Think
June 24, 2010 | Books
One of the most challenging aspects of being a Christian is hearing another Christian speak with great authority…. and yet failing to connect with the person standing in front of them.
Normally Thursday is our Think day, a time when you and I look at a great book that helps us grow. But today, I want to ask “what are you reading?”
Suz, I don’t need to read anything more than the Bible.
I’ve heard that lately. I’ve heard it often, especially when I say that I read avidly. I wish that I could say it sounded super spiritual when they say it, but it doesn’t.
I love God’s word. I love how Scripture changes me, challenges me, pushes me to grow and learn. But I want to also take that message and share it with others. And I wonder how we can do that if the only perspective we have is our own.
Our own church.
Our own little circle of friends.
Our own lifestyle. Our own experiences. Our own thought patterns borne out of habitat and environment. Our own past. Our own thoughts on politics, faith, religion, and society.
Reading allows us to see life from a different perspective. To understand why a person struggles with a certain portion of scripture or teaching. It teaches us about differing cultures. It shows us different angles of the Bible, and it allows us to remove the Americanization of our interpretation.
Read the Bible. Read it well. But stretch to read other works, even those you disagree with.
But Suzie, what if that hurts my faith?
Then your faith wasn’t as strong as you thought it was. Because who God is can’t be changed by expanding your view of the world.
What are you reading? How are you growing? How has reading helped you relate to others as you share the message about an amazing God?
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My favorite book is the gospel of John but I read the Psalms as well.
June 24th, 2010 at 6:03 pmI love books. I have read and reread Lord of the rings. Did the Harry Potter series and all sorts of other books. Right now I am reading Women who run with the wolves.
I love to “talk books” with others, so thanks for starting this conversation!
My most recent book read is actually yours – The Woman I Am Becoming! (And it’s a great read, too! I could talk a while about your book!) I’m picking up Philip Yancey’s “What’s So Amazing about Grace?” I began it a year or so ago and love the bit I read, but got sidetracked so I’m excited to get back to it. As for favorites, I always love C.S. Lewis.
Reading definitely helps us grow. As an avid reader, as well, I feel that reading helps with understanding language, perspective, and helps us learn to communicate and expand our own thoughts better. I’ve heard before that if you want to be a good writer, you need to read a variety of great writings! A teaching colleague also once stated that reading is basically the most important skill to learn in furthering education – without this essential skill you can’t learn much else!
Reading various works I feel supplements the Bible in fantastic ways. Exploring writings by Christian writers help, as you said, add differing or expanded perspectives to our own thoughts. In fact, as I’ve sometimes struggled with in my own writing, our own thoughts are hardly completely original – they’re based on our varied experiences and others’ thoughts we’ve encountered. That being said, I do feel that we each have our own convictions and need to hold true to our own beliefs. Reading many texts, with a foundation in the Bible, I think, helps to support those convictions.
It’ll be neat to read what others are reading!
In Christ,
June 24th, 2010 at 8:19 pmCaroline
Right now I’m reading Lysa TerKeurst’s What happens when women say yes to God.
I have been wondering for a long time “how do I hear God speak to me?, or Has God spoken to me and I’ve missed it?” So I pick up this book a few months ago with a couple of others that I plan to read. Well, because of Grad school I’ve been too busy to read this book…that is until about a week ago, I felt like I needed to start reading it. So I picked it up and started reading. In the second chapter, Lysa talks about hearing God’s voice. She offers 5 questions to ask yourself to see if it is really God speaking. I’ve notice that I have been asking myself those questions throughout my week. I even reread that chapter because I wanted to take in what she was writing.
There are several other books on my shelf that need to be dusted off to be read, but time is not a friend of mine these days. Because of grad school, I get the JOY of research and writing about alot of different things. Some I like, some I don’t. Anyway, I read for pleasure in what little spare time I have.
The next book I would really like to get is Marybeth W. book The Mailbox. Sounds like a very good book.
Jennifer
June 24th, 2010 at 8:46 pmHi, I’m an avid reader of various christian living books. I’m currently reading Experiencing the Spirit by Henry and Mel Blackaby as well as A Woman and Her God by Beth Moore and others. I just finished When A Woman Trusts God by Sheila Walsh.
I believe that reading various books in ways strengthens my faith. With some I find woman that are leading a normal life with kids and working and trying to raise a family, yet they lavishly love God and it’s wonderful to relate in many ways.
Many books have spoken to a need in my life at that moment. It’s buoyed me up when I’ve needed it most.
Mostly reading encourages me and certainly has opened my eyes to the joy of living life for God, today.
June 25th, 2010 at 12:04 amHello Suzie. I’ve been struggling to get done reading: “The Third Jesus: The Christ we cannot ingore” by Deepak Chopra. He was put into a chatholic school as a child in the area of India he grew up in. He’s all over the place. Everything he’s written is the same stuff non-believers spout out. Except he’s trying to put his own spin on the different persons of Jesus throughout history and the changes that have occurred as people evolve in their faith of God. How Christians have their own idea of Jesus and how they live it out. He claims we’re missing the true meaning of Jesus and “tries” to tell us what it is we’re missing. So far, it’s gibberish without real truth or meaning. I’m about ready to just take it back to the library. I’m not able to really gain any knowledge from this kind of thinking. It’s more stressful to read than educational for me. The man is trying though. It’s as if he really wants to be a believer but in his own thinking of what is it. Not the true meaning. It’s sad really at how bad it is for people. They simply need to fully surrender to God and let God use them. It’s the other way around, isn’t it? People want to use God for themselves. **drops head and shakes it**
June 25th, 2010 at 1:27 pmI highly recommend “The Feast of St. Bertie”. It is a fiction novel but one that really spoke to my spirit.
June 25th, 2010 at 4:48 pmI’ve just finished reading Marybeth Whalen’s The Mailbox and Lisa Harris’ Blood Ranson. Loved them both. I’m an avid reader and actually review the books I read on my website (due to time constraints and 4 children I’m still working on the reviews for the above
.
I love to read fiction, and nonfiction although sometimes I have a harder time staying interested in the nonfiction. Recently I have started reading “Tortured for Christ” about the persecution of Christians in Romania during the 80s. I’m balancing that by reading “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Don Piper.
Two books I’ve been longing to get my hands on are Lysa’s “How to be More Than A Good Bible Study Girl” and “They Told Me Their Stories” about the Asuza Street Revival.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:53 amI read ‘The Road’ by Cormac McCarthy on my road trip to visit my daughter in FL. It is not a Christian book but it was powerful! The story takes place at some point in the near future. Something has happen to the world. There is desolation, destruction, fear & survival. No God, no hope. A world I pray never ever happens but… It challenged me to think what would I do in such a situation. I know a movie was made from the book. Several friends said it wasn’t all that good, nor did it follow the book all that much. If you are feeling sad it is not the book for you. If you want to have your faith shaken & stirred I would recommend reading it. Thanking God for being God!! Blessings & Peace, Mary
June 28th, 2010 at 3:20 pmI love to read! Yes, I read God’s Words every morning but I also have many books that I read. I read mostly non-fiction; right now I am reading Joseph Prince’s books, I love Beth Moore’s books, and the list goes on. I have read Christian Fiction thanks to “our book club” called “Chick-lits”. We met once a month – on a break this summer. Trust me,by reading and spending time with other Christians I have grown. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME! God Bless you, I am glad “I stopped” at your website today.
June 29th, 2010 at 1:25 pmYou have given me some great ideas for my next read. Thanks!
June 29th, 2010 at 1:57 pm