My Reading Adventures With Heritage Youth

On Thursday, June 10, 2015, I led a Relationship Chat Session with the youths of New Heritage Baptist Church, Shomolu, Lagos. The session which was part of their 2015 Youth Week was quite interesting. During the session I shared that reading books is one of the ways by which we can equip ourselves for the success of our relationships. At the end of the program, a lovely young lady approached me and asked about my Group Reading Program. I explained that I Got a group of young people who would commit to reading the book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married" by Gary Chapman over a six week period, I will commit to coaching them.

 Source:Bookstore Quotes

Never underestimate the power of a determined mind. PrincessDee as her friends call her, responded, "I'll get back to you ma." She got back to me by email, having recruited fifteen of her friends to sign on to the Reading Program. The six weeks Reading Program kicked off on June 29, 2015.

Some expectations shared by the participants were:

1. For the fun of it. Never joined a reading group before. 

2. To grasp new knowledge that I may not have known by now with respect to marriage questions coupled with boosting my reading culture to grow in this area.

3. To be more prepared and enlightened to have and know what it takes to have a successful marriage.

4. A broader understanding of relationships and how to drive them towards a long-lasting marriage. The simple necessary actions to keep a woman and keep her happy. 

5. To find answers to questions relating to marriage and prepare for the marriage institution. 

6. That I may understand the basic and essentials of marriage for me to enjoy it to the fullest.

7. At the end of the program, I hope to have grown in my relationship with God and have a better understanding of his purpose for my life. Also, as a young Christian lady looking forward to the marriage institution, I want to gain a deeper knowledge of my roles as a wife and mother to be in order to have an excellent home. 

8. To get the most out of the book to help me develop healthier relationships with the view of a successful marriage. To also identify the major pitfalls in choosing a life partner.

9. To get knowledge on how to build a successful intentional relationship (not random dating) and avoid the pitfalls and mistakes made in previous relationships. 

10. I expect to have a better understanding to the concept of marriage, to understand my role and task as a woman in a relationship and eventually as a wife. I expect to be able to learn from other people and to generally learn new ideas and views to make myself better.

11. To choose the right man, to develop a healthy relationship with my spouse.

It was an interesting six weeks.

We had two 2-hour virtual meetings on BlackBerry - the first three weeks into the program and the second at the end of six weeks. The discussions were very enlightening for me as one who works with young people and also as a parent of young adults who are trying to figure out their way in life.

My young friends had a tough time finding the time to read the book and do the required assignments with their personal hectic schedule of leaving home early for work and getting back late. They found the time because of the accountability process of the Reading Program. At the end of six weeks, they appreciated that finding time to read was doable and greatly beneficial.

Were their expectations met? Here are the words they used to describe their experiences. Awesome and revealing. Enlightening. Refreshing. Revolutionary. Eye opening and educating.

And me, how did I feel? Astounded to say the least. I have once again experienced the significant impact that reading books can have in the lives of the people who read them. I first read Gary Chapman's book some years ago. I have since then recommended it to many people and sold it at Hidden Treasures Bookstore. This group is the second one I've done the six weeks Reading Program with. The feedback is the same - "Thank you for introducing this book to us."

And you know what? If I meet the fifteen young people I worked with in these past few weeks, I will not recognise them. I am yet to have a face to face meeting with them. *smiling* I look forward to meeting them all soon.

My takeaway? There's plenty of avenues for me to teach and encourage the love of books and of reading!

Thank you New Heritage Baptist Church and Heritage Youth for inviting me to your church. Thank you Likeminds Reading Group. Thank you PrincessDee for putting the group together and for being the Group Admin.

And now it’s your turn. You had any reading adventures recently? Share them..

I'd Really Love To Read Books, But...

I have read books all of my life. 

