Our Scripture reading for this Sunday is 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5. I encourage you, however, to read from 2 Timothy 3:10-4:22

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In her memoir, "Dakota: A Spiritual Geography," Kathleen Norris writes about her move to Lemon, North Dakota from New York City and her return to church. She writes, "I was drawn to the strong old women in the congregation. Their well-worn Bibles said to me, 'There is more here than you know,' and made me take more seriously the religion that caused my grandmother Totten's Bible to be so well used its spine broke."

Something about the well-used (and well-loved) condition of those Bibles spoke to Kathleen Norris of a larger truth that gets at what Paul is saying to Timothy. 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness ..." (2 Tim. 3:16)

By looking at their Bibles, Kathleen Norris could see that the Bible was more than a book. She could see that these women poured over their Bibles. The edges were a little tattered, some pages dog-eared, the corners dented in, the spine well worn. This wasn't just a book, a story, or anything like that. It was God's inspired Word. And their affirmation of that, as shown by their Bibles, helped her to believe. 

Kathleen's experience makes wonder what our Bibles would say to someone like her. Would our Bibles say to them, "There's more here than you know"? Would our Bibles help them to believe that the Bible is God's breathed-out (inspired) Word? 

It's an interesting question, although it's not perfect. You may have just bought a new Bible (and there's no need to make a new Bible look old, just for looks). You may use your phone for reading the Bible. There may be many reasons why your Bible is in good condition. But it's interesting that, as Kathleen Norris notes, our Bibles can say something about how we believe this is God's Word to (and for) us.