"The Effects of Reading" - a paper by John Chancey

I have been an outspoken proponent of reading for years and years. The discipline of reading (whether one loves to read or not) is essential for intellectual growth. It is also essential for spiritual growth, since the source for spiritual growth given in Scripture is the Word of God itself (I Peter 2:2). Therefore, a reading habit can be the difference between growing as a Christian and NOT growing! Honestly, though, my paper focuses more on reading as a source of "fun."  (And it really is fun!)

Yesterday, I ran across a short paper that I wrote for Creative Writing class my freshman year of college (almost 12 years ago!). The paper is called "The Effects of Reading," and it is not scholarly in any way, shape, or form. I will include my thesis and outline, followed by the body of the paper itself. Don't laugh.... In actuality, it was a fun class - and every outline and paper in THAT class (unlike the research papers of other classes) was written solely from my own mind. No research or footnotes required! This is the reason my thoughts are not well-developed....  

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Thesis: Many benefits result from reading books.

I. Reading ingrains lasting virtues.

     A. Patience

     B. Prioritization

II. Reading instills a larger vocabulary.

     A. Understand the word for recognition

     B. Understand the writer's thought for remembrance

III. Reading ignites a love for variety.

     A. Expansion of reading tastes

     B. External variances (other than reading)

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The Effects of Reading

      At one time in the world, there were no such things as televisions or computers. There were no video games, nor were there CD players or stereo systems. What did people do to entertain themselves? They read books! Books are an incredible form of entertainment. Some writings are merely recorded knowledge, some writings are works of fiction, and others are philosophical speculations. Many benefits result from reading books.

      To begin with, reading ingrains lasting virtues. The book itself may not teach virtuous truths. I am speaking more of the act of reading itself. Readers learn patience. It takes time to read books. Some people do not have the patience or determination to finish a book once they have started. Readers also learn to prioritize. While reading a book, the reader must focus on what he is reading to comprehend the message. This requires the reader to block every outside distraction from his mind.

      Secondly, reading instills a larger vocabulary. Generally, when a reader finds a word that he does not know the meaning of, he looks up the definition. This act not only satisfies his curiosity, but it also helps the reader remember the word later. The knowledge gained will also enable the reader to understand what the author was trying to convey in the first place.

      Finally, reading ignites a love for variety. The average reader is drawn to a particular style of writing. Someone who reads more than average is quickly challenged to step outside of his normal selections and expand his taste. The regular customers in the bookstores can attest to this fact. How often do you see people just roaming around a bookstore waiting for something to grab their interest? This happens frequently. This is bolstered by the fact that there is an inexhaustible supply of material from which the reader can partake. Variety in reading can also lead to variety in other areas.

      Reading can be a very enjoyable past-time, but it is not without benefits. Reading can produce lasting virtues, a larger vocabulary, and a love for variety. To reject a good reading habit is to rob oneself of the experience and education of others. The author is reminded of a quote from Erasmus which states: "Whenever I get a little money, I buy books, and if any is left, I buy food and clothes." Learn to love to read, and you will find that it is more exciting and educational than any modern form of entertainment today!

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(By the way, I got a 100 on this paper. The professor wrote at the bottom: "Excellent! May I have a copy?") 

If you really like this one, I'll publish another paper of mine from that college course - maybe my paper about hacky-sacks!

"Blaze of Glory" by Major Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky

*ALERT: SPOILERS BELOW*
In the second fiction offering from the combined talents of Jeff Struecker and Alton Gansky, Sgt. Major Eric "Boss" Moyer and his Special Operations team are once again thrown into a desperate situation - this time, it is to prevent a suicide bomber from taking out 20 of the world's leaders. But that is not the only crisis they face... Their mission will take them to Mexico to face a ruthless drug lord.
A new character is introduced to the team to replace a man they lost in their last mission (read the first book). But the new guy, Jerry "Data" Zinsser, suffers from PTSD after his previous team was mostly wiped out - and his flashbacks may compromise this new mission and put his team at risk.

I absolutely loved their first book, "Certain Jeopardy," and the second book is just as good. The writing is well-done, the characters are real and believable, and the pace is perfect. The action scenes will keep your heart racing until the last page.

If I had a criticism (and this is entirely a matter of preference), the humorous lines may have been a tad too numerous - especially in the tense moments. But, at the very least, they helped to break up the drama, and give your nerves a second to ease up. And mostly, they seem to be in-character for the ones who are saying them.

Besides that one minor thing, the book is everything you want in a military fiction - without the swarms of swear words and the unnecessary sexual scenes you find in other works. The characters are so real, you feel sympathetic for them without even realizing it. Your heart pangs for the ones who lose loved ones and friends as they weep. When Zinsser contemplates suicide (multiple times), you want to reach into the pages and shake him back to reality. The authors do a great job of painting a picture of a man tormented by PTSD. This is an issue that is hard to grasp for those of us on the outside looking in. As in the first book, the character J.J. - who is the lone Christian on the team - has to wrestle with his own conscience when he takes the lives of his enemies.

I appreciate the authors for tackling difficult subjects with grace. After reading Struecker's autobiographical book, "The Road to Unafraid", I have a lot of respect for the man. And Alton Gansky has proven himself to be a talented writer who can weave a great story.

Get these books - you won't be disappointed at all.
5 out of 5 stars.

