Britannica

I guess we should have known...what with internet constantly at our fingertips, children becoming technology savvy at younger and younger ages, wikipedia to name a few. It has been announced that Encyclopaedia Britannica is closing down after 244 years.


“It’s a rite of passage in this new era,” Jorge Cauz, the president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., a company based in Chicago, said in an interview. “Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The Web site is continuously updated, it’s much more expansive and it has multimedia.”   NY Times

I can remember, as a child, if you went into someone's home and they had a set of Encyclopaedia Britannica, they would be displayed in the front room. It was a worthy investment and showed everyone that you had arrived. Alas, I had a set of encyclopedia's but they were "World Book". Although they helped me with every report I had to do, and my eager little brain was thrilled when they arrived, they didn't have the prestige of Britannica. In those days, encyclopedia's opened up the world. But, their demise marks that a new age has arrived.

A little off subject but...how many of you learned to spell encyclopedia with Jiminy Cricket?

Beware the highlighters!

Do you write in your Bible or perhaps highlight verses that speak to you? Maybe you use different color inks that help you recognize different categories. I don't now, but I used to...

Many years ago, I attended a Bible Study at the home of a very dear friend. It was my first "grown up" Bible Study and I was thrilled to be included...these women were so wise in my eyes (and they are!) that I couldn't relax and be a part of the study. I was afraid if I spoke out, I would miss something they had to offer. So I sat there...ears open, pen at the ready, highlighter just within reach and made notes and marked my Bible furiously! (One of the ladies had given me the Bible I used).

And then they began to ask me questions, they asked my opinions, they wanted to know if God had spoken to me about the lesson...and what direction did I feel led? And then one day (gasp!) they asked me to lead the next weeks study. What? Me? Lead the next weeks study? Slowly, they helped me grow in my relationship with them and with Our Father...they showed my by their words and actions how to grow in wisdom.

What does this have to do with marking up my Bible? One day, as I read in my Bible, I came across a highlighted verse...and although all are filled with truth, I couldn't for the life of me remember why I had marked it. What meant so much that I would put ink in the book so I wouldn't forget it?
Today, I don't want to lock myself in to one interpretation...I want to leave it open so I can see it differently the next time...I want to leave myself open to new insights and possibilities that I couldn't see through the ink.

Concensus

These are the books most often checked out of the libraries of the UK. How many have you read?