I have always enjoyed reading. When I was a kid, I read all kinds of things, from some terrible Sci-Fi novels to Shakespeare (the title is a Hamlet quote, by the way; Act 2 Scene 2). What I haven’t always enjoyed was reading books that would teach me something. Especially after college, I found it really difficult to pick up any books other than those that would be entertaining or distracting.
A lesson I learned from many older and wiser teachers was this: when we stop reading, we stop learning and growing, and we will never reach the potential God has put in us. So I started reading again, and slowly a desire to continue to read and learn has grown. Recently I put together about a 10 month list of nonfiction books I have read, and it was exciting for me to look back at what God has taught me in that time.
Reading isn’t just about the words, it is a time investment. When you read something for the purpose of learning and personal growth, you are investing time in yourself. So not only is reading important, reading the right books are important. Every book I pick up and read I have chosen for a very specific reason; a specific topic, a specific author, maybe a recommendation from someone I trust. I have intentionally spread out the material I have read; books published in the last couple of months, books by the early church fathers, leadership teaching, discipleship teaching, history, contemporary issues, etc.
I want to share some of this with anyone interested in investing in themselves. I will be writing posts on some of the books I have been reading. I will compile a list of these posts under the section “Recommended Books.” I hope you read some of these and share your thoughts. Remember, knowledge that isn’t shared is useless.
Driven 