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The Face A Book Challenge

The Face A Book Challenge

Last updated on: March 30, 2017 at 12:10 am by Brenda Renee Coats

The Face A Book Challenge 2017-03-30T00:10:26-07:00 Brenda Renee Coats

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In an attempt to move my Mom around a bit this week, I’ve 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’s that saying? One man’s trash is another man’s treasure?

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’s writing on the inside addressed to her, I slowed down. Savored the find. Typically, I would’ve 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. Just inside the cover is written these words:

To Jeanine,

In memory of what our Mother was, and what we can become …

Love, Sharon

Another book by Hannah Whitall Smith entitled The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life was next, with these words written (by another sister) inside the cover:

Dear Jeanine,

This is one of my favorite books. Hope it blesses you, too.

Love, Carla

Other books include:

How Can I Find You, God? by Marjorie Holmes

Our Bible: How We Got It, by Charles Leach

Ten Reasons Why I Believe the Bible is the Word of God, by R.A. Torrey

Mrs. Mike, by Benedict and Nancy Freedman

Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All: A Novel by Allan Gurganus (sounds scandalous, doesn’t it?)

It Can Be Done: Poems of Inspiration, collected by Joseph Morris and St. Clair Adams

Oh, and last but not least:

The Seven Wonderful Cats, retold by Wallace C. Wadsworth (this one is in horrible shape, but I’m determined to tape it up and make it usable for the wee ones running around Orchard House).

There were about an armful more, but I will not bore you any longer. Suffice it to say, I’m looking forward to reading them, but I’ve got a problem. That is, I’ve become a book hoarder. I’m collecting them faster than I’m reading them, and then spending way too much time on Facebook. Intelligent, huh? So enough is enough. The time to repent has come!

What does this repentance look like, practically speaking, you ask?

Well, I’m glad you asked. But I’m 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. And I don’t 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’s the thing:

I’m becoming stupid.

I’m serious. I’m 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’s in a never ending ping-pong match. First I’m reading a meme, then a silly status, then I’m 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 – all within the span of three minutes. And I wonder why I can’t remember why I walked downstairs?

I’m also finding it harder and harder to be content with my life, to be fully present when I’m physically present, and to keep from worrying about the troubles of 565 friends (I don’t kid about that number) and a country in turmoil. All in all, Facebook is not a terrific relationship builder, and it doesn’t 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, not a source of distraction from true callings.

Do you know what percentage of our lives are to be taken up with entertainment? I don’t either. Can’t 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’ll 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 are books. So I’m not looking to replace several thousand peeks at Facebook with several thousand peeks at real books. But I am looking to get my eyes away from the screen. And to use all the little tiny moments I’m on there, lump them into one large chunk of time, and concentrate. 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’ve experienced it all the other times I challenged myself to Face A Book rather than Facebook (no, this isn’t a first!).

I won’t tell you every little specific plan I have to repent from my wayward ways. But I will say that my overall goals are to:

One, read through Jeanine’s books and every other book in the house that I’ve not read before I purchase anymore books. Yes. Every single one of them! Well, maybe not Shaun’s 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’ll be penny banking. And when Amazon and I meet again? Yowza. It’s going to be romantic.

Two, cut out any Face-booking that doesn’t need to be done on a business level, or doesn’t fall within the parameters that God has convicted me to stay in. Hint: I’m generally going to act as though the device of evil called an iphone doesn’t 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 – and it will – then Lord knows I have approximately 56 books waiting to be cracked open, dog eared, and highlighted.

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’d love to hear your thoughts on what has worked for you to break the Facebook habit and what hasn’t. Or if this is your first time trying to get it under control, what works for you as time goes on. Being 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’t feel well. But no more. This is important. I’d 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.

Does that count for anything but wood, hay, and stubble, Lord?

I think I know the answer to that, and I don’t like it.

I’ve heard it takes anywhere from seven to twenty-one to sixty-six days to break a habit. So I’ll check back around those time frames and let you know how it’s going. Habits are difficult to break, but as the title of the book in the picture says … It Can Be Done. And as the Good Book says … With God, all things are possible.

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