14 February, and The Words of Jesus has been available in most parts of the country for ten days now.

In all my prior writing life, I have never before tracked a book from the moment its ink was dry through its leaving the bindery and its deployment to stores and direct-order merchants. This one is, in other words, a new experience for me in just about every possible way.

Part of this change in my ways of being and acting is attributable, of course, to sheer technology. It was not so easy, even two or three years ago, to blog and track as it is now. The much larger part of the reason, though, is something else: I never before felt this kind of “obligation” [for lack of a better word] to a book.

That obligation is not even to the book itself, but rather to something considerably larger than what that word usually names. The obligation is to what begins on p 59 of the book. The obligation is to the Words of Jesus themselves, and to seeing that they are broadcast as far and as completely as they can be and/or are meant to be.

So I am watching, and I ambeginning to hear things. Some of the things I am hearing are thrilling and affirming, things like:

“This may be the “new” New Testament, I think?”

“I read a little way and knew I was in trouble, so we’re going to start a Bible study group next week to do it together.”

Some of the things I have received are questions; and some of those are funny, requiring no answer really. My favorite to date is: “How come nobody ever did this before? It seems so obvious.” Not only is that one funny, but it also is, and from the very beginning has been, my own question. It probably always will be, in fact.

 And some of what I have been asked wants answering. For instance:

“When you take away the story parts, do you take away inspired words also, or are just the Words the inspired part?”

Or

“When did we start putting in the chapters and verses dividers anyway, and why, and do we mess up anything when we read without them?”

So instead of answering these myself, I thought it might be good–and re-assuring, in some ways, as well–if we opened them up here to public commentary.

What do you think?