Monday, November 28, 2011

TAPE COLLECTION


I’ve got a tape collection in my church office behind my favorite Bible Concordances that is so huge and so cool, it would make a grown man cry.

If this were still 1988. As it is, it only makes ME cry.  Every time I look at it.

I’ve got about 1,000 cassette tapes, 23,000 8-tracks, some reel to reels and of course 1/2 a million 1/2 inch video tapes, and 1/4 million...are you ready...3/4 inch video tapes.

The GREAT news is, that these tapes are from many of my early days working as a preacher and log ride operator.  I even got some and movie ideas on a lot of them. 

The NOT-SO-GREAT news is that I haven’t had the equipment to play ANY of these ancient “scroll-like” devices in 25 years.  

Still I hold onto them because I “might need them someday” or because “I think there’s some really good stuff on some of that stuff”.  Stuffy stuff.  Oh really?  Pipe down! 

Of course I’m only ASSUMING there’s good stuff on some of those tapes because most of them lost there content labels long ago.

Now before you get all A & E HOARDERS on me - you should know this is the only pile of irrelevant useless junk I possess.  I don’t have stacks and stacks of Precious Memories Angels in my living room or boxes of tin can pull tops in my fireplace.  The only thing that I have too much of and can’t seem to release without causing severe discomfort and distress to my phychie is...my tape collection.  My stupid, pointless, unable to play, pointless...yet possibly worth millions...ancient tape collection.

It that so bad?  I say no. But I always say that about stuff that’s about me and have the possibility of hurting.

There’s a great sermon I preached one time on this very topic back in 1987.  Thank goodness I recorded it.  Now if I only knew which tape it’s on...and somebody who can pay 3/4 inch videotape that hasn’t been opened since George Herbert Walker Bush made all those remarks about...Oh who cares?  I’ve gotta get rid of this stuff.

As together we stand and sing.

BP