GlocalNet

I’ve been with many pastors and leaders the past few weeks and the question that I’m asked a lot is, “What do I read?” and, “How do I find time to read?”  This time of year is an incredible reading time unlike any other time in the year, if you can take advantage of it. 

I find time to read because I’m desperate.  When you know you don’t know all you need to, and what you know or don’t know impacts your impact - then you read - if you care.  I never read that much growing up - a little - but not that much.  Even in seminary I read what I had to in order to get out - but so much of it was what I grew up with that it wasn’t challenging me.  At that time in my life my scope of things was such that I didn’t know what I needed to know.  As I grew in ministry pastoring, then church planting, then pastoring a large church there were so many things I realized I needed to know that I just didn’t get in seminary. 

As a pastor, I began to read first about church growth - how do churches grow and why.  There are thousands of ways to grow churches, and I would study churches and what they were doing, what they didn’t do, how they were led, how the church was organized.  I still read books like that.  Those books are good for giving you a grasp on the cultural relevance as to where you are.  I also read chamber of commerce reports and others on the Dallas-Fort Worth area and what I need to know.  Some of the new stats are incredible - for example - Did you know that 44% of the population of DFW doesn’t have English as a first language and that over 180 languages are spoken as first languages?  I also look at demographics of 8 miles from the radius of where our church is positioned.  Who are the people?  What are their issues?  How do they think?  What do they need?  What do they really need?  What are the issues coming their way and how do I prepare them for them, etc.  I also began to read books on management.  I wasn’t taught how to handle an organization of thousands, dozens of staff, budgets, etc.  Drucker, Collins, and lots of other people introduced me in their books to the world of management and leadership.  I soon learned knowing what to do and how to grow was not enough - to lead is tough - What is leadership? - that led me to Bobby Clinton and John Maxwell. 
I began to read other books as God would teach me and stay in a stream with them - but not read just those books.  Over a 2 year period a few years ago, I read probably 20 books on the Kingdom of God - I still do, but not as much unless something new and really good comes out.  Right now, I’m reading a lot about what it means to be the body of Christ, how the cell-city-global church all work together (not much on that I have to scrounge a lot!). 

When I began to work globally - I began to read histories of countries, then globalization books, then current events both nationally and globally.  This is why some of you have heard me say, “When we pastors wanted to learn to lead and grow our churches we read lots of business books because we weren’t taught systems, etc. in seminary.  The best missiology books are being written by global experts who aren’t even Christian but help us understand our world.” 

I have always read at least one biography a year - I’ve read about 6 biographies on Jefferson, 2 on Lincoln, 2 on Washington, 1 on Churchill, 2 on Gandhi, 3 on Billy Graham, 1 on Caesar and the list goes on.  Biographies are incredible for leadership lessons. 

I think it’s good to map out your reading for next year.  Better to read a few books than a lot and not get much out of it.  Balance it with a novel, science, a biography, a management book, business, theology, devotional, current events, global, great literature, history, spiritual disciplines etc.  If you would diversify your reading and read just one book a month on those 12 areas, and then write up what you learned - I promise you - you would grow this year, more than if you read what others are reading.  The reason is you are developing your mind and thoughts in a more holistic and comprehensive way.  It’s great if you can do more and stay with a specific stream for a year or several years. For example I’ve read lots of books over the past 3 years on Islam & The Koran, and am reading books on other faiths right now. 

How do you find a good book?  Here’s what I do - Google best books in business, etc.  Who is the publisher?  Who is the author?  What have they done that gives them the right to write on it?  Look at reviews. 

BUT - there is another kind of reading that will help you incredibly right now - and that’s magazines.  If you want to stay current you have to read them.  Books are observations and lessons written that took time to observe, change happens so fast that some books become irrelevant really fast.  The world we live in today is changing so fast and so much that if you don’t read magazines, periodicals, etc.,  then you won’t be able to make sense of it. 

Here are some must read magazines worth saving that came out November and December so far that I’ve read.  Foreign Affairs - The World Ahead, Foreign Policy - Old World, The Graying of the planet and how it will change everything, Harvard Business Review - Leadership Lessons from the Military, Time - the Best of 2010, The Economist - The World in 2011, Christianity Today - Jesus vs. Paul, National Geographic - The Search for King David, Fast Company - Must see Twitter, and there are lots more.

OF COURSE THE BIBLE IS THE NUMBER ONE BOOK I READ COMPLETE WITH 66 BOOKS!  If you read your Bible every year you easily say you read 66 books a year!  I cannot survive without it.  I agree with what Raj Gandhi - Mahatma Gandhi’s son told me this year where we spoke together - “The Bible is a balm for the soul.”  If you’re a Jesus follower - live in God’s Word, so the Word of God (Jesus) can live in you.  I read the Bible for direction and devotion, when I read it I hear God speaking - not just words on a page.  To me the number one word that describes the Bible is LIVING!  Give me only one book - I’ll take the Bible.  History, faith, biography, literature, diplomacy, global issues, the story and life of Jesus, the emergence of the church are all there.

It was not a desire to “educate” or “learn” that drove me to reading - it was desperation to know God and serve others and understand his world.  If that is your motivation - you will always read, always think, and always be moving forward.