What are you reading?
I mean besides this post.
According to research, about 1/4 of adults in the U.S. have not read a single book in the past year.
About 1/3 of adults never read another book after they graduate from high school.
Over 40% of college graduates never read another book after graduation.
“The person who does not read good books has no advantage over the person who cannot read them.”
This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain, but there seems to be no verifiable evidence that he actually said it.
That doesn’t make it any less true.
I am a reader. I set a goal to read 50 books in 2019. As of June 30, I’ve finished 29, so I am on pace to exceed the goal.
My reading list includes eBooks (I can read them anywhere from my iPhone or iPad), actual physical books with paper pages, and audiobooks.
I do a lot of audiobooks because I can listen while driving, riding my bike, running, working out in the gym, and working in the yard.
I also read a wide variety of books: devotional/inspirational, fiction, ministry, business, biographies…
Every book I read benefits me in some way.
I have deliberately not mentioned that I read the Bible every day. That is my most important reading, but I also believe my understanding of the Bible can be enhanced by availing myself to the collected wisdom of others who have studied the Bible throughout history.
I also read numerous blog posts and magazine/newspaper articles. I benefit from them as well, but I don’t believe they provide the same benefit as books.
I tell you all this to encourage you to read books. And I really do mean encourage. I’m not interested in throwing guilt or condemnation around.
I started a new book this morning: “The Insurgence” by FrankViola.
It is going to stretch me, and that is a good thing.
He tells the story of Jeff. Jeff grew up in a Christian home in the West. He was involved in church and in a Christian youth group.
During his teens, he had a crisis of belief and began a search for meaning and purpose. That search led him away from church and to a radical jihadist group.
Here’s the shocking quote that stirred me this morning:
“Beyond going to church today and going to heaven later, Jeff’s Christian experience lacked a compelling vision that gave him the reason to wake up every morning. Jeff found this strong sense of world-changing mission, purpose, and challenge in the radical terrorist group.”
“Here’s the irony. If Jeff had lived in the first century, he would have found everything he witnessed in this radical terrorist organization in the early Christian community, minus the ruthless tactics, unbridled brutality, unspeakable horror, and barbarism.”
“Sadly, multitudes of Christians like Jeff have never heard the explosive, disruptive, earth-shaking gospel of the kingdom. Nor have they ever seen anyone live it out.“
When I talk about discovering our Amazing, that’s what I’m talking about. I’m talking about living joyfully, purposefully, dangerously unsatisfied with “Churchianity.”
I’m talking about loving people radically and uncommonly because the love of Christ compels us and being driven by the values of the kingdom of God that is already present (not waiting for heaven).
And part of the journey is to be sure we are consistently engaging our minds and hearts with information and inspiration that stretches us.
I know of nothing better than reading books to help us with that.
Our lives matter too much to God for us to settle for what we already know and to stop growing.
Question: What was the last book you read? What’s your next one?
Be amazing today, my friend.
