A Fascinating Talk on Book Publishing by Seth Godin

July 28, 2010 Leave a comment

One of my favorite writers is the marketing guru Seth Godin. I read his book Tribes last year and it was great. He also updates his blog daily and it is nearly always thought-provoking and interesting. Although he focuses on topics related to business and marketing, his ideas have wide-ranging impact for all kinds of leaders, thinkers, writers, teachers and just about everyone else.

He recently gave a talk to the Independent Book Publishers, and has made an mp3 of the talk available at his blog. You can find a link to the mp3 via this blog post. Anyone who reads books, uses technology (especially an e-reader or iPad), or is involved in leadership, education or ministry at any level will find something interesting here. At least I did. Check it out.

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Reading

May 22, 2010 Leave a comment

I’m continuing with the theme of reading from earlier this week. (You can check out my summer reading list, Part 1 and Part 2.) Over the years I have tried to stick with several principles to help get the most out of my non-fiction reading. (I don’t read a lot of fiction.) You may find one or more of these helpful. I also invite you to add your own thoughts in the comments section.

  • Read with a pen in hand. I underline, write question marks, and make notes as I read, then go back and review what I’ve highlighted when a book is finished. I very rarely read borrowed books; I almost always buy a copy (used if possible) so that I can write in it and make it my own.
  • “Pre-read” the text. This is a speed-reading technique where you quickly scan the layout of a book before reading it in-depth. Within less than five minutes you can scan a non-fiction book and tell if it’s worth your time. You can also scan headings within a chapter. This is a quick way to get familiar with the contents before diving in.
  • Use a “regulator” to increase your reading speed. I often use my finger or a pen to go down a page, line by line, as I read sentences. Your eyes follow your finger (or pen), and you have less eye strain as a result. It’s a grade-school technique, but still very useful. (If you’re worried about how you’ll appear to other people, just remember that you will be reading and retaining more information than them.)
  • Keep notes on good quotations or illustrations. I heard about this technique from John Maxwell and have adapted it for my own use. After reading a book, I scan through it again and write down the page number and topic for material I want to file. I usually write the topic and the page number of the quote in the back of the book. Then I have someone copy those pages and file them accordingly. For example, when I read a book of quotations from Disney, I marked and filed several dozen great quotations on a variety of topics.
  • Most important: Take a book with you wherever you go. I have literally taken a book to a Cardinals ballgame, to Six Flags (to my wife’s embarrassment) and just about everywhere else. You would be amazed at how much reading you can do in the spare moments waiting for things to happen. Last year I went to the DMV to renew my license plates, knowing I would be waiting for about an hour. There were several dozen people in the area, and they were all staring at the wall or playing with their phones. But I got about an hour’s worth of reading done that day.

As the saying goes, “Leaders are readers.” One of the best ways to grow in your personal and professional life is to read good books. You may want to check out this great post by Michael Hyatt (CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers), entitled “In Defense of Books.”

Questions: What other tips for effective reading can you share? Have I missed anything?

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My Summer Reading List, Part 2

May 19, 2010 1 Comment

Yesterday I posted Part 1 of my summer reading list. Here is Part Deux.

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, and A Patriot’s History of the Unites States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. People’s History is from a liberal viewpoint, and Patriot’s History from the conservative side. I’m working through both at the same time, getting a different take on each period of U. S. History. I hope to finish these this year.

Every Man’s Marriage by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker, and Hedges by Jerry Jenkins. My marriage is important to me, and I need to grow in my ability to love Melanie as Christ loved the Church. If you want to grow in leadership, ministry, music, or whatever, you need to read. Marriage shouldn’t be any different. Plus, I have personally known enough Christian leaders who have done really stupid things with their lives and marriages, and it has scared me into being more pro-active about keeping my marriage healthy. (And that’s a good thing.)

Culture Making by Andy Crouch. The sub-title is, “Recovering Our Creative Calling.” I’ve chosen this as a required text for my Introduction to the Arts classes this fall. I want students to understand how the Church can make a difference in culture through the arts. (I figure I should read the required texts also!)

Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John Maxwell. Maxwell’s stuff is usually good and this one looks like a real winner. Who couldn’t use some help connecting with others? Plus, they included my picture on the inside cover, so I’m “connected” to the book.

How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren. This is the classic work on getting the most out of your reading. I’ve read snippets of it, but need to go through the whole thing. As much as I read, this can only be helpful.

Linchpin by Seth Godin. I read Seth’s blog every day, and I loved Tribes and The Dip. Looking forward to this one that came out earlier this year.

Questions: What books do you plan to read this summer? If you have read any of these books, what did you think?

