The blessing of a printed page

When you want information, do you go to a library and seek the answer from books or periodicals? Do you have an encyclopedia set at home? Or do you find all the answers you seek on your smart phone or computer? Do you prefer to hold books in your hands, or would you rather use an application on a tablet or smart phone?

Over nearly three decades as a pastor, I have accumulated a large personal library. When I was in school, I had to go to a library to do research. In sermon preparation, I would have several books opened all over my desk as I would handwrite my notes or use a typewriter. As I transitioned to a personal computer and printer, writing became much easier.

With the Internet, good Bible software and word processing programs, I never have to touch a physical copy of a book to prepare a sermon. I often preach from an iPad to limit the consumption of paper and ink. Although I have the biblical text in my sermon notes, I have a physical copy of the Bible in my hands. To me, there is something special about the printed page. Especially when holding a leather Bible with gilded pages.

When I was a teenager, our youth pastor encouraged us to memorize Scripture. The reason was that if anyone took our Bibles from us, we would still know what the Bible teaches. Psalm 119:11 says, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

Does it seem far-fetched to you that someone would take away our Bibles? If so, you need to pay attention to what happens to people in other countries. Even in western civilization, there is pressure to ban the Bible or certain passages of Scripture. Franklin Graham gives us an example from Canada.

Pastor Artur Pawlowski has been arrested multiple times and has spent 50 nights in prison in Canada. Artur and his son, Nathaniel, are preachers of the gospel who stand against government overreach. Nathaniel said "We no longer have freedom of religion, or freedom of speech, or the right to protest or assemble or associate or express ourselves or have free media or disagree with the government. Anyone who does so is arrested, charged, and jailed as political dissidents."

Nathaniel has also been charged for publicly reading from the Bible because the government said it was hateful.

Vivek Ramaswamy recently said, "Tell people in this country they cannot speak, that is when they scream. You tell people they cannot scream. That is when they tear things down."

We have seen, in recent years, that our speech is often censored or tagged as misinformation if it is unflattering to those who hold power in our country. Has this happened to you? We need to be careful to check the facts before we pass on information, but who is checking the fact checkers? What is true?

Have you ever looked up a famous quote that you have heard repeated multiple times only to find out that the fact checkers say it is false? Are you familiar with the Mandela effect?

When Nelson Mandela was freed from prison, many people were convinced that they had heard that Mandela died in prison. They were shocked that common knowledge turned out to be untrue.

Fun examples of the Mandela effect deal with company logos or famous sayings. We remember them a certain way when in fact those exact words or images were never used. For example, the Monopoly guy never wore a monocle.

If your only ability to know whether something is true or false is to Google it, you are at the mercy of technology. It is like relying on a calculator to do math. If you are without a calculator, you are unable to know the answer.

Sometimes the Internet is down, or the power is out. In those circumstances, books still work.

Do not rely on others to tell you what the Bible says. Get a printed copy and read it. Make sure that you quote it accurately and let it be your guide to truth.