Reading In The Digital Era Still Matters #LeadersAreReaders June 2024

In the digital era, it might seem like YouTube is the best place to get information (at least for me). However, as writer and illustrator Tomie dePaola said, "Reading is important because if you can read, you can learn anything about everything and everything about anything." While videos can help you grasp a topic quickly, they don't offer the deep understanding that reading does. One of the best examples I can think of is the wonderful overview videos of each book of the Bible by The Bible Project YouTube channel. These videos are great resources, but they can never replace the value of reading the Bible for ourselves.

Jim Kwik, a Brain Coach, said that multimedia's impact on learning is limited without reading as the foundation. Books, especially good ones that distill decades of experience, provide a depth that short videos can't match. Digital sources (with the exception of longer and in depth videos) are useful for starting your research and sparking your interest, but for true understanding, reading is essential. Maybe I'm in the minority... but I'm right, right? 

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Try Reading Nonfiction Books #LeadersAreReaders June-July 2023

Obviously, based on my monthly reading lists, I love to read nonfiction books. The reasons are many. For one, I always have the urge to learn something new. That urge is definitely sparked by my reading choices. Second, I like to challenge myself. Not all books are well written, and that goes for nonfiction too. However, I believe that a well-written piece of nonfiction can read like a novel (Robert Greene's books are excellent examples of what I'm talking about here). I love learning about human nature, psychology, philosophy, theology, a bit of history, and fascinating ideas — cliche, I know.

Third, it’s a never-ending rabbit hole of topics. For example, I might read a book about miracles, signs, and wonders. Then pick a Bible commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, then a book on Charismatic and Pentecostal movements, then a book on church history and early fathers, then... you see where I’m going with this. Every book provides a gateway into the next. Reading nonfiction has introduced me to all walks of life, great ideas and discoveries in the world’s history, people who make a difference in the world, stories of faith and inspiration, and new perspectives on seeing things around me.

Some people might argue that you can learn all these things from fiction, and you can; I’m not arguing with that. I guess what I’m trying to say is, don’t be afraid to try something new. Challenge yourself to read one nonfiction book and go into it with your eyes wide open. You might be surprised at how satisfying it can be.

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #NonfictionBooks #TryNewThings #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Reading Releases a Trapped Mind #LeadersAreReaders December 2022

There was a little girl who was dealt a bad hand in life. When she was one and a half years old, a childhood illness took away her sight and hearing. The poor girl was trapped inside her mind. She hadn't learned to speak, so she uttered gibberish and animal-like sounds. She always went into unprovoked fits of rage, smashing dishes and physically attacking anyone in the room with her. Many doctors diagnosed her as mentally ill. They recommended putting her into an asylum for the rest of her life. But, thankfully, her parents refused.

When she was 7, the family hired a young woman to tutor her. For weeks the tutor tried to communicate with her by spelling words into her hand. She could feel the tutor's fingers on her palm, but the symbols or gestures didn't have any meaning to her. She was still trapped... Then one day, she was holding a cup under a gusting water spout. The tutor kept spelling the word W-A-T-E-R into her hand. Suddenly, the little girl understood the letters represented an object! In that flash of recognition, the door to the world flew wide open for her. She ran around the room, grabbing objects at random, begging the tutor to spell the name into her palm. As a grown-up girl years later, she wrote, "Spark after spark of meaning flew from hand to hand." That day and beyond, she was free and no longer trapped inside her mind. She became a voracious learner!

The rest, as any good story has to end, is history. Her name is Helen Keller and her amazing tutor is Anne Sullivan (read Keller's The Story of My Life). Like Keller's breakthrough, reading can help us to break out from our mental prison. Reading - and writing too - has the power to transform us by connecting the dots of information, imagination, and possibilities. At times when we felt trapped inside our minds, unable to understand or express our thoughts and feelings, reading and writing are great ways to a breakthrough. Victor Hugo once said: "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark" ✨

#ServeToLead #ReadersAreReaders #FreeYourMind #ThePowerOfReading #HelenKeller #AnneSullivan #Breakthrough #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Increase Your Personal Intellectual Capital #LeadersAreReaders October 2022

When I was working in management, I use to read monthly articles by the late Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005) in the business magazine. My workplace was near the bookstore. At the age of 90, he was more active than most 25-year-olds. As a consultant and an author known as 'the father of management thinking,' he was continually working on new books, most of which became bestsellers. Yet, midst his massive accomplishment, he still found time to read three to five hours a day on a wide range of subjects - a habit he first cultivated as a young man. Like Charles H. Spurgeon, one of my heroes of faith, you just have to admire them but don't need to emulate them.