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My Summer Reading List, Part 1

May 18, 2010 3 Comments

It’s that time of year again–time to decide how I will spend my reading time this summer. I read all year round, of course, but summer is a special time to get a good deal of reading done because of my unique teaching schedule. As usual, this is kind of an eclectic list. I have included links to Amazon so you can check out any books that pique your interest.

Worship Words by Debra & Ron Riestra. This is a book on how we use language in worship. This was an assigned book for a get-together of graduates from the Worship Studies program at Lincoln Christian University. It’s not a book I would have necessarily chosen, but it’s been very insightful so far.

The Noticer by Andy Andrews. I received this from Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program and need to post a review. I’ve heard great things about the book.

You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned by Swen Nater and Ronald Gallimore, and A Brief Guide for Teaching Millennial Learners by J. Bradley Garner. Each year I try to read some things that will help my classroom teaching. The first book is all about Coach John Wooden’s principles of teaching, and the second is about how the current generation of college students learn. Both are fairly short and look great. (The link to the Wooden book is for a new edition, but there is no publication date listed. I would recommend the first edition if you can get it.)

On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius. A little early church theology is good for the soul. The introduction by C. S. Lewis is absolutely phenomenal.

Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. This is one of the greatest Batman graphic novels. I read it a few years ago and plan to revisit it. I love a good story told visually. Plus, you just need to have some fun once in a while.

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko. I’ve heard Dave Ramsey talk about this one for years, and now would be a good time to read it.

Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin. I’m using this for a required text for a worship leading class this fall. This is probably the most balanced yet thorough book on worship leading I have seen in a while.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

Questions: What books do you plan to read this summer? If you have read any of these books, what did you think?

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On the Reading of Old Books

March 28, 2009 Leave a comment

cs-lewisI came across a great essay by C. S. Lewis entitled “On the Reading of Old Books,” included in his collection God in the Dock. Some good excerpts include:

“There is a strange idea abroad that in every subject the ancient books should be read only by the professionals, and that the amateur should content himself with the modern books. Thus I have found as a tutor in English Literature that if the average student wants to find out something about Platonism, the very last thing he thinks of doing is to take a translation of Plato off the library shelf and read the Symposium. He would rather read some dreary modern book ten times as long, all about ‘isms’ and influences and only once in twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said. The error is rather an amiable one, for it springs from humility. The student is half afraid to meet one of the great philosophers face to face. He feels himself inadequate and thinks he will not understand him. But if he only knew, the great man, just because of his greatness, is much more intelligible than his modern commentator. The simplest student will be able to understand, if not all, yet a very great deal of what Plato said; but hardly anyone can understand some modern books on Platonism. It has always therefore been one of my main endeavours as a teacher to persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.

This mistaken preference for modern books and this shyness of the old ones is nowhere more rampant than in theology. . . . Naturally, since I myself am a writer, I do not wish the ordinary reader to read no modern books. But if he must read only the new or only the old, I would advise him to read the old. And I would give him this advice precisely because he is an amateur and therefore much less protected than the expert against the dangers of an exclusive contemporary diet.

. . . It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should at least read one old one to every three new ones.

. . . For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.” (God in the Dock, pgs. 200-205)

Lewis’ advice here is challenging to me because I have generally been attracted to “new” books on topics that interest me — worship, theology, ministry, arts, music, history. I look on my bookcases here in my home office, and they are filled with volumes that are relatively new. Lewis challenges me as a growing Christian to discover (or re-discover) those books that have fed earlier generations, and will give me nourishment today. When we only read the “new stuff” we run the danger of only sustaining ourselves with pre-digested, secondhand material. We would never thinking of reaching into someone’s stomach to get our food, but that’s exactly what we do when we only read what others have said about the Bible, or about the classics, instead of interacting directly with it ourselves. Our intellectual diet should not only consist of pre-digested food.

His words also challenge me as a professor. How can I better help my students interact directly with original sources and material? Am I too drawn to the newest books — those that are “hyped” or popular, but not tested by time?

A few days ago I revisited James Emery White’s excellent little book A Mind for God, which helps us understand how to develop our minds, and also contains good reading lists for Christians who want to grow. You can also visit his website Serious Times for some very good resources. This week I also began The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. To say that it’s a quite a big and compex book is kind of an understatement. But I’m determined to get through, with the help of a couple of freely available online study guides. Here’s to old books!

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My Pilgrimmage to "The Shack"

March 23, 2009 2 Comments

shackUPDATE: Gordon MacDonald has a brief but intriguing reflection on The Shack at the Leadership Journal website. Check it out.