At my bedside, there is always a pile of books so that once I lie down on my bed, I pick one up to read. As I go about my work rounds, I have a book with me. On my way to a meeting, while I'm waiting for a meeting to start, I read. When I have an issue on my mind which I want resolved, but can't figure how to resolve it, I pick up a relevant book and read. When I need to learn a new skill I look for a book that explains how to do it and read.

For a long time, I have assumed that this way of reading books works for everyone. When I started this blog, I purposed to write about the books I read, reviewing them with a view to encouraging others to read too. This has shown me that I have a very haphazard reading pattern. I look at various books at the same time. I start one and read a few pages, maybe chapters and then move on to another. I now realise that I have in reality read bits here and there of many books.

In my post, I'm at the Starting Block...,I made a public commitment in 2014, to read for 15 minutes each day starting from August 1, 2014. I do long to really keep this commitment. My desire is to blog about the books I read. Nine months later, I am still struggling with finding the "appropriate" time to read books in a structured disciplined manner. I am also still struggling with picking up a book to read and staying with it to the last page. So instead of blogging about the books I've read, I am writing about my journey to establish a regular habit of reading books. In a way, this journey is helping me to understand that, perhaps, many people who appear not to read books do read. It may be that, that as it is with me, they have a personal style.

Source: Wright Thurston

It's not all gloomy news. Blogging reminds me of the reason I made the commitment in the first place - to share my love for reading and the lessons I learn as I read books. As I sit to write my posts, I have an opportunity to review my progress towards the achievement of this objective and to revise my strategy for doing so. I recognise now that I need to be more intentional about my efforts if I really want to get to my desired goal.  Nana Fredua-Agyeman's "A Reader's Tips to Cultivate a Reading Habit" has provided me some insight into the steps I should take. Some of these are:

• Identifying a specific area of interest for my reading habit
• Developing a specific strategy to drive my reading habit.
• Being disciplined and consistent in implementing that strategy
• Keeping company with other people who have or are cultivating the habit of reading books.

I am renewing my commitment to read books. I will persevere until I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I invite you come along with me on this journey. 

Did You Really Read That Book?

We buy a book and read through it once and then put it away on the bookshelf. But, did we really read that book? How many times should a book be read? 

Source: Oh, The Books!

About a fortnight ago, a friend invited me to join a Mastermind group to study "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell. I had always wanted to participate in a Mastermind group. Plus, I was examining my life to identify areas that need improvement or adjustment. So I promptly committed to the ten-week group.

Now my first contact with this book was in 2003 when Hidden Treasures Bookstore opened for business. In that season, it was one of our best sellers. As a bookseller who wanted to be on top of her game, I read the book at the time. But, did I really read that book?

I received the first pre-meeting assignment and purposed in my heart that I would be a diligent, focused member of the Mastermind group. I set out to get a new copy of "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" and discovered that it had been revised in 2007. Once I got the revised edition, I commenced reading. Again and again, as I read on, I asked myself, "Did I really read that book?" 

You must be wondering why this question kept coming up. The question arose because although I had vague remembrances of the knowledge I grasped when I first read the book in 2003. I had forgotten much of what I read. As I turned the pages, I noticed some important information for the first time. In addition, with the experience of passing years, I reckon that some information also became more relevant to me. I wasn't the same person I was twelve years ago. I've grown and had varied leadership experiences. I look back and assess my performance as leader in the years gone by. All of these changed how I now view the book, "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership". Perhaps, I now appreciate the book as I didn't do in my first reading. Perhaps things I glossed over then, now have meaning in the light of my experiences.

I ask the question again, "Did you really read that book?" when you read it just once. There probably are various reasons why you don't re-read books. Some would say, with so much to do, who has the time to re-read a book they already read? Some others would say, I have read it once, and I already know what's in the book, why re-read it? I'd say, don't dismiss re-reading a book you have read. Re-reading can be a useful tool. Think of how you will request a teacher to go over some material you really want to understand. Why not take the same desire to understand a little further and re-read a book once in a while?

Now it’s your turn. Did you really read that book?

