6 Reasons Not to Read a Book

Mike Leake 4 Comments

small_96724309I am still a voracious reader. But I read much less than I once did. One year I had a goal of reading and reviewing over 100 books. Now I read much less and seldom review books. There aren’t many new books that I purchase and read.

I’m also checking more books out at the local library on very diverse topics. And I’m reading more for entertainment than because I have to.

This is intentional.

With my previous reading habits I noticed a few things happening. For one, I was getting stressed out with a stack of free books that I had agreed to review. Many of them I wouldn’t have bought even at a .99 Amazon sale. Secondly, I wasn’t really chewing on what I was reading.

But more than anything I realized that I’m going to die someday. I started to think through the words of Ecclesiastes 12:12, “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” I realized that there is a type of learning and reading that is pointless because it dies with you. So I asked this question over my reading:

Is my reading done for Christ or for me?

I realized, thankfully, that a good amount of my reading is done for the sake of Christ. I read to be better equipped to help others. I read to enrich my relationship with the Lord. I read to enjoy God’s creation. I read to be better at writing.

But some of my reading was pointless. And so I gave myself permission to stop reading. Here are 6 reasons not to read a book.

  1. I will not read a book just to say that I’ve read it. That’s pride. Pride is dumb.
  2. I will not read a book to stay relevant. I’ll never keep up. And because of the timeless and always relevant gospel I don’t need to.
  3. I will not read a book solely to win an argument. Winning most arguments is a waste of time. There might be exceptions to this general rule—but for the most part reading for the sake of winning an argument is the type of knowledge that puffs up.
  4. I will not read a book to try to accomplish something that only Christ can do. If I’m struggling with how to be a good husband a book might help. Or maybe I just need to pray and apply what I’ve already learned.
  5. I will not read a book simply because it is free. Send me all the free books you want—but if it’s terrible or even unhelpful to me I won’t read it and I won’t review it.
  6. I will not read a book because I started it. If the book isn’t good or it isn’t helping then I’ll put it down.

There are other reasons not to read a book—but here are six rules that keep me from reading more books than I ought.

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photo credit: moriza via photopin cc

Today in Blogworld 11.19.14

Mike Leake

Battle Plan

I really appreciate what Tim Challies has done here. He has taken from the work of John Owen and created a battle plan for waging war against specific sin.

How to Succeed in Evangelical Twitterland

There is something disturbing about the evangelical twitterland, but it also seems to “work”. Jared Oliphint is on to something here.

Give Me the Doubly Offensive Jesus

Jesus offends church people and he offends unbelievers. We need the doubly offensive Jesus.

Don’t forget the losers

Though I don’t like calling the Royals losers I appreciate what Barnabas Piper is saying here. Also as a Twins fan I’m assuming he got a twisted pleasure in calling the Royals losers.

I can’t say Worcestershire either:

On Dayton Moore and Pastoral Ministry

Mike Leake

small__5374285463Dayton Moore is the General Manager of the Kansas City Royals. Around July of this past baseball season there was much debate as to whether I’d be able to type that sentence in November. After being swept by the lowly Red Sox and then losing the first game to the lowly White Sox the once promising Royals plummeted to a 48-50 record on July 21st.

The end of July is a critical time for big league teams, because the trading deadline typically falls on July 31st. This time of year is when non-contenders trade their stars for prospects and start playing for the future again. Many believed that the Royals needed to do just htat and that they needed to fire Dayton Moore and start over.

Consider this article on July 19th 2013: Time for a Change: Fire Dayton Moore. That sentiment was only stronger on July 21st of 2014.

Moore had lost the respect  of the KC fan base. “The Process” that he spoke of eight years ago was a joke. Every move he made was heavily criticized. When word leaked out of the Royals talking with free agents it wasn’t viewed with seriousness—it was only his silly attempts to quiet a fan base.

And then the World Series happened

Following the Royals this offseason is much different than previous years. Seldom do I hear calls to fire Dayton Moore or snarky comments about “The Process” not working. Because it did work and the Royals really did make it to the World Series before losing to Joe Buck’s love child, the San Francisco Giants.

This proves the old maxim: winning changes everything. When you win all is forgiven.

This got me thinking about pastoral ministry. What does this principle look like in the life of the church? What does “winning” look like in the local church? Are there inherent dangers to this way of thinking?

The Danger of Becoming Uncritical

For those that are in a position similar to the post World Series Dayton Moore there is a real danger in becoming uncritical. Rather than every decision being seen with skepticism now every decision is viewed as a genius maneuver.

As a result, leaders become arrogant and/or lazy. And followers become blind to growing problems. When some folks begin to see the cracks in the foundation they are silenced and viewed as ignorant curmudgeons. By the time people are made aware of systemic problems the whole thing is already collapsing.

There is a time for celebrating the work of God in the life of a church. But let us never be convinced by our own press clippings. Every church can split. And every ounce of success that actually matters is owed to the work of the Lord.

The Danger of Opinion Polls

For those that are in a position similar to pre World Series Dayton Moore there is a real danger of changing the course amidst criticism. Even in July of 2014 people were calling for the Royals to blow up the whole thing. Trade James Shields. Send Hosmer back to the minors. Ship off Alex Gordon. Key components to “The Process”. Had Moore caved he’d likely be out of a job and the Royals wouldn’t have even made the playoffs. Sometimes leaders have to remain faithful even amidst discouraging opinion polls.

Faithful leaders must stay the course that God has set for them regardless of opinion polls. Of course, arrogant and foolish pastors will hi-jack this truth and remain doggedly in pursuit of their own agenda. But if you are a faithful pastor that is preaching the Bible and leading your church in a godly fashion then don’t stop doing this just because the opinion polls are starting to turn against you.

There is also a temptation for leaders in this position to pursue winning simply to prove a point. Such a leader will not listen at all to other voices. He’ll stay his course and his course alone.

Faithful leaders learn to give proper weight to both critique and praise.

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photo credit: Minda Haas via photopin cc

Today in Blogworld 11.18.14

Mike Leake

5 Reasons Why Millennials Do Not Want to Be Pastors or Staff in Established Churches

I’ve got so much I want to say to this, but for now I’ll just say read the article.

Mothering in the Internet Age

The internet is no replacement for older women.

6 Tips to Surviving Criticism

Here are six things that Donald Miller has used in his life to help him with criticism.

How to Distinguish the Holy Spirit from the Serpent

It feels really bad to say that you aren’t sure if that voice is the Spirit or the Serpent, so I’m happy that Sinclair Ferguson has talked this question.

The internet sets standards that average cats can’t maintain. Here is proof: