“You don’t put yourself online only because you have something to say—you can put yourself online to find something to say.”
I love the above from Austin Kleon. It reminds you that the internet is not only a place to share finished ideas but a place to discover the seeds of work you are yet to undertake. It also encourages me to keep sharing some of those seeds with others.
At the end of each month, I post a few of the books I’m reading. I hope that you find something to encourage and motivate you on your journey towards becoming your personal best.
Cultural Literacy by E. D. Hirsch
We communicate with people on a daily basis. In all of that communication, you make assumptions about what the other person knows and understands. Those assumptions color what you say and how you say it. The problem E. D. Hirsch pointed out in his research is that much of that shared knowledge is being lost on the youngest among us. They simply fail to learn that basic information to function effectively in the Western world, let alone the United States. While this research and the writing of this book date to the late 1980’s it remains just as timely today.
Know What You Believe by Paul Little
If you are looking for an idea of what Christians believe, this book offers a quick guide to those details. It is a great starter for new believers or skeptics and a helpful refresher to mature believers. It offers a recap of the varying flavors of doctrine found within the church.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People every few years and always find new insights to apply to my work and life. If you haven’t read this modern business classic, please find a copy and dig in. There is little I could do to overhype the value you will find within its pages.
Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield
Steven Pressfield’s blog is one of my favorites. I turn to it for insight and creative encouragement often. I read The War of Art a few years ago and decided to read its sequel this month. I am thankful I did. It is filled with helpful advice for life and art.
On Guard by William Lane Craig
William Lane Craig is one of the foremost apologists for the Christian faith. His debates with prominent skeptics and atheists are something you must see. On Guard is a distillation of the primary arguments he deploys in these encounters. These arguments include The Cosmological Argument, The Teleological Argument, The Moral Argument, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the personal testimony of the believer. These five arguments compose a strong case not only for the existence of God but for the truth of Christianity. Learning these arguments and their premises will equip you to make a positive case for the truth of the Christian worldview.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
My wife and I fell in love with the character Hercule Poirot from the Agatha Christie novels a number of years ago. Hannah’s grandparents introduced us to the BBC Masterpiece Classic television series titled Poirot. The show ran from 1989 until 2013 and remains one of our all-time favorites. One of my favorite things to do with series based on popular novels is to read the original works themselves. This is a special treat when it includes work by masters of the craft like Agatha Christie.
Keep Going by Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon includes the greatest quotes in his books. Anytime I need a good thought or pithy way of saying a thing, I pull his books off the shelf or type his URL into my web browser. He possesses a gift for compiling collections of catchy phrases and wielding them with effective ease; always finding his mark. Keep Going is more than a compendium of quotes but serves as an encouraging guide to the artist within.