"Every few years I pick another major topic and read in it daily for three years," Drucker once said candidly. "It's not enough to make me an expert, but it's long enough to understand what the field is all about. I've done this for 60 years." When I enter the full-time ministry, I somewhat learned this strategy from Drucker (and Spurgeon): read widely, from many different fields NOT just Christian books. Drucker is the epitome of the 'knowledge worker,' a term he coined to describe the most valuable resource in the new economy - intellectual capital. "Your knowledge and your experience are your new wealth. They belong to you, not your company. Leave an organization and you take that wealth with you."

Learning how to learn and increase your intellectual capital with practical skills. Be valuable. One of the best ways (meaning, not the only way) to do this is by READING BOOKS and/or through good literature. It takes curiosity and also discipline. In the Information and Digital Age, like the late Peter Drucker, the discipline of reading will be well rewarded. Wherever you go, you take that wealth with you.

#ServeToLead #PeterFDrucker #LifeTimeLearner #ReadersAreReaders #IntellectualCapital #KnowledgeIsWealth #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Zconomy: How Gen Z Will Change the Future of Business - and What To Do About It (2020) by Jason Dorsey and Denise Villa, PhD, Book Review

"All of our interactions with Gen Z," writes the authors, "have led to a key conclusion: the ways in which leaders typically recruited, managed, and marketed to older generations will NOT work with Gen Z." Many companies, organizations, and businesses know they need to adapt to Gen Z (a.k.a. iGen, approximately born between 1996 to 2012) but they feel paralyzed. They don't know how or what to change or where to even start. Plus, Gen Z's expectations are so different because THEY ARE SO DIFFERENT from other generations. We need help and this book is helpful.

Although I realized that Zconomy is more relevant to those who own businesses, are active in sales, marketing, and product strategy, and work in the marketplace leadership positions, I find that it is helpful too for me as a Christian worker to be more informed about Gen Z's behaviors, preferences, and motivations. Part 1: The Making of Gen Z is profound and clear; Part 2: Meet the World's Most Influential Customers gives me lots of engagement ideas and info on their consumer psychology; and Part 3: How Gen Z Is Changing the World of Work shed light on the employment world from the Gen Z's perspectives. They are the fastest-growing generation of employees (churches and NGOs take note too) and so it is crucial for leaders to change - or die.

I agree (but not all the time, of course) with the authors when they point out that this generation has so much to learn from other generations, and at the same time, there is so much too we can learn from them. They have great potential! "Gen Z offers a huge opportunity for leaders and organizations to grow, strengthen, innovate, and outperform - if leaders like you are willing to adapt to the generation" 

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #Zconomy #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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The Science of Self-Learning (2018) by Peter Hollins, Sort-of Book Review

The Science of Self-Learning: How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education (2018) by Peter Hollins, Ebook

 
The title and subtitle say it all. Some books are easy to read and quick to finish simply because you already agree with the main theses of the book. And extra if you already applied most of the ideas. So, what is the benefit of reading a book that doesn't challenge me to do or think about something new? Well, for one, the feel-good effect I had due to confirmation bias. And the other, for self-reminder, that it is the right thing for me to continue to pursue. Peter Hollis, a psychologist by profession, wrote in such a way that is engaging and balances theories with practicality. He reminds me that the path - for me, not necessary for everyone - to education is through self-learning.

We all should've realized that the process of acquiring information has changed significantly over the last few decades. The author seriously joking that 30 to 40 decades ago, one of the main ways for people to look up general info was inside an encyclopedia! Today, all we have to do is just Google-ing absolutely anything and find out very specific info about any subject of interest in less than a few seconds anywhere, anywhen. What hasn’t changed, sadly, is our educational system. It is still based mostly on a traditional model, where students still learn what somebody else has decided for them to learn. Although there are exceptions and some positive sides to it, the outdated model is overall limiting and intimidating. Mr. Hollins writes, "[Motivating] someone to learn by threats or reproach isn’t just ineffective - it’s impossible. If one is feeling hurt or mistrusted, or if they’re dealing with depression, stress, difficult personal issues, or fear, they don’t have any resources left to help them learn."

