It's time I confessed to a long time romantic attachment. Some of you knew about it, but I have had a long time love affair... with books.

I remember when I first fell for them. Hackman's Bible Book store in Allentown Pennsylvania were selling a shipment of books from a retired Methodist minister. My mentor, Mel Dieter pointed out which books I should seize. I obeyed. That's when I got my huge leather bound Young's Concordance. And I picked up 25 or more of Colvis Chappell's sermons (which baled me out more than once during that first year pastoring). It was a delicious day. The books filled the entire back seat of my VW Beetle.

I devoured them for the information they contained, but beyond than that, I loved how they affected my senses. You know books are sensuous things. I liked how they looked, organized neatly on my bricks-and-plank bookshelves, how they felt to the touch of my hand, and the perfume escaping from a 25 year old book is powerful medicine for the soul.

Then I inherited my father's library. He was a preacher too. He had inherited many of his books from his own father, a Pennsylvania coal miner who had amassed quite a collection of 'holiness books.' I can't explain the feeling that overwhelms me handling my father's and grandfather's books -- but if you have some you understand. Suffice it to say that I am head over heals in love with books. I can't get over it.

But my oldest son, who is entering the pastorate this Spring, won't really need most of my books. Oh, sure, he'd take them. He'd display them on his shelves like he might display an antique wash stand or potato masher. But he won't use them much. Not unless the electric goes off.

He will access the library of the 21st century -- through his computer modem. In fact, with a $10 monthly fee, he has access from his bedroom at college to a thousand times more books than three generations of Drury's before him have been able to amass. I was in the ministry for 15 years before I could afford a collection of Wesley's sermons. He can get them free at http://ccel.wheaton.edu/wesley/sermons/. I had to pay for Clovis Chappell's sermons. He can get 20 years worth of Ray Stedman's sermons at http://www.pbc.org/dp/stedman/index.html. And if he wants to read after Leonard Ravenhill he can type in http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ravenhill/ravenhill-home.html and read all night.

But, what about those hard-to-find specialty books like my grandfather's collection of holiness books? No problem. In fact the more obscure out-of-print works are coming on line the fastest. In the case of my son's own 'holiness heritage" he can access more holiness books than he could ever dream of having himself -- at http://www.iea.com/~hdm. Perhaps the producers of this page are a good illustration of what is happening on the web. Rev. Duane Maxey, 58, from Coeur d' Alene, Idaho has a chronic illness and is unsure of how much time he has left. While time remains, he and his wife, along with another couple, are scanning every thing imaginable from the 'holiness movement' and hanging it out there free for the taking. They have already amassed more than 100 MB of data, including dozens of books I don't even have in my collection, let alone my sons.

The Maxey's are examples of how the Internet is going to change publishing. Any mission-minded person with a modem and a $300 scanner can become a publisher today. Once the data is out there it takes on a life of its own, being published and republished by others. The only limitation is someone taking the time to scan and edit the books. Apparently there are a great host of generous mission-minded people like the Maxey's around because thousands of books are coming on line week by week.

Now, I admit that if you only read recently published books the Internet may not help yet. Many boomers read as a symbol of how up to date they are. Most of us want desperately to be considered up to date so we read whatever is the latest and hottest. IN a conversation about spiritual gifts once, I asked a New York pastor, 'Have you read *Body Life* by Ray Stedman?' His answer: 'Nah, I never read books that came out before the church growth movement.'

Perhaps we need to be reminded that there were several good thoughts thought before the Beatles. We have been suckled on the mothers milk of modernity and the only antidote may be reading the first 1900 years of Christian writing. The Internet could provide for a renaissance of reading the classics. Maybe this could straighten us out!

So I welcome the virtual explosion of resources on the Internet library. After 25 years of ministry I finally shelled out the money for Calvin's commentaries this year. Then last week I discovered they are coming on line one after another. (As a good Arminian I'm not reporting the Internet address to you ;-) So instead of passing the three-generation library on to my kids, and having to divide up the books between my sons I guess I'll just bequeath them a 28,800 modem. But they will never get the sensuous high from their modem or laptop screen that I get from my books.

In fact, as soon as I finish writing this. I think I'll go out to the front room and curl up with one of my grandfather's book's... let my eyes drink in the excellence of the leather binding, my fingers caress the firm 100+ year old spine, then I'll open the book and let that heady heavenly odor escape... Ahhhhhhh.... academic incense! I can't wait!

What do you think? How will the Internet library change sermon research? What is your favorite minister's Internet site?