Reading Rhythm

Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, continually challenges leaders to ... read, read read!  Now this discipline comes to some much easier than others.  For me, it takes a real effort to set aside time to focus and do this.  What I have found helpful in getting into a rhythm of reading is being strategic in how I approach this discipline.  Here are few suggestions that you may find helpful.

1. Come up with a list of books to read for a designated period of time.  I like to choose a 3 months.  This way you will have a clear goal in front of you with clear beginning and end dates.

2. Pick way more books than you can read.  So if you think you can read five in that time frame -- have a list of 10.  This is important because initially the first two or three titles may not work for you initially that you may get back to later.  Now you have a larger pool to draw from so your process does not get disrupted.

3. Select what may be considered "easy reads."  Now, when I say "easy reads" this in no way speaks to a lack of importance or lack of depth of content, but rather it speaks to a writing style that has a easy flow to it.  For example, the two books I most recently completed The Three Signs of a Miserable Job and Who Stole My Church would fit into that category. By reading these type of books first you can check some titles off your list quickly and give you the confidence to move ahead with more challenging reads.

I hope this will prod you to ... read, read, read!