Every summer, our students get a reading list — a number of books they are required to read over the summer. When I was in school, this did not exist. When we finished a school year, we did not even think about school until the next fall semester. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it gave our minds a much-needed break. Bad because we often forgot things we learned from the last school year.
In a way, I guess these summer reading lists have been created to keep students engaged throughout the summer months. But what about those of us who aren’t in school anymore? What do we do to keep our minds engaged?
This summer, I’m planning on doing a bit more to engage my mind. I’ve began listening to more ministry-related podcasts, and I’ve got a short reading list. While my list contains more than just Orange Books, I was definitely inspired by their “Summer Reading List.” They even sent me a box of their new books. Instead of just listing the books on my list, I thought I’d do a quick “unboxing” of the Orange Books and share a bit of why I’m excited to read them.
My current reading list:
- Not Normal: Seven Quirks of Incredible Volunteers by Sue Miller and Adam Duckworth
- It’s Just a Phase: So Don’t Miss it by Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy
- Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger
As you can tell, my list is short. Why? I think we often get overwhelmed by the number of books we “need” to read, and therefore, we don’t read any of them. I think it’s important to create a short list, knock them out, and then create a new list. Maybe you need to even give yourself a longer timeline, because the summer might not be long enough for you to read your list. Consider making a 2015 reading list, which will take you the rest of the year to read.
If you would like to participate in Orange Books’ 8-week “Summer Reading List,” which started on July 12, you can sign up by clicking here. Not only will you get the full list of books, you will also get weekly emails with special offers on select Orange Books. I can’t share all the details about these special offers, but I will say they are pretty sweet!!
Do you have your own summer reading list? Share it in the comments. If you’re planning on doing something else to engage your mind this summer, list it too. We all could do a better job of loving God with all our mind (Mark 12:30; Matt. 22:37; Luke 10:27).
Steve Cullum 