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Best Five Journal Who Am I Wisdom

Top Ten Books Challenge

One of the first Bibles in English
One of the first Bibles in English

My wife challenged me on Facebook to list the top ten books that have influenced my life. I don’t necessarily take up every Facebook fad. But this one I consider a very thoughtful and potentially helpful exercise. One of the proverbs I heard along the way is “Leaders are readers!”   I agree totally. This challenge is also in keeping with one of the goals of my blog, to record the books I have read and comment on them. So here goes:

 

The Holy Bible – KJV Thompson Chain Reference.   I was given this for Christmas by my parents when I was about 12 years old. It represents the Bible-learning culture in which I was raised. It was my earliest textbook for studying the Bible. I still treasure it and use it occasionally.

The Holy Bible – NIV 1984. This version of the Bible became the translation that I read day after day, the version that molded my mindset and helped me communicate the Gospel to a generation that had never heard of King James of England, nor did they understand his language. Now I read and use the 2011 NIV since I follow the Reformation principle that the Bible must be in the language of the people. But the 1984 version will always be in my heart.

Growing Spiritually – E. Stanley Jones. I was in seminary, I think, when I read this devotional classic. I was captured and challenged by the practical Wesleyan theology, poignant illustration from life, and excellent thinking by one who has become one of my favorite devotional writers. This book prompted a definite step forward in my own spiritual growth.

Developing the Leaders around You – John C. Maxwell.   During my first pastorate I began to be mentored by the speaking and writing of John Maxwell. I didn’t know how much I needed it. I now have a dozen of his books that I have read and I still consider this one among his very best. I also have a shelf full of others on the topic of leadership. This book started me on a whole different journey of not just doing well myself, but enabling others to do well. This intentional focus as well as trying to teach church leaders to do the same has added untold dimensions to my ministry and extended its effectiveness many years. It has enabled me to be a factor in launching or enhancing the ministry of many others too.

Communication: Key to Your Marriage – H. Norman Wright.  With this book there was a companion volume The Pillars of Your Marriage.  They were not deep, but they were practical. They were intended for class use and included discussion questions too. I interacted with these books and other similar ones at a time in our marriage when I desperately needed to learn more about how to have a successful marriage. They were very helpful both to me personally and in my ministry over the years to others.

Secrets of the Vine – Bruce Wilkinson. Sometimes you are looking for books that will prod spiritual renewal in your life. This is such a book. I have now read the book at least three times. The first time I read it, I wrote in the cover, “I finished this book today…it was a life-changing experience.”

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C. Maxwell.   This is John Maxwell’s classic. It has helped me immensely to understand leadership and learn to practice it. I am still learning and growing.   This book confirmed for me that leadership is one of the three most essential areas of understanding/preparation needed by pastors. (The other two are preaching/teaching and counseling/personal work.)

Fresh Faith – Jim Cymbala. One of the areas I needed to grow spiritually as a pastor was faith. Reading Jim Cymbala’s testimony-laced books is one of the ways God has helped me to do that. It is challenging and inspiring to read what God is doing at Brooklyn Tabernacle and it makes one pray for greater faith.

Just Walk Across the Room – Bill Hybels. Another of the great mentors for pastors today is Bill Hybels. This book is among his best. It is such a practical and everyday approach to reaching other people for Jesus.   I think it is evangelism as it was meant to be. It has helped me to look for opportunities daily to be a blessing for Jesus’ sake.

The Purpose Drive Church – Rick Warren.   I had already been a pastor for 15 years when I read this book. I immediately said that it was the best book on how to do church that I had ever read. As far as I am concerned, it has not had a rival until Andy Stanley’s Deep and Wide came out in 2012.  Warren helped me to understand that discipleship was crucial and that I needed to help people step by step to move closer to the church as a part of their spiritual journey.

I’ve read so many books over the years that I can’t be sure I haven’t missed one somewhere. I reduced my library by more than half when I moved in 2013 and I still have four floor-to-ceiling bookshelves full in my office. I have tried to choose books for my top ten that represented important areas of reading. The best books often prompt us to read more by the same author or more in that subject area. All of these books have done that. And I keep buying new books and reading more.    I admit that the time I now spend on social media has cut into my reading time, but it has not eliminated it. I am still completing new books! How about you?

