What Are You Reading?

Shepherds tend to be readers. Most pastor friends I know read continually for pleasure, to sharpen their skills, or explore new information. I seem to read in spurts. I will read 2-4 books on a particular subject all at once than not pick up a book for a month. At the present I have three resources that I am reading: Preaching-The Art of Narrative Exposition by Calvin Miller, Everyone Communicates Few Connect by John Maxwell, and Preaching magazine. It is obvious that God is leading me to sharpen my skills as a communicator and preacher which I readily admit needs sharpening. Who wants to be a dull preacher anyway, or maybe more important who wants to listen to a dull preacher?

What are you reading and what is God speaking to you through those resources? I have a friend who likes science journals and many of his sermon illustrations reflect his science interest. The same may be said of someone who reads leadership books, or history, biographies, archaeology, and various genres. Even in our “light” reading: fiction, magazine articles, browsing internet stories, etc., God will spur our imagination to enlighten us, make a spiritual connection, or reveal something within us.

Our sheep want a shepherd who is informed, primarily in God’s Word, second with the world and culture we live in. Karl Barth captures this idea when he said, preach with a Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. With a wealth of information at our fingertips (literally), we have a great opportunity to deepen our understanding of our world, sharpen our skills, and broaden our connection with others.

Campfire Question: What are you reading and why?

p.s. I invite you to leave a comment on the campfire question - my hope is this blog will not be a monologue but a discussion.  I am encouraged to hear from you and your insight.