LIBRARIES are GYMS for the MIND

“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your Law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your way. Establish Your Word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. Turn away my reproach which I dread, for Your judgments are good. Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me in Your righteousness.” Psalm 119:33-40
 
The Importance of Libraries
Libraries preserve history and truth and make accessible a treasure-trove of wisdom, insights, knowledge, biographies, devotionals, examples of excellence, commentaries, dictionaries, handbooks, concordances, atlases, encyclopaedias and much more.

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An Armoury
The library is the armoury for any mission, college or ministry providing spiritual weapons for spiritual warfare. Libraries are a collection of selected sources of information, made accessible for a community for reference, or borrowing. “Reading is the magic key to take you where you want to be!”
 
Sanctuaries for Serious Systematic Study
Libraries also provide a quiet place for study. A good library provides a protected environment to preserve sources of knowledge, printed books and journals and also audio and visual digital resources. A good library provides a sanctuary for serious study, a calm atmosphere for concentration for systematic study. An inspiring environment for research for assignments, Bible studies and sermon preparations.

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​To Equip and Empower
Readers make leaders. A reading Christian is a growing Christian. If you want to lead then you must read! Libraries provide time tested tools to equip and empower you for exceptional ministry.

​Stretching Minds
Libraries are gymnasiums for the mind. As a gym is there to stretch your muscles, a library stretches your mind. Reading is to the mind what physical exercise is to the body.

​A Treasure Trove of Information, Insights and Inspiration
A Bible College Library is a gold mine of Biblical knowledge, a treasure-trove of information, instruction, insights and inspiration.

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An Oasis for Searching Souls and Enquiring Minds
Libraries are an oasis for searching souls and hungry, enquiring minds. A reservoir of living waters. A storehouse of spiritual food, providing information that can renew your mind, transform your life and direct your energies.​

​Antidote to Apostacy
In an age of apostacy we need libraries with the reliable, old, tired and tested, battle proven faithful works of dedicated ministers, missionaries and Reformers.

​Information to Counteract Ignorance
In an age of ignorance, we need libraries equipped with Biblical knowledge and Christian answers to the challenges of our time.

​Solution to Superficiality
In an age of superficiality, we need libraries that will challenge and enable us to dig deeper into the gold mines of God’s Word.

​Opportunity to Improve Yourself
Libraries provide free education. Libraries enable us to compare sources and discern. Libraries provide you with unlimited opportunities to improve yourself.

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Essential for Those Who Love Truth
Libraries are essential for those who love knowledge, wisdom and truth. Truth does not fear investigation. Truth conquers!

​Systematic Sources for Study
Libraries must be well organised, carefully categorised, neatly presented and diligently maintained.

​Precious Resources for Many Generations
Books are precious and valuable. They need to be protected from dust, dirt, damp and damage. Therefore, we must take special care as stewards of God’s Kingdom to preserve these precious resources for future generations.

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Redeem the Time – Read!
Victory and success love preparation. Learn to love reading and enjoy learning, as God prepares you to make an impact for the Kingdom of God.

​Foundations for Life
My Mother taught me to read before I went to school. My earliest memories are of reading books. The library was a great attraction to me. Many times, I spent lunch breaks at school reading in the library. When I was growing up in Bulawayo, I would walk to the library at least once a week and take out the maximum number of books allowed, four at a time.!” By age 12, I had left behind The Hardy Boys, The Secret Seven and other children’s books and was regularly checking out books from the adult section of the Bulawayo Library. I remember the librarian peering at me over her glasses and asking in an interrogatory tone: “You do know that these books are meant to be read?” “Yes, ma’am!” I responded. “Have you read all these books in the last week?” “Yes, ma’am, I have.” She looked at me with a skeptical gaze and then at the titles of the history books, or wildlife books which I tended to check out. “How old are you boy?” “Twelve years old ma’am!” “And you read these books?” “Yes ma’am

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Hospital Christian Fellowship
One of the first tasks that I was given when I joined Hospital Christian Fellowship (HCF) was to sort out their library. I was taken into a large room with empty shelves on against every wall. A large pile of boxes of books was in the centre of the room and I was told to organise the library. This was a task that I relished. My previous employment, before joining HCF, was organising the books at Oxford University Press in downtown Cape Town. That involved moving mountains of books and arranging over 22,000 titles, in categories and alphabetically.

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Literature4Africa
It has been a privilege to donate thousands of my own books for our Libraries for Pastors, Textbooks for Teachers and Books for College and School Libraries projects. Our Literature4Africa (L4A) ministry donates an average of 100 tonnes of Bibles, books and Sunday school materials to pastors, teachers, chaplains, Evangelists, schools and college libraries throughout Africa each year.
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​You can view our Literature4Africa Shipment Offload video here.
You can view our Bibles4Africa video here.

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​Christian Liberty Books
To aid parents to home educate their children, we launched Christian Liberty Books over 25 years ago. It has over 5000 titles available. You can view our Christian Liberty Books bookshop video tour, here.

​Digital Libraries Online
Many of our books are also been made available for free through our William Carey Bible Institute Distance Learning Programme online. Our free online Digital Library Programme provides basic Discipleship Libraries for hundreds of pastors, teachers, chaplains, evangelists, students and prisoners throughout Africa. 29 of our books are also available as E-books.

Character Training
A person’s character is to a large extent developed, by the books he reads.
“The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge…” Proverbs 15:14 (NKJV)
 
Dr. Peter Hammond
Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
[email protected]
www.FrontlineMissionSA.org
www.ChristianLibertyBooks.co.za
www.LivingstoneFellowship.co.za
www.WilliamCareyBI.com

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