Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for October 2013

5 on Friday: Ways to show love to your local library

I’ve long been a fan of the local library, and now with a kindergartener in school, I’m learning to appreciate the school library, too. If you don’t already frequent your community’s library, what are you waiting for? Books, movies, CDs, classes, programs … most have a lot to offer. And if you, like me, could live at the library, here are five ways you can show your library some love.

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1. If you’re a book hoarder collector, weed through your personal stash and donate a box of books to the library. I did this, this week, and it felt good to make space for more books in our house, and I hope, to give the library access to useful titles. Even if they can’t put them on the shelves, they can sell them to earn money for the library.

2. And speaking of a book sale, your library probably has one! (Maybe more than one.) It’s a great place to get cheap books, and you’re supporting the library with your purchase. I’ve found these sales to be heavy on popular fiction, but we’ve scored cookbooks and kids’ books at a great price. It’s like a treasure hunt!

3. Volunteer. I spent a couple of hours in the school library this week weeding their stacks for books that haven’t been checked out in five years or more. For me, this was the perfect volunteer job. Low interaction with people. Task-oriented. I had fun. No, really. But even if that’s not your thing, your library might have something you can do. I mean, if you know your alphabet, you can reshelve books. I see a lot of older, retired people volunteering at the library, but let’s not let them have all the fun!

4. Write your state legislators and tell them how important your local library is. Library funding is often one of the first things to get cut in tight budget years, but libraries serve an important role in their communities. Every library we’ve frequented has had its own charm, but what I’ve been most thankful for are the services they provide, like storytimes for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Our current local library branch has a program where a couple from the community brings in their rescued greyhounds and kids can read to the dogs. Our son has gotten over his fear of dogs because of this program.

5. Be kind to your borrowed materials. And to your librarians. I love books more than I love people sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be around people. Librarians work hard for what I assume is not a lot of pay, and as the economy struggles, they’re expected to provide more and more services. Also, I was super impressed by the school librarian today. She wasn’t just teaching kids how to use the library, but how to research and think critically. I was saddened that some of the books that hadn’t been checked out in a while were classics, and that so many of the popular books are based on television shows. I don’t want to sound dramatic, but libraries are an integral part of shaping the next generation. Along with teachers, librarians have a great responsibility to society. If nothing else, get your local librarian a Starbucks card for Christmas just to say thanks.

What other ways have you found to support your local library?

When a Christian and an atheist talk about salvation, it's no joke: Review of Saving Casper by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper

When I read a book last summer by Jim Henderson on women in the church, I knew I liked his style. He asks questions not many people are asking and has a unique approach to spiritual discussions. I’d heard about his book, written with Matt Casper about Casper’s impressions of churches they visited across the country. (Casper is currently an atheist.) I’ve yet to read that book but couldn’t pass up the follow-up, Saving Casper: A Christian and an Atheist Talk about Why We Need to Change the Conversion Conversation. (I received a free digital copy of the book from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for my review.)

saving casperIn Saving Casper, the pair team up to talk about conversion–evangelism specifically. After the first book was published and the duo spoke at churches, people asked if Casper was saved yet. After all, he’d been hanging out in churches and talking with Christians. The book is the answer to the question, and I’m not spoiling anything by saying this: he’s not. Casper refers to himself as “currently an atheist,” and I find that phrasing refreshing. I don’t know that I would ever call myself “currently a Christian,” but I think realizing that beliefs and viewpoints can change over time is useful.

Casper and Jim talk openly about heaven, hell, grief, and friendship in the context of evangelism. It’s a fascinating look at Christianity from the outside, and I found myself laughing (with embarrassment) about how the church tries to reach people outside the church. Casper’s insights are refreshingly honest and–this might surprise you–sound a lot like what we read in the Bible.

His advice for people who are worried about family members who don’t know Jesus is this:

“Simply care about people–and let them know you care in terms they can relate to. Letting them know you care about how they’re doing today, rather than telling them your concerns about where they’ll spend eternity, is far more appreciated and endlessly more effective if you’re hoping to someday see that person ‘saved.'”

It boils down to relationships and listening, not scare tactics or fire-and-brimstone damnation. Casper describes it as the difference between a push and a pull. A push (believe in Jesus or you’re going to hell!) does exactly what it says it does–pushes people away. A pull, however, draws people in. It’s like radical love, serving people and listening with genuine interest to what other people believe.

Even as I reflect on the book, I know it’s not a popular message among evangelicals. But I think it’s fair to say that what we’ve been doing isn’t working anyway, so maybe it’s time to listen to some outsider perspective. Casper doesn’t tell Christians not to believe in God; he calls us out, saying if we really do believe in God, our actions should reflect it.

I may not agree with everything Casper says in the book, but he’s worth listening to because 1) he’s another human being and 2) he’s got a unique perspective on evangelical Christianity.

It wasn’t a quick read for me because I needed time to think about what they were saying. It’s a good–but convicting–look at the church in practice. And also full of grace. I’m not sure there’s another book like it.