This is my first week back in the office after a wonderful time of vacation. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is read. Yeah, reading is a favorite for me almost anytime. But on vacation I normally read some books that I’ve been waiting to read; fun books, leisure reading. I store them up throughout the year like a squirrel hiding away choice morsels to be enjoyed later. During vacation I pull out those delicacies and dig in!
If you’ve not yet read The Shack, by William Young, I highly recommend it. Don’t read it for theology (I’m neither promoting nor renouncing any of its theology in this blog) so much as for the beautiful parable that it is. I think it will help many people who have felt burned by life and/or by institutional religion.
Among several other books I read over vacation I’d recommend The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell by Oren Harari. It is a pretty good summary of wise leadership principles, that have served Powell well. Finally, I’d suggest you pick up A Resilient Life by Gordon MacDonald. Superb! By the way, I’m not suggesting these books are “fun” per se. But they are a little lighter than my normal reading for sermons.
But why am I so passionate about reading? Why should anyone be?
In my opinion, there are few exercises more significant for our personal growth than the books we read. Just as the body becomes, in a practical sense, what a person eats, so our minds are largely shaped by what we read. The collective thoughts we’ve devoured through reading become an inner reservoir that can splash out and bless others as well.
If reading is not your gig, get books on CD. Find some way to feed your mind valuable material. Our lives don’t have to look the same, but we must all seek ways to grow. Reading is a major one for me.
Insight for the Journey 
Hi, all! Now that I get how to post on this blog (no links!) I’m pretty excited.
I agree with the idea that reading is akin to eating. Several years ago I took a look at all the areas of my life and really began seeing hunger as a God given gift. Hunger for food, especially, was a true blessing. And what I also began to understand was that if I was always eating that I would never feel hungry, and that was not in God’s design. So I also have incorporated that as a philosophy in my life: feeling hungry is a blessing.
The next step for me was to feel hungry, and then ask “What would God want me to eat?” Would He want me to eat junk food? NO! He wants me to eat healthy, nutritious foods, and to treat my body like a temple.
And now I’ve made that philosophy a touchstone for my life in other areas. If I’m hungry for friendship, do I look for friends in low places, or would I want friends of high character? If I’m hungry for knowledge, do I read crude and thoughtless rantings on the blogs, or do I look for more measured and thoughtful writings to feed my mind?
I hope that I will find the time to read some of the books on Rex’ list. The Shack calls to me. Sadly, summer is ending, and Jamie and I may have to keep these on our list for next summer.
E
Dear Rex,
I’m respectfully wondering if you would consider removing your recommendation for “The Shack” from your blog. While discussing this book, a friend mentioned that you recommend it on here. I realize that you say you’re not getting behind or renouncing the theology in it, but by recommending it, you are in a way condoning the incredibly faulty and New Age-based theology in it which may confuse people not thoroughly grounded in the gospel message. Rather than getting into specifics, I’ve included a link below that summarizes why this book cannot be recommended by anyone who is a follower of Christ.
I have a friend who is on the verge of committing to Christ who is reading “The Shack” right now and it’s making her question why she even needs Christ.
So while I agree with your theory that the book emphasizes God’s love as the important thing rather than organized religion, it also goes on to completely diminish or extinguish the need for Christ’s work on the cross. There is just too much here that is a stumbling block to be able to recommend it as a “beautiful parable.”
Here is the link-it’s not perfect, but I figured this would be quicker than me going through blow by blow reasons:
http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/08/shack.htm
Sincerely, Leslie Papa