An Historical Book Lover (part two)

All through middle school and high school I fed my face with books. Fiction was definitely my favorite, but my history teacher turned me onto to some really great books like this one or this one. The latter one I received as a gift for winning the history student of year. I was such a dork.

One book really changed how I viewed my political convictions which were always liberal, but growing up in epicenter of conservatism made it hard for me to describe exactly how it felt about the world around me.

I just read it and he said things I had thought and believed and it was all in one book. It was a mini revolution in my mind. He's one of my favorite authors.

My junior year of high school I got a job at a publishing house, Tyndale. That's right, they publish... The Left Behind Series. Dun dun dun dun. And while I never bought into the theology, the boatloads of books sold meant for some very large bi-annual bonuses during the years I worked there and at the age of 17, that was a dream. Some of that money I used as a down payment on my house. I loved working around books.

I quit that job to move to Kansas City, and got a job at the bookstore. Originally the job was a part time thing but through circumstances I became a manager. There are a lot of places to find a community at IHOP. I found mine in that store. It's not easy, it's hard and challenging. But I love that prayer room and what I do helps support that. Did I come here thinking that this is what I would do? No, but there is joy in doing it. Sometimes I think people wonder if you can be a "business" person and still love that prayer room? Can you be an administrator and still be an intercessor? Can you love Jesus in the midst of sales reports, scheduling, and cycle counts? It can be done, my friends. I see my friends do it every day and I am certainly challenged in it, but I am blessed to love Jesus this way.

So that's where the love of the written word has taken me.