Reading Christians Are Growing Christians #1Book1Week September 2021

“Reading Christians are growing Christians,” said John Wesley, “When Christians cease to read, they cease to grow.” How true! In the past, I used to give three books per month through my blog (this was before I entered the full-time ministry. Cash is king!). There were three main reasons why I giveaway books for free: 1) So that my readers can gain godly wisdom, get inspired, and be motivated to live a Christian life through Christian’s literature; 2) To give them a tool to stir, exercise, and polish the edge of their God-given mind; and 3) To cultivate their passion for reading. Although I’m not giving away books anymore, the reason number 3) is still part of my purpose why I write book reviews and this kind of post.

In my opinion, reading is essential for Christians to grow mentally and spiritually. I venture to say that today, reading is one of the main ways God effectively speaking to us on a daily basis (Have you ever wonder why God give us The Book - a.k.a. The Bible - as the medium for us to know His will, His works, and His sovereignty?). On reading, the apostle Paul’s counsel to young Timothy to “focus on reading the Scripture” (1 Timothy 4:13), which in context referred to the public reading of the Old Testament. J. Oswald Sanders, in his classic book Spiritual Leadership, comments on 2 Timothy 4:13: “Paul’s advice is appropriate for other areas of reading as well. Paul’s books – the one he wanted Timothy to bring along – were probably words of Jewish history, explanations of the law and prophets, and perhaps some of the heathen poets Paul quoted in his sermons and lectures. A student to the end, Paul wanted to spend time in study.” If Paul, who God used to write half of the New Testament and was in prison waiting for his death sentence when he wrote letters to Timothy, continues his study by [wanted to] reading books, do you think reading is not important for Christians?

Read to “fill the wells of inspiration,” advise Harold Ockenga, an evangelist and avid reader himself. I say read for spiritual benefit, read for intellectual growth, read to cultivate speaking and writing style, read to acquire new information and knowledge, read to keep current with the time and read to polishes the edge of your God-given mind. Aldous Huxley, an English writer and philosopher, reminds us: “Every man who knows how to read has it in his power to magnify, to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting.”

#ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my previous #1Book1Week book reviews, CLICK HERE  

1) Unveiling the End Times In Our Time (2004) by Adrian Rogers, READ HERE

2) A Word to Fellow Pastors and Other Christian Leaders (1875, 2019) by Horatius Bonar, READ HERE

3) How To Think Like Einstein (2000, 2015) by Scott Thorpe, READ HERE

4) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy (1954) by Clive Staples Lewis, READ HERE

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

How To Think Like Einstein (2015) by Scott Thorpe, Book Review

How To Think Like Einstein: Simple Ways to Break the Rules and Discover Your Hidden Genius (2000, 2015) by Scott Thorpe

Three primary materials sparked my interest in the life of Albert Einstein, namely, Walter Isaacson's Einstein (2007, an extensive volume biography that I didn't get to finished), a TV series Genius: Einstein (2017, based on Isaacson's book), and John Gribbin's Einstein's Masterwork (2015). I also watched lots of documentaries about his life and works. Thus, I can boast about having general knowledge about Albert Einstein. Still, I cannot say the same when it comes to an understanding of how the general theory of relativity really works (Yes, YouTube videos are helpful. Thank you). Although Albert Einstein wasn't the only gifted intellectual during his lifetime, his accomplishments, especially the 1905 papers, make him the poster-child or the symbol of GENIUS. The words Einstein and genius are synonymous. So no wonder many authors who want to write books on being a genius or discovering your hidden genius will go to Einstein for reference or as the chief model. But I think we shouldn't want to be like Einstein or think precisely like Einstein because Einstein is one of a kind. We are created by God (not evolve) wonderfully and uniquely from everyone else. However, we can - and should - learn from others, including Einstein, even if we disagree with them. When I approach this book with this attitude, I get more from it.

The essence of Einstein's secret to think like a genius, according to the author, is that "you've got to break the rules." I know this is not a piece of top-secret information. But I agree with Scott Thorpe when he writes: "Rules are not always bad things. They are like railroad tracks. If you want to go where the track goes, they are perfect. But like destinations without a rail line, some solutions cannot be reached by following our rules. The only way to get there is to leave the tracks. Rules stunt innovative thinking because they seem so right. They hide the numerous superior solutions that exist but are outside our rule ruts. These great solutions will only be found by breaking the rules." As I observe myself and others, I find that most of our rule ruts are in our heads: we are trained to obey the rules mindlessly, we refuse to think differently when we become 'experts', we hold on to our limited perceptions, we don't stop to notice external forces that influence us, we quickly rejecting contrary evidence, we tend to conform to groupthink, the fear of rejections paralyzes us, etc. A world-class problem-solver and master of rule-breaker, Albert Einstein said, "We must recognize what in our accepted tradition is damaging to our fate and dignity - and shape our lives accordingly."