Enter the keyword: autodidact (or a self-educator). It simply means a self-taught person. He or she is both a teacher and a student at the same time. Self-taught is not a new pursuit. There are famous people like Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci who are autodidacts. The advantage for us today is that it is easier and faster for us to be one. “Courtesy of the Internet, the world is your oyster,” writes Mr. Hollins, “and we have the ability to learn anything we want these days.” Due to my personality and learning style, classroom-type, professor-guide, assignment- dateline like Bible seminary is not suitable for me. My process of directed personal education growth is via proactive intellectual curiosity. Thus, my motivation is not from the outside forces but from the inside a.k.a. intrinsic. Nobody can 'force' me to learn, I WANT to learn. The author puts it like this: "Rather than performing a task to gain rewards or avoid punishment from someone else, a person experiencing intrinsic motivation does an activity for how it will enrich them on an intangible level." Right!

If you are an autodidact, reading Chapter 1: Principle of Self-Learning is a good reminder for you to keep doing what you are doing (probably Chapter 1 is just enough). If you are aspired to be one, reading this book is a good starting point. You will learn the Learning Success Pyramid, the classic SQ3R Method, the Cornell Note-Taking System, Speed-Reading tactics, and more. The author is generous with his resources. I love this quote, "Anyone can be an autodidact - there aren’t any restrictions on age, gender, or background. All that’s required is the willingness to actively find new knowledge and to do so with a discerning, evaluative mind." Yes! ☕

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #TheScienceOfSelfLearning #AutodidactForever #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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Education, Free & Compulsory (1999) by Murray N. Rothbard, Book Review

 Education, Free & Compulsory (1999) by Murray N. Rothbard, audiobook

Murray N. Rothbard, an influential American historian, natural law theorist, and economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern libertarianism*, in this short book (66 pages only and audiobook 2 hours 35 minutes), explores the history of compulsory schooling in Europe and especially in the United States. I find that the main ideas and concerns in this book are interesting although I have to keep in mind that my context is Asia or Malaysia in particular not Western countries. But it seems that, in terms of education, we almost always facing the same problem: our educational system, if not seriously reformed, is doomed to fail. For the past few weeks, I’ve been listening to an excellent podcast series by BFM radio called Malaysia’s Education Challenges with a focus on Malaysia’s Education Blueprint (MEB). As I reflect on what has been discussed in this series and Rothbard’s thoughts in this book, I cannot help but agree that we should seriously rethink public schooling. More than ever I observe that our educational system, instead of for the betterment of individuals and communities, has become very burdensome for the students, parents, and teachers and continues to be used to impose political, racial, and religious agendas or ideologies. Through the misuse of formal education, dictatorship can be disguised as democracy. Beware!

There are three (3) short but powerful chapters in this book, namely, 1) The Individual’s Education; 2) Compulsory Education in Europe; 3) Compulsory Education in the United States. There are half-a-dozen ideas that are worth considering such as the importance of individual or homeschooling, the function of the parents and the state (government) in child education, the history and philosophy of compulsory education, the shadow of ‘citizen control’, the influence of religious (particularly by Calvinism in Europe) reformation, the demons of Fascism, Nazism, and Communism. There are things that I don’t agree with, don’t understand, and don’t care much about. The most essential read, in my opinion, is the first half of Chapter 1: The Individual’s Education because regardless of our context and background, race and nationality, it deals with our universal human need and uniqueness. Rothbard writes:

“[The] entire process of growing up, of developing all the facets of a man’s personality, is his education. It is obvious that a person acquires his education in all activities of his childhood; all his waking hours are spent in learning in one form or another. It is clearly absurd to limit the term ‘education’ to a person’s formal schooling. He is learning all the time. He learns and forms ideas about other people, their desires, and actions to achieve them, the world and the natural laws that govern it; and his own ends, and how to achieve them. He formulates ideas on the nature of man, and what his own and others’ ends should be in light of this nature. This is a continual process, and it is obvious that formal schooling constitutes only an item in this process. In a fundamental sense, as a matter of fact, everyone is ‘self-educated.’ A person’s environment, physical or social, does not ‘determine’ the ideas and knowledge with which he will emerge as an adult. It is a fundamental fact of human nature that a person’s ideas are formed for himself; others may influence them, but none can determine absolutely the ideas and values which the individual will adopt or maintain through life.”

