Reading is Real Work
A good word from Gordon MacDonald’s Ordering Your Private World:
Some months ago I led a seminar for pastors on the subject of preaching, and discussed the matters of study and preparation. Since a number of spouses were present when I spoke, I said to the group, “Now, some of you may be tempted to think that when your spouse is reading, they are really expending second-class time. So you are liable to feel free to interrupt them on impulse. What you need to realize is that they are working every bit as much as the carpenter who is in his shop sharpening the blade of a saw. Within reason, you ought not only to avoid interrupting your spouses, but also to try your best to maximize their privacy if you want them to grow in effectiveness.”
Two additional thoughts. First, the main thing I want to emphasize here is not his point on interruptions (though that is an important consideration — as long as taken together with his “within reason”). Rather, the main thing I want to emphasize is simply that reading is real work. When the purpose is study and learning, it is not second-class, throw-away time.
Second, the importance of reading is true not just for pastors, but for people in all vocations. Everyone in any vocation should devote time to reading and studying to advance their skills and ability to be effective in what they do. And when you do this, it is not leisure time, but real, first-rate work that is just as important (perhaps more important) than the rest of the work that you do.
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About Matt Perman
Follower of Christ. Husband of one, father of three. Former director of strategy at Desiring God. This blog exists to help equip Christians in good works, because that's what productivity is really about.
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Also, because reading is real work, keep watch as to how much work you bring home with you. In some ways, it’s not that different from staying away from your family at the office for an hour or so.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jason Brubaker and Kyle E. Sims. Kyle E. Sims said: RT @davidpmurray: @ mattperman Reading is Real Work http://flpbd.it/LtyS Lots of pastor's wives being sent this link. [...]
[...] Here is a good post from Matt Perman on the worth of investing time in reading. This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. ← A Book a Week in 2011 LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
Thanks, I really needed to hear that. I often feel guilty if a) I read ‘at work’ and b) I don’t read enough. Catch 22 – solved.
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[...] Great post today by Matt Perman at What’s Best Next about how, though we don’t often view it that way, reading is work [...]
[...] by Matt Perman at What’s Best Next about how, though we don’t often view it that way, reading is work Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Share with Stumblers Tweet about [...]