What are you reading?

I was running errands the other day and had the car radio on a talk station, KKOB here in Albuquerque. The host was interviewing someone about the subject of reading. I never heard the guest’s name because I was in and out of the car.

“What were the first things you read and got you into the habit of being a reader?”

They talked about magazines, books, and even comic books.

I thought, what were my first memories of reading?

Two of my first books were by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. I remember reading them when I was 8 or 9 and we lived in a housing project at the end of WW 2 in Riverside, California.

My second most vivid recollection was The Boy Scout Handbook. I read this book in pursuit of the various ranks from Tenderfoot to Eagle Scout. There were also the merit badges required for Star, Life, and Eagle. Each badge had a booklet published by the Boy Scouts. I don’t remember the exact number, but well over 50 merit badges I earned in my early teen years. I would buy the books and step-by-step accomplish the tasks to earn the award.

Through those years there were schoolbooks, Sunday School quarterlies, Bible Study books, magazines such as, Boys Life. My parents subscribed to Look, Life, and Reader’s Digest.

So, I became a reader. And scouting established goal setting strategies.

This brings me to what I have available to read by my recliner on the bottom shelf of the end table next to me.

Listed in no particular order.

C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and other Essays. I don’t have all of Lewis’ works but do have a great many. I started first, as a new Christian, with The Chronicles of Narnia.

Martin Bucer, Concerning the True Care of Souls. This first appeared in German in 1538, now translated into English in 2009.

The Bible. Two copies, one well-worn copy in New King James translation. And a newer copy translated in English Standard Version. Throughout our house we have dozens of Bibles in many translations.

Eugene H. Peterson, Practice Resurrection, a conversation on growing up in Christ.

Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm, recovering the supernatural worldview of the Bible.

Ed Rimer The Unveiling, a book about the Revelation, the last book in the New Testament.

Robert Henderson, Operating in the Courts of Heaven, granting God the legal rights to fulfill His Passion and answer our prayers.

Humphrey Carpenter, The Inklings, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and their friends. NOTE: wouldn’t you have loved to sit at the table or been a fly on the wall to listen to their conversations?

Paul Cuny, Secrets of the Kingdom Economy. How you can flourish in God’s economy.

Kris Vallotton, Spiritual Intelligence. The art of thinking like God. You have the mind of Christ and the Spiritual capacity for brilliance.

My current Journal.

Jack Deere, Even in Our Darkness. A story of beauty in a broken life.

Several issues of IMPRIMIS. A publication of Hillsdale College.

Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son.

And four books that I’m reading as part of a Spiritual Leadership Training all by Dr. Leon van Rooyen.

Q&A, Discovering Sound Biblical Truths that will help you Grow in your Faith.

Well Done! …Good and faithful Servant.

Capture, The Heart of God for the Nations, A Daily Devotional Study

Bold, “The wicked flee when no one pursued, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”