On Reading
Read lots. Reading is to the brain what eating is to the body.
One of the best ways to read lots is to read a little everyday. Over the course of a forty-five year ministry if you read a little bit every day it will add up to lots!
Read the Bible. Aggressively. Plan to make it through the entire Bible at least once a year. Of all the reading we do, reading of Scripture is of first importance. Luther’s insisted on teaching people to read for this particular purpose.
Read the “newspaper” and a weekly news magazine. You need to know what is going on in your community and in the world. You need to “read the culture” in which you minister. Newspapers and news magazines will accomplish this. Many small communities provide a weekly paper. Read it. Big cities often have neighborhood papers. Read them. (As you know, more of these are on line and less of them are on the front doorstep.)
Read old stuff. In his book, A Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership, Stephen Sample encourages people to read only books at least fifty years old. He reasoned that we should let history sift out books that are not worth reading since time for reading is limited. This is good advice. I wish I had followed it more.
Read new stuff. This is important not because of what’s new. We know there is nothing new under the sun. Read new stuff so that you are aware of what’s now. This will help you converse with your contemporaries.
Read hard stuff. Don’t worry if you read books that you can barely understand. Such challenge will keep you sharp.
Read varied stuff. Check out a book on the human genome. Enjoy one about the Civil War. What about something on economic theory or the geology of the Australian outback? One of my favorite books was one on manners referenced in a previous blog: Miss Manners Rescues Western Civilization. It is especially important to read books that take positions antithetical to what you think or that are in a field totally unknown to you.
Read novels. Classic ones. Not so classic ones. Novels will expose you to story telling. Novels will demonstrate how words impact emotions. Both of these are crucial skills to communication generally and preaching specifically.
Read leadership books. Tons of the pastoral calling is leadership. Seminary education must focus on training you as a theologian. Your post seminary reading regimen must include a focus on training yourself as a leader.
Read more than one book at a time. When you have multiple books on your desk and night stand, you are more likely to experience a serendipitous insight.
Read the funnies. This is something I should do more of.
Read theological works. Some. Not lots. If you practice all of the above, including aggressive Bible reading, you will have already done lots of theological reading!
Read. At the very least, time spent reading will not be time spent watching TV or playing video games!