Recently I was working through HEARING GOD, Developing a Conversational Relationship With God by Dallas Willard. I’ve read it at least twice before. It’s just been one of those reads for me.

I read,

We now hold clearly before us what we have learned about the Word of God: that it is a creative and sustaining substance, an active power, not limited by space and time and physical constraints. It organizes and guides that on which it is directed by God and by persons in union with God. It is what lies at the foundation of all the kinds of life and being there are.

It was a “wow” moment for me: “It organizes and guides that on which it is directed by God and by persons in union with God” … the tuning fork within was resonating!

Reading is a very personal experience of course, and the right book or passage at the right time can liven you like a fresh ocean breeze. It was just one of those times.

And here’s a thought that surprised me: “I could kiss the hand that wrote this.” Rather silly, isn’t it? But there was such a flow of grace in that moment and I was so appreciative. It just shows the power of good writing, timely reading, and the impact and change it can bring to lives.

So let’s read the good stuff, whether non-fiction or fiction. And let’s consider how our thoughts and words can multiply value for others in our own writing.

Fragmented information is all around us.

We dwell in the “Information Age.”  Yet, we are awash in disorganized content as never before.

And this deep immersion in chaotic content is costing us.  It weakens the mind and shrinks the imagination.

Are we losing something?

Thinking skills like synthesis and analysis do not come to us automatically.  They are cultivated over time by reading quality content: long-form, text-based content.

We’re talking about good books.

Joel Miller, a vice president at Thomas Nelson, blogs that books represent “sustained concepts, elaborate trains of thought that require attention and focus – attention and focus that are rewarded for their use.”

Good reading grows our brain as it enhances our thinking skills.  And what about the imagination and creativity?

“The experience of reading requires mental attention and the investment of imagination.  Creativity characterizes the reading mind, because reading brings a constant flow of ideas, thoughts, impressions, suggestions, and mental images” (Albert Mohler).

A quality reader cultivates a creative mind.  Creative thinking is necessary to lead a creative life and to make creative contributions.  So we need quality writing flowing into our lives.

Rethinking books

We can no longer think of books only as ink printed on paper, bound between two covers.

Since Gutenberg’s printing press, the book as we know it has been widely used for the last 500 years or so.  Technically known as a codex, the traditional book is one form of delivery.  And this format will continue.

A massive shift in publishing is now upon us.  Long-form, text-based content is now being delivered through digital books too.  Amazon recently announced they are now selling more eBooks than physical books.

Book power

Books have power.  They have transformed history.  And we will always need them.  The challenges and opportunities of our time require the transforming dynamism of books.

So shun the mistake of minimizing or abandoning long-form, text-based reading.   Inspire others in your world to do the same.  We now have the research: beyond articles, and certainly beyond skimming and scanning the web, reading quality books will elevate our thinking and imagination to the levels we need.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”  ~ Jesus in Mark 12:30 NASB

We seek to worship and love God with all of our mind, cultivating the mental skills of focused attention, creative imagination, and synthesis and analysis thinking.

Tablet… scroll… codex… eBooks…  the staying power of written text is with us.

“What the world is today, good and bad, it owes to Gutenberg.  Everything can be traced to this source, but we are bound to bring him homage, … for the bad that his colossal invention has brought about is overshadowed a thousand times by the good with which mankind has been favored.”  ~ American writer Mark Twain

Also, see New Health Treatment: Reading and Is the Internet Making Us Stupid?

It’s a healthy idea to read every day.  Here’s why.

If we elevate the inspired Scriptures in our reading to the highest priority, we benefit.  It tunes our mind and our inner man, including the human will and emotions, to God’s wavelength.  This helps us to think and pray with more accuracy.  We find that it’s then easier to receive God’s thoughts and voice as we move through our day and the week.

Like whole foods -natural, organic foods that are not processed and contain no additives or preservatives – our minds need “whole food” input to grow healthy and powerful.

It’s also healthy to read from other good sources.  When we read something new, something that’s causing us to grow, the synapses in our brain are firing in new ways and forming new connections.  It’s lifts us from the normal groves in our thinking process and actually creates new neurological pathways which create new memories, new thought processes, and fresh perspective.  Sounds healthy, doesn’t it?

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