Today I wanted to wrap up my series of posts on reading with a couple of questions about your reading, and I hope that after you’ve thought about these questions, that you’ll take some time to post a reply.

The first question I have for you is:  What is the best book you’ve ever read? 

And for those of you who are super spiritual, you can’t say, “The Bible”.  I’m sorry, but that is a given!  So, please share with me your favorite book of all time (other than the Bible).

The second question is sort of a follow up to the first one:  Why do you love that book so much? 

I would really love your feedback on these questions so I hope that you’ll take a few minutes to reply. 

Reading a book is not something that you will ever accidentally do.  No one ever just finds themselves all of a sudden reading a book.  In fact, just the opposite is true.  In order to become a reader, one has to make reading a priority.  One has to make time for reading.    

I have made reading a priority in my life.  Specifically, I take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, every night, and devote it to reading.  Even when I don’t feel like reading, I make myself read, because it’s that important to me. 

But I don’t just read at night.  I’ve also learned to make time for reading throughout the course of a normal day.  Wherever I go, I try to take a book with me. 

If I have a dentist appointment, I take a book with me.  If I’m going to meet someone for lunch, I take a book with me (my lunch appointment may be late and if I have a book I can take advantage of that time by reading).  If I’m going to pick up my son from school and there is a possibility I might have to wait in a long line, I take a book. 

Again, reading doesn’t just happen.  No one stumbles into reading.  You have to make it a priority.  The question becomes, “Do you think reading is important?”

I mentioned in my last post that I don’t read just to read.  I’m very intentional and strategic in my reading.  In fact, I even put together a reading plan and here’s why. 

Although I read lots of different kinds of books throughout the year, if I don’t put together a reading plan, I sometimes won’t read the ones that I think will benefit me most. 

And just so you know, this list just serves as a guideline for me.  If a book comes out that I really want to read or I think I need to read, I’ll definitely squeeze it in, sometimes to the neglect of another one on the list.   Also, there are a couple of books that are bolded.  These are books that have a made such a huge impression on me that I try to read them every year. 

Anyway, for those of you who are remotely interested in my reading plan, here is what it looks like for the next seven months. 

FEBRUARY

“Who Are You to Judge?” by Erwin Lutzer

“Simple Church” by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger

“Love is the Killer App” by Tim Sanders

“Confessions of a Pastor” by Craig Groeschel

MARCH

“Church Unique” by Will Mancini

“Beyond Basketball” by Mike Krzyzewski

“Holy Discontent” by Bill Hybels

 “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” by Dave Burchett

“Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

APRIL

“Good to Great” by Jim Collins

 “No More Christian Nice Guy” by Paul Coughlin

“The Present Future”  by Reggie McNeal

“Go Put Your Strengths to Work” by Marcus Buckingham

MAY

“The Big Idea” by Dave Ferguson

“Prince Caspian” by C. S. Lewis

“The Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge

 “Mere Christianity” by C. S. Lewis

JUNE

“Humility” by C. J. Mahaney

“Communicating for a Change” by Andy Stanley

“Meatball Sundae” by Seth Godin

“The Missional Leader” by Alan Roxburgh and Fred Romanuk

“Schulz and Peanuts:  A Biography” by David Michealis

JULY

“Pour Your Heart into it” by Howard Schultz

“The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber

“Focus” by Al Ries

“7 Practices for Effective Ministry” by Andy Stanley

AUGUST

“Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferrazzi

“Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson

“Multi-Site Church Revolution” by Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, and Warren Bird

Even though I read a lot, I don’t read just to read.  I’m very intentional and strategic about my reading.  If I’m reading a book, there is a reason behind it.  And today I just want to give you a couple of thoughts on the kinds of books that I read.

I don’t read a lot of fiction, unless I’m on vacation or unless the book is making too much of an impact for me to ignore.  For instance, I read “The DaVinci Code” a couple of years ago because it was causing a lot of commotion in Christian circles.  I wanted to be able to join the conversation people were having about this book, so I cranked it out in a couple of days.  I’m not saying that I would encourage anyone else to read a controversial book like Dan Brown’s bestseller, but for me, I felt compelled to, so that I could address the historical inaccuracies and outlandish claims found within it for myself, and not have to depend on what somebody else had said about the book.   

Other genres of books that I rarely read, but enjoy on vacation or on a day off, are those kinds of books that you’ll likely find in the history section of  the bookstore.  Books in this category I’ve recently enjoyed are”1776” and “Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer”, both of which are beautifully written.

I typically will also read three or four biographies a year.  Sometimes I’ll read “Christian” biographies (I recently read “Me, Myself, and Bob” by Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales).  Sometimes I’ll just read about people who have influenced culture in some way  (I’m in the middle of a Walt Disney biography right now).  Biographies help me learn from the experiences of other people, especially helping me to avoid making some of the same mistakes those people have made.

I mostly read books that are extremely practical in nature.  I’m not talking about books that are written in more of a devotional manner, but books that give me practical insight in areas where I need all the help I can get.  Specifically, I love books about leadership, preaching/teaching, and ministry in general.   These kinds of books make up probably 80-90% of my reading. 

I’ll say it again.  I don’t read just to read.  I’m very intentional and strategic about my reading.  I’d suggest that you be intentional and strategic with your reading as well.

Next week, I’ll be sharing my reading list for the year so you can get an even better idea of the kinds of book I read. 

I’m going to take the next three or four posts and talk about reading.  Today, I just thought I would share some of my favorite quotes about reading.

“The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who can’t read!”  -Mark Twain

“One of the tests of a really fine book is that while you are reading it, you put it down and start to think.”  -A. W. Tozer

“Life is too short to spend it reading inferior books.” -James Bryce 

“We read to know we are not alone.”  -C.S. Lewis

“It is better to read a little and ponder a lot, than read a lot and ponder a little”  -Dennis Parsons Burkitt

“Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting”  -Edmund Burke

“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers”  -Harry S. Truman

“A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking”  -Jerry Seinfeld