×

Freshen Up Your Reading List

Several months ago I carefully evaluated my personal reading habits. My conclusion troubled me a bit: I am reading a lot but it is not enjoyable. I read more because I have to instead of because I like to. This may not seem like much of an issue to you, but think with me for a minute and see if you can relate.

Being a pastor I have to read a lot. Each week I need to read commentaries for the passage I am preaching but also need to track down answers to questions from church members. I have books related to our residency program that I must also be very familiar with. Then there are personal items related to ministry that I feel I need to freshen up on or become familiar with. Having not gone to seminary and never read a book until 2002, I always feel like I need to be on the active end of filling any academic potholes that I may have. As a result, at any time there could be 10-15 books “in progress”. This is normal for most pastors and even a light load for others.

The issue was clear: I have been grinding myself for several years of this type of reading. It is like doing Cross-Fit everyday without recovery. Looking back, I am grateful for the “results” but I am not exactly dying to hit the dead-lifts this afternoon. My conclusion was that I needed some refreshment along the way. If we carry the fitness analogy further: I need a rest day or day to do something else. Maybe I could take a fictional “bike-ride” or mix some rest and recovery via a nice biography.

This is exactly what I did and man, has it ever worked.

I decided to mix in a non-fiction and a biography for each reading block (I schedule my reading on a monthly basis and arrange them based on their theological topics). Just like in the fitness world, I found myself having far more energy, excitement, and even pleasure in reading. The fictional works breathed imagination into my reading while the biographies helped me to observe another life, that was (by evidence of a biography) worth living and writing about.

If you are a reader who is experiencing or have experienced burnout, let me suggest mixing it up a bit. Here are some of my favorites from recent months.

The Life of Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. Come and visit Port William, Berry’s fictional town and marvel at another age. I laughed, learned, and even got a bit uncomfortable as he critiqued common practice of pastors. I felt like I was sitting in Jayber’s barber shop learning about the current events of the town. This was a good break from some heavy reading on eschatology and ecclesiology. I am now a Wendell Berry “guy” and look forward to reading more.

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. This book is fascinating. It starts with the theory that the internet is chaining the way we think. Carr then builds his case from a bevy of research that the “neuroplasticity” of our brains means that our brains are always being shaped by what we do. The impact of our connectivity and the internet is not neutral. Very good book.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Yes I am “that” pastor who never read this book. My wife lovingly bought it for me several years ago but I didn’t “have time” to take a break and read fiction. I wish I would have. The heart-stirring letter of a an aging minister to his much younger son is so, so good. I look forward to reading more of Robinson’s work.

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. This is a kid’s book so I never read it. Pffh. My son told me that I should read it for some refreshment and I picked it up. With my renewed commitment to fiction, I loved it. Tolkien’s writing is like a literary rub to the temples. I come up from reading feeling refreshed.

Murder in the Cathedral by TS Eliot. This is a poem about the martyrdom of Bishop Thomas Becket from the order of Henry II of England. It is a short but heavy poem as Becket considers his fate. It made its way into a sermon but only after it made its way into my mind and heart. Worth the couple of hours to read.

Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor by Robert Godfrey. I often read Calvin but rarely read about Calvin. Godfrey puts the man in his context by providing historical, biographical, theological and pastoral sketches. I really enjoyed this book.

Life of Martyn Lloyd-Jones 1899-1981 by Ian Murray. This is the consolidated version of Murray’s 2 volume set on the Dr. It was handed out at the last T4G conference. Very enjoyable look into MLJ’s life and ministry. Read it to be encouraged with the way God uses the “ordinary” means of grace (preaching, prayer, Lord’s Table). It will make you want to pray as a pastor or pray for your pastor.

I am now continually looking for books to round out my reading blocks. I have a couple of resources that have proved helpful. Leland Ryken’s book Pastors and the Classics, introduce us to books that highlight or at least correspond with the ministry. The second book is Tony Reinke’s book Lit! which provides Tony’s thoughts on reading. He provides some helpful thoughts along these lines with many recommendations.

Do you have some books that you would like to recommend (particularly along the fiction side)? Or maybe you have worked through the same issue that I’ve described. Leave a note in the comments below to help the rest of us. Thanks!

 

 

LOAD MORE
Loading