Bring the Books

"Bring...the books,
especially the parchments."
2 Timothy 4:13 (NIV)

My Mama introduced me to reading at a very early age and she never stopped encouraging me to read. Each year Mama enrolled me in our local library’s summer reading program and took me as often as I needed to go. Since our library had a five-book checkout limit, we went a lot, especially during the summer when I was nine years old. Daddy was a steelworker who was out of work that summer due to a plant layoff. Finances were tight and there was no money for a summer vacation.  Mama, a survivor of the Great Depression, refused to listen to my childish complaints by wisely saying, “Read a book and you can go anywhere in the world!” That little gem of wisdom is still one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received.

The following school year I had a fifth-grade teacher who also encouraged my reading. Mrs. Ray employed a speed-reading program designed to improve students’ reading skills. Language Art students gathered in our school auditorium to collectively read stories via a projector and slides. Initially the slides were paced to help us read 40-60 words per minute. After each story, students were tested for comprehension. Readers who passed that story’s comprehension test qualified to progress to the next level.  Gradually speeds were increased. By the end of that school year, I was reading several hundred words per minute. That skill continues to bear rich fruit in my life today.

One of my biggest sorrows as a special-needs parent was knowing that James Bruce would never learn to read. Now one of my greatest joys as a grandparent is watching my grandchildren’s reading progress.

Several years ago, I taught a women’s Bible study of 2 Timothy, a book that I often fondly refer to as "Paul's Last Lecture." 2 Timothy is the most personal of the thirteen New Testament letters written by the Apostle Paul. Imprisoned and facing a certain martyr's death, Paul writes an urgent letter to Timothy, his beloved son in the faith, and asks him to come quickly and bring Paul's cloak and books. At the end of his life and ministry, Paul is lonely, cold, and bored. I'm not surprised that he asked for Timothy's companionship. Nor am I surprised that he wanted his cloak for warmth. But I am surprised- and encouraged- that the great Apostle Paul still had a passion for reading and learning even as he faced death.

Tim Challies, author of Seasons of Sorrow, gives these helpful tips for improving our reading:

• Read - just do it!

• Read widely – try different genres, authors, classics, etc.

• Read deliberately - choose your books carefully 

• Read interactively (with your pen, notebook, and highlighter)

• Read with discernment

To Challies’ tips, I would add:

• Look for pockets of reading time throughout your day or week, instead of extended chunks of time.

• Keep a book or e-book with you so that waiting time is reading, not scrolling, time.

• If you start a book and you’re not interested in it, find another one that you will finish. It's not unusual for me to have 3-5 books that I'm working through at any one time.

We just returned from a few days at the beach, and I took Paul's advice and brought the books! Here are some of the latest nonfiction books on my nightstand:
The Desecration of Man, How the Rejection of God Degrades Our Humanity, Carl Trueman
As church attendance falls, suicide rates climb, and birth rates plummet, Christian pundits have suggested disenchantment and the loss of tradition are to blame for our spiritual malaise….Carl Trueman argues that modern man’s crisis of meaning stems from a rejection of a simple truth- that we were made in the image of God.

Adorning the Dark, Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making, Andrew Peterson
This book is part memoir and part handbook for anyone interested in proclaiming the gospel using the creative process. Peterson is an award-winning singer-songwriter who describes six principles for the writing life.

The Message of Revelation, I Saw Heaven Opened – Michael Wilcock
A New Testament Bible Speaks Today commentary on the book of Revelation

I don’t read a lot of fiction, but I recently treated myself and re-read The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. These included:

• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Book 2

• The Horse and His Son, Book 3

• Prince Caspian, Book 4

• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Book 5

• The Silver Chair, Book 6

• The Last Battle, Book 7

This summer as you plan your vacation and map out your calendar, remember to bring the books!