Reading Trendy Books

Prior to jumping into this new endeavor of revealing the intimate details of my life to any of the four people who choose to read this blog, there were a couple of fairly regular practices in which I participated. They have suffered.


One was journaling.


The other is reading.


With journaling, I had decided prior to starting this blog, that I might have become too legalistic in that area. So I would not require myself to journal on a regular basis - but rather, only when I felt I had something worth saying.


I still journal on occasions and usually it is about things I don't care to share on the blog. I have been journaling since 1995. In several instances, I can go back now and actually trace elements of the Holy Spirit's work in my life - leading me to changes.


With reading, I thought that my loss of momentum that occurred last year was because I had to return the book "Boundaries" to the library before finishing it. It seemed that after that I just couldn't finish a book.


At the beginning of the third month of this year - my consistency is astounding! But I have recently begun one of those books that you see popping up everywhere so hopefully my pace will turn around.


R. got me Francis Chan's "Crazy Love" for Valentine's Day and I have jumped into it with both feet. I first heard of the book last Fall from Pete Wilson's Without Wax blog, since then, the book keeps coming up in conversations.

Hopefully I will stay with it until the end, but Francis isn't helping.


This is one of those books in which the author frequently tells you to stop reading and do something else. . . that's not a great practice for people with short attention spans - or for people with young children.


In the first chapter, the reader is directed to a couple of web-sites to view a couple of videos and this was very effective! In a later chapter, he directs the reader to stop and to "read the Gospels".... I am assuming he means read portions of the Gospels.


Those of you familiar with my practice of reading the Bible ve-e-e-e-e-r-r-r-r-y slowly, will know that it could 2011 before I get through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!


Seriously, the book is really challenging and thought provoking and I am looking forward to continuing. But what is odd about me reading this book, is that a lot of people are reading it and it is new. Usually I do not get in on these things until the "wave" has well passed.


A book has to "click" with me or else I have to put it down until another time. There have been some books that I started over and over again, then one day I pick them up and the time is right - I just flow through it.

What this means is even if I start a book that everyone is reading ... it still may be a couple of years before I actually read it.


A few years back, everyone was reading Rick Warren's monumental "The Purpose Driven Life". I got in on that wave fairly early, even though I had been seeing banners at numerous churches announcing the book and subsequent sermon series long before I began the book.

R. and I read the "Left Behind" series (Jenkins and LaHaye) but we didn't until three or four books were out.


I have yet to finish Stephen Covey's, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" (though I have listened to it on tape) and it's been out about twenty years now.

Another reason that I do not get in the wave with everyone else is that I like to buy used books. For a number of years now, I have attended the local library used book sales. I love old books. And I often see something that I meant to get when it was popular... only now it costs a quarter. That makes me feel good too.

R. and I are planning to attend a Sunday School class in the near future that will be going through Chan's book. The book is really challenging me to take a different view of God and to gain a better understanding of His love ... and our lack of love.

If this book doesn't get me out of my reading doldrums I will be forced to go back to my earlier practice of reading "Bob the Builder" and "Veggie-tales" books.