Reading

I'm growing to love books more and be overwhelmed by them less. Rather than feel burdened by the ever increasing list of ones I'd like to read and don't keep up with, I'm choosing to focus instead on just cultivating a habit of reading in general, indefinitely. I'll never reach the end of my "to-read" to-do list. I can't keep up with them, and it's true that I have many un-finished on my shelf. This might not be worded the best, but it's helped me to realize that the books exist to serve me and not enslave me in debt to them. They are resources available as I have need, and that is not a wrong way to view them. They are not people, nor the Bible itself.
That being said, I do have far to grow in the persistence and discipline of sticking out a book start to finish.
I counted around seven books by my bed that I'm part way through and have out for easy access (there are more on my shelf only partially read or not even started).

With that background, I want to share my anticipation for reading a new book to my collection - CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet by Michael R. Emlet (fyi - We currently have them at our church bookstore at a great price. And thanks, Joy, for the Christmas gift!) I've just read the introduction, so we'll see if my anticipation persists for the last hundred pages when I'm halfway through it.
At the end of his introduction (p. 8-9), Emlet summarizes the book's purpose as follows:

Put simply, the overall goal of this book is to help you live a biblically rich, Christ-centered life in community with fellow believers. It will equip you to make more sense of the details of the Bible and the details of people's lives. It will equip you to see how the diverse writings of Scripture have a cohesive, kingdom-centered thrust. And it will help you discern life patterns, themes, and plotlines that underlie the details of people's experiences. Ultimately, it should equip you to more carefully read the story of the Bible and the diverse stories of the people you know and to make meaningful connections between the two.

Very appetizing, don't you agree?

photo: Christmas 2007