Reading…and READING!

On the whole, I like to read. And I read a great deal. And I have a great deal to read! I don’t have a “to-read-shelf.” I have “to read shelves!” Just ask my wife; she’ll tell you!

My day typically begins early with reading—I read the Bible and a devotional book or two for the first hour of the day…coffee at hand, of course!

Much of my reading is work-related. I read for background material on biblical texts coming up in weekly sermons or teaching settings. I read commentaries to make sure I’m interpreting the texts correctly. With several commentary sets as well as individual commentaries on each book of the Bible, I never seem to be able to consult all of them for a given sermon text.

So there’s that reading.

Then there’s other ministry-related reading. Right now, I’m in the middle of reading a few different books on the subject of suffering and depression. And then there’s a book the men are reading together. And another on a theological topic.

I like to read biographies, too. I’m about one-third of the way through a biography of J.C. Ryle, and after him, could be Bonhoffer or Charles Hodge or Thomas Jefferson or Roger Williams or Aaron Burr.…

Every year, I read at least a couple of books on productivity, time management, leadership, and the like. I usually find them motivating, challenging me to grow and develop in key areas of personal and professional life.

I’ll usually have a history book nearby, too. Guardians of the Valley, for example, tells the story of the relationship between John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt in their respective efforts to set aside Yosemite Valley as a National Park. I’ve also started The Age of Decadence, tracing the history Britain in the late Victorian and Edwardian eras.

I don’t read much fiction, but I do have a John Grisham book on the shelf waiting for me to crack the cover.

Historical fiction, however, is more intriguing. The Shaara trilogy on the Civil War got me hooked years ago. Since then, his works on the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the World Wars have found a spot on my shelves.

Last week, I posted a book review of Mitch Albom’s book The Little Liar. Technically it’s a novel, but the first half or more is set in the historical context of Hitler’s rise to power and his “final solution” of exterminating Jews. So, Albom draws from a wealth of historical data, making the fictional story quite plausible. While the four main characters in the book are the product of the author’s fertile imagination, their experiences through the war years and even beyond were the lived experiences of many.

It’s this last book that got me thinking about “reading” in its different forms.

My copy of The Little Liar arrived on a Monday, and I began reading it that evening. By Thursday evening, I had finished the 350 pages. While 5% of the Amazon reviews gave it a mere 1-3 stars, I found myself in the 82% that gave it a 5.

This level of reading, obviously, is quite different from, say, reading a biography or commentary or theological work.

But the distinction I want to explore is between reading for yourself, “reading” by listening to an audiobook, and reading for someone else—as if you are recording the audiobook.

The difference occurred to me after I finished The Little Liar and shared with my wife that I thought it was a really good read. Then I asked if she wanted me to read it to her. She eagerly said yes. So I began again.

We’ve had four or five reading sessions thus far—on page 68, I believe—and during the second session, it struck me how different this is from the first time through.

When you read for yourself—at least, this is true for me—the pace is much faster. The eyes skim across the words, the brain takes them in, processes their meaning and what’s going on in the story, but before the full impact has a chance to hit, you’ve moved on to the next sentence…paragraph…chapter.

Not to suggest there’s no impact. Often during the first read through, I’d finish a chapter and groan a bit over what I’d read, letting it sink in before diving into the next chapter.

In reading aloud for someone else, though, everything sinks in deeper.

I recall finishing one paragraph, stopped, and observed to my wife, “He really has some insight into human nature, doesn’t he?”

On a couple of other occasions, hearing myself articulate the horror of what was written choked me up a bit, and I stumbled over the words.

Another element that deepens the experience is the feedback received from the listener. Seeing the troubled expression or the puddles in the eye or the wince or the shaking head reinforces the emotions triggered within and sharpens the poignancy of the printed page. The shared experience of reader and listener, the brief glance signifying emotional agreement, can be a powerful thing.

As I pondered these things, I thought about the audiobook experience. The reader, of course, gets no feedback, so that “powerful thing” is non-existent. The listener can still be impacted, of course—possibly more so than if he were reading the page for himself, given the slower pace.

Don’t know about you, but I’ve found that unless I’m in a setting where I can really concentrate on the recorded voice, my mind is far more susceptible to distraction than when I’m reading the book myself—for myself or for someone else. Often when listening to an audiobook, I have to stop, rewind, and listen again because I ventured off into lala land somewhere in that last paragraph.

Personally, I don’t get much out of an audiobook unless it’s fiction or historical fiction and just need to follow the story. Biography is OK, but the only lasting value I get out of listening to a non-fiction book is if insights stimulate me to buy the hard copy so I can take notes and mark it up.

So, this isn’t a scientific conclusion, but I personally rate the overall impact of reading (from least to greatest):

• 3. Audiobook
• 2. Personal reading (the printed page)
• 1. Reading aloud with someone else

That conclusion leads to an interesting observation.

In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy—a younger pastor in the city of Ephesus—he challenges him to engage in several essential activities while leading the congregation in public worship. Among them, Paul writes,

“…give attention to reading.”

– 2 Timothy 4:13

Paul isn’t talking about Timothy’s reading in the study to prepare for his next sermon. He’s referring to the public reading of Scripture in the hearing of the congregation.

As I considered my observations about reading aloud to my wife, it struck me how beneficial public reading of Scripture can be for all parties involved!

At our church, during Sunday morning worship service, at least three passages of the Bible are read. We ask congregants to look at the words in their own Bible for two of those times.

Here’s what I hope happens—at least sometimes. I hope the listener will have an occasional “Ah!!” moment when the vocal inflection, tone, emphasis, or pace gives insight into the meaning of the text, perhaps missed in a more casual reading.

As the reader, I have from time to time been struck by some insight during the public reading that I missed in all of my private silent reading.

Interesting.

How about you? Do these various levels of reading affect you as they do me?

Regardless, I trust there’s a good bit of public reading of the Bible in your church…that it’s read well…and that you listen intently to what’s read!