This week I have been doing a job in our business I don’t normally do, packaging book orders. This is normally Deb’s job but she is still in Colorado so I took a stab at it to try not to get to far behind. Looking at each individual book title before it leaves is not something I am familiar with, and although I do know what books we have in our store, some of the titles really crack me up, like this one.
As I was looking for this book, How To Save Your Own Life in Eight Steps, I was truly amazed at how many book titles we have listed that are “how to” books. Are we now a society of “how to’s” as given by someone else, it appears so. I know many of these do have some value to people, but there is a “how to” for everything now.
Just for fun, I decided to pull our “how to” books and list them below. The vast selection of subjects was fascinating to me. Maybe to you as well. This is a partial (yes not total) list of our “how to” titles. I just love skimming the title below. Looking through the titles tells me I have a vast amount of knowledge just sitting on our shelves to help me, some of these are rather comical, if not all of them. But, I can see that there is always a how-to book on something, especially when it comes to improving your life in some form or fashion. I think I will stick with the one how-to book I know doesn’t have some kind of bias or ulterior motive of some kind (not that any of these below do that).
How To… Do Just About Anything
How Anyone Can Stop Paying Income Taxes [Hardcover] by…
How not to worry about the love life of spiders by Tucker, Earl
How They Chose the Dead: Stories by Summers, Hollis Spurgeon
How to Arrange Seasonal Florals If You Think You Can’t …
How to be Blessable by Pat Robertson DVD
How to Be Happily Retired by Waitley, Denis; Seyfer, Eudora
How to Be Sure You are a Christian Transferable Concept 1…
How to Build Walks, Walls & Patio Floors [Paperback] by…
How to Deal With Difficult People by Braunstein, B.
How to Defend Yourself Without Even Trying by Terry Chitwood
How to do Christmas Florals if You Think You Can’t [Hardcover]…
How to Draw and Paint Characters (Clowns & Characters 62)…
How To Earn $50,000+ A Year With Your Home Computer:…
How to get a job with the Post Office: Clerk-carrier, mail…
How to Get Angry Without Feeling Guilty by Bry, Adelaide
How to Get Lost and Found in Japan (How to Get Lost &…
How to Get Out of Debt (One Hour Guides) by Thomsett…
How to Handle Grief Tracks of a Fellow Struggler by Claypool…
How to Install Paneling, Valances, Cornices, Wall-To-Wall…
How to Install Protective Alarm Devices [Paperback] by…
How to Make Love to a Man [Mass Market Paperback] by…
How to Make Love to a Woman [Hardcover] by Morgenstern…
How to Make Money in Mail-Order by Wilbur, L. Perry
How to Make Someone’s Day: 365 Ways to Show You Care…
How to make your life work;: Or, Why aren’t you happy?…
How to Make Your Own Fishing Rods [Paperback] by…
How to negotiate the labor agreement;: An outline…
How to Outsmart Your Allergies [Hardcover] by Ulene…
How to Parent by Dodson, Fitzhugh
How to Play Better Baseball by Jackson, C. Paul
How to Play Winning Bridge [Mass Market Paperback...
How to pray for your children by Prange, Erwin E
How to Prepare for the National Teacher Examinations...
How to Prosper During the Hard Times Ahead: A Crash Course...
How to Read a Play [Paperback] by
How to Reconcile a Marriage/Audio Cassette by Dobson, James
How to run a meeting by Hegarty, Edward J
How to Run a School Newspaper by Goldberg, Enid A.
How To Stay Alive And Well In The Fast Food Lane…
How to stay union free by Jackson, Gordon E
How to Succeed as an Independent Consultant by Holtz…
How to Succeed on Your Own: Overcoming the Emotional…
How to Survive Acls! (Books) by Doernbach, David P.
How to Talk So People Will Listen by Brown, Steve…
How to tell fortunes with Cards [Hardcover] by Brown…
How to think straight about psychology by Stanovich…
How to Turn Failure Into Success by Sherman, Harold
How to Turn Your Faith Loose [Paperback] by…
How to Use Shepard’s Citations [Paperback] by
How to Win Over Depression [Hardcover] by Tim Lahaye
How to Win Over Worry: A Practical Formula for Successful …
How to write a hit song and sell it by Bruce, Robert
How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Day, Robert A.
How to write irresistible query letters (Writer’s basic books…
The Biggest and Best How To Book Ever
One of my favorites is How not to worry about the love life of spiders by Tucker, Earl, I had to actually take that one off the shelf and flip through it.
Anyone who knows this blog, knows where this is going. Most of us already have the biggest and best “how to” book, the Bible, but I do think their are books of interest other than just the Bible. The Bible is our book of authority, history, stories of life, instruction, and a how to of life, and it could even be called a book on “how someone else can save your own life“.
The book title caught my attention because it was a book on how to save your own life. I suddenly had a glimpse into the person who purchased this book, and wondered what they would learn or take out of the steps outlined in this title.
What is Your Favorite How To?
So, which one on the list above is your favorite? There is something for just about everyone.
What other “how to” books have you come across, which ones do you like? I am not a big “how to” person, even less of one that wants to read about it, but I am curious, so I flip (usually back to front) through many how to titles. What about you?
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There are not many times when you can look at a lost individual and see and feel the anguish they are going through than when a loved lost soul dies. This is what our faith comes down to and why we have a Savior. If you follow the teachings of the Christian faith, and even if you don’t, most know the basis of our faith. Jesus came to live among us, then He was crucified as a sacrifice for our sinful lives, so that we may have everlasting life. Life beyond our decaying bodies of this world, life with Him.
He didn’t just die for a select few, He died for all of us, but those who have not yet come to faith in Jesus are lost to the saving power of Jesus Christ and have no hope in death, only fear. I recently spent a lot of time in a large hospital ICU where over a period of several days, many Believers and lost alike, died. The different reactions that people had to their loses was astounding, and apparent.
The loss of a Believer within a Believing family was certainly one of sadness and grief that this person who blessed many lives that will no longer be around to enhance the lives of those still here. But for the most part, the family members knew and had confidence in the Lord that He would save this person as we are told throughout scripture. The families were sad for their personal loss, and happy for the person who was now in the presence of our Lord.
Then, within hours, to see someone in pure agony and anguish, inconsolable, screaming oh my god, oh my god, over and over from the loss they suffered. I know the fear and anguish is real, and you can feel it. This person has truly been lost to the presence of our Lord, and there is no way to pray the dead person to a belief in Christ. Most times we like to look at the positive in scripture and forget about why and how we got to this point, through sin. When we do this, we often times remove the reasons our Lord came to this earth in the first place. As it is stated in Matthew 7: 20-22, not all who cry out for God will be saved.
Matthew 7
20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
When a group came into the ICU close to where I had been sitting for days, literally screaming in anguish over a friend who was just shot and killed, I felt anguish and sorrow for them. Their screams ripped through me with the understanding of what had just happened and the faith they had come in with. This group of people came into the emergency room with a worldly hope of saving someone, and not long after, they left the ICU without hope, in an uncontrollable state of sorrow and torment.
As they walked out of the hospital without the person they arrived with a few hours earlier, I understood more clearly why Christ came to save us and what He did for us 2000 years ago. He did not die on the cross for our souls to be in torment and sorrow, but to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. All we have to do is accept His gift to us.
I am glad to have the understanding that this world is not as good as it gets. Christ is the Great Comforter, if we let him.
