What To Read?
READING: WHERE TO START?
When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22 : 36-37). That statement is a reminder to us all that one of the most important ways that we love God is by loving Him with our minds. The idea that being a Christians is about putting your mind on the shelf is just simply not true. How you think is absolutely essential in living the Christian life.
Life change begins as the Spirit of God begins to change our mind. The word “Repent” is the idea of a change of mind that leads to a change of behavior. The apostle Paul said, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and prefect will” (Romans 12: 2). As followers of Christ we need to be continually in the process of conforming our thoughts to what God’s Word says. We need to learn to think about all of life from a biblical perspective and a biblical world view. Given that we live in a culture that has rejected both, we need to be intentional about what we put into our minds.
Certainly the idea about loving God with our minds means we need to be very discerning about what we watch on television, movies we see, and websites that we view on the internet. You put garbage into your mind, garbage will come out in your life. But what I hope to do through this part of our website it to encourage you to love God and renew your mind in a very specific way through reading. Reading is an intentional way that we can renew, sharpen and expand our minds. Through it we can learn to love God better by thinking more Christianly and biblically about life. I personally think reading is not only enjoyable but an essential discipline for the Christian who wants to grow in their faith.
Let me state up front that I believe the most important book for any believer and any person is the bible. There is nothing like the God-breathed word of God. As followers of Christ, the word of God should be our first priority. So when I talk about the discipline of reading, I do not mean this should replace your daily time with God and His word. There has been nothing more significant to my personal spiritual growth than my daily time with God and His word.
What I am encouraging is the need for believers to read and think more Christianly. To draw from what believers have written over the centuries and in our day to deepen our love for God and more effectively live out our faith. My goal is to provide a brief monthly book review that would just give you my thoughts on a particular book but I hope also to encourage you to read it for yourself or read something on your own. You might say, OK, Pastor Scott but where do get started. Let me share with you a couple of things.
First, something for those who are already readers. Rick Warren published a blog titled “Leaders are Readers: 9 Tips for Picking Good Books” I will just briefly state them but if you want some further information check out his blog (September 24, 2012, pastors.com).
Know the author. Getting to know who they are and where they are coming from is important. If you are unsure, ask people you trust about the author. There are certain authors that I will read everything they put out. There are others I am more selective and some authors I won’t read.
Read the cover and the jacket. On the jacket is where you will get an idea of the authors credentials.
Look at the table of contents. When you get an idea of the titles of each chapter you will have an idea of where the book is going and what it is about. You will also get an idea about the style of the book. Obviously some books are much easier to read than others.
Check out the bibliography and the footnotes. From that you will see who the author is quoting. Are they referencing people you know and respect?
Beware of books that claim too much. Be aware of marketing hype and those who try to oversell the book.
Beware of books by celebrities or about celebrities. I agree with Warren’s conclusion that they are often just fluff.
Read book reviews. Now you can find book reviews on most books online. It will be worth your time to check it out.
Note the publisher. Some publishers publish good solid books and some simply do not.
Wait a while before you buy. Good books will stand the test of time.
Hope those suggestions will help as you begin the discipline of reading.
You might say, what should I read? James Emery White did a survey though his church and culture website. He gave his suggestions and then ask the readers to submit their suggests for their top books. Here was the final results (James Emery White, October 2. 2012, churchandculture.org) These were placed in alphabetical order:
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline
Friensen, Gary. Decision Making and the Will of God
MacDonald, Gordon. Ordering Your Private World
Packer, J.I. Knowing God
Stott, John R.W. Basic Christianity
Ten Boom, Corrie. The Hiding Place
Warren, Rick. The Purpose-Driven Life
White, James Emery. Serious Times
Yancey, Philip. What’s So Amazing About Grace
The best and most complete reading lists I have seen is in Appendix 1 of James Emery White’s book titled, “A Mind For God.” It is an excellent book that I often recommend to our high school/college students.
Whew, I know that is a lot but I hope it gives a good foundation and I pray that you not only grow from your reading but that you enjoy it.
Pastor Scott