I'm Staying With It...

One of the beautiful things about defining an objective and committing to it, especially publicly is that you never forget it or give up.

Source

It is now four months since i wrote and posted a blog entry. In all that time I have constantly thought of my commitment to write a weekly blog post, As desirous as I was of keeping my commitment, taking the needed action has been much harder than I initially thought it would be.

Looking back now, the truth was that I already had a very full schedule and if my blogging desire was going to truly take off and be consistent, something had to give. I couldn't be everything and do everything that I wanted to be. It was time to determine which of my many interests, I will have to let go.  And so I gave myself time to reevaluate my time commitments.

In the past couple of months, I have learnt how to say No to some things so I can say Yes to some other things.Most of the things I have had to say No to are good things. Being on a committee for a good cause, attending yet another social event...I am still in the process of making my life lighter...but as you can see, I am making progress. Evidence of my progress is my writing this post.

One thing I will not give up in this process of making my life lighter is reading books.

I have continued to read books. In my next post, I will tell you about "Miracle on the Hudson" by Chigozie Udmezue the book I am reading now.

Now what about you? What is that thing you have committed to doing and which hasn't taken off? Don't give up on it. Go back to your planner and make time for it in your schedule. It may take a while for you to get going. Stick with it.

I Won't Give Up...

Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something, like a person or a cause. 

A commitment obligates you to do something.

Making a commitment is a good thing. Once you define an objective and make a commitment to achieve it, the commitment holds the objective constantly before you. I am learning the benefits of making a commitment. It is a little over eleven weeks now since I posted my last blog entry. In these eleven weeks, I constantly remembered my two commitments:

• To write a blog post every week; and
• To read for 15 minutes every day

I kept the commitment to read for 15 minutes a day. In fact because I already have a love for reading, I read for more than fifteen minutes each day. I have since completed the book, Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman and started to read "Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships" by Chip Ingram. However, I still struggle to read at regular times.

Writing a weekly the blog post has been a tougher nut to crack. Eleven weeks have gone by without a blog post. Did I just forget my commitment? Not really. Every day, I remembered it. Yet each week went by, without a blog post. I am slowly recognising that when I make a commitment, I need to make space for it in my schedule of things to do. For writing the blog, I need to make time for thinking about what to write. I need to also make time for writing the entry and posting it. And so I am at my desk resuming work on something that I have committed to do.

I'm glad I made a public commitment. It has kept me accountable. I thank you, my friends, who have inquired from time to time, about when you'll see my next post. Here it is...

The next couple of weeks will show me whether I am mastering the lesson I am learning about making space in my schedule of things to do for the commitments that I have made.

Now its your turn. What commitments have you made in recent times. How are you doing with keeping them?

Discovering Myself...

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” ~Henry David Thoreau

A few months back, I decided to write a blog post every week. My commitment was public and because I pride myself as one who keeps her word, I have since then kept that commitment in my face. At first, it was a struggle to even remember to put writing the blog post in my weekly schedule. And when I did remember, it was yet another struggle to write it. I chose to keep my commitment.

My blog was to share my journey as I build my life by learning from books. I am not sure there is any time in my life that I am not reading a book. I always have a pile of books beside  my bed. I do not leave my home without a book in my handbag so that if I find myself waiting somewhere I have something to read. I will rather read a book than watch TV. So I felt blogging about my journey with books will be a breeze. Alas!!! That has not been the case.

In these few months, I have discovered a few things about myself. One discovery that has surprised me is this: Though I have read portions of very many books, I have completed only very few. And so I know bits about many subjects because I have skimmed many books, but I am not sure I can have a rich conversation about these books and their content.

Do I hear you say, "What does it matter?" I ask myself the same question.

Prior to blogging, I would have responded that it does not matter. However, the goal of my blog is to encourage others to develop a reading habit and enjoy books. To do that I have to read books to and not just skim through them.