Once in a while a book comes along that is so popular it almost demands that Christian leaders read it out of sheer responsibility. If everyone else is reading and talking about it, we would almost be doing a disservice to people if we can’t speak intelligently about it. Recent books that fall into this category might include The Purpose-Driven Life and Blue Like Jazz. Over the last couple of years William P. Young’s The Shack has grown immensely in popularity. I’ve been hearing all kinds of passionate talk about it the last year or so, and when I saw it in our school library I checked it out, almost on impulse. (Our head librarian tells me I’m the first person to read that particular copy, which makes me feel good for some strange reason.)

Is all the hype you’ve heard about The Shack true? Does it change your view of God? Can it change your life? Does it give you a new way of looking at reality and the world around you? My answer may surprise you, because for the most part I would say…yes.

The Shack is different than any other book I’ve read before, and it’s difficult to write a traditional review of it because the story will touch people in very different ways. The basic storyline concerns a man named Mack whose daughter is brutally murdered. Some time later Mack makes a pilgrimmage back to the “shack” in the woods where the murder took place, and the bulk of the book concerns a weekend Mack spends with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in the shack. The essence of the book deals with personal healing in the face of tragedy, but even that description does not do it justice.

Before giving some detailed thoughts on how the book impacted me, let me first deal with some concerns people will have about the book.

The biggest concern people have is its theology. Throughout most of the book God the Father appears to Mack in the form of a black woman. Jesus appears as himself (a Jewish male named Jesus), and the Holy Spirit is presented as a spirit-like being named Sarayu. Most people will be comfortable with these presentations of Jesus and the Holy Spirit, but what about God? The form that God takes throughout most of The Shack doesn’t bother me because it’s just a way of presenting a God who cares. The black woman, named Elouisa, explains why she appears to Mack in this form, and it makes sense in the context of the story. In the Bible, God is presented as a Father because that is how we can best understand our relationship to him as humans; of course God is not literally a father or a male in the human way of existing. The worst mistake you can make with this book is pre-judging it based on other people’s comments without reading it for yourself.

Read more of this post

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Books in the Queue

January 8, 2009 8 Comments

stack_books200On the corner of my desk here at home I have a stack of books waiting to be read. I am a perpetual “book-stacker,” and am always looking forward to the next book to be digested. I just finished Phyllis Tickle’s The Great Emergence and Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages (audio), and am in the middle of George Barna’s Revolution and will be finished with that in a few days.

Everyone has a sort of “filter” for what books we read (if we even read very much at all; some people rarely complete a book). I have a couple of operating principles when choosing books:

1. One of my commitments this year is to try and read a book a week — a goal I’m sure I won’t reach, but is worth shooting for anyway. I’m not a very fast reader, so it sometimes takes me a little longer.

2. I try to read widely, as you can see from the list below. Reading in various genres gives me creative ideas I would never have otherwise. I’m really looking forward to reading about Teddy Roosevelt because I don’t know much about his life.

3. I get some really good recommendations from other people, and also just by browsing around a bookstore. I picked up the history book by Zinn and the biography of Lincoln at Barnes & Noble last week, courtesy of agift card for Christmas. You never know what kinds of interesting things you’ll find just by browsing around. But also, I always get good ideas from others. My brother recommended at least 2-3 books on this list.

4. I also try to read material from people with points of view different than my own — hence the books by George Barna and Frank Viola. Their books listed here by them have sparked a lot of discussion and I want to read the material myself before coming to a conclusion. I’m amazed at how many people reach conclusions about books or concepts they’ve never read themselves.

5. I read for fun also — hence the Stephen King book. I also read graphic novels and comic books on occasion, just because you need something fun sometimes.

So just for kicks, here are some books that are in my queue for the next few months. None of this is set in stone; any book can be on the chopping block if something more pressing comes along!

THE LIST:

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath (personal strengths assessment)

The Didache trans. and commentary by Aaron Milavec (1st century manual on worship and teaching)

Beyond Smells and Bells by Mark Galli (Christian liturgy)

Simplify by Paul Borthwick (how to simplify your life)

Reimagining Church by Frank Viola (a controversial book I’m curious about)

The Kid Who Climbed Everest by Bear Grylls (the guy from “Man vs. Wild”)

The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight (on reading the Bible)

Abraham Lincoln by James McPherson (a short biography)

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, and A Short History of the United States by Robert Remini

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt and Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (long biographies)

Just After Sunset by Stephen King (borrowed from my Mom; the man is a great storyteller)

The Parent You Want to Be by Les & Leslie Parrot

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (a study of success)

What the Bible Says About Worship by Dinelle Frankland (she was my major prof. in seminary)

Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin (a book on worship leading)

What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker (the title speaks for itself)

And my very favorite new book… The ESV Study Bible. Simply fantastic!

If you have any good books you’re currently reading or planning to read this year, please share!

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