Jack Reed Jr. publishes collection of Bible annotations written over 50 years

Blake Alsup, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo
·3 min read

Dec. 1—TUPELO — Through nearly 50 years' worth of sermons, Sunday school lessons and lay academies at First United Methodist Church of Tupelo (FUMC), Jack Reed Jr. has studiously taken notes.

Reed recently made a collection of these thoughts, quotes, observations and more available to the public in a published book titled "A Time To Listen: The Building Blocks of One Man's Personal Theology and Philosophy." The title pays homage to Danny McKenzie's "A Time To Speak: Speeches by Jack Reed" — a collection of speeches by Reed's father, Jack Reed Sr.

More Information

Reed's GumTree Bookstore in downtown Tupelo will host a come-and-go signing event with Jack Reed Jr. for his book, "A Time To Listen," on Thursday, Dec. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Reed, 71, has been a member of FUMC his entire life. He originally purchased his now well-worn copy of the Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha for use as a textbook in an Old Testament class he took as an undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University in spring 1973. An active listener, Reed formed the habit of jotting down his own annotations in the Bible's margins during the class and later during worship services at FUMC.

"Of all the things that I possess, this is really the most valuable thing that I have to share with my children and my grandchildren," Reed said.

But Reed has two children and one Bible.

So in 2019, fulfilling one of his New Year's resolutions, Reed transferred his annotations from his Bible to index cards and had them compiled in a spiral-bound book at Sprint Print.

He gave copies to his children, his wife and the pastors at FUMC. Word got out about his creation, and people began requesting copies. So Reed published the collection as a book.

"A Time to Listen" includes 568 notes, numbered for reference. A photograph of the Bible's tape-stitched cover serves as cover art for the book.

"I do think it's really a wonderful collection of inspirational, both philosophical and theological, thoughts," Reed said. "I'm not trying to convince anybody else in it. It's not a persuasive argument. It basically is just the building blocks of my own personal theology to share with my children."

All proceeds from the book's sales will be given to local families and individuals in need via a CREATE Foundation fund called "Because All Lives Matter."

The book opens with a quote from Tony Campolo that has served as Reed's personal mission statement over much of the last three decades: "God wants life to be a party. It's just up to us to make sure that everyone is invited."

"I hope this collection will be a blessing to those who read them," Reed said. "Perhaps what began as a personal effort will help all of us remember to live with a wider circle of love and compassion for all of God's children."

It goes back, Reed said, to the "Who is my neighbor?" question posed to Jesus in the Gospel of Luke that prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan: Your neighbor is not just your family and friends; it's everybody. And it's up to each individual to help others whenever they can.

"Mother Teresa's a saint, but she's not there on the corner of Front Street and Main Street at 6 p.m. when somebody's walking around with a backpack on," Reed said. "So that's going to be up to me."