![\"IMG_6716\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/757\/2017\/03\/IMG_6716-e1490819001201-225x300.jpg\")
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In an attempt to move my Mom around a bit this week, I\u2019ve had to do some moving of my own. The move entailed hauling my desk downstairs (thank you to my sons-in-law for helping!), as well as a lot of books, and mucking out some boxes that had been moved in from the garage when Andrew cleaned it out a few weeks ago. In those boxes, I came across some treasures. Books, I mean, because books are always treasures, even if they end up going to Goodwill. What\u2019s that saying? One man\u2019s trash is another man\u2019s treasure?<\/p>\n
To my pleasant surprise, one box of books belonged to my mom-in-law, Jeanine, who died nearly six years ago from brain cancer. Her death was terribly tragic for this family, and none of us are over it, to be frank. So when I saw that the dusty books had her writing on the inside, or someone else\u2019s writing on the inside addressed to her, I slowed down. Savored the find. Typically, I would\u2019ve sniffed the old things, but they were terribly dusty. So I took a damp cloth and gently wiped them down. One was from her sister, titled Her Works Praise Her<\/em>. Just inside the cover is written these words:<\/p>\n To Jeanine,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n In memory of what our Mother was, and what we can become \u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Love, Sharon<\/em><\/p>\n Another book by Hannah Whitall Smith entitled The Christian\u2019s Secret of a Happy Life<\/em> was next, with these words written (by another sister) inside the cover:<\/p>\n Dear Jeanine,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n This is one of my favorite books. Hope it blesses you, too.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Love, Carla<\/em><\/p>\n Other books include:<\/p>\n How Can I Find You, God?<\/em> by Marjorie Holmes<\/p>\n Our Bible: How We Got It<\/em>, by Charles Leach<\/p>\n Ten Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God<\/em>, by R.A. Torrey<\/p>\n Mrs. Mike<\/em>, by Benedict and Nancy Freedman<\/p>\n Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All: A Novel<\/em> by Allan Gurganus (sounds scandalous, doesn\u2019t it?)<\/p>\n It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration<\/em>, collected by Joseph Morris and St. Clair Adams<\/p>\n Oh, and last but not least:<\/p>\n The Seven Wonderful Cats<\/em>, retold by Wallace C. Wadsworth (this one is in horrible shape, but I\u2019m determined to tape it up and make it usable for the wee ones running around Orchard House).<\/p>\n There were about an armful more, but I will not bore you any longer. Suffice it to say, I\u2019m looking forward to reading them, but I\u2019ve got a problem. That is, I\u2019ve become a book hoarder. I\u2019m collecting them faster than I\u2019m reading them, and then spending way too much time on Facebook. Intelligent, huh? So enough is enough. The time to repent has come!<\/p>\n What does this repentance look like, practically speaking, you ask?<\/p>\n Well, I\u2019m glad you asked. But I\u2019m not going to tell you. Not in overly specific ways, at least, because I know there are more of you out there thinking, yes, sister. I need to repent, too<\/em>. And I don\u2019t want your practical application to look exactly like my practical application, because your life does not look exactly like my life. SO! Suffice it to say (again) that this is a challenge to myself to, rather than Facebook, Face A Book. Because here\u2019s the thing:<\/p>\n I\u2019m becoming stupid.<\/p>\n I\u2019m serious. I\u2019m finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Granted, I have some health challenges that make concentrating harder than the average Josephine. But all the more reason to stop averting my mind and attention several thousand times a day (I kid about the number of times, but it truly is ridiculous). My brain constantly feels like it\u2019s in a never ending ping-pong match. First I\u2019m reading a meme, then a silly status, then I\u2019m staring at a duck lip selfie, then reading about so and so and their trip to the mountains, then a fantastic theological article from Desiring God \u2013 all within the span of three minutes. And I wonder why I can\u2019t remember why I walked downstairs?<\/p>\n I\u2019m also finding it harder and harder to be content with my life, to be fully present when I\u2019m physically present, and to keep from worrying about the troubles of 565 friends (I don\u2019t kid about that number) and a country in turmoil. All in all, Facebook is not a terrific relationship builder, and it doesn\u2019t ground me spiritually, emotionally, and definitely not politically. It is necessary, as a writer. And I will always love it, because a good game of ping-pong brain is just FUN! But it needs to become a source of entertainment<\/em>, not a source of distraction from true callings.