I suppose are circling it around in their sphere.  Thank you, whomever you are.

The main point – books are living entities.  They grow and expand a person’s horizons.  They enlarge one’s mind.  Books matter. 

Next time you are looking for something worthwhile to do with your time, pick up a great book and meet some new heroes and heroines.  Let a book expand your mind and heart.  Find encouragement in some great books of inspiration and spiritual insight.

I’ll end with this thought.

“One must be careful of books, 

and what is inside them, 

for words have the power 

to change us.”  

—Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices

P Michael Biggs

It's All About People Blog Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

The Danger of Shallow Wells

“You can’t draw 

much water out of 

a shallow well.” 

~Jim Garlow – Pastor Skyline Church 

San Diego, CA

If you are thirsty, find a deep well.  Find a reservoir in which a person could almost drown – at least metaphorically.

I read or I die!  What a profound statement.  And it is true.  I can measure the goodness of my content by my reading life. 

 And so I go and find good wells of insight, good books, and authors who can stretch me, inspire me, make me pause in mid-sentence and say “Wow!”

I’m just now discovering Hemingway and Steinbeck.  These are two deep wells from which I am just beginning to drink.

Other wells that I love to hang around are …

~TED Talks

~Christa Tippet – On Being

~Brennan Manning and Philip Yancey (for

   the Christian mindset)

~Bob Goff - what a fresh drink he is.

~Julia Cameron (The Artist Way and others)

~Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich and

   others)

~Earl Nightingale (The Strangest Secret)

And how could I ever forget Seth Godin.  He’s the man!  Insightful, on-purpose, challenging, astute.  I get a daily dose of Seth in my in-box.

Shallow wells don’t do it for me.  Lead me to deep wells and I shall drink deeply.

P Michael Biggs

It's All About People Blog Site

Offering Hope

Encouragement Inspiration

One Word at a Time

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