Finally, if we ignore words and reading, I’m afraid we greatly diminish our
ability to think critically (analyzing and
evaluating information). Our critical
thinking muscles are strengthened
through reading. While we can certainly learn from online instructional
videos or lectures, reading demands
greater mental effort. Reading forces
us to put words together to form sentences, which form thoughts. We must
then think carefully about the author’s
intended message. Sometimes we just
have to wrestle with the content before
we fully understand it. This takes time
and effort.
While images give us a picture for our
minds to contemplate, we still need
words to articulate and clearly communicate the meaning of a picture.
Without words we miss out on what it
means to experience God in His Word,
we bypass the wisdom of others, and
our ability to think critically is diminished.
Before you “write off” reading, think
about these things. You may be surprised to know how much words still
matter!
[1] Reinke, Tony. Lit!: A Christian Guide to Reading
Books. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2011. 49-50.
By Marco Salazar
Pastoral Resident
Marco is married to his
lovely wife, Kari and
they have one daughter
named Ariana. Marco
enjoys writing, reading,
and being a daddy.
Words of Faith
For Your Summer Reading
Rescuing the Gospel
by Erwin W. Lutzer
The Reformation is a stirring story of courage and
cowardice, of betrayal and faith. The story begins
with the Catholic Church and its desperate need for
reform. The dramatic events that followed are traced
from John Wycliffe in England, to the burning of
John Hus at the stake in Prague, to the rampant sale
of indulgences in the cities and towns of Germany, to
Martin Luther nailing the Ninety-Five Theses to the
door of the Castle Church in 1517, to John Calvin's
reform of Geneva. Erwin Lutzer captures the people,
places, and big ideas that fueled the Reformation
and explains its lasting influence on the church and
Western Civilization. This is truly an exciting, can'tstop-reading kind of book.
The Pug List
by Alison Hodgson
“What if a wheezing, sneezing, allegedly housetrained, ticking time bomb of an orphan pug is the
key to helping a family feel at home again, after an
arsonist set their house—and life—on fire? If you
asked me, I would have said it’s a bad idea; we can do
better. Unfortunately no one asked me, and The Pug
List is my family’s story.” Written by a local author,
this winsome book is heartwarming and beautifully
written, and full of wisdom, humor, and hope in the
face of great loss.
None Like Him
by Jen Wilkin
“In an upside-down world that has humanized God
and deified man, Jen Wilkin brings us the best
news imaginable: our God is infinitely greater…
and more wonderful than we can possibly fathom.”
—Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, Radio Host
God is self-existent, self-sufficient, eternal, immutable, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, infinite, and incomprehensible. We're not. And
that's a good thing. Our limitations are by design. We
were never meant to be God. Calling us to embrace
our limits as a means of glorifying God's limitless
power, Jen Wilkin invites us to celebrate the freedom
that comes when we rest in letting God be God.
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