If you’re interested to dive further into this subject, you can get this ebook and audiobook for FREE at https://mises.org/library/education-free-and-compulsory-1 #ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

*Libertarianism: a political philosophy that advocates only minimal state intervention in the free market and the private lives of citizens.

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Two Ways to Grow In the Information Age #1Book1Week July 2021

 
One of the fascinating books that I read is by Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens. In the book, Harari explores briefly the history of human civilizations from the Nomadic Age to the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age and now, to the Information Age (which he covered in detail in the sequel, Homo Deus). Many wonderful things happened and I praise God for humanity's progress as we enter the Information Age, also known as the Digital Age. But of course, there are flip sides too. As you probably know, the danger of the Information Age is that we spend too much of our time gathering useless, pointless, or even harmful information rather than information that can help us grow and to live life to the fullest.

In computer science there is an expression “garbage in, garbage out” that also can apply to us humans as we attempt to sort through the info-glut and identify the information that can be useful to us. It means incorrect or poor-quality input to the computer system will produce faulty output. Similarly (but not exactly), the same goes for human mind programming. If we watch cringy TikTok videos and Instagram live for hours, listening to mean-spirited conversations on Facebook and YouTube daily, and read the latest gossip about our favorite celebrities online constantly, then, we are filling our hearts and minds with “garbage.” How, by following the latest news on Ebit Lew vs. Caprice can improve our way of living? Or, admiring Charli D’Amelio's or Bella Poarch's videos on TikTok can make us closer to God? Or, playing Fortnite online can make us men of valor and women of virtue in real life? In short, we can’t! We are what we watch, what we listen to, and what we read.

If you want to grow mentally, maturely, and spiritually, you have to start screening out the info-garbage and feeding yourself with positive, uplifting, stimulating, and meaningful messages. The first step is AWARENESS. We need to be alert to the problem of data smog and make a conscious effort to screen the bad information from the good. We have to be vigilant and avoid falling for the gossip, the grunge, and the garbage in the Information Age. You don’t have to cancel your Netflix or YouTube TV subscription, you just need to learn to discipline yourself to watch programs that build up rather than causes you to fall into sins. You don’t have to quit social media (although I encourage you to do that IF you have nothing good to do on these platforms) but consider limiting yourself to no more than a certain number of hours daily. Maybe 1-2 hours. In the same way, use Facebook and Instagram wisely. As for TikTok, I have nothing good to say except quit and repent.

Then, secondly, make positive, SMALL CHANGES in your daily habits. One way is to read good books. Abigail Van Buren said it best: “If I could give young people one piece of advice, it would be read, read, read! In reading, you will open up new worlds, real and imagined. Read for information, read for pleasure. Our libraries are filled with knowledge and joy, and it’s all there - free for the taking." Women are not always right, but on this point, AMEN sister! ��������� #ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #TheInformationAge #GrowMentallyMaturelySpiritually #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my #1Book1Week, CLICK HERE

1) Strength for the Storm (first published, 1988) translated by Arthur Reynolds, CLICK HERE

2) The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (2009) by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. (with Lou Aronica), CLICK HERE

3) Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (2006) by Martin Lings, CLICK HERE

4) Cults & Isms (1948, 1962) by J. Oswald Sanders, CLICK HERE


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The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (2009) by Ken Robinson, Ph.D, Book Review

The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (2009)

by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. (with Lou Aronica)

"My aim in writing [this book]," writes the late Sir Robinson (1950 - 2020) in the introduction, "is to offer a richer vision of human ability and creativity and of the benefits to us all of connecting properly with our individual talents and passions." This aim resonates with my own belief and probably that was why I bought the book when I first saw it (or subconsciously I was influenced by his most popular TED talk of all time, Do Schools Kill Creativity? Check out his other TED talks too). As a student of the Word of God and a temporary citizen of the world, I firmly believe in the depths of human depravity and at the same time, I have a high view of human ability and potential. The lens of which I read this book is from the Biblical worldview but let me write this review from the humanistic worldview as it is written.