<\/p>\n Do you know what percentage of our lives are to be taken up with entertainment? I don\u2019t either. Can\u2019t seem to find a verse that lays that out. There is a time for everything (Ecc. 3). But if I take into consideration the entire Bible, and not just that one Ecclesiastical verse, I\u2019ll come to the conclusion that Face-booking, or any form of entertainment, is not to be crowding out the truly important things in life. Like family and any other person I come into contact with. People are more important than things, and Facebook is just a thing. As\u00a0are books. So I\u2019m not looking to replace several thousand peeks at Facebook with several thousand peeks at real books. But I am<\/em> looking to get my eyes away from the screen. And to use all the little tiny moments I\u2019m on there, lump them into one large chunk of time, and concentrate.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Follow thoughts through slowly, methodically, and completely. Studies have shown that reading a hard copy book vs any kind of screen reading increases both the joy and reading comprehension of the reader. I believe that, because I\u2019ve experienced it all the other times I challenged myself to Face A Book rather than Facebook (no, this isn\u2019t a first!).<\/p>\n I won\u2019t tell you every little specific plan I have to repent from my wayward ways. But I will say that my overall goals are to:<\/p>\n One<\/strong>, read through Jeanine\u2019s books and every other book in the house that I\u2019ve not read before I purchase anymore books. Yes. Every single one of them! Well, maybe not Shaun\u2019s build a house, fix a car books. But any book I bought with the intention of reading will in fact be read before I even think about continuing my love affair with Amazon. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, though. So I\u2019ll be penny banking. And when Amazon and I meet again? Yowza<\/em>. It\u2019s going to be romantic.<\/p>\n Two<\/strong>, cut out any Face-booking that doesn\u2019t need to be done on a business level, or doesn\u2019t fall within the parameters that God has convicted me to stay in. Hint: I\u2019m generally going to act as though the device of evil called an iphone doesn\u2019t exist unless all my other work is finished for the day, including a fruitful Bible study. Or unless one of the kids ring. Or one of the grandkids wants to FaceTime. And if the itch to read something becomes too much \u2013 and it will \u2013 then Lord knows I have approximately 56 books waiting to be cracked open, dog eared, and highlighted.<\/p>\n What was that about not revealing too much application? I think my big toe may have just crossed the line. So I will conclude by saying you are more than welcome to join me in this challenge, and I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts on what has worked for you to break the Facebook habit and what hasn\u2019t. Or if this is your first time trying to get it under control, what works for you as time goes on.\u00a0Being chronically ill makes any challenge a greater challenge. For me, the easy path is to pick up the phone and live life vicariously through the lives of others when I don\u2019t feel well. But no more. This is important. I\u2019d rather go to Heaven and be able to tell God that I redeemed the time by staring at the ceiling whilst praying for my family with my sick time, rather than have to confess I checked Facebook three zillion times, and try to justify it with the fact that I read 756,872 theological articles while I was at it.<\/p>\n Does that count for anything but wood, hay, and stubble, Lord?<\/em><\/p>\n I think I know the answer to that, and I don\u2019t like it.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve heard it takes anywhere from seven to twenty-one to sixty-six days to break a habit. So I\u2019ll check back around those time frames and let you know how it\u2019s going. Habits are difficult to break, but as the title of the book in the picture says \u2026 It Can Be Done. <\/em>And as the Good Book says \u2026\u00a0With God, all things are possible.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 In an attempt to move my Mom around a bit this week, I\u2019ve had to do some moving of my own. The move entailed hauling my desk downstairs (thank you to my sons-in-law for helping!), as well as a lot of books, and mucking out some boxes that had been moved in from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2920,"featured_media":253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[61,58,57,60,22,59,62],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-concentration","tag-face-a-book-challenge","tag-facebook","tag-family","tag-reading","tag-redeeming-the-time","tag-social-media"],"yoast_head":"\n