Disclaimer: For the sports fans, I won't be talking about sports in this blog. Uh-oh to late.
I always try to make New Years resolutions that are a little more of a challenge, but at the same time it won't be something that I can't follow through on. Like this year I gave up eating chips. Chips you say? Yes, that's right I gave up chips! Potato Chips, Nacho Chips, etc. Any type of chips that you can imagine.
Now did I have a chip problem last year? No. I gave up chips because it's something that I really enjoy (especially when Amanda makes her awesome Mexican dip!!! It's so good) Most of my resolutions have been something related to food. One year I did no fast food or soda for the entire year, That was tough but i made it. One year I tried pizza, and failed miserably in the first two weeks by accident. I even went 8 years without eating an M & M. But you kind of get the point with all that.
So in a little bit of advance planning I have been thinking about what resolution I can make for next year. Besides trying to drink less coffee I heard a great idea at a conference I attended earlier this year by Bob Franquiz. Bob gave a great seminar called Zero to Sixty and it was about effective leadership and ministry.
I took a lot of things away from this, but there was one thing that got me thinking that he said. He talked about a discipline in his life where he would try to read a certain number of books in a year for his resolutions. It started off with 25 and grew to 50 and then 100 and even beyond that. In one year! And one thing that he said that truly made me think was "I've never had a problem I haven't been able to read my way out of." Profound words that i really had never taken time to consider. Can reading really help us that much?
Bob pointed out many good books an resources in this seminar and it got me thinking about my own readings. There are so many books out there that can help us with all issues of our lives and our spiritual walks. And even now as I am juggling 3 or 4 books (Bible included) this is a very time consuming but important part of our lives. Reading what other people have to say can totally make a difference in our lives. For example I recently finished the book we have been using for our home fellowships.
"The Relationship Principles of Jesus" by Tom Holladay. This book was an awsome look into the six principles that can transform our relationships with others. And as we went over it in my home fellowship, it became only more evident that it was a book that the people in my group found to help them in their everyday lives and relationships with people. So now that we have established that reading is something that can help us in our lives I want to get to my point. For my resolution this coming year I want to mirror what Bob has done. Granted I am going to start small but still challenge myself. I would like to read 50 books in the year 2010! And that doesn't include my daily studies from the Good Book! It would more or less equate to one book a week. I believe that I am up for the challenge. But it is all about discipline and taking that time to follow through. Although eating chips was kind of tough this year it wasn't particularly hard to ignore the chips at a restaurant or to find pretzels at a party. It doesn't take nearly as much discipline because it won't take time out of an already busy schedule.
Now comes the part where I need some help. If anyone is still reading this blog I am looking for some suggestions to add to my list for 2010. I am open to fiction and non fiction, plus I would love to read some books on spiritual leadership and youth ministries. So hope that this is a good start and if you post a book title I will consider it for my list. And when I narrow down that list I will post it on here.
Let me sign off with a quote about reading and what it truly means to "read"
To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.
~ Edmund Burke ~
-C-
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