What is the Element? Sir Robinson defines it as "the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together." I find that this concept is not unique. For example, Jim Collins' The Hedgehog Concept consists of these two factors and another one, namely, what drives your economic engine. And the Japanese Ikigai is more detailed which consists of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. But what makes Ken's Element interesting is that - besides its simplicity - it takes a holistic approach not just from an individual perspective (like Ikigai) or from the business standpoint (like Jim Collin's Good To Great) but the discovery of the Element will not only makes us more fulfilled "but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it." In The Afterword, he is making a good case about this. Of all the inspiring stories told in the book about how people like Richard Branson, Paul McCartney, Arianna Huffington, Paulo Coelho, etc. from very different backgrounds and circumstances found their Elements and self-help antidotes permeate throughout the pages (I love the chapters on Think Differently, Beyond Imagining, Finding Your Tribe & What Will They Think?), one subject that sparks my most interest is on EDUCATION (the last chapter Making the Grade focus on this).

"Many of the people we've met in this book didn't do well at school, or at least didn't enjoy being there," emphasized Sir Robinson. "Of course, many people do well in their schools and love what they have to offer. But too many graduate or leave early, unsure of their real talents and not knowing what direction to take next. Too many think they're not good at anything." This is exactly the problem that I see in most of the education systems in the world today especially in Malaysia. In school and university, I was an average student based on the system standards. My teachers think I'm smart at mathematics because I get an A and dumb in English because I get a D but in my job now it doesn't require my math skill to succeed but my ability to communicate well that is more important. My parents gave me approval when I get a B+ for history and disappointed when I get a C for science but as it turns out I'm more interested in the wonder of science now than the history lessons of Kesultanan Melayu Melaka. I studied civil engineering in the university to secure a good future vocation but God ends up calling me to be in the full-time Christian ministry. I appreciate every experience and education that I've learned when I was in school and university but truth be told I only discover my Element - what I love to do and the things that I'm good at - years after I left that 'cage' and enter the real world.

I'm not anti-education (as you can see from the volume and variety of interests that I have and the books that I read) but I'm against standardizing education. "One size does not fit all," said the author. For example, in school, the measure of our smartness or intelligence is based on our test or exam results. If you have a good memory, are very intellectual, and know the 'right' answers, you will definitely get good grades. But human intelligence is not limited to knowledge-based or one-right-answer for everything. Our human intelligence, explains Sir Robinson, is extraordinarily diverse, tremendously dynamic, and entirely distinctive (or unique). The question we should ask is not "How intelligent are you?" which suggest limitation but "How are you intelligent?" which suggest many possibilities. By schooling standard, culinary arts is probably the secondary subject (if any) but look at what Datuk Chef Wan has accomplished and sports or PJK may be seen as a recreational subject but see what Pandelela Rinong has become. Both of them have discovered their Elements in the less known (or order of importance) subjects in school. How about others who have these talents too but are unable to express them because they are stuck in a mathematics group study, language class, and science tuition to get good grades at school which may or may not be relevant to them in the ever-changing future?

"The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn't need to be reformed - it needs to be transformed." Sir Robinson continues: "The key to this transformation is not to standardize education but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions. The key is to embrace the core principles of the Element. Some of the most invigorating and successful innovations in education around the world illustrate the real power of this approach." Yes, I agree wholeheartedly! There are other gems and aha moments that I get from this book. I haven't mentioned another subject that I'm very interested in, namely, CREATIVITY. But enough for me to say: if you're still in search of your Element and you want to be inspired and if you are in the business of helping others to discover their Elements, read this book!

[Note: There is a follow-up book after this one, Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life (2014). I suggest, if you already read The Element, you don't need to read this one because the contents are apparently not that good. Average. Just find his keynotes and talks on this subject online. Try YouTube videos.]

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I Desired to Be a Bible Bookworm

 "Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts" (Jeremiah 15:16, NKJV). The prophet has to "eat" the Word of God before he preaches it #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #EatTheWord

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Summary of Christian Doctrine (1938) by Louis Berkhof, Book Review

 
Summary of Christian Doctrine (1938) by Louis Berkhof

This book is a summary of the Manual of Christian Doctrine (1939, was known as Manual of Reformed Doctrine), and that itself is a condensed version of his huge classic Systematic Theology (1932). What I like about Berkhof, late professor of Dogmatic Theology in Calvin Seminary, is that he teaches in a very clear (except for some parts) and understandable even for people who are brand new to the Christian faith, the beginners. For an average person like me, when I first noticed that this book was written in 1938, I thought it's going to be using outdated language and boring. But I was wrong. I mean, he did use archaic KJV or Authorized Version as the main Biblical text, and this is understandable since the more modern and reliable versions were unavailable yet during his lifetime, but the manuscript is in the simplified language (In the preface, Berkhof did say that he made some changes and omitted “technical terms and unfamiliar words”). Perhaps 5 years ago or so, a book like this will bore me to death. As we are getting more mature in the faith, our taste in the types of books we read evolves, and our appetite for knowledge increases. At least, ideally, that should happen to anyone who professes to be a Christian a.k.a. a Christ-follower a.k.a. a disciple which partly means - a learner.