 

 

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Journal

Library thinned

Books to give away to mentees
Books to give away to mentees

I’ve completed thinning out my library according to the guidelines I published earlier.  Several associates, teachers and mentees have perused the boxes.   Some books were displayed on our yard sale as well.  However, few lookers took more than a small handful.   Seems like I remember coming away from such opportunities 20 years ago with armloads.  But the internet, the availability of cheap books and the busyness of contemporary life has created a different day.  So far JoAnne and I are finding that the demand for used books is very small.   A few classic authors were still desired.  But most who looked at the books said they already had too many books and didn’t have room for more.  There will still be opportunity to look over some of my books of books for a couple days.  I will probably start disposing of them early this next week so I can start packing the shelved ones to go to CT.

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Journal Who Am I Wisdom

Chronicling the reading habit

Reading is an important habit for all of us. Of course, our number one book to read is the Bible.   I have several ways to keep track of my reading.   When I finish a book that I own, I write the date in the front. Since I started blogging, I also try to write a short article for the book review section of my blog for each book that I have read, including the borrowed ones.   I have missed one or two.    My wife keeps notes including actual quotes in her computer from each book that she reads.    This is especially helpful to her as it preserves usable material from books she has read out of the public library. 

Both JoAnne and I always have several books going at once.   Inevitably, some get neglected while others take priority. This is just part of the way it is.   But eventually, most of them get finished.   Summer is a great time for reading.  I always manage to finish several books, as I did this year.   You can catch the three recent reviews in my book review section.

Choosing books to read is the heart of the matter.  I try to choose books that enrich the work that I’m doing.    And I usually have at least three different areas going at once to provide variety.   Often one is for fun or for my health.   I highly recommend the discipline of reading.  Whether it is from physical books or on electronic screens does not matter.

I usually have at least one book that challenges or encourages my spiritual life and/or my prayer life. This is a discipline I have maintained for many years.   The recent biography of Smith Wigglesworth was such a book.    Other books, I read to help me in my various responsibilities like the Gary McIntosh’s book on Taking Your Church to the Next Level.  Currently I am reading a book about college administration that is related to my work as a trustee at Houghton College.   Over the last several years, I have usually had at least one book related to leadership on my shelf with a bookmark part way through it.     For example, I finished a John Maxwell book last winter on being a people person (I haven’t reviewed it for my blog yet).  

 

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Journal Joy Notes Who Am I

How to Make a Cold January Fly By

I have been thinking recently about those people who are very depressed in deep winter and find that time seems to crawl by.   Well, I’m not a great fan of winter myself.  My favorite hobbies are things like gardening, bird-watching, trombone-playing, canoeing, and hiking.  I like to throw in a couple rounds of golf and a trout fishing trip.   As you can see, all but one are summer things and even the community band I’m in for playing trombone takes January off.   So how can we make January go by faster and add a little joy in the process?   Here are my suggestions.

1.   Find a January-friendly hobby or two.

  
My wife and I start doing jigsaw puzzles after the Christmas rush and keep doing them until spring.  With the help of folks who stop by, we may complete 10-15 of them before we quit and wait til the next January.   We use mostly the same puzzles with just a couple new ones added that friends give us or we buy each year. 
My wife took up a new musical instrument this year – folk harp.   She had just a few lessons before playing a couple carols at our Christmas Eve service.  Now she is using some of these cold January nights to improve her skill.  They say learning a new instrument is great for brain development too.  

2.   Spend more time with those you love.

In addition to the puzzles, JoAnne and I try to spend some evenings playing board games (Sequence)  during January.  Once in a while I will watch an old Star Trek with her (she’s a real Trekie).

3.   Invite feathered friends to your place.

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Forward Look Journal

On Planning Your Personal Prayer Times

Bible reading is the heart of devotional time

One of the key elements of our daily time alone with God is the devotional resource that we choose.  How do we go about choosing what to use?   

A good resource fits you personally.

First of all, a good devotional resource for you has to fit you and the kind of time alone with God that you are planning to have.  Do you like to read or is reading not your thing?  How much time do you have?   If you are a neophyte, I recommend something fairly short such as the Our Daily Bread booklet from Radio Bible Class that our church distributes.  But if you are planning to spend a half hour or 45 minutes at prayer, you might want to try something meaty like A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants (Reuben P. Job and Norman Shawchuck).

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Forward Look

Online book discussion planned

What if we could have several people reading the same book at one time and discuss it together online?   That was the seminal thought that outreach team leader, Donna Schermerhorn, brought into our meeting today.   

To share just the main point, we decided to try it using my blog book reviews and comments as the vehicle.   The first book we have chosen is Just Walk Across the Room by Bill Hybels.    He is an inspiring and practical writer and the book is not long either.   We will make a couple copies available for lending at Eva’s office.   I will read the book over the next few months and write a first review in such a way as to spawn more discussion.   I think it will be fun.