When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. – 2 Timothy 4:13

C.H. Spurgeon:

We will look at Paul’s books. We do not know what the books were about, and we can only form some guess as to what the parchments were. Paul had a few books which were left, perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them.

Even an apostle must read. Some of our very ultra-Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who comes up into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot and talks any quantity of nonsense is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead men’s brains – oh, that is the preacher!

How rebuked they are by the apostle! He is inspired, and yet he wants books! He has been preaching for at least thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books! He had had a wider experience than most men, and yet wants books!

He had been caught up into the Third Heaven and had heard things which it was unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books! He had written the major part of the New Testament, and yet he wants books! The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, “Give attendance to reading” (1 Tim. 4:13).

The man who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own.

Brethren, what is true of ministers is true of all our people. You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers and expositions of the Bible.

While I was on vacation last week, I re-ran a post from 2008 about setting a reading goal of 100 books a year. While many resonated with the call to set a reading goal, others chided me for suggesting too high a number or for choosing speed over reflection.

Having considered some of the criticism of that post, I thought it might be good to follow up with a few more observations about reading, some of which may be helpful to those who think reading too many books may be counterproductive.

1. You cheat yourself when you read some books too quickly.

On this point, I agree with the critic who thinks that setting a reading goal could cause you to pass over significant books that deserve much time and close attention.

• Speed reading a devotional work, for example, might cause you to miss the purpose of the work.
• Obviously, the Bible deserves our time and attention. We should concentrate on spending significant time in meditation and reflection when reading God’s Word.
• Other books deserve time too. John Owen’s The Mortification of Sin is a classic. Banner of Truth’s recent update makes the language easy to understand, and yet I still spent three months working through that book last fall. Three months well spent, I believe.

So yes… I agree that some books need to be lived in for a time in order to fully come to grips with the glorious truths contained therein.

2. You cheat yourself when you read some books too slowly.

Having acknowledged that some books deserve reflection and time, I still believe that many books (if not most) can and should be read more quickly. Not every book is Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress or Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship.

In the case of many (if not most) books, the reader can quickly come to grips with the main point, consider the author’s perspective, and then move on. Some books deserve careful attention and reflection. But many are practical and easy-to-comprehend. Get what you need and go on.

If you are in a five-star restaurant with a five-course meal, you are foolish if you devour the meal in ten minutes. On the other hand, if you’re in a Steak and Shake, you don’t want to spend three hours on the Frisco Melt. A steak dinner is digested differently than mashed potatoes. You may find you enjoy both meals, but you (hopefully) enjoy them in different ways.

3. Set reasonable goals based on where you are in your life.

My wife’s reading goal will look different than mine. My goal may be different from yours. I suspect that D.A. Carson, Al Mohler and John Piper have very different reading practices.

But I still affirm my initial challenge to set a goal for reading. Why? Because you are more likely to read if you set a goal than if you don’t.

Set a reasonable goal and then go for it. If it’s a book a month, so be it! Goal-setting is simply a way of holding yourself accountable to a discipline.

Let’s say you set a goal of 25 books this year (roughly one book every two weeks). It’s possible that you might not make your goal, but I believe that you’ll get closer to that number having set a goal than if you forget the goal and read unintentionally all year long.

So once again… Happy reading in 2010!

Reading rates are down even as literacy rises. Americans can read; we just don’t.

Harry Potter has at least infused a generation of children with the joy of reading, but it is difficult to know whether that will translate into reading more serious works in future years.

Christians tend to read more than non-Christian counterparts, but a quick glance at the book selection in your local Christian bookstore will deflate your bubble of joy. Serious books for serious minds are usually relegated to the back of the bookstore (or occasionally in the bargain bin!).

I felt an odd mixture of joy and sadness at last year’s Southern Baptist Convention as I came across row after row of great books marked way below their regular price. I was happy for the great deals. I was saddened to know that the reason the greatest books were on sale was because they weren’t selling.

Several years ago, I began setting a goal of reading 100 books a year. That’s roughly two books a week. 2007 was the first year I met the quota. Since then, several people have asked about setting goals for book-reading. Others have asked, Can it really be done? Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Set a reasonable goal.
If you’re not already an avid reader, don’t try for 100. You might try for 40-50 in 2008. Let me encourage you to set the bar high. But don’t make it so high you can never make it.

2. Read everywhere.
Waiting for a haircut? Read. Waiting at the doctor’s office? Read. Going on a trip? Read. Watching TV? Read. Taking a bath? Read. Getting dressed in the morning? Listen to an Audio Book while you’re combing your hair, brushing your teeth, taking a shower. Boring sermon? Read. (Just kidding on that last one… although I will admit that as a kid I used to read Scripture if the preacher was making me sleepy.) Get in the habit of reading anywhere and everywhere.

