I’ve noticed more of books I read for classes in school seems to remain accessible in my memory than books I read on my own initiative.

There’s multiple reasons for this, I’m sure, but the link between reading and writing (papers and book reports!) seems to strengthen retention of what I read.

I’ve tried different methods of active reading.  Some advise keeping an ongoing index of notes in the front or back of a book as you read.  I’ve tried this and it doesn’t work well for me.  My default mode is underlying and noting key themes being developed in the book on the top of pages as I read.

This is useful, but I’m looking for something more than this.  It becomes even more complicated with the gradual shift to books in electronic form.  While some highlighting and annotations are possible with the e-Books I read, it is at the very least awkward.

This past week, will search for a better method of “reading and learning from what I read” I ran across a posting that caught my attention (link).   The author, Tony Reinke, who last year produced a helpful 3-part series of reading tips, shared his method of “indexing” books he read (including e-books) or listened to (audio books).   I’ve adopted his suggestions and am going to “give it a try.”

What are you reading this week?
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The Letters to Timothy And Titus, Philip Towner,  2006, Eerdmans
I’m slowly reading through Towner’s notes on 1 Timothy. This is commentary is a recent addition to the New International Commentary on the New Testament series.

Seek the Welfare of the City: Christians as Benefactors and Citizens (First-Century Christians in the Graeco-Roman World), Bruce Winter,  1994, Eerdmans
This is a scholarly study of role and obligations of Christians as benefactors and citizens in society, based on ancient literary and nonliterary sources.  Winter concludes that “Contrary to the popular perception that early Christians withdrew from society and sought to maintain a low profile, Christians living in Gentile regions of the Roman empire were challenged by Paul in the New Testament epistles to “engage the societies in which they lived and, to the degree they could, help upbuild them and provide benefactions to them.”

Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography,  Iain Murray, 1988, Banner of Truth
Earlier this year I read Marsden’s biography of Edwards.  This book is quite different.  Read together the two complement each other.  Edward’s world was so different from ours, yet I continued to be amazed and how relevant some of the issues Edward’s struggled are today.

Current listening . . .

What are you listening to this week?

In recent days my mp3 listening has included talks and lectures from …

• Mini-series – Gender issues and 1 Timothy 2 D.A. Carson (Link).
  
• “Theology of World Missions” course, Peter Kuzmic (Link).
  
• Total Church training seminar Steve Timmons (Link)
  

What are you reading this week?

The Letters to Timothy And Titus, Philip Towner,  2006, Eerdmans
I’m slowly reading through Towner’s notes on 1 Timothy. This is commentary is a recent addition to the New International Commentary on the New Testament series. 

The Covenants of Promise: A Theology of the Old Testament Covenants, Thomas McComiskey,  1985, Baker
I’m rereading sections of this older book.

Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography,  Iain Murray, 1988, Banner of Truth
Earlier this year I read Marsden’s biography of Edwards.  This book is quite different.  Read together the two complement each other.  Edward’s world was so different from ours, yet I continued to be amazed and how relevant some of the issues Edward’s struggled are today.

Current reading  . . .

In an effort to encourage others to read, I share
what I’m currently reading.

Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament
ed. Richard N. Longenecker, 1996, Eerdmans
This is a helpful and unique book. I’m reading it in preparation for a class I’ll be teaching in May.

All God’s People: A Theology of the Church
David L. Smith, 1996/2004, Victor Books/ Wipf & Stock
Professor Smith surveys the doctrine of the Church from four perspectives:  Historical Theology, Biblical Theology, Systematic Theology and Practical Theology.

For the Love of Preaching: The Life Story of Howard F. Sugden,
Don Denyes, 2004, Wellington House
Pastor Sugden was my pastor during my Grade School and High School years, and later on when I served as a ministry intern in the church, so this book has special meaning for me.

Recently finished  . . .

An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach
Bruce Waltke, 2007, Zondervan – Selected Sections

Current reading  . . .

In an effort to encourage others to read, I share
what I’m currently reading.

