On Reading.

I love books. If you read regularly, or know me personally, you will know that better than others. I love books, and I love reading books and talking about books; reviewing books and re-reading books. Praying through books, laughing through books, writing about books and reading books about people that criticise books. I really think reading is an important part of life. I also know that some people struggle to read, that different quirks of peoples genetics or upbringing make it harder for them to read or engage with things people have written.

As a Christian, I am a person who relies very much on a book - the Bible - because of what it tells me about Jesus and how it shapes my relationship with him. And, actually, I love books that talk about the books in the bible, a book made up of books. And books are full of words. God reveals himself by his Word - who is actually Jesus (read this post by my clever friend Josh if that makes no sense) - and we can read about the Word of God in the Word of God, the Bible.

You see, what I'm trying to say, and it probably isn't coming out very well, is that I think reading is very important. Or, perhaps, engaging with ideas is very important. Because just as food is good because it tastes nice and refuels us, books are great because they have ideas that feed our brains, and words that can help us to make sense of our lives and experiences, and even our relationships.

I think reading is incredibly important. I think that in order to follow Jesus, you need to know him. And to know him, you need to know stuff about him. You also - obviously - need to talk to him and to spend time with him. I think books can help us do all of that. I know that there are hundreds of dead/older people who knew Jesus much better than I do - and we are lucky that they wrote down a huge amount of what they learnt, felt, knew and experienced.

A good book can be a catalyst for mission, a tool for evangelism, a spur to compassion, a door into God's presence, or even the first step towards Jesus. If you don't read, or struggle to read, or don't feel you have time to read, I'd really encourage you to. Reading the Bible is a great place to start - but it might help to read a slim book about the Bible in order to have more of an idea of whats going on. I'd recommend something like Krish Kandiah's "Route 66", or Vaughan Roberts "God's Big Picture". For something a bit more full on I'd recommend Gordon Fee's "How to Read the Bible for All its worth".

Up at the top of my blog you can click on "Book Reviews" to see a page packed with links to the various book reviews I've posted. There is quite a range! Hopefully something there will whet your fancy.

A lot of people think they have to be trained to read, or they have no time to read, or they aren't clever enough to read. Bluntly, thats a load of tosh. Reading is not easy for some people - but engaging with books is easier than ever now, thanks to technology. Despite having lots of 'hard' books, I'm a huge fan of Amazon's Kindle (other e-readers are available), as there are loads of books available for free, and you can read them on your Kindle device, or on an app on your smartphone, tablet or computer. For some great free stuff, search for G.K.Chesterton in the Kindle store. With something like that, you can read snapshots of books on your phone on the loo, or the bus, or whilst walking, or on a train. Also, for those of us who are not great at the printed page (electronic or otherwise), there are now great ways to 'read' without having to read. The Bible Experience, for example, is a high quality audio bible - and there are loads of other versions too. Audible, which is kind of like itunes/spotify for books, is an easy way to get audiobooks - and I'm sure Amazon will sell you some classic books on CD. iTunes is also a source of audiobooks. Technology is making it easier and easier to read.

If you can, work out what books you like best and then work from there. Not everyone is excited as I am by footnotes - and not everyone can stomach testimonies. There is such a wealth of experience, encourage, wisdom and knowledge stored up in a whole range of books. And, if you can, try and get a comfy spot to read in. A good book is like a miniature holiday - I have a blue chair (£0, from Freecycle) that I love reading in. I can curl up in it and enjoy the book. Get focused - and Get Reading!

Basically, I love books, and I love reading, and I'm lucky enough to have a relatively rapid pace. Not everyone does. But books are good - especially books that point to Jesus and feed our minds. I hope this post makes sense, or is of use to someone. I'd love to chat about books with you, and if there are any books you think I should read - or books I should review - let me know in the comments section here!

Thanks for reading.