A redeemed child of God, happy husband, homeschooling dad of nine, and lifelong lover of good books.
Hi, Dad!
Do you have good intentions for reading to and with your family, but don’t know where to start? Or maybe you have lots of ideas, but struggle to come up with a plan you can follow consistently? I don’t know about you, but ever since I was a teenager, I have always felt that I had too many books I wanted to or needed to read, and since becoming a dad, too many books to read to my family. Today I’m sharing a simple method for managing your books: creating a reading list so that you can set yourself up for success. Sometimes we just need to have a clear plan and post it somewhere we’ll see it regularly. Join me as I discuss how to build, maintain, and use your reading list!
Ready for the adventure,
Nathan
The books in my list reflect the roles I play as a Christian, a husband, a father, and a pastor.
“You and I can look at leisure reading that way too; we can think of it as not just something that we like to do, but as something that is going to give us recreation–that is, re-creation, refreshment to our minds. It might feel like it’s taking some time away from what we need to do, but I believe it repays the time lost by giving us some refreshment.”
What this looks like on my list:
“This order…is intended and intentional. The reason I list Scripture first should be obvious: I have to walk with God first and foremost, I have to know Him. My heart has to be filled with Him before I can properly fill all the other roles that I play in life.”
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” – Prov. 4:23
We will talk more about reading with individual children in a future episode [#19 is on the schedule, so subscribe and stay tuned!]
At the end of the year, your list of completed titles will stand as a visible testament to your diligence and thirst for knowledge and wisdom–and, the titles read for, to, or with your family will give you (and them) a sense of the time you invested in their lives.
“It is not dishonorable to stop reading a book, or return the book to your library, or return the digital book early. Remember that whatever you’re reading, whether it is required or recreational, whether it is for you personally or for your family, it is like anything else in your life–it is a tool to help you become the man God created you to be, to help build you into the husband, and father, and Christian brother God intends for you to become. If a book–or anything else for that matter–doesn’t serve those purposes, it’s better to put it aside and then pick up something else, and fill your mind and heart with content that will help you rather than hinder you.”
Not mentioned, but also reading with my wife:
And with our 13-year-old:
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” – 1 Corinthians 10:23
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/pony-express
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Faith revealed by obedience to His leading
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