But even Einstein is not immune to rule ruts. Imagine this: Einstein's intelligence was consistently high throughout his life, and as he grew older, his vast knowledge of mathematics and science increased steadily. At the beginning of 1905, the young Einstein made significant discoveries in physics in his spare time, especially when he developed his special and general theories of relativity (and don't forget the formula, E = MC²). One of the rules that he broke was Isaac Newton's 'time is absolute' rule. When most scientists think that time is absolute, as decreed by Newton, Einstein believes otherwise, saying that time is relative. His productivity and problem-solving skills are in the beast mode. But as he gained reputation and acquired more knowledge, the old professor's spark was diminishing (Ronald William Clark's remarked in his book, Einstein: The Life and Times, another book that I didn't finish, "…later years, he moved his interest from science to politics"). He was still brilliant, but he didn't solve any more critical scientific problems after that. Why? Thorpe explains, "If rule-breaking was the secret to Einstein's genius, then we should expect his problem-solving decline when he didn't break the rules - and that is exactly what happened." Isn't this is sad but true? When you first enter the Christian ministry, you're so full of revolutionary ideas, but after few years of service, you are settling for the old-unchristian rules? When you were appointed leader, you wanted to make a difference, but now it seems like you're stuck in the same situation as before? Perhaps it's time to rethink and examine your current physical and mental rules and start to break the rules! Read this book is an excellent way to know-how.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #ThinkLikeAlbertEinstein #BreakTheRules #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my previous #1Book1Week book reviews, CLICK HERE  

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

 

6 Books on How-to-Think-Like

In the 1670’s Sir Isaac Newton wrote in a letter to his friend Robert Hooke, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” That is exactly what reading How-to-Think-Like biographies can do for you – allow you to see further because of what these people have achieved. These 5 people are what I think are - geniuses - and reading about them makes me feel like one:

#1 Think Like Da Vinci

#2 How to Think Like Da Vinci

#3 How to Think Like Einstein

#4 How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes

#5 How to Think Like Bill Gates

#6 How to Think Like Steve Jobs

If you want to think like one of these geniuses (even a fictional character like Sherlock!) a.k.a. buy a copy or two or more, CLICK any of links below and ask about the books:

Carousell: https://my.carousell.com/richard_angelus/ 

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Instagram: http://instagram.com/richard_angelus/

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Simple Book Review: Einstein's Masterwork (1915 and the General Theory of Relativity)

Einstein’s Masterwork: 1915 and the General Theory of Relativity (2015) by John Gribbin

I picked up this book simply because it’s about Albert Einstein, the title and persuasive BBC Sky at Night’s reviews, “An absorbing and readable account of Einstein’s life and work.” I once saw this book while I was looking for Walter Isaacson’s Einstein at Kinukuniya KLCC Bookstore. I finally bought this one because I can’t find Isaacson’s. No regret! Though he is a physicist and astronomer, John Gribbin writes in a simple language (in comparison) and gives easy illustrations to difficult subjects (not all, of course). Gribbin, to me, successfully described what an incomparable physicist Albert Einstein really was to the world of science.

“The Special Theory of Relativity,” writes Gribbin, “one of the achievements of 1905 is ‘special’ in the sense that it is restricted and ‘only’ describes the behaviour of things moving in straight lines at a constant speed. The name alone tells you that the General Theory is a bigger deal, but because of the widespread the (mis)conception that the General Theory is too difficult for ordinary mortals to understand, the events of 1915 have been less feted than the events of 1905… Einstein’s greatest year was indeed 1915, not 1905.” But throughout this book, Gribbin intend to demonstrate this by “putting Einstein’s science in the context of his life and work both before and after 1915, including his breakthrough year of 1905.”

It all started when his father gave the boy Einstein a magnetic compass to relieve his boredom. “He was fascinated by the idea of an invincible force that kept a grip on the compass needle and baffled that none of his teachers at the school had shown him anything half as interesting. This helped to instil an early conviction that he was much better off working things out for himself than working within the system.” This is typical for geniuses, they are more productive and creative when they are alone. To cut the story short, Einstein wasn’t “the Einstein” when he was young, it was hard for him to further his study and even to find a job! He faced many rejections and was once told by his professor, “a lazy dog.” I think this is fair.

But as he gained great interest in science, especially physics, and by the inspiration of people like Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Niels Bohr – and many more – he soon becomes self-taught theoretical scientist. In 1905, what was called The Annus Mirabilis (The Year of Miracle) he produced three papers that jump-start his career as world-class physicist, simply put as #1 On Brownian motion [which prove the existence of atoms], #2 On light quanta [on which at the same time prove that light is both particle and wave], and #3 the Special Theory of Relativity [I don’t understand all, but for sure, one of it is that E=mc2, the only famous equation that almost everybody knows].

Then with ups and downs in his life, particularly in his broken marriage and family in general, Einstein tells me that he is a mere mortal, not a god. But in the midst of [also] wars, personal health, and loneliness, Einstein completed his masterwork, namely the General Theory of Relativity. The Theory was tested over and over again that “the General Theory of Relativity can now be regarded as one of the two most securely founded theories in the whole of science, alongside quantum electrodynamics.” From this Theory to my estimation comes ‘weird.’ consequences or positively put, give us the shock of nature’s reality such as time is relative, universe space is curved, the universe is expanding, gravity can bend light, the possibility of time travel, supernova, the black hole, wormhole, timewarps, dark matter, black matter, quantum internet, theory of the Big Bang (or vice versa, the existence of Intelligent Designer, God), and many more.

Einstein died without really finishing one of his ambitious dream, namely, “a single mathematical package – a unified theory – that would describe both the material world and the world of electromagnetic radiation.” He died as an icon of science, as a towering genius, as one of the founders of quantum mechanics. Good book.

[P.s: Some of my conclusions here might be inaccurate or too simplistic; I’m sorry, I’m not a physicist. Correct me if I wrongly inform]

                                                                                                       

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.