PDF | Print |

Written by Administrator Saturday, 08 July 2006 19:00

A few years ago the Department of Justice reported that “21 million Americans can’t read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate, and one-fifth of high school graduates can’t read their diplomas.” That’s bad enough, but consider this. A survey during the past decade revealed that the average American spent 1,600 hours watching television and 300 hours listening to music and only 100 hours reading books. In other words, even those who can read don’t often choose to do so. But as Mark Twain observed, “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”

How important is reading to you? In his book, A Godward Life, John Piper reveals his own passion for reading. “My main spiritual sustenance comes by the Holy Spirit from reading. Therefore reading is more important to me than eating. If I went blind, I would pay to have someone read to me. I would try to learn Braille. I would buy books on tape. I would rather go without food than go without books” (A Godward Life, Book One, p. 58).

The fact is few things in life offer as great a return on your investment as reading. Invest your time in some projects, and you soon realize it was wasted. Invest your money in certain ventures, and you may end up bankrupt. But reading will always provide satisfying dividends. That’s because reading has the potential to …

• Open our eyes
• Enrich our minds
• Broaden our perspective
• Touch our hearts
• Inspire our souls
• Nurture our spirits

For some … reading is a joy. Every book is an adventure … every page a dessert. Having whisked through a book in no time, they crave more. How fortunate are those people!

For others (like me) … reading is a discipline. It doesn’t come easily or without work. Effort and focus are required. Yet, we press on knowing that the benefits are well worth our plodding and perseverance.

Whether you and your family find reading a joy or a discipline, I hope you are constantly feeding your soul with good books. And summer is a great time to indulge yourselves even more.

Today we begin our Primary and Junior Reading Clubs at Immanuel. Stop by the church library after the service this morning and get your children signed up and participating. And while you’re in the library check out some of the wonderful resources we offer for all ages.

-- Sparky