Loved these thoughts from book guru Byron Borger...on the incredible ways books help us as followers of Jesus and members of the human race seeking to bring the Kingdom of God in all its fullness and power. This list helps summarize for me why I feel like I always have to be reading as a leader and follower of Jesus. Check out these 7 benefits of our books:
1. Books can be our friends.
--there are times when an author gets what we are going through and gives voice to our own predicaments better than anyone else...
2. Books can expand our horizons, offering windows into the lives of others.
--it has been shown in the research: readers tend to be more emphatic than non-readers...traits such as compassion can be nurtured and deepened by reading widely...
3. Authors can be mentors.
--authors can be trail guides, accompanying us on the journey of life...and we should draw on their riches generously.
4. Books can inspire us to live with passion.
--authors can inspire us, books can enlarge our hearts, we can be motivated, challenged and pushed into greater love and service.
5. Books can help guide us into a truly Christian worldview and "prophetic imagination."
--books help us reflect on what we mean by a worldview, what distinctive Christian thinking and cultural engagement might be like, how not to be accommodated by the spirits of the age, and how to be "in but not of" the world as Jesus instructs.
6. Books can help us understand and discern our callings.
--they help people learn what it means to respond to God's call, to take up work that is a blessing for the common good, as the realize their task to bear God's image opening up the creation's possibilities.
7. Books can be teachers to help us think Christianly about our studies.
--what does in mean, in terms of professional practices, stuff we do day by day, to be God's agents of reconciliation in the careers and callings which we consider holy vocations?
You can find his recommendations of actual books that help in each of these 7 areas at his blog posting:
http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes/7_ways_books_can_help_us/
1. Books can be our friends.
--there are times when an author gets what we are going through and gives voice to our own predicaments better than anyone else...
2. Books can expand our horizons, offering windows into the lives of others.
--it has been shown in the research: readers tend to be more emphatic than non-readers...traits such as compassion can be nurtured and deepened by reading widely...
3. Authors can be mentors.
--authors can be trail guides, accompanying us on the journey of life...and we should draw on their riches generously.
4. Books can inspire us to live with passion.
--authors can inspire us, books can enlarge our hearts, we can be motivated, challenged and pushed into greater love and service.
5. Books can help guide us into a truly Christian worldview and "prophetic imagination."
--books help us reflect on what we mean by a worldview, what distinctive Christian thinking and cultural engagement might be like, how not to be accommodated by the spirits of the age, and how to be "in but not of" the world as Jesus instructs.
6. Books can help us understand and discern our callings.
--they help people learn what it means to respond to God's call, to take up work that is a blessing for the common good, as the realize their task to bear God's image opening up the creation's possibilities.
7. Books can be teachers to help us think Christianly about our studies.
--what does in mean, in terms of professional practices, stuff we do day by day, to be God's agents of reconciliation in the careers and callings which we consider holy vocations?
You can find his recommendations of actual books that help in each of these 7 areas at his blog posting:
http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes/7_ways_books_can_help_us/
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