The Old Book Press -by Tim Hall

Guest blog by Tim Hall
About 20 years ago, I was fortunate to have enough sales production to win an all-expense-paid trip to Paris with my bride and decided to take Mom & Dad as well.

After a week in the City of Love, we took off from Paris to London for a few days, lending us a little more nostalgia in the old world.
Once in London, we happened into a vintage shop and saw a most splendid piece of antiquity... I found it most intriguing due to the love of books, especially old books.
The color, the shape, & particularly the several moments of contemplation with the mystery of its history played with my emotions & then it somehow seemed to whisper my name.

Knowing the possibility absurd, or at least impractical, however, my mind went into tactical mode...   how could we get this piece of yesteryear here in England to an old farmhouse in Missouri?

Wonder how many pages this book press (probably hundreds of years old) has PRESSED anyway?
Wonder more how much impact all those words have had on its casual readers or even dreamers?
Hopefully, thousands upon thousands gleaned some pleasure, instruction, or inspiration for their path of life, before books were passed on or disappeared

I’m reminded of an amazing passage (thousands of years old) God wanted to PRESS into hearts and minds...

”You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”
(Deuteronomy 6:5-7)

The first part of Verse 7 is not a suggestion, rather a command... “You shall teach them diligently to your children”.   One version reads, “IMPRESS them on your children”
(to fix deeply or firmly on the mind or memory)
I hope these words have changed the course of millions over the years.

When I occasionally glance at the old book press at home, it will still make me smile (inside)

When I occasionally read those words from our Maker, (stops me still) and I want to cry

I suppose printers still use some (new) form of a book press to market the words of a given author

However, I fear too many have gotten away from impressing on tender hearts these life-giving words from the Great Author

After all, they’re still as valid as when written