Last week, I made another public commitment. I decided to start a 15 Minute A Day Reading Challenge from today August 1. I will choose a book, read it for 15 minutes each day, and stick with the same book until I complete it. All through this week, I have struggled with the choice of which of my many books, I should read. I have concluded that it doesn't matter which book I choose. What matters is that I stick to the plan. Arriving at that conclusion made it easy for me to write today's post.

And so starting from today, I will read from from 6pm to 6.15pm every day. My first book is Things I Wish I'd Known Before We Got Married by Gary Chapman.  If I read for just 15 minutes a day - every day, for one year - I can complete 20 books! I am excited, just thinking about it.

Hmmmmmmnnn! I set out to write one blog post a week. I am steadily approaching the achievement of that goal. But look! See what I am becoming by achieving my goal.

What goals have you set for yourself? What are you becoming by achieving that goal?

I'm at the Starting Block...

There is no elevator to success…you have to take the stairs. - Zig Ziglar

With an elevator, you can close your eyes and be taken up to a higher level. With taking the staircase, you have to focus on where you are going, you have to exert yourself to get to the higher level .

Last week, I renewed my commitment to read for 15 minutes everyday. Start date for implementation is August 1.  In preparation for taking action on this commitment, I have all of this week been looking at my activities plan with a view to choosing the specific 15 minutes of the day in which I will read.

Its amazing how very cluttered my life is that to find just 15 minutes to spare is tough. However, because my decision is public and because I like to be accountable, I have not given up on finding the time to read for 15 minutes daily. I realise now, that it is good that there is some time lag between when I made the commitment and when I am to start its implementation. The last one week and the remaining days of the month of July are affording me the privilege of thinking through my commitment and how best to implement it. If I were to have implemented the decision last week when I made it, I probably would have given up by now. I hear you asking me "Why?"

I'd have given up, because, I had not yet answered some important questions that are critical to helping me achieve the goal. Some of these are:

1. Which time of the day was I considering?

2. How would my current daily activity plan be affected by using this time differently?

3. What adjustments do I need to make to accommodate the expected changes?

4. Which book do I want to start with?

Not having answers to these questions meant that I was already falling down right from the starting block. I have learnt an important lesson. When I set a goal, that is just the first step. My current activity plan will require some adjustment to accommodate the steps that I will take in order to achieve the goal.  I need to ask and answer the questions:

• What are the small steps that will help me to achieve the goal? 
• How would my current daily activity plan be affected by implementing these steps? 
• What adjustments do I need to make to my present activity plan?

I have chosen two 15 minutes segment in my day for reading my book daily one in the morning and one in the evening. I chose two so that regardless of the pressures on my time, at the worst, I'll have 15 minutes daily, at best, I'll have 30 minutes daily.

If I read just 15 minutes a day - every day, for one year - I can complete 20 books! I am excited just thinking about it. 

Will it be easy? I'm not kidding myself that it will. But  I will give it my best effort. 

Will you join me in the 15 Minutes a Day Reading Challenge? Click here to find out more about it. Let me know in the comment box if you're accepting my invitation.

I'm Taking My Own Advice...

Advice is very easy to give to others but quite tough to implement in one's own life.

As a bookstore owner and a lover of books, I very often dish out advice to others with a view to encouraging them to give time to read good books. In 2013, I read a blog post on Lifelong Learning by Jen Harris and learnt that:

• If you read just one book per month for 12 straight months, you will be in the top 25 percentile of all intellectuals in the world!
• If you read five books on one subject, you are one of the world’s foremost leading authorities on that subject!
• If you read just 15 minutes a day — every day, for one year — you can complete 20 books!

