I have a shelf in my closet that I’ve unofficially named “the TBR shelf” – TBR of course meaning ‘To Be Read.’ These are the books that I’ve collected that I know I want to read and that I intend to crack open in time. Some of them come from second-hand bookstores, or have been loaned by friends, or even the (rare) brand-new volume. They cover a variety of topics – there’s narrative fiction, classics, sci-fi, theology, mystery, environmental concerns, philosophy, humour, prayer, theology, politics, chick lit, kids’ lit, theology…
Okay, so I read theology for fun. I’m a priest and a geek – it happens.
Aside from the theological and ecclesiological works, the other books on the shelf also indicate who I am and what I focus on. I read a lot; what I read says a lot about me. It says what I value and what I enjoy, it indicates where my interests are and in which areas I am trying to remain current and involved.
I find too that where I read things indicates their importance too. I tend to read my non-fiction in my living room; I have a book corner of the couch where the pillows are squished in just the right way, and the throw rug covers the tea stain on the arm when I’m not using it. There’s good light and I find I can give my complete attention to the matter at hand. My fictional reading, however, tends to take place in bed – it’s my escape from reality at the end of the day, my time to turn off the cerebral concerns by delving into some Holmesian or Quixotic adventure.
Whatever it is that I’m reading, though, speaks to me. It challenges me, it gets me thinking. It does not just serve to pass the time or to provide facts, it serves to get me thinking about the world around me. I’m challenged to see the truths in the fictitious stories that I devour nightly; I’m encouraged to deeply contemplate the ideas proposed in the philosophy and theology. I certainly don’t have to agree with it all, I don’t have to like it all, but I read it all. I read it because I can, because it makes me think, because it gives me a chance to apply my Christianity to the ideas and the ideas to my Christianity.
I have read some beautiful tales of people loving one another despite all odds, and acting out of that love. I have read unique and exciting ideas of how people can live in community. I have read of people inspired to make a difference in their lives to better the lives of others. I have read stories of those who gave everything to share with someone who had nothing. I have read stories of hurts and healing, of despair and of joy, of death and of life. I have read of soul-searching and celebration, of fear and bravery, of giving and receiving.
I have read stories of life. I have read stories of hope. I have read stories of inspiration.
And that to me is what a good book is all about – an opportunity not to hide from the world but to see the world reflected through a new lens. Books can offer us a way to explore our way of thinking (from the safety of the couch) and then use that thinking to expand how we will live out our mission and ministry in the world. They offer me ways to explore the so-called ‘secular’ and recognise the glimpses of the gospel that are peeking through. If we can read this good news hidden among the words of a book, imagine what good news we can find shining through the ‘secular’ world right outside our doors. There are countless stories out there waiting to be told, waiting to be heard, waiting to be shared. There are stories just waiting to be read… so I’ll always have a TBR shelf – a symbol of the promise for new joys that the good news can bring.
Where do you find your good news stories? What books have spoken to you so strongly that you re-read them? What’s waiting on your TBR shelf?
By Jesse Dymond October 23, 2012 - 12:06 pm
Huh. You’ve inspired a personal question: when I allow my TBR shelf to pile up, citing busyness and ‘more important things,’ what good news stories am I missing out on? For one who believes Gospel is daily bread, I should know better.
By Jesse Dymond October 23, 2012 - 12:06 pm
Huh. You’ve inspired a personal question: when I allow my TBR shelf to pile up, citing busyness and ‘more important things,’ what good news stories am I missing out on? For one who believes Gospel is daily bread, I should know better.
By Kyle Norman October 23, 2012 - 3:40 pm
THe think that I struggle with in TBR shelves is seeing them as a duty more than anything. I am somoene who has a hard time reading multiple books. I can’t read theology (for fun too – Geeks unite!) one moment, and then pick up a spy novel the next. For me it doesn’t work.
So when I look at the TBR books I have, I see a long list of ‘HTR’s (have to read) and it becomes a duty. Which, as it turns out, sucks the fun out the idea of those books.
Don’t really know what the solution is to this. Maybe just a continuation of my methodical plugging away.
By Laura Marie Piotrowicz October 24, 2012 - 5:09 pm
Jesse, I agree – there is so much out there just waiting to be discovered. I’ve found countless anecdotes and sermon illustrations in books that are not necessarily Christian – but because I approach them with a Christian lens I can recognise the good news as it leaps out at me.
And Kyle – I find it ironic that you claim reading is a chore but your profile pic includes a book… 😉 I admit one of my biases is presuming everyone loves to read. I adore the written word, and try to delve in as much as possible. But you’ve got me thinking – if the written word is not the best way for everyone to find joyous glimpses (i.e. when books become duty), how do we take the written Good News of the Bible and change it from being a duty to a joy?
By Kyle Norman October 24, 2012 - 5:29 pm
Yes, that profile pic. For some reason the system won’t let me change it. It’s like 5 years old!
LauraMarie you hit the nail on the head of why I am someone who watches Reality TV. For me, and I believe for a lot of other people, this is the forum that people turn to in order to ‘escape’ – to entertain some sort of fantasy. When they say to the themselves “I would vote this person off’ or ‘I would totally U-turn this team’ – they are immersing themselves in a contemporary form of fiction – just as much if they sit and identify with the literary characters of Jane Eyre or Bella Swan (ok . . those two probably should not be in same category – my bad!)
And as hokey and trashy as reality TV can be, approaching it with a Christian lense means that there are times where the good news shines brightly.