To the Golden Shore
Courtney Anderson, 1987, Judson Press
A classic biography on the life of the first
missionary from North America, Adoniram Judson. His lifework was in Burma.

An Old Testament Theology:
An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach
Bruce Waltke, 2007, Zondervan
I’m reading selections from this book as part of my preparation for a class I’m teaching in April on Biblical Characters.

The Cross and Christian Ministry:  Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,
D.A. Carson,  2004 [1993], Baker
Through his exposition of sections of  1 Corinthians, Don Carson explains what it means to make the cross central in preaching and ministering to God’s people. I’m reading this book a little bit at a time.  It is excellent.

Recently finished  . . .

A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness
(in Bosnian) Gene Edwards, 2004 (1980, Tyndale)
This tale based on the biblical figures of David, Saul, and Absalom.  It is subtitled “A Study in Brokenness” and reflects about the use and misuse of authority among Christians.

Most web sites have a RSS feed symbol you can click on to subscribe.
It usually looks similiar to the orange square pictured here.  On
my web site its found in the panel to the right of the text and is labeled
“Subscribe.”

Once you click on the symbol, you are offered a list of readers.  I use the Google reader.  It took me a while to figure out how to use it, but once I got it set up it is not complicated.  Using the reader, in 15-20 minutes I can monitor about 50 web sites daily.  I scan the new content and copy what I’m interested in into OneNote (an ordinary word process would also work fine for this).

Then go back and read and file those articles I’ve “clipped.”  I find doing this about once a month fits my schedule best.  Doing it this way transforms the process into a learning experience for me and really does facilitate “stew-pot” learning as the writer I refer to below claims.  This process also allows me to “find” articles that I want to refer back to later on.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - - – - – -

Here’s four reasons (from a helpful Posting by Mike Anderson) on why you might want to consider using a feed reader.

1. You never miss a blog post from your favorite sites

Once you subscribe to a feed, your feed reader will make sure that you see every new post from that feed. Whether you want to read your websites once a week, once a day, or every ten minutes, any unread items will be saved for you.

2. You can scan a ton of articles quickly.

When using a feed reader, you can quickly filter through the articles that you don’t want to read. When surfing the web, you have to shuffle through different interfaces, type in web addresses, and surf bookmarks. This takes a ton of time. It’s much better to have the content you want delivered to you than to have to go find it every time you get online.

3. Stew-pot learning.

One of the great side-effects of using a feed reader is that you begin to learn about various memes in a stew-pot fashion. You’ll learn new ideas over time, and understand the relationships between them.

4. You can save articles for later.

Feed readers allow you to save articles to read for later. In Google Reader, you can put a star next to items you like and come back later to read them in full. You can also tag articles and search for them later.

Current reading . . .

In an effort to encourage others to read, I share
what I’m currently reading.

An Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach
Bruce Waltke, 2007, Zondervan
I’m reading selections from this book as part of my preparation for a class I’m teaching this week on Preaching and Teaching from the Life of David.

A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness
(in Bosnian) Gene Edwards, 2004 (1980, Tyndale)
This tale based on the biblical figures of David, Saul, and Absalom.  It is subtitled “A Study in Brokenness” and reflects about the use and misuse of authority among Christians.

The Cross and Christian Ministry:  Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,
D.A. Carson,  2004 [1993], Baker
Through his exposition of sections of  1 Corinthians, Don Carson explains what it means to make the cross central in preaching and ministering to God’s people. I’m reading this book a little bit at a time.  It is excellent.

Recently finished  . . .

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart
Dale Ralph Davis,  2007, Christian Focus
A practical, non technical explanation of 1 Samuel, chapter by chapter, based on careful exegesis.  Davis is currently a pastor and was formerly an Old Testament seminary professor.  This is a delightful book – spiritually rich and a pleasure to read – I enjoyed reading it.

Two weeks ago, while doing daily housework, I started listening.  From the start, I was hooked.  Oswald (and Biddy) Chambers entered my life.

Strange as it seems, I began looking forward to daily housework!  I didn’t know the story and as I listened, I kept wondering, “What happens next?”  Now the book is finished and I miss Oswald and Biddy.

