On Reading
Last week I read three different posts on reading.
Some people simply don’t enjoy reading or don’t see it as very profitable. On the other hand sometimes those of us who do read can become prideful and self-righteous in some sort of intellectual and scholarly superiority.
In light of these factors I hope the articles linked below will both encourage us to read and equip us to read rightly. Enjoy the reading!
What- Me Read?- Worship Matters
Books Don’t Change People-Sentences Do- Challies.com
7 Tips for Better Book Reading- The Blazing Center
On Reading- Desiring God (from back in July)
A Compelling Reason for the Rigorous Training of the Mind- John Piper (article from 2005)
Here is a take away quote from Bob Kauflin at Worship Matters.
But even if I don’t read as many books as others, I read. If I’m not reading, I’m relying on my memory. Which seems to be decreasing daily. So I read. I once heard someone say that books don’t change people - sentences do. If I glean two or three sentences from a book that affect the way I think and the way I live, that’s time well invested. So I read. Books give me the opportunity to learn from and about godly, bright, insightful people I’ll never meet. So I read. What I know will always be dwarfed by what I don’t know. So I read. Books help me become more effective at what I do. So I read.
What I’m saying is that I know I’ll be learning by reading for the rest of my life. That compels me to find time to read. Even if reading seems dry at the moment, I know that at some point I’ll find something insightful, engaging, or potentially life-changing. Without the inner drive and conviction that there is always more to learn, I stop reading. And when I stop reading I usually find that I drift and/or become complacent.