Based on this discovery, on Hidden Treasures Bookstore's Facebook page, we invited our fans to  join our 15 Minutes A Day Reading Challenge. Here's how the challenge worked. Participants were to:

1. Choose a book to start with and get the book;

2. Choose a specific time in the day when they'll read the book EVERY day for 15 minutes, e.g.     6.00 - 6.15pm;

3. Start reading the book every day at the scheduled time;

4. When they finished reading the first book, take a second book and repeat the cycle;

5. Share their experiences (if they like) with us on our Facebook page as they go on this journey;

6. Invite their friends to do the same.

Since I resumed blogging about my experience reading books, I have done some self assessment and found that I have not taken my own advice. I haven't put in my daily schedule time for reading as advised in the 15 Minutes A Day Reading Challenge. Invariably, my desire to read regularly is not realised as other activities overwhelm any efforts I make to fulfil that desire.

The time has come for me to take my own advice. I really do want to share my experience about reading books. To do that I have to read books on a regular basis. So I have come to the place of a new commitment. I commit from August 1, 2014 to take the 15 Minutes A Day Reading Challenge.

I invite you to join me in this challenge.  Let me know in the comment box, if you're accepting my invitation.

Encouragement from Books

Books are great tools for encouraging yourself.

As I dwelt on the matter of book piracy and its devastating effect on the Nigerian Book Trade in general and Hidden Treasures Bookstore in particular, for the first time in the history of my bookstore, I considered shutting down and moving on to some other business.

While in this mode, I  had a trip to make to the village. I would be there for about ten days. When I go on such a trip, it is my practice to go with a book. The atmosphere in the village is serene. In addition, life in the village is a break from my regular routine. I find that I am able to speed read a book while there.

For this trip, I chose Supernatural Destiny by Don Nori. Don Nori is the founder of Destiny Image Publishers, an American Christian Publishing company. Supernatural Destiny is the story of how he started Destiny Image. In his book, Nori shared the challenges he faced while nurturing his publishing company in the early days.

In  a chapter titled, "God Sends People to Encourage", Nori shared how God providentially sent people his way at different times in the early days of his business to encourage him. As I read about his experiences, I began to recall similar experiences in the years past of how God providentially brought people my way. I recalled how in my interactions with these people, I had received encouragement and assurance that I was not in the wrong business.

By the time I'd read through the book, "Supernatural Destiny", I was greatly revived. I remembered the dreams and vision that led to the start of my bookstore. I remembered the significant milestones, I had passed in the life of the  bookstore. I recalled the undeniable encounters which could only have happened because God showed up. I was revived and reminded that challenges and obstacles are part and parcel of life.

And so the thoughts of closing down my bookstore which arose in my mind as I reviewed the impact of book piracy on our operations receded. I love reading books. I want to share that love of books with others. I want to promote the love for books in the coming generations. The activities of book pirates will not discourage or deter me from working at fulfilling my dream.

If my experience encourages you, even in a small way to hold on to your dream, I will be delighted to hear from you.

Piracy of Books

I was discouraged this week and I'd like to tell you about it.

Piracy of books has been perhaps the biggest challenge that booksellers in Nigeria have faced in the last couple of years. Best selling books and bibles which form the core inventory of many bookstores have been taken by pirates who have flooded the market with illegally produced copies. In  the past, it was quite easy to recognise pirated works. The quality of the work and the paper used was very poor. With the advancement in technology, the quality of the pirated works is quite close to the original editions.

On the one hand, members of the public, largely ignorant, happily buy the pirated works, supposing that they are getting fantastic price bargains. They even accuse bookstore owners and booksellers who sell original works of being selfish people who are out to make excessive profit. On the other hand, bookstore owners have unsold inventory because their customers are now buying pirated books They have a hard time having enough funds to pay their suppliers and have to lay off staff. Furthermore, because they cash strapped, they are unable to bring new titles to the customers who are faithful and consistent in their patronage. Some bookstores have had to close down.

Many bookstore owners, yours truly included, have chosen not to deal in pirated works. It has been tough but we have stayed true to our choice.

