Don't Waste Your Summer Part #2
Yesterday, I began a five-part series on not wasting your summer. My main motivation for not wanting to waste my own summer is 2 Corinthians 5:10. Who really wants to stand before God and explain why getting a good suntan was more important than building His kingdom or growing spiritually? Now, I’m not down on getting a good suntan. I have my own fair share of dates penciled in to hit up the beach, the pool and my neighborhood water park this summer. But I plan on taking a tool that will help me not waste my tan (how’s that for stretching this analogy?) with me when I go.
2) Read challenging and engaging books this summer. As an author, I’m sure it goes without saying that I read a lot. But in the past I’ve been guilty of being lazy in my personal reading choices. When you read or write for work for 8-10 hours on an average day, the last thing you want to do sometimes is pick up a challenging and convicting read. There are many days where I would prefer to pick up lighthearted fiction written by one of my novelist friends, or something that is currently selling well so I can research why it happens to be so appealing to such a broad audience. This summer I’ve restructured my reading goals, and my intention wasn’t to impress those lounging near me at the beach with my spiritual and scholarly reading choices. Instead I’m looking for books that will spur me on to growth. I want to expand my mind and be challenged.
This summer I’ve decided that I’m going to conquer two Christian classics that I’ve owned for years but have yet to labor through. Both Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan have been on my theoretical “to read” list for a long time now, and I’ve decided that this year I’m going to actually read them. But those aren’t the only two books on my list. In fact, my goal is to conquer two books a month. So that means I have to read at a pretty regular pace this summer. In addition to those two classics I also have some newer books that will work to challenge and convict me as I work on my tan. The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies and God is the Gospel by John Piper are both on my nightstand ready to go. And I’m currently, looking for suggestions for the month of August so you can leave your suggestions in the comments section. I’m open to both secular and Christian books, but if the book is secular it has to have redeeming qualities that make it useful to me as I seek to grow in my knowledge of Christ. After all, my goal is to not waste my summer.
This summer, I encourage you to forgo the temptation to reach exclusively for lighter faire and to instead grab at least one Christian classic and a few thought provoking reads that will help you grow in your knowledge and understanding of Christ. Even in things as simple as hitting the beach and working on your tan, make sure you don’t waste your summer.
If you want to read an article by John Piper on how he selects his reading material you can click here.
Stay tuned for “Don’t Waste Your Summer” tips 3-5 later this week.
2) Read challenging and engaging books this summer. As an author, I’m sure it goes without saying that I read a lot. But in the past I’ve been guilty of being lazy in my personal reading choices. When you read or write for work for 8-10 hours on an average day, the last thing you want to do sometimes is pick up a challenging and convicting read. There are many days where I would prefer to pick up lighthearted fiction written by one of my novelist friends, or something that is currently selling well so I can research why it happens to be so appealing to such a broad audience. This summer I’ve restructured my reading goals, and my intention wasn’t to impress those lounging near me at the beach with my spiritual and scholarly reading choices. Instead I’m looking for books that will spur me on to growth. I want to expand my mind and be challenged.
This summer I’ve decided that I’m going to conquer two Christian classics that I’ve owned for years but have yet to labor through. Both Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis and Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan have been on my theoretical “to read” list for a long time now, and I’ve decided that this year I’m going to actually read them. But those aren’t the only two books on my list. In fact, my goal is to conquer two books a month. So that means I have to read at a pretty regular pace this summer. In addition to those two classics I also have some newer books that will work to challenge and convict me as I work on my tan. The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies and God is the Gospel by John Piper are both on my nightstand ready to go. And I’m currently, looking for suggestions for the month of August so you can leave your suggestions in the comments section. I’m open to both secular and Christian books, but if the book is secular it has to have redeeming qualities that make it useful to me as I seek to grow in my knowledge of Christ. After all, my goal is to not waste my summer.
This summer, I encourage you to forgo the temptation to reach exclusively for lighter faire and to instead grab at least one Christian classic and a few thought provoking reads that will help you grow in your knowledge and understanding of Christ. Even in things as simple as hitting the beach and working on your tan, make sure you don’t waste your summer.
If you want to read an article by John Piper on how he selects his reading material you can click here.
Stay tuned for “Don’t Waste Your Summer” tips 3-5 later this week.
posted by Shannon at 12:32 PM
2 Comments:
Great idea, Shannon! I love Pilgrim's Progress, but I too haven't read Mere Christianity--one of Ryan's absolute favorites. Maybe I'll read that with you!
I'm eager for your next tips!
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