3. Read faster.
I’ve given some tips on faster reading before on this blog, so let me just summarize them quickly. Don’t read out loud. Use your finger or a bookmark to follow the lines on the page. Pace yourself so that you are forcing your eyes to take in the lines and paragraphs faster than you normally would read. Stop reading word-for-word, and start reading line-by-line.

4. Read smarter.
If you’re reading an intellectual work, read the introduction and conclusion of the chapter first. Glance at the subtitles and get an idea for where the author is going. Then go back and read the chapter quickly. You will be able to fly through the chapter because you’ll already know what the author is saying.

5. Turn off the TV.
Start using your down time to read good magazines and good books. Don’t let entertainment rob you of your brain cells. Wake up a little earlier in the morning to get some reading in (if you can stay awake).

6. Read what you like.
Find books on topics that interest you. Read widely. Don’t get into a rut of only reading one type of book from one theological persuasion. Read some fiction. Read biographies. Read the classics. Mix it up and keep it interesting. If you start a book and don’t like it, put it down. Don’t slow yourself down by sludging through a book. Better to find another book you like more and read it.

7. Stretch yourself.
Don’t read just what you like. Push yourself to read important books and not fluff. Take a look at what great Christian thinkers are reading and read those books too. Read famous authors. Read hard books. Just make sure you read hard books in between more enjoyable books so you don’t lose your passion for reading. Who knows? You might start liking the books that stretch you.

I hope these words of advice inspire you to set a reading goal in 2010. Happy reading!

This post was adapted from an earlier post on January 1, 2008.

Today, I am taking the GRE. Here are 1o words that my GRE prep book has added to my vocabulary.

The English language continues to amaze me. The number of words we have (in comparison to many other languages) is astounding. So… in honor of your native tongue, add these 10 words to your vocabulary.

As you look over the list, count how many of these words you already know. I’m curious what percentage of these words are known to the readers of this blog. Leave a comment with your score (# out of 10) below.

1. Alacrity (noun): eager and enthusiastic willingness.
   We accepted the invitation with alacrity.
2. Exigent (adjective): urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention.
   In exigent circumstances, law enforcement can enter a building without a warrant.
3. Fulminate (verb): to loudly attack or denounce.
   She fulminated against the new political policies.
4. Obviate (verb): to anticipate and make unnecessary
   The politician’s bill was intended to obviate the more widespread changes being discussed by the other party.
5. Prevaricate (verb): to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead.
   He could not backbite, nor envy, nor prevaricate, nor jump at mean motives for generous acts.
6. Truculent (adjective): fierce and cruel; eager to fight.
   The leader delivered a truculent speech against the new government.
7. Penurious (adjective): penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous.
   What might be extravagant today, might in half a century become penurious and inadequate.
8. Redoubtable (adjective): awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
   He was a redoubtable fighter.
9. Dissemble (verb): to disguise or conceal; to mislead.
   I will not dissemble what real pleasure his sight afforded me.
10. Obsequious (adjective): exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
    Lady Arabella stood a little on one side, and the African, accepting the movement as an invitation, entered in an obsequious way

In recent months, I have come to realize that this blog is frequented by readers who appreciate my book reviews and author-interviews. This recent development of Kingdom People into a forum on books and ideas began back in 2007 when I first set a goal of reading and reviewing 100 books a year. 

I realize that it can be discouraging for some to accept my challenge of reading 100 books a year when book costs can be prohibitive. 

I remember well my days as a full-time student in seminary (also working three part-time jobs and trying to be full-time husband and dad). It was difficult to steal away a few precious moments of time to read.

But even more difficult than finding time to read was finding money to buy books! It took all the spare cash I had to buy the books required for school. Looking at the new books at the seminary’s LifeWay, I sometimes thought to myself: If someone were willing to donate to me all of the books I really want to read, I’d write a 5-page review of each one – just to show them their money didn’t go to waste!

In some ways, that wish has come true. I now receive new books from publishers. The books that come from publishers then turn into lots of book reviews on the blog. I also have a book allowance as part of my salary that allows me to purchase books I might otherwise not think of reading.

But I understand the dilemma that many of my readers have: you want to read more, but you can’t afford the books. I’ve been there. Yes, cost can be very prohibitive.

Here are a few suggestions for how to be a reader when you can’t afford books:

1. Read good book reviews.

There is nothing more frustrating then spending your precious few dollars on a book that winds up being a disappointment. The more book reviews you read, the better you will understand which books are worth picking up.

Book reviews also give you information about the theological conversations taking place in the book world. Check out Discerning Reader. Or the book reviews in the back of Theology Journals. Most of them are now online. Look at the reviews from scholars regarding new releases. Read author-interviews and book excerpts so you can find out “in a nutshell” what different authors are trying to say. When you don’t have the time or money to read a book, find a book review instead.

2. Read your favorite books again.

That’s right. Take the books you already have and give them a second go. Not all of them, of course. But the good ones… the ones you remember well. 

Reading the same book twice is never the same experience. I remember reading a book when it first came out and liking it a lot. Then, I remember reading it again a couple of years later and being horrified at the lack of discernment I’d had the first time. 

Some books that you love the first time will leave you dry the second time. Other books that seemed too deep or uninviting the first time may be just what you need the second time. So be a good steward of the books you already have. Read them again!

3. Beg, steal and borrow. (Actually, just beg and borrow.)

Borrow books from family and friends. I was home for a few days around Thanksgiving and saw that my dad had just finished Malcolm Gladwell’s new book Outliers: The Story of Success. I took it home and read it in a few hours. 

My dad is a history lover too. So he is my resource for biographies and and books about American history. I don’t need to buy a lot of books in that field. Dad always finds really interesting titles and then passes them along to me.

Theology-lovers: ask your pastor what he is reading. See what he recommends. Find friends and family that read and then rely on them to “feed” you books!

The best thing about borrowing? You can ask the person if the book is worth your time and attention. So you not only get to borrow books – you get a screener this way too!

One caveat: make sure you return books you borrow. If you don’t, you won’t be borrowing many more.

Are you a beggar instead of a borrower? Then, I encourage you to keep your Amazon wish list active and up-to-date.

4. Go to the library.

Sounds crazy, I know. But you can find good titles (generally secular) at the library. If you have a seminary in town or a theological institution, get a library card and enjoy the books that are available.

5. Get used books cheap.

If you find some books you would like to buy, try to find them on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace. Used books are just as good as new books (for me anyway). Bestsellers from two or three years ago are often sold at ridiculously low prices online. You might have to spend a little time searching, but you will make up the difference in money. And sometimes you have more time than money!

6. Find classic books online.

GoogleBooks is incredible. There is no excuse for us today to not read the classics of Christian history. More and more books are being scanned and entered into Google’s database. The amount of knowledge available at the click of a mouse is simply breathtaking. Spend some time sorting through the books that have stood the test of time. And then enjoy the insights of those who now form the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in the race.

written by Trevin Wax  © 2009 Kingdom People blog

“Paul had a few books, which were left perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them. Even an apostle must read.

“Some of our self-sufficient brethren have thought a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher. A man who goes up into the pulpit, professes to take his text on the spot and talks any quantity of nonsense is the idol of many. If he will speak without premeditation, or pretend to do so, and never produce what they call a dish of dead man’s brain – ah! that is the preacher. How rebuked they are by the apostle!

He is inspired, yet he wants books!

He has been preaching for thirty years, yet he wants books!

He has seen the Lord, yet he wants books!

He has a wider experience than most men, yet he wants books!

He had been caught up into the very heaven and had heard things which it was unlawful for a man to utter, yet he wants books!

He had written the major part of the New Testament, yet he wants books!

The apostle says to Timothy, and so he says to every preacher, “Give attendance to reading.” The one who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own.

“Brethren, what is true of pastors is true of all our people – you need to read!”

- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Related Articles:
Can You Read 100 Books This Year?
On Reading Widely
Six Reasons Preachers Should Be Avid Readers

Reading rates are down even as literacy rises. Americans can read; we just don’t.

Harry Potter has at least infused a generation of children with the joy of reading, but it is difficult to know whether that will translate into reading more serious works in future years. Christians tend to read more than non-Christian counterparts, but a quick glance at the book selection in your local Christian bookstore will deflate your bubble of joy. Serious books for serious minds are usually relegated to the back of the bookstore (or occasionally in the bargain bin!).

I felt an odd mixture of joy and sadness at last year’s Southern Baptist Convention as I came across row after row of great books marked way below their regular price. I was happy for the great deals. I was saddened to know that the reason the greatest books were on sale was because they weren’t selling.

Two years ago, I began setting a goal of reading 100 books a year. That’s roughly two books a week. 2007 was the first year I met the quota. Since then, several people have asked about setting goals for book-reading. Others have asked, Can it really be done? Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Set a reasonable goal.
If you’re not already an avid reader, don’t try for 100. You might try for 40-50 in 2008. Let me encourage you to set the bar high. But don’t make it so high you can never make it.

