For Sale: Book Store, Gently Used by Jim Hart

When I’m on vacation I like to wander through local independent bookstores and then support them with at least one purchase. Last year I stumbled upon Otto Bookstore in Williamsport, PA.

The only thing that can compete, for me, is the used CD store. I find myself unable to drive past either a good bookstore or a used CD store (just ask my wife).  But in both cases it’s all about the searching and the discovering.

The independent bookstores aren’t dependent on a large marketing and purchasing department to stock their shelves. They have the luxury of stocking their shelves with books that the ownership personally likes, right alongside the top sellers. You may find a treasure at these bookstores that you would not have found in the big chain stores.  At Otto’s I found Daniel Lanois’ memoir Soul Mining, and a really cool graphic novel version of Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. And I picked up several other titles to use as gifts.

Otto’s is one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating bookstores. Their motto is "a booklover's paradise" since 1841. And it’s true. The 2,000 square-foot shop has books everywhere you look. On the shelves, on top of the shelves, on tables and on those spinning racks.

Owner Betsy Rider’s father, Jack Roesgen, began working there in 1905 and bought the business in 1940. Rider began running the store with her mother after his death in 1958. She was twenty-four at the time. So the store has been connected to the Rider family for over a hundred years.

And now it’s up for sale!

 

“Enough is enough,” Betsy Rider told Publishers Weekly, “Christmas was brutal.” Rider also noted that despite the slight decrease in sales from last season, at 81 years-old, she was finding it harder to keep up with the day-to-day demands of maintaining a bookstore. Following the sale of the store, Rider plans to retire.

So – who wants to buy a bookstore? For information about purchasing Otto, contact ottobook@comcast.net.

http://www.ottobookstore.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ottobookstore

Click here for the Publishers Weekly article

Click here for the Melville House blog article

This Pile of Stones by Jim Hart

Here we are – first day of 2016! Many of us still wonder ‘what happened to 2015?’ And most of us, if honest, would like to go back and change at least one thing, or fix something that didn’t go according to plan. We tend to remember the bad more than we do the good things that happened.

So as you look back on 2015, think about the good things that the Lord did for you. Did He heal you? Did He meet a financial need? Did the Lord speak to you and give you hope and encouragement? Did He make a way, where there seemed to be no way?

In the third and fourth chapters of Joshua we find the story of how the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promise Land. The Jordan was at flood stage, but as the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant stood in the river the Lord caused the water to pile up 19 miles away, allowing the whole nation to walk through on dry land.

The Lord gave Joshua instructions to have 12 men – one from each tribe – pick up a large stone from the bottom of the Jordan and pile them up as a memorial to what God had done. This memorial was to be a reminder to all generations God’s power and faithfulness.  It was to serve also as a reminder that if God was faithful in the past, then He will be faithful in the future.

The Israelites didn’t know what waited for them on the other side of the Jordan. They will come across great fortified cities. Untrained in warfare they will face the chariots of the Philistines and the skilled warriors of Canaan. Worst of all they will be seduced into Baal worship and will forget the Lord their God.

They face a rough future. But God (I love those two words put together – ‘but God’) will remain faithful. The walls of Jericho will fall. He will cause the sun to stand still for Joshua at Gibeon. With just 300 men, armed with clay jars and torches, Gideon will rout a Midianite army. David will slay Goliath. God will do great things for His people.

We don’t know what waits for us in this new year of 2016. But God does. He’s been there, and He’s prepared a way. Take some time and remember the times that He was faithful to you in 2015. Build a memorial to those times to serve as a reminder when you face the floods and the giants in 2016.

So here are two things to remember about 2015:

1) God was faithful in 2015.  Our hearts are prone to wander – we need to recall the good thing that He did on our behalf.

2) God did not forget you in 2015. When Moses was 120 years old and he was installing Joshua as the Israelite's new leader he told him to “be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave your nor forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Here are two things to do in 2016:

1) Keep walking in faith. Be obedient to where the Lord directs your steps this year. He may take you to a mighty river and show you something amazing!

2) Keep making memorials. As the Lord meets your needs, or blesses you in some way in 2016, write it down as a memorial.

Sometimes I make notes in my Bible when the Lord speaks to me through His Word. The date April 28, 2001 is written down next to two different verses. This was one of those difficult times that we all face. The future was uncertain and I was feeling like a failure. I was asking the Lord if He still had a purpose for me. In my Bible time I was reading in both the Old and New Testaments. On that day I read Psalm 57:10 – “I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me.”

And I had also just started reading in Luke. Moments later I read Elizabeth’s words to her cousin Mary in Luke 1:45 “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished.”

The Lord knew that on April 28, 2001 I would need to hear from Him. He had been directing my Bible reading for quite some time so that on that date I would read those two passages at the same time. This is just one‘pile of stones’ that reminds me of His faithfulness to meet every need.

Let’s go back to the Israelites. There they were, a nation standing on the other side of the Jordan. In between the great things that God will do for them, they still have to live in the real world. They will face real difficulties and they will get discouraged. There may be times that they aren’t sure if God is still with them. They may not think there is a hope for their future, even though they are standing on the other side of the Jordan.

