If you read this post and sense any sort of rage or brooding anger expressed, it's because right now I'm watching the Steelers getting beat the Patriots. So I apologize in advance. Lucky for you, though, I don't anticipate my subject matter today bring out too much angst. In any case, I'll do my best to keep the obscenities to a minimum.
I recently read a chapter in a book about, well, reading. The book is Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders, and it was pretty good, so I thought I would share a little bit. Since I have been at Ozark, I have often heard the saying, "Leaders are readers." (Patriots just scored. Stink.) This is because, on our own, we really aren't that smart. We need the wisdom of those who have gone before us, as well as of our contemporaries. Sanders writes, "Through books we hold communion with the greatest spiritual leaders of the ages" (103). Our lives and ministries become imperiled when we begin to think we have the wits to figure it out apart from the experience of others as communicated through writing. We need to read.
But what should we read? It's worth asking. In our world today, we are faced with an absurd amount of information, and the truth is that we all probably read a lot. In Donald Miller's blog last week, he said that he think people today read more than any other generation in history, but the problem is that we don't read good things. There is so much fluff and drivel out there, and it can be difficult to read with discrimination. For this reason, I definitely think it is important to read actual books. Not that we shouldn't read blogs and such (in fact, I would strongly recommend it. Especially this one.), but in our age of instant amateur publication, books become more valuable due to their editorial process. Of course, many books out there are still full of garbage, but they are hopefully a little more rich than an online post by a stranger detailing the drama of her life.
One of my favorite questions to ask people is, "What have you been reading lately?" I just always think this is very interesting, and that why I stole the idea of having a picture of whatever I'm reading on the sidebar of my blog. I think you can learn more about a person from what they read than you can by their favorite music or movies. As influential as movies and music our in our day, books still have more lasting influence in an individual's personal formation. So, all of you potential commenters: What are you reading? What are some of your favorite books/authors that have had an influence on you?
2 comments:
Well, I'm reading like 3 books. This is not because I'm extra intellectual or very ambitious. It is simply because I'm too lazy to finish one book. But the three books I'm currently in the middle (more like the beginning) of are Knowing God by Packer, a middle school ministry book and Leaders Who Last by Dave Kraft. Leaders who Last is a really good book written by a 70 year old about leadership. Its very insighful...I recommend it!!
I just finished reading "Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It was a book of zero action and a heck of a lot of description. From it, I gained some insight into the mind of my Grandma, so I suppose that's a good thing!
But now that I'm done reading it, I think I need to go get a library card. I have exhausted the books in my house. Hooray for reading!
Oh, as for favorite authors and influence... I guess I still love Shakespeare, ever since I had to memorize the intro to Romeo and Juliet. He is a very clever writer, and full of dry wit. I still love Jane Austin.
Oh, and Harry Potter.
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