At the height of the sermon my wife gave me one of those scolding looks that said, “put away the Palm and pay attention!” I showed her the screen to prove I was in fact following the biblical text with everyone else. My electronic Bible had replaced the tattered pages of my leather bound book. Days of rattling paper have been replaced with beeping biblical commands.

What happened? Where did the Bible go? Don’t get me wrong. I am a big fan of the electronic ease of my new technological texting. Yet I remember the days when I carried my fat, leather-bound Bible to every church service and Wednesday night prayer meeting. Back then I even carried it to work—as a witness that this book was my life.

It seems we have moved into a new era. Our churches decided to buy pew Bibles because we viewed visitors who came in empty handed. We wanted to make them feel comfortable as the congregation flipped wildly from text to text. We also wanted to get them used to holding the Bible in their hands so they would continue this in their own home life.

Then we got the idea to splash the Scriptures onto a huge screen up front for all to follow. It was great! The preacher carried his token Bible but everyone could instantly turn to the master screen for the next text. Even the pew Bibles began collecting dust. In time it appeared many people realized the redundancy of carrying their Bibles to the services. Home copies began collecting dust too.

I am all for this newer, faster technological study tool. However, I miss the days of pages whipping up the wind of God in our auditoriums. The preacher would note the next passage and actually wait for everyone to “turn in their Bibles.” You could see stubby pencils underlining, highlighters scrolling across key reference points, and people reading and rereading their own personal books.

My first Bible was a King James Version with a leather cover. It had more helps than I would ever need. The pages became messy with notes and scribbling over the years. The front cover shriveled up in the back window of my car so I made a new cover myself. After a while I brought a newer translation, began printing texts for teachings, and slowly converted to my electronic versions.

The new techno version also replaced my concordance and hundreds of commentaries on my bookshelves. In a moment I could research what previously may have taken me hours. Flipping pages was replaced with clicking keyboards. In a matter of minutes I could put together my weekly sermons and head off to the golf course.

Recently I was heading off to Ukraine on a mission trip and decided I wanted to carry a Bible—a real one. I wanted people to see that some of us still hold to this book as the ultimate truth. I wanted people to see that I love the book and still read it. I also wanted to carry a copy I could give away at my trip’s end.

So I headed off to the local Goodwill store. I scoured shelf after shelf and visited numerous secondhand stores. I was surprised. It used to be that you could find multiple copies of these old tattered books. They were a dime a dozen. Yet I couldn’t find a single copy and that is when I began to wonder—where did the Bible go?

When I got home I decided it was time to buy a new book. I scoured the stores and finally settled on a nice large print Bible. It is a thin line edition so I am not too burdened with carrying it. There are indexed tabs for my failing memory and it has just enough helps to satisfy me. The final detail was the traditional black leather cover with the simple words, “Holy Bible.”

Now in my quiet times I have a renewed love for this book. It is always sitting near me—on my desk and in my hands at church. My wife also seems to appreciate my move from the Palm to the lap version. One is not better than the other. It just feels good to grab my Bible and head out the door. |L

OUTLOOK is a forum for responsible Christian writers. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Standard Publishing or The Lookout.

OTHER COLUMNS:
November 15, 2009 - Bringing Christ to French Guiana
November 1, 2009 - Walking the edge
October 18, 2009 - Watch what you say
October 4, 2009 - Proposing a new proverb
September 20, 2009 - Fear and trembling
September 6, 2009 - Elwyn
August 9, 2009 - The public school: a local mission field
July 26, 2009 - Astonishing the judges
July 12, 2009 - Letting the past go
June 28, 2009 - Line up
June 14, 2009 - The path to spiritual growth
May 31, 2009 - A tribute to one of my heroes
May 17, 2009 - Silent soldier
April 19, 2009 - Operation Resensitization
April 5, 2009 - The temptations of ministers
March 8, 2009 - Conversation over shoes
February 22, 2009 - By their plurals you shall know them
February 8, 2009 - What is missing from your retirement plans?
January 25, 2009 - Turn the page
December 28, 2008 - Abba, Father
December 14, 2008 - Elementary truths
November 30, 2008 - The illusion
October 19, 2008 - Acting like a toddler
October 5, 2008 - Don’t miss this
September 21, 2008 - Foolish schemes
September 7, 2008 - God’s hand is everywhere
August 24, 2008 - The dance
August 10, 2008 - Strange land
July 27, 2008 - God’s amazing grace
July 13, 2008 - A best seller
June 29, 2008 - My grandfather’s clock and worship
June 1, 2008 - Reclaiming the name
May 4, 2008 - God is not our fairy godmother
April 6, 2008 - Success: what is it and who can measure up?
March 9, 2008 - Need to know
February 10, 2008 - The top three myths of singleness
January 13, 2008 - By invitation only
December 5, 2007 - Yes, Abbie, there is a Jesus
November 18, 2007 - 10 Ways to be a good Christmas customer
October 21, 2007 - The dividing line
September 23, 2007 - What do you fear?
September 9, 2007 - A life well lived
August 26, 2007 - To murmur, or not to murmur
July 29, 2007 - The cross and the Christian
July 15, 2007 - Turning the other cheek: still a valuable biblical principle
July 1, 2007 - Why the tie?
June 3, 2007 - The death of a son
May 6, 2007 - A prayer for the dying
April 8, 2007 - The omnipresent God
March 11, 2007 - Do the Amish have superheroes?
February 11, 2007 - What’s your black history?
January 14, 2007 - The split branch
December 31, 2006 - The house of regret
December 10, 2006 - The redemption of the innkeeper
November 26, 2006 - Too many choices
November 12, 2006 - Break the bashing habit: Learning to love the unsaved like Christ does: November 12, 2006
October 15, 2006 - Be ‘salt and light’ this Christmas!: October 15, 2006
September 17, 2006 - Who is a legalist?: September 17, 2006 Issue 38
July 23, 2006 - God speaks through our brokenness: July 23, 2006 Issue 38
June 25, 2006 - 'What I am looking for in my church leaders'