I’m a big fan of bookstores, and although I’m not against e-books, I think I’ll always find something comforting about holding a book in my hands, smelling the pages, touching the print…

yeah, I’m a geek – but I embraced that fact about myself a long time ago.

Anyway, I love walking into bookstores. I love the inevitable moment of discovery that accompanies bookstores. A new adventure hidden between two covers of a new book.

And ever since God’s brought me into the world of ACFW, I had an all new reason to love bookstores. I feel like I’m visiting old friends.

Shelves are lined with books by people I KNOW, people I’ve hugged, with whom I’ve laughed and prayed.

And then, I get to SHARE my excitement.

Today, a son and father stood beside of me trying to discover the perfect gifts for all the women in their lives. They looked (and sounded) utterly lost. So, I just HAD to help them, right?

It was the Christian thing to do 🙂

I spent the next ten minutes asking them questions about the ladies in their lives and guiding them to some WONDERFUL options. The dad said, “Oh man, I’m going to be scoring some big points with my wife” LOL.

I think they left with about 6 + books. The bookstore owner came up to me after they son and father left and said, “I was going to ask if they needed help, but then you offered. You did a much better job than I could’ve done. I just stood on the other side of the bookshelf and listened so I would know which books to recommend for somebody else” LOL

It’s sobering then for me to then consider how I should share my faith with the same joy and readiness. There are opportunities waiting in this giant ‘bookstore’ of a world. God strategically places people in my path and gives me opportunity to share the excitement of his love with them. Much more than ‘old friends’, He is a Father of such infinite love, it’s eternal.

And one of the best things about His love is that it’s free for us. Christ already paid for it with His life, so we dont’ even have to foot the bill. It’s amazing, wonderful, beautiful, and life-changing….

and is the greatest story ever written.