Where's my telephone book?

I always get a kick out of watching old shows and seeing the outdated telephones, cars and other such things that have long since gone away.  I remember buying an old, black, army phone with a handset in the cradle, when I was a teenager.  I was so happy to have my own phone.  I remember how, before that, we had one telephone, attached by a long cord to the kitchen wall.

But the other night, I was watching a show and noticed something I haven't thought about in years--a telephone book.  The character in the show had to find someone, so they went to the great book of names, addresses and phone numbers to locate them.

Looking back, it is hard to imagine that at one time we lived so simply that we could actually put everyone's name and number in one book.  At that time, we didn't worry about publishing our information.  Oh, there were a few exceptions--people whose numbers were "unlisted"--but most of us just allowed it.  Same with church directories.  Pictures, names and telephone numbers were listed (with permission) so we could contact anyone we might need to.

I suppose the internet replaced our telephone books, and it certainly holds much more information, and it certainly makes it much easier to find businesses, with the added advantage of not inking our fingers from turning pages!

It's interesting when you consider that the Bible holds a lot of information, as well, but primarily it provides one of the sources God has given us to reveal himself to us.  We learn a lot about our Father from scripture.

What do we learn?

God created the world and everything in it.  He loves us.  He is merciful, forgiving and all-powerful.  He is Trinitarian.  In his human (and divine) nature, Jesus, he shared our suffering and shows us how to use it to benefit others. From the Father's revelation in scripture we know that when our earthly life is over, heaven is open to us.  God is not a Father who abandons us.  He is near to us.

On and on I could go, as there is plenty more we learn about God through his Divine Word.  Of course, scripture is not the only way God reveals himself to us, as we also have Tradition.

I would like to playfully suggest that the bible is like the internet--it can give you just what you are looking for, more than you can imagine you would ever need, and tremendous satisfaction for a curious mind.  And fortunately, it will never go out of print.

Why not check it out today and learn more about God himself?

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com