That set me a thinking.  What’s the value of a biography anyway?  Simply enjoyment of a good story (assuming it’s a well written biography)?  Or something more?

A person like Oswald Chambers can make you discouraged.  His was an unusual life and he had unusual gifts.  But the book didn’t have that effect on me.  Let me take a stab at unraveling lessons I gleaned from reading (i.e. listening) to this biography.

• It pointed me to God. In Proverbs it says, “The mind of man plans his way, but God directs his steps.” The plans Oswald made for his life and where he eventually ended up had very little in common. I am reminded of God’s word to Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” That encouraged me to trust God for our future.
  .
• It reminded me that each person’s calling is unique. Chambers had unique gifts but they were gifts that fit his calling. His wife’s gifts were very different, but in the long run, just as important. It was Biddy’s gifts and ministry that made possible the lasting impact Chamber’s had (and is having) over many generations of believers. Amazingly, My Utmost of his Highest, first published over 70 years ago, is even being read in the country where I live, in translated form.
  .
• It highlighted again the important place of context in ministry. It is dangerous, I think, to turn a person’s experience into a formula. “When Oswald did this…, God blessed him, therefore, copy Chamber and God will bless you.” Every context is unique, and God’s way of working with every individual is unique.
  .
• Oswald Chambers, and later Oswald and Biddy had a very hard life. It didn’t get easier as they grew older. Yet, throughout the story, I noticed an underlying note of joy and thankfulness in those difficult circumstances. That, I think, is a mark of God’s presence and a sign of a life lived in fellowship with God.
  .
• Chambers was at heart an artist.  Many of the books I read are written by people who at heart are scholars.  These two groups of people see the world quite differently.  It was refreshing to get a different perspective.  I’m amazed at the way God uses all kinds of people.

Those are bits and pieces of what I learned.  I commend the biography to you.  It’s worth reading.

Current reading  . . .

In an effort to encourage others to read, I share what I’m currently reading.

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart
Dale Ralph Davis,  2007, Christian Focus
A practical, non technical explanation of 1 Samuel, chapter by chapter, based on careful exegesis.  Davis is currently a pastor and was formerly an Old Testament seminary professor.  This is a delightful book – spiritually rich and a pleasure to read.

Preaching Christ from the Old Testament
Sidney Greidanus,  1999, Eerdmans

I’ve read this before and am re-reading parts of it for a class I teach this month.   Greidanus argues both for the need to preach Christ in every sermon and to preach regularly from the Old Testament.  In this book he attempts to develop a christocentric method that will help preachers to do both simultaneously.

The Cross and Christian Ministry:  Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,
D.A. Carson,  2004 [1993], Baker
Through his exposition of sections of  1 Corinthians, Don Carson explains what it means to make the cross central in preaching and ministering to God’s people. I’m enjoying working my way through this book.

Recently finished  . . .

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey (audio book)
The audio version, currently offered as a free download (link) is well produced and easier to “read” than the book itself.  Listening to it after reading the book many years ago was a good “refresher course.”
.

Current reading  . . .

In an effort to encourage others to read, I share what I’m currently reading.

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart
Dale Ralph Davis,  2007, Christian Focus
A practical, non technical explanation of 1 Samuel, chapter by chapter, based on careful exegesis.  Davis is currently a pastor and was formerly an Old Testament seminary professor.  This is a delightful book – spiritually rich and a pleasure to read.

The Cross and Christian Ministry:  Leadership Lessons from 1 Corinthians,
D.A. Carson,  2004 [1993], Baker
Through his exposition of sections of  1 Corinthians, Don Carson explains what it means to make the cross central in preaching and ministering to God’s people. I’m enjoying working my way through this book.

God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe’s Religious Crisis,
Philip Jenkins,  2007, Oxford University Press
This is the third of Professor Jenkins’ Future of Christianity trilogy (along with The Next Christendom, and The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South). Jenkins arrives at some surprising and controversial conclusions.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey (audio book)
I first read this classic many years ago.  Now I am listening to the audio version.