Reading about Reading

I really do enjoy reading. There is nothing quite like sitting down with a good book, becoming immersed in the storyline, wrestling with the propositions, being stretched by great insights or ideas. It’s amazing to me that more people don’t enjoy reading!

The truth is, I haven’t always enjoyed reading. In fact I used to despise it. It seemed like such an arduous task that brought more pain than pleasure. I couldn’t figure out why people would rather read than watch a movie or play sports. Seriously, why in the world would we choose to read a book when we could be entertained or have fun!  Sound familiar? Maybe you struggle to read. It’s possible you don’t even know why you struggle with it but you do! Things began to change for me when I realized that God revealed himself in a book. I realized that my lack of reading was impacting my relationship with my Savior. As I began to dig into God’s Word my love for reading began to grow and so did my relationship with Him.

That’s not to say that it came easily. Reading truly is a discipline, even if you have a strong desire to do it. There are many distractions and “pressing” demands in life (like twitter and facebook or writing a blog ;) that compete for our time. It’s difficult to find solitude and silence in our busy world and complex lives. There is no doubt about it, if you want to read it will take time, effort and intentionality.

I recently picked up and devoured a relatively short book by Tony Reinke entitled, “Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading Books.” I cannot say enough about this book. Simply put, if you love to read or hate to read – this book is a must read. Reinke builds a sound theology for not only why we should read but also what and how we should read. He deals very practically with many relevant questions facing Christians in our culture, warning about the pitfalls of not being a discerning reader and advocating a biblical approach to prioritizing reading.  I found this quote particularly insightful and challenging, “as a word-centered people we must learn to prize language in a visually-dominated world. If our hearts prioritize images over language, our hunger for books will erode."

As certain seasons in life bring certain challenges, I find that my desire to read is often impacted and my desire for comfort and entertainment is often heightened. Reinke rightly notes,

“Our spirit may be eager to read a book, but our flesh is weak. Our flesh would rather self-indulge on passive entertainment. Movies and television can be wonderful gifts from God if we use them wisely, but unchecked they will hijack our schedules and rob us of our reading time. Book reading is not just a matter of time management; it’s a matter of warfare. Wherever sinful self-indulgence dominates our free time, we can be certain that personal idols are at work in our flesh, seeking to divide and conquer the soul (1 Pet. 2:11).”

I truly believe that the art of reading has been lost in many churches across our country. With a waning desire to read and an increasing desire to be entertained, we are in danger of becoming biblically and theologically illiterate. The result will be a weak faith, a weak love for Christ, weak Christian living and weak churches. The cost is much too high. It’s time we fight back and reclaim the value of reading! This book will help kindle that desire and give you some great tools to make the most out of your reading experience!

 

If you want to read this book for yourself you can find it here: Amazon.ca