 

There is another thing that I like – and at the same time not so excited – about this book and his Systematic Theology in general, namely, since Berkhof is through and through Reformed or to be exact, Calvinist, his writings is obviously biased toward that theological views and interpretations. I say I like NOT totally in agreement. When I read a book, it is helpful – and safe! – if I know the author’s theological stands and/or ideological background instead of being very vague and taking a long time to figure out (this is a case for me with N.T. Wright). I know Berkhof is a Reformed and so I should read this book as such. Aware of his biases and knowing my own biases is one of the keys to learning. But what I’m not so excited about? Well, another key to learning is knowing other alternative perspectives before I make my conclusion. And this is where you mustn’t hold on to one or two favorite authors to inform you about Christian theology. The worst is when you idolize them. You cannot learn everything from only a few people (your favorite pastors or theologians) but you must learn as many views as possible. “Bible only,” sounds pious… and ignorant. Learn from great men and women of God before us! For me, Louis Berkhof is on my list and I recommend him to you too.

 

This book is divided into seven (7) parts: 1) Introduction: Religion, Revelation & Scripture; 2) The Doctrine of God and Creation; 3) The Doctrine of Man in Relation to God; 4) The Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ; 5) The Doctrine of the Application of the Work of Redemption; 6) The Doctrine of the Church and the Means of Grace; and 7) The Doctrine of the Last Things. In closing, if the words ‘theology’ or ‘doctrine’ overwhelm you, let me reminds you what Paul wrote to Timothy which MUST be applied to all of us, Christ-followers, especially teachers of the Word: “Take heed [or “Keep a close watch”] to yourself and to the DOCTRINE. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” (2 Timothy 4:16, NKJV, bracket and capitalize mine) #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LouisBerkhof #ChristianDoctrine #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

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There Are Worse Crime than Burning Books... (#1Book1Week February 2021)

Currently, I read 4 to 5 theological books as references to prepare for my Teologi Kristian 101 (BM) Series and so I managed to finish only 2 books and listened to 1 audiobook last month By the way, let me talk about book burning... If you read history, there are dozens of well-known events of such evil. For example, when Mao Zedong took power in China and implemented the Cultural Revolution, any book that didn’t conform to party propaganda, like those promoting capitalism or other dangerous ideas like The Bible was destroyed. During Adolf Hitler's time, the Nazis also set books by Jewish, liberal, and leftist writers on fire that doesn't gel with the Nazi ideology. When al-Qaida Islamists invaded Mali and Timbuktu, among their targets were priceless books and manuscripts. And don't forget about the ancient Roman Catholic church during the Dark Ages. They don't just burn books but humans too!

Why? To put it negatively, books are dangerous; to put it positively, books change lives. And in my view, good* books are dangerously good because they will positively change your life. Have you read the novel The Book Thief (2005) by Markus Zusak? If you have, you'll know what I mean. If you haven't, I fully recommend you to read it. You will see how Liesel Meminger discovers the power of reading and writing in times of difficulties (ah yes, she steals books from the Nazi). Of course, the story is fiction and not just about books However, the key that I want to say is that Liesel is so desperate to read that she has to steal it! Nowadays, although new books are not that cheap, we don't have to steal books. We can borrow books from friends or go to the library. Joseph Brodsky, a poet, rightly says: "There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them." I say, read books for your good and if the books are right, they will change your life

Here are my #1Book1Week for February 2021 CLICK LINKS to read my reviews:

1) Words of Counsel: For All Leaders, Teachers, and Evangelists (Updated 2018) by Charles H. Spurgeon [https://www.facebook.com/968130456714198/posts/1556217501238821/]

2) Kingdom Come, Kingdom Go: Luke & Acts (2007) by International Bible Society [https://legasitv.blogspot.com/.../kingdom-come-kingdom-go...]

3) The Preacher's Portrait: Some New Testament Word Studies (1961) by John Stott [https://legasitv.blogspot.com/.../the-preachers-portrait...]

#LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain #BookBurning #TheBookThief #ChangeYourLife 

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