My study

While I was sitting in meetings today my wife finished painting my study. We started last Friday, and it took until today to finish it, but all the work is worth it. The walls were a neutral beige with tan doors and trim. Now the walls are a light blue, and the doors and trim is white. She also shampooed the carpet. The room seems so much brighter. Tomorrow I'll finish moving my books back in and rehang my pictures.


I really need to go through my books and discard some of the older ones that are outdated. I enjoy books so much that it is hard for me to get rid of any, even the ones that really aren't useful any more. I still have all my college textbooks "just in case I ever need information that is is one of them." This would be the perfect time to discard some books and open up some bookshelf space. Most of my walls are lined with bookshelves that are nearly all full. I have no room for more shelves and little room in my existing shelves for more books. I just need to box the older ones up and take them to the library for their annual book sale. I've bought so many books at that sale that it's probably time for me to donate some to sell to others. You can buy some good books at a library book sale for very little money. My prize purchase is the two volume Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Harris, Archer, and Waltke that I bought for $1.00. Those volumes sell new for nearly $75.00.

Ministers need a good place to study and the resources that will help them lead and teach their people. I can remember when I had an old metal desk that I bought used for $25.00, a three shelf bookshelf that I made, an old Underwood typewriter, and about a dozen books. Everytime I had some extra money I bought books, upgraded to a word processor and then to computers, and bought more bookshelves, and a nice oak desk. I spend a lot of time in my study, and I want that time to be used wisely and effectively.

Bivocational ministers don't have a lot of time to be looking for things they need. Providing yourself with a good place to study and good resources will pay huge dividends. And if you can get your wife to help you paint it once in a while it's even better!