"My Vision: Challenges in the Race for Excellence" by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai was introduced to the local book market in January 2014. As with other bookstores, we at Hidden Treasures Bookstore, received enquiries about this inspiring book. In a bid to satisfy our customers, we ordered the book. To our chagrin, the pirated version of the book has flooded the market. And it is selling at one-tenth the price of the original work.

How does a honest bookstore owner deal with this? Customers' accusations, unsold inventory resulting in cash flow issues...

the truth is that the only way a customer can identify pirated works is to believe in the integrity of the bookstore from which he buys books regularly. if a bookstore's customer believes that the bookstore operates with integrity, he will be suspicious once he is offered books at ridiculously low prices. In recent times, customers who have patronised us for years at Hidden Treasures Bookstore have accused us of charging exorbitant prices. We have been horrified. Seeing that book prices have remained stable for quite some time, their accusations infer that we have not acted with integrity. Coming from long-standing customers, that was dreadful. That is what has discouraged me in the last couple of days.

Talking about it to you, my friends makes me feel better. May I ask that you be my partner in fighting piracy? Bookstore owners need you to tell others about what piracy really is and its impact. We may have apparently cheap books today, courtesy of the pirates. Those books are cheap because the authors are being denied the royalty that is due to the on the pirated copies. Pirating means that you are lowering the chance of the authors getting any royalties in the first place, and increasing the time it will take for them to earn those royalties> But will the pirates bring us all the different books that we want to see in our bookstores on a consistent basis? It is doubtful that they will. Let's join hands to work for a future in which we will have a steady inflow of good books to our community.

I Choose To Be Accountable...

An accountability partner is someone who you trust to hold you to the standards that you set for yourself. As stated in the quote by Bob Proctor in the graphic below, "Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results."

Keeping a commitment to friends is difficult. You really want to be seen as a person of your words. And yet when the going gets tough, you have a reason that you think is good enough to explain why you have not kept the commitment you made to them. What can your friends do? They accept your explanation. Those who hold you accountable listen to your explanations, but, remind you not indulge yourself in excuses.

Last week, I didn't write a post for my blog. A number of my friends checked in with me to find out why. They reminded me that I had requested them to keep me accountable in writing posts for my blog. I am grateful to them that they did. It set me thinking about the commitment I made to you my readers that I will write one post every week. I realised that ultimately keeping a commiment to others begins with keeping a promise to yourself.

And so, this week I choose to keep the promise to myself and then to you.

As I searched within myself to find out why I was not writing my blog posts., I admitted to myself, that in some way, I expect the post to write itself. I hear you asking, "How do you mean?" One I'd written a post and published it, I went merrily on my way and I didn't give the blog another thought until it was time to publish another one. Of course, it's not so easy to think up a subject, develop it and then write a post in the twinkling of an eye. So, I'd struggle with it and when I make no headway, I'll then say to myself, perhaps I'll just leave it off till the next week. I see now what may have led to my blog going comatose in my earlier attempts.

I am learning that I need to think ahead. I need to choose the subjects I'll write about well ahead. I need to include in my schedule, time to develop my thoughts and time to write my posts.

You my friends are doing a good job of holding me accountable. Now I need to show by the provision I make in my weekly plan that I intend to keep my commitment, first to myself and then to you all. That I will do.

Now is there some way I can reciprocate the favour you have done to me of keeping me accountable? Let me know......

Keeping My Promise....

It's two weeks and one day since my last blog entry. I had reasons to postpone writing an entry but I remembered the commitment I have made to you all, my friends. When I restarted my blog in April, I committed to writing one blog post every week. So here I am, keeping my promise to you.

In the last fortnight, I paused reading Dr. John Townsend's "How to Be a Best Friend Forever". 

What happened? I hear you ask. 

First, I went on a business visit to my bookstore, Hidden Treasures Bookstore in Enugu. Because I had not visited for some time there was quite a lot to do. To accommodate all that I had to do, I assigned low priority to reading my book. Since I didn't do any reading that week, I felt I didn't have anything to share with you, my friends.

