{"id":12811,"date":"2016-11-08T01:00:19","date_gmt":"2016-11-08T09:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/?p=12811"},"modified":"2016-11-01T11:36:49","modified_gmt":"2016-11-01T18:36:49","slug":"the-positive-imprint-of-formative-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/2016\/11\/08\/the-positive-imprint-of-formative-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"The Positive Imprint of Formative Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Pastor James Lee<\/em><\/p>\n

This past summer, an SD brother asked me a thoughtful question, \u201cWhich is your favorite book outside of the Bible?\u201d<\/em> I responded that I have so many books I\u2019m fond of, that it would be difficult for me to narrow them down to just one. Maybe that\u2019s a \u201ccop out\u201d answer, but that\u2019s genuinely how I feel. And this is coming from someone who throughout his pre-college days was greatly devoted to NOT reading. Reading for pleasure is not something that I understood. I only read when I had to for school \u2013 and even now I don\u2019t remember much except a few parts of The Merchant of Venice<\/em> and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer<\/em>. The rest is a big blur, or found in those yellow Cliff Notes. My parents would buy me books each summer in the off chance that I might actually read them, only to realize the futility of their project. It wasn\u2019t until I was an undergraduate being challenged with great questions from peers I evangelized on campus along with a new hunger for serving the Lord did I actually truly begin to read. And read I did. The summer between my freshman and sophomore years, I read about 30 Christian books. Mom and dad were witnessing something miraculous. Even today, when they visit my church study, my mom will say in Korean, \u201cThere is a God!\u201d<\/p>\n

Now I love to read, but now have less time to do so. I enjoy reading books of all kinds, not just Christian works, especially history. One that I recently read and recommend would be Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy<\/em>\u2026 really, it\u2019s good stuff! But prior to that, the only reading that I actually enjoyed was the Calvin & Hobbes<\/em> comic strip, and C.S. Lewis\u2019 Chronicles of Narnia<\/em> series. Picking one favorite book back in the day would have been difficult for a different reason than today\u2026 I had none! Today, I would have favorites in certain subjects. And since then, I would have favorites at certain times in my life. But to choose one, and only one, I\u2019d have to think a lot about that, and even then, I would be hard pressed to have a finalist. So instead, I offered to write a Beacon article to answer his question, but in the format of an autobiographical timeline of the impact of certain books. I hope it encourages each of us to read for our own edification, equipping, and encouragement, however it might specifically and uniquely take form. So dear brother, who will remain unnamed, I apologize for the tardiness of my article.<\/p>\n

And let me add, as a quick caveat, that I\u2019m thankful that there was a qualifier of \u201coutside the Bible\u201d because of the singular primacy of commitment we all share to The Book, to which everything else ought to be a distant second. It is a misguided practice to read a lot of Christian books, blogs, and biographies, but neglect a daily reading, meditation, and application of the Scriptures. This article I hope would promote a lot more direct Bible reading. I could not emphasize that enough. First, we need our daily bread. Jesus replied to Satan\u2019s temptation in Matthew 4:4, \u201cMAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.\u2019\u201d<\/em> That too has to be our conviction. The original context of what Jesus quoted is found in Deuteronomy 8:3 when the Israelites are being addressed after 40 years in the wilderness, \u201cHe humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.\u201d<\/em> God intentionally humbled them. God intentionally let them be hungry. Such mercy. Such love. Likewise, we need God\u2019s Word like we need food, and our prayerful dependence on Him is like our need for oxygen. Being in the Word is like eating, and praying is like breathing. The apostles in Acts 6:4 demonstrated that priority to the \u201cWord and prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Second, if one hasn\u2019t read the entire Bible in its breadth from Genesis to Revelation, or isn\u2019t still seeking to maintain that spiritual discipline, I would counsel one to start or restart there, or at least to do so concurrently. As David directed to the chief musician to lead our life\u2019s singing in Psalm 19:10, \u201cThey are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.\u201d<\/em> As Paul urged his young prot\u00e9g\u00e9 in 2 Timothy 2:15, \u201cBe diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth\u201d<\/em> and 2 Timothy 3:16-17, \u201cAll Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, there is an immense value to the reading of solid Christian books insofar as they help us to more accurately understand the Word, thoughtfully apply the Word, and affectionately be equipped by the Word for worship and service. The old adage is that \u201cleaders are readers\u201d, and that should be evident among local church shepherds. But that aim and desire should, to varying degrees, also characterize our corporate pursuit of godliness. So I will share a list of books that have impacted me personally at various points in my life. I want to qualify my list though in a few ways:<\/p>\n