"Here's Looking at Euclid" by Alex Bellos

It is coincidentally appropriate that my 100th blog post here is a review of a book about numbers. This book was one of the most interesting and enjoyable reading experiences of my life.

Let me start by explaining how this book caught my attention. I was introduced to a YouTube channel called "Numberphile" a while back. It is a very fun channel that has videos discussing all kinds of interesting "numbery" things: calculating pi, randomness and card shuffling, prime numbers, the invention of the first mechanical calculator (not electric), infinity, etc. I find these videos fascinating - which surprises even me, because I was always so bad at math in school. (I miserably failed the math portion of my college entrance exam... The registrar said, "Hm... Well, you're a theology major, so it doesn't matter.")

One of the videos that I saw was an interview with Alex Bellos, and the description of the video mentions that he had written a book called "Here's Looking at Euclid" (or, in the UK, "Alex's Adventures in Numberland"). I thought to myself that I would like to have the book one day. So when a Barnes and Noble gift card made its way into my hands this past Christmas (you know who you are - thanks!) I sought out the book and purchased it.

I didn't know what to expect, but the book is fantastic. This is out-of-the-box for me. I read a lot of fiction, and lots of Christian living/inspirational/ministry books; but I have never read a book on math and numbers!

The very first chapter astounded me, as the author discussed tribal people whose languages do not have words for numbers above 5, and the very idea of counting anything never enters their minds. They don't count hours, days, family members, fruit in a basket - practically nothing! We cannot even imagine such a thing, but cultures like these exist today.

From that point, I was hooked. Some chapters in the book cover the history of mathematical ideas, things like the invention of the number zero (again, I never considered what life was like before zero existed!), or the invention of the decimal point. There are chapters about things like probability and gambling, number games (like Sudoku), and the presence of the Fibonacci sequence in nature.

The author's style of writing is VERY comfortable to follow, even for a math-challenged mind like mine. He introduces historical characters (such as Euclid, or Blaise Pascal) in fresh new ways. Whether he is explaining the math behind a card trick, or describing how people memorize the digits of pi to thousands of places, the author keeps your attention firmly engaged.

I wish my high school  math classes were as fun as this book. Perhaps if they had been, I would not have failed the math portion of my college entrance exam!

101 out of 101 stars (given in binary).

"Open" by Craig Gross

Craig Gross is a bit of a controversial figure. He is the brain behind the creation of X3Watch accountability software (which I am a fan of, and have used it for years). His ministry has done a lot to help men overcome struggles with pornography and sex addiction. They also do outreaches to adult film stars, and other "professionals" of that industry.

I read this book hoping that he would have some great insights on accountability that I could use for myself and the young adults at my church. To be perfectly honest, I could not recommend this book at all.

This issue is so very important - and many churches are silent about it when they should face it aggressively. It is by far the #1 hidden struggle of Christian men. There is no stigma attached to alcohol, tobacco, or even gambling like there is to pornography. Because it is never addressed in a pro-active way in church, most men have felt as though they should deal with this issue privately without the aid of the church. This is a recipe for spiritual (and marital) disaster.... Brothers and sisters, let us minister love and grace to the men (AND women) who are trapped in the deadly and isolated world of sex addiction and pornography. I'm glad men like Craig Gross are addressing the problem in effective ways.

However, I believe this book missed the mark badly in a few points. To the best of my memory, there were NO Bible verses used in this book. And God MAY HAVE been mentioned maybe once? "Faith" was mentioned a few times, as was "spiritual growth." But there was no meat (nor milk) behind these words. This is unforgivable coming from the pen of a "pastor". He could argue that he was attempting to reach a wider audience - but there are secular avenues of help for the non-religious. The church, however, is STARVING for help in this area. Why not focus on the needs of your brethren in the church? Not to mention that the Bible has so much to say about it!

In the second place, apart from Gross' own story of one of his accountability groups, and some inspirational examples - as well as some tragic bad examples from our culture - there was not much practical use of it. The few principles that he gives for accountability are fairly obvious, and anyone who might be seeking such a relationship for accountability would probably find them intuitive (things like total honesty, confidentiality, consistent dialogue with the accountability partner, etc).

I breezed through the book quickly, but felt like there was not much substance here.

For a more "Christ-and-church-focused" approach to accountability, I can suggest "Iron Sharpens Iron" by Howard and Bill Hendricks. And, for pornography specifically, it is hard to improve upon "Every Man's Battle" by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker (they also have books for women, married couples, young men, and young ladies).

"Sunday School that Really Works" by Dr. Steve Parr

This is a fantastic book about the administration of a Sunday School strategy in the local church. It's probably the best I've read on the subject of Sunday School.

Some things I love about the book:
1) The emphasis on reaching the lost with the Gospel. The author states this emphatically all throughout the book. If we aren't reaching the lost with our Sunday School, then our Sunday School is not effective.
2) He addresses all different age groups, not just adults. He has information in here for every class from PRESCHOOL up to Senior Saints. You don't find this is most books on this subject.
3) He presents helpful organizational ideas to the teachers. Many teachers feel they don't have the time to be a great Sunday School teacher, but Dr. Parr offers them ideas to maximize their potential.
4) He addresses both administration and communication aspects of teaching. Both are important, and any teacher can do both well.

There is just so much great information in here, every pastor or Sunday School teacher ought to buy one and read it.
It is available in e-book form, as well.