Sometime during my stay in the bookstore, my eyes rested on a book "When I Lay My Isaac Down" by Carol Kent. As I moved about in the bookstore, I was intrigued by the subtitle of the book, "Unshakeable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances".  At some point,my curiosity got the better of me and I picked up the book from the shelf where it was and looked through it.

The book outlined transformational principles that Gene and Carol Kent learnt  in the process of facing the news that forever changed their lives. Their twenty-five year-old son, a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy with an impeccable record shot and killed his wife's ex-husband. Long recognised for his exemplary character, their son, now walks a path no one could have predicted - and his family lives in the aftermath of a devastation most cannot imagine.

To say that I was shocked as I read the book is putting it mildly. I wondered again and again, what would I do if I found myself such an unthinkable circumstance? At first, my reaction was "God forbid!!!" as we would say in local parlance. Then I recalled a number of people around me who had in recent times found themselves in unthinkable circumstances. I decided to read the book not just for reading sake, but to walk with the author, Carol Kent, and learn with her, the transformational principles she wrote about in the book.

A week ago, I copied this from the book,

 " All of us have circumstances that produce varying degrees of personal loss and devastation. Will we maintain our grip on hope in the process of defeat? Will we live our lives with passion and purpose even, if in this lifetime, we are not permitted to have an answer as to why something has happened? Will we choose unshakeable faith, or will we give up on God? I believe God's great invitation is to engage us in the process of discovering the power of choosing faith when that decision makes no sense.There is hidden power in our unthinkable circumstances."

In less than twenty-four hours after I copied this quote into my journal, I received news of an unthinkable circumstance that shook me and made me to ask God "Why? How did You allow this?" As I struggled with my thoughts and emotions on receiving this news, I recalled the quote copied into my journal. I recalled the story of the Kents as they walked with God in their unthinkable circumstance. I realized that I was being presented with an opportunity to choose faith when the decision made no sense.

I found that reading a book had become the means by which I received advance preparation to cope with my unthinkable circumstance. And so I have gone back to the book, "When I Lay My Isaac Down" for now.

Have I given up on my earlier book, "How to Be a Best Friend Forever"? No. I have only paused for a while. I will return to it shortly.

And now it's your turn. What book are you reading? And what are you learning from it?

A Pause Along the Way...

Another week has rolled away into history. 

This week, I did not do much reading. 

Every one who makes an effort to read books experiences this. For some, they have many activities in their schedule that crowd out the time they have allotted for books. For others, it may be that the activities they have been involved in tired them out. And for some others there may just be no desire to pick up a book to read.

The difference between the habitual and non-habitual reader is this. The habitual reader understands that this is just a passing phase. Here is where having a commitment to follow a reading schedule pays off. By a reading schedule, I mean, a commitment to read a certain number of chapters a day, or to read for a some set time, (fifteen, thirty minutes, sometimes one hour). As their hectic schedule eases off, they return to their commitment.

The non-habitual reader, on the other hand, reads, when they have time, or when they feel like it. Once the pressure of a hectic schedule or a calendar full of activities hits them, their reading plan goes into a spin. Recovering from that spin is an uphill task, because there is no prior commitment or plan for the recovery phase. Frequently, it's at this point that the non-habitual reader gives up on reading.

A new week is dawning. I'll be on a road trip for most of tomorrow, Sunday. I plan to catch up on my reading of Dr. John Townsend's "How to Be A Best Friend Forever" while on that trip. Already,from the book, I have learned that to deepen the attachment of the relationships I have with my friends, it's important to act in ways that foster trust and openness to each other.

The decision to let you, my friends know how I am doing has been a great help. Choosing to be accountable to you, makes me to keep my decision to read this book in focus. That's another important factor that habitual readers understand.

I invite you to join me in this journey of learning from books.  Tell me, what book are you currently reading? And what was your experience with that exercise this past week?