The poet, T.S. Eliot, once observed: "Everything we eat has some effect upon us. It affects us during the process of assimilation and digestion; and I believe exactly the same is true of anything we read." In a very real sense, we are what we read.
That is why I try to periodically share what I'm reading. I'm actually sharing who I'm becoming. I'm in a writing season right now, so I'm writing more than reading. But here are two books I read this week. I loved both of them for very different reasons.
Eat this Book by Eugene Peterson. I'm falling in love with the Bible all over again. This book fueled that love. A great book on how to read the Bible.
God Owns My Business by Stanley Tams. An inspirational biography on how Stanley literally made God His Senior Partner in business and the way God has blessed His business because of it. Great read for entrepreneurs who want to make more money so they can give more money.
That is why I try to periodically share what I'm reading. I'm actually sharing who I'm becoming. I'm in a writing season right now, so I'm writing more than reading. But here are two books I read this week. I loved both of them for very different reasons.
Eat this Book by Eugene Peterson. I'm falling in love with the Bible all over again. This book fueled that love. A great book on how to read the Bible.
God Owns My Business by Stanley Tams. An inspirational biography on how Stanley literally made God His Senior Partner in business and the way God has blessed His business because of it. Great read for entrepreneurs who want to make more money so they can give more money.
7 Comments:
Hey Ps Mark,
Don't know if you've read this by Eugene Peterson as well... "Leap Over A Wall". One of my friends is going to pass me this book to read.
I love Peterson as an author, and I want to check out that book you're reading - Eat This Book.
I have read Leap over a Wall and Working the Angles and they're both great. I also have read A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, not AS much my favorite, but still good.
Good word Mark...one of my fav T.S. Eliot quotes is from the sentence right above the one you mentioned..."The author of a work of imagination is trying to affect us wholly, as human beings, whether he knows it or not; and we are affected by it, as human beings, whether we intend to be or not."
I love book recommendations! I just read "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni. And now I'm working on Wild Goose Chase....I forget who wrote that. : )
This post's lead me to ask you:
what are your top 10 reads of all time?
Love following the BLOG!
My number one of the past 40 years:
The Anointing: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow by R. T. Kendall (Paperback - Sep 2003)
I am also heavily influenced by what I read, and you may read here in my weekly journal that I have been influenced by your book, Wild Goose Chase, and your blog.
Thanks
Berry
Journal entry 022609: No guarantees
Berry D. Simpson
What would I be willing to sacrifice if I knew the results were guaranteed?
Would I live on 1500 calories and workout every day and run hard if I knew in one year’s time I would be lean and fit and fast? I think I would if I was certain about the results - but of course, there is no guarantee. Why sacrifice day after day, workout week after week, if the outcome is uncertain? What if I put myself through that hard work yet all I get out of it was a 10% improvement? Is that enough?
Would I get out of bed every morning at 5:00 AM and write two hours if I knew for a fact that after a year I would be a best-selling author? Would it be worth the discipline and sacrifice? Sure it would.
Would I be starving poor for an entire year to put my money into oil and gas deals if I knew at the end of the year I would be set for life? Who wouldn’t?
I ask those questions because it’s my nature to pick around the edges, to make incremental efforts, to hold back the best part of myself, until I’m sure of the end result. I doubt I’ve ever given a supreme effort in my entire life. I’ve always been more afraid of embarrassment and pain than motivated by success. I’d rather finish second with energy left over and my head held high than push for first place knowing failure would be embarrassing and painful. I won’t risk too much; I keep most of myself in reserves. I’m more McClellan than Lee.
When I was in high school I learned I could keep a B+ average with only minimal effort, so I seldom worked hard enough for an A average. B+ was still better than most everyone else I knew and it took no risk to get it. In high school I didn’t yet know about Erwin McManus, but I would’ve agreed with his comments: “We love permission to do the minimum.”
Yet some things need more than minimal effort if they are to succeed. For example, most oil and gas prospects require significant investment on the front end or they won’t work. Too little money in the beginning and it has no real chance to be successful.
Or another example: what if I want to run a marathon? I have to be willing to put in 20-mile training runs – risking failure and injury – if I hope to finish 26.2 miles. Without sufficient investment up front and along the way, it’s senseless to attempt the big race.
Or, even this one: if I want to publish a book myself, I can’t go in with the minimum investment unless I’m going to be satisfied with a garage full of boxes full of mediocre books. To have any chance of success, I have to invest time and money in editing and art and design and layout and marketing. If my goal is merely to publish – less is OK – but if my goal is to sell a lot of books and change lives – I have to risk more. However, having said all that, it would be easier to risk family money if I knew for sure there was success coming.
So where is God when I want him to promise great success? Why doesn’t he give those sorts of guarantees in writing? Wouldn’t that be a God we could use?
There is a well-known Bible story about a rich young ruler who came to Jesus, looking for eternal life (Matthew 19). He felt justified in his behavior, felt he’d satisfied all of God’s criteria, but he wanted more. Maybe he was bored with his religious life.
Jesus told him to: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven. Then come, follow me.” It was too much; the man walked away.
When Jesus offered him adventure, he turned it down. He rejected an opportunity to study with the smartest man and holiest teacher he would ever know. I wonder why?
I think he turned down Jesus’ request because there was no guarantee attached. Jesus did NOT say, “Follow me and all your dreams will come true.” He just said, “Give your stuff to the poor and follow me,” and left the idea of reward or results just dangling. The man walked away because he wanted to follow Jesus without risk. He wanted to change the world without adventure.
The older I get, the less I want to be like that rich young man. As a believer, shouldn’t I be more willing to take big risks? I shouldn’t have to fear failure – it isn’t where my worth comes from. I should be the guy most willing to risk it all on a worthy venture.
Mark Batterson wrote: “I’m at a place in my life where I don’t care about outcomes. I’m focused on inputs.” Nowadays, I want to be more like that. I don’t want to live out my life always wondering what might have happened if I’d given it my best. I want to invest in what I sense God calling me to do, and perhaps God will bless it. No guarantees.
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