It’s in those times they will need to look back and know the hand of the Lord is powerful. They will need to look back at that pile of stones and remember the faithfulness of their God. That pile of stones was to serve as a reference point when the path would not be so clear. 

What circumstances stood in your way like a mighty river in 2015?  What was your ‘parting of the water’ experience where the Lord led you out on dry ground?  What memorials to His faithfulness can you look back on? What reminds you that our God will remain faithful in 2016?

Joshua 4:21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”

"Face to Face with Jesus" Book Review by Jim Hart

Face to Face with Jesus is far more than a former Muslim’s experience of seeing Jesus in Heaven. Samaa Habib was a victim of a bombing while she was attending a Christian church service and tells of meeting Jesus face to face in Heaven. Her actual accounts of seeing Jesus are minimal parts of the book, covered briefly in portions of just a couple of chapters. There is greater length given to the details of her recovery after the bombing, and God’s faithfulness to her.

Before this though, she tells of seeing a vision of Jesus on the cross crucified, and of hearing God speak to her. But even these accounts take just a few pages to cover. The Epilogue recounts four specific dreams that she had during, and after, a 40 day fast.

The greater focus of Face to Face with Jesus is Samaa’s story of how she, a teen aged Muslim girl, came to faith in Jesus Christ. A gift of a children’s Bible was instrumental in revealing Jesus as the God who loved her. She tells of attending a Taekwondo class that was used by missionaries as a way to share the Good News.

Samaa shares stories of her life growing up in a Muslim country that was torn by civil war. She recounts numerous times the atrocities performed by Muslim men toward Muslim woman. She tells how Christians are often violently persecuted as the infidels, often at the hands of their own family.

One theme of Face to Face with Jesus that made a strong impression on me was that of Samaa’s growing habit of fasting and praying as a way to come closer to the Lord, and for the strength to endure persecution. She repeatedly tells of the joy she finds at the revelation that the One True God loves her with an everlasting love. This was counter to all that she had been taught as a Muslim. Much Scripture is used throughout the book as a way to confirm what the Lord was showing and teaching her.

By the end of the book many member of her family had become Christians and Samaa entered Bible School and became actively involved in evangelism and missions.

The reports of great numbers of Muslims coming to faith in Jesus Christ are more than encouraging. It should be a cause for great rejoicing because it demonstrates that no one is beyond the reach of God’s grace. We can celebrate the lengths to which Jesus will go to make Himself known.

There are growing stories of Muslims, Buddhists, and others who say that Jesus has come to them in visions and dreams. However, there are those who are skeptical of these stories. It's hard to dismiss such a large number of these stories. Especially when considering the personal risk that is involved in a Muslim publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ. We need to examine the fruit that is born by these experiences. In Samaa Habib’s case that fruit is clear and has been used to advance the Kingdom of Heaven.

Face to Face with Jesus is a quick read with deep takeaways for the reader. It's a close look at what Jesus is doing in the lives of former Muslims. It shows the high cost of following Jesus in predominantly Muslim nations.

Words and Peace by Jim Hart

I read a blog this week that asked the question Can Books Counter Terrorism?

It’s definitely food for thought. Is the written word so powerful that it could really counter terrorism? 

It depends on the words.

As Christ followers we believe that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  (Hebrews 4:12 ESV)

In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris the world is looking for answers and a plan of action to stand against this growing threat. This week there have been many words, written and spoken, with passion, anger, sorrow and a whole range of emotions. I’m reminded of Mark Heard’s song from 1982, Everybody Loves a Holy War and Bruce Cockburn’s 1981 song Justice.  Although both songs are a bit ‘preachy’, and not very subtle, they still, decades later, represent a certain sentiment, that even if not spoken out loud, we still repeat in our hearts.

I read a number of quotes this week that declare Christianity is the enemy of Islam. Violent words about infidels and death. And yet, despite the very real and deadly persecution of Christians at the hands of Muslims, stories abound of Jesus appearing in dreams and visions to Muslims to let them know who He is and how greatly He loves them.

Amazing.

It makes 2 Peter 3:9 so real and so relevant: “He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” If this is Christ’s attitude, and since we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), then this should be our position as well. I was also reminded of this verse: "Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live. (Ezekiel 18:23 NLT)

As writers who have surrendered life and talent to Jesus, remember that there is power in the words that you write, both non-fiction and fiction. Ask the Lord to guide your words. Maybe your words will, in some way, speak life and love to hearts lost in hatred and fear.

The blog I read a few days ago ended with these words: “Books are great at helping people learn how to improve their lives and to live a more fulfilling life.  We now have to call upon our best authors to dedicate themselves to leading us to peace.  It won’t be easy.  Every president and military general of every land of every era has failed us when it comes to bringing about a lasting peace.” (Can Books Counter Terrorism?)

Let’s end this blog with the only Word that is capable of bringing about a lasting peace:

This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God’s wonderful grace. (Colossians 1:6 NLT)