The Pastor and His Library: Reading, Reading Again, and Recording What You Read

Read 1 Book 50 Times, Not 50 Books Once (and other advice about reading)

Here are 5 pieces of advice about books and reading I would love to share with every Senior Pastor starting their very first pastorate...

Dear friend,

I want to congratulate you on your very first day of becoming a Senior Pastor. You will find, as I have, that being a Senior Pastor is the greatest job in the world. Occasionally though, it can be quite lonely. You’ll find that outside of your family and a few close friends that stick closer than a brother, that books will be your one constant companion. And since you will no doubt hear conflicting advice about how to welcome their influence into your daily rhythm, I felt that it might be helpful to hear a few counter-intuitive lessons from a friend in the trenches. As with anything I write – eat the meat and throw away the bones.

Here goes.... Read More

How And Why To Keep A “Commonplace Book”

The other day I was reading a book and I came across a little anecdote. It was about the great Athenian general Themistocles. Before the battle of Salamis, he was locked in a vigorous debate with a Spartan general about potential strategies for defeating the Persians. Themistocles was clearly in the minority with his views (but which ultimately turned out to be right and saved Western Civilization). He continued to interrupt and contradict the other generals. Finally, the Spartan general threatened to strike Themistocles if he didn’t shut up and stop. “Strike!” Themistocles shouted back, “But listen!”

When I read this, I immediately began a ritual that I have practiced for many years–and that others have done for centuries before me–I marked down the passage and later transferred it to my “commonplace book.” Why? Because it’s a great line and it stood out to me. I wrote it down I’ll want to have it around for later reference, for potentially using it in my writing or work, or for possible inspiration at some point in the future.

In other posts, we’ve talked about how to read more, which books to read, how to read books above your level and how to write. Well, the commonplace book is a thread that runs through all those ideas. It what ties those efforts together and makes you better at each one of them. I was introduced and taught a certain version of this system Robert Greene and now I am passing along the lessons because they’ve helped me so much. Read More

Jotting down in a notebook the passages that you come across in your reading for future reference is a practice worth adopting.The use of a "commonplace book" was a widespread practice among the leading Anglican divines of the sixteenth century and later.

It is admittedly low tech in an age that values high tech. However, you can read what you have written in a notebook by the light of candle or a hurricane lamp but you cannot read anything from a tablet or laptop with a dead battery in the midst of a power outage.

You will want to take care of how you store your notebooks. Mice and other household pests will eat the pages as well as the bindings of books and notebooks. The African white ant, or termite, will eat just about everything.