Full-time church ministry doesn't often lead to long stretches of time to read unless the person carves out that time. I have read numerous books during my time at MVPC but most of the time I read in short, concentrated time periods. I have struggled to finish books (the classic challenge) and I have found myself jumping from book to book based on my energy level.
Currently, I am reading The Jesus Way by Eugene Peterson as part of my reading list for my upcoming continuing education trip. I decided to not pick up any other book until I finished this book. I have had many opportunities but I have refused. I call it the discipline of rejecting "double dipping" in terms of books.
In light of this decision, I have experienced a rhythm of reading that I haven't experienced since seminary. I can only describe the rhythm in terms of a sense of familiarity with the style, vocabulary and approach of the author. In many ways, I feel like I have had the privilege of sitting down with Eugene Peterson for a few days to talk about life, faith and The Jesus Way.
I have 50 pages to go and I do not plan on picking up another book until I finish this one.
I am looking for a fresh book list going forward and I have hit a wall in terms of ideas. If you are reading this, then I'd like to know 1-2 books that you would recommend that I read before I die. Ideas?
5 comments:
Satisfy Your Soul by Dr. Bruce Demarest... I tend to judge a book by it's cover- which is wrong, i know, but i still do it. Anyways- it was on the reading list for a fellows program i completed and I almost skipped reading it due to the cover, until a buddy said i HAD to read this one. To quote him- 'this is one of those books i would never pick up to read, but this program makes me...' and SO GLAD it did.
Under the Unpredictable Plant by Eugene Peterson. Again, he so deftly describes the experience of so many of us in pastoral ministry. I'm sure there are other books I'd think about if I really thought hard, but this one immediately came to mind.
Thanks for the recommendations. I'll take more from any others who come across this blog post...
Maybe I'm the weird one, but I get bored pretty quickly reading people writing about ministry. What has reinvigorated my love of reading - believe it or not - has been Harry Potter. I have been devouring those books lately, especially because they stimulate my imagination and really dig in deep to human nature (friendship, loyalty, good and evil, etc.)
If I were you, I'd read something that gets your mind whirring. One of my favorites is a book about baseball, religion, and family. It's called The Brothers K, written by David James Duncan (a fellow west coaster). Also, I know that your church has connections to the Muslim community. If I were you, I'd read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. You will not be the same and you will not view the world the same after reading that book.
Come back to me some other time if you're looking for books written about ministry. Maybe I'll get back into them after I'm done with Harry Potter!
Hey Jeff! Was just taking a look at your blog...not sure what genres you're looking for, but one book I would definitely recommend if you haven't already is Wild Swans. I read it last year when I went to China, and thought it was "half book, half amazing," to use a Jeff Lee-ism =) Anyway, it had a bit of a slow start, but once I got going I couldn't put it down. So much I never knew...
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