2. Read everywhere.
Waiting for a haircut? Read. Waiting at the doctor’s office? Read. Going on a trip? Read. Watching TV? Read. Taking a bath? Read. Getting dressed in the morning? Listen to an Audio Book while you’re combing your hair, brushing your teeth, taking a shower. Boring sermon? Read. (Just kidding on that last one… although I will admit that I used to read Scripture if the preacher was making me sleepy.) Get in the habit of reading anywhere and everywhere.

3. Read faster.
I’ve given some tips on faster reading before on this blog, so let me just summarize them quickly. Don’t read out loud. Use your finger or a bookmark to follow the lines on the page. Pace yourself so that you are forcing your eyes to take in the lines and paragraphs faster than you normally would read. Stop reading word-for-word, and start reading line-by-line.

4. Read smarter.
If you’re reading an intellectual work, read the introduction and conclusion of the chapter first. Glance at the subtitles and get an idea for where the author is going. Then go back and read the chapter quickly. You will be able to fly through the chapter because you’ll already know what the author is saying.

5. Turn off the TV.
Start using your down time to read good magazines and good books. Don’t let entertainment rob you of your brain cells. Wake up a little earlier in the morning to get some reading in (if you can stay awake).

6. Read what you like.
Find books on topics that interest you. Read widely. Don’t get into a rut of only reading one type of book from one theological persuasion. Read some fiction. Read biographies. Read the classics. Mix it up and keep it interesting. If you start a book and don’t like it, put it down. Don’t slow yourself down by sludging through a book. Better to find another book you like more and read it.

7. Stretch yourself.
Don’t read just what you like. Push yourself to read important books and not fluff. Take a look at what great Christian thinkers are reading and read those books too. Read famous authors. Read hard books. Just make sure you read hard books in between more enjoyable books so you don’t lose your passion for reading. Who knows? You might start liking the books that stretch you.

I hope these words of advice inspire you to set a reading goal in 2008. Happy reading!

written by Trevin Wax  © 2008 Kingdom People blog

“If you’re going to be a leader, you have to be a reader!” I must have heard that phrase a dozen times during my stay in Colorado at Summit Ministries after just graduating high school. Eight years later, I’m even more convinced that the statement is true.

But what kind of reading? And how should a leader sift through the great number of books available?

I’m assuming that the readers of this blog are already convinced of the necessity for reading. Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. So, let me preface my thoughts on reading widely by saying that wide reading presumes much reading. You can’t read widely if you don’t read a lot! Set a goal. Make it happen. Turn off the TV and read! 50 books a year. 100 books a year. (If you’re Albert Mohler, 300 books a year.)

So with that out of the way, here are some tips on reading widely.

1. Read Old Books Too
Don’t succumb to the temptation to read only the current bestsellers. They may tell you some important things about our culture, but they rarely help you look at the culture “from the outside” and critique it correctly. C.S. Lewis is famous for encouraging the reading of “old books,” at least 1 out of every 3, so that the reader can see the perspective of other generations. I try to read classic books of Christianity – books that have stood the test of time. I want to learn from the great theologians and pastors and thinkers who have gone before. A wide reader reads the latest works, but he or she balances those books by also listening to the voices of previous generations.

2. Read Book Reviews
Let’s face it. We don’t have enough time to read everything we want. So find good book-review websites or magazines and read the summaries of books. I try to review every book I read, so you’ll find a list of reviews on my site. Other bloggers do the same. Christianity Today is a good resource for reading about many of the important Christian books coming out each year.

3. Don’t Stay in One Stream
The Emerging Church and the Reformed Resurgence have one thing in common – both movements are prone to only read certain authors and publishers. Go to an Emerging Church convention and you’ll find a lot of guys who have read the same three books and want to get together and chat about them over coffee (or beer!). Go to the Together for the Gospel conference and you’ll find guys who have read the same Piper/Dever/MacArthur books and want to debate any Arminian in sight. Both movements emphasize the importance of ancient books (Emerging goes back to the pre-medieval church, while the Reformed movement concentrates on the Reformation). But neither group reads each other well.
Continue

Tony Carter lists 6 reasons why preachers should be avid readers.

1. It is the primary means through which God has chosen to communicate to his people.

2. It broadens our perspective.

3. It encourages our creativity.

4. It strengthens our confidence.

5. It gives us a sense of accomplishment.

6. It heightens our communion of the saints.