Drink Coffee with John Piper and with All the Authors

"You can never be the same once you found great books!"

John Piper,
pastor and writer

Reading is one of the best pleasures of disciplines I know of to stay motivated and inspired. Reading from a great book is like having a conversation with the author. Last night, for example, by reading John Piper’s Desiring God over a cup of coffee – I can get behind this godly-radical-brilliant man’s thoughts and learn what made him so passionate about bringing the Gospel into other people’s lives.

Want to hang out with Eugene Peterson later? Grab his book. Want to have a conversation with C.H. Spurgeon? Martin Luther? C.S. Lewis? Richard Foster? J.I. Packer? John Wesley? John Bunyan? John MacArthur? John White? John Stott? John C. Maxwell? Mother Teresa? St. Augustine? Bill Gates? A. Samad Said? Ibrahim Ali? Grab their books. Reading a book by someone you highly respect allow some of their influence to rub off on you. You can never be the same once you found great books!

I'm not born to love books; in fact, I hated it in the beginning. But once I discovered that book is God’s greatest tool of education (and of salvation – which I’m referring to the Bible, the greatest book of all), I devoted my life to read book every single day of my life. I make it a habit to at least a half an hour or an hour or two a day to reading. I bring books wherever I go, even when I go to toilet. That habit has transformed me into who I am today. I have books on leadership, Christian living, theology, relationships, motivational, philosophy, business, novel, (even) cooking etc. These books have shaped my thinking and formed my personal philosophy.

I believe that those who know how to read and not reading is better off if they didn’t know how to read at all.  Make the time to read something good each day. Robin Sharma writes, “Fill your mind with big ideas and dazzling thoughts. Use books to flood your soul with hope and inspiration. And remember, if you want to lead, you really need to read.” How true. How true.

THINK BIG Reading is not automatic; it’s a habit that needs to be cultivating day by day. START SMALL Start with a thinner book, chapter by chapter – I mean a real book not magazine, comic or newspaper: a real solid book. GO DEEP Various your readings. Get difference subjects and authors. Read to understand, to learned from it, by thinking about it, by analyze its content, practice what you treasured and share or teach others. Happy reading friends!