Maybe You Really Do Have the Time
We are wrapping up the third year of our Women’s Leadership Cohort at New City. During the cohort, we read a lot of really great books, and at the end of every cohort, we ask the women to share some things they’ve learned. A common response is for women to say how much they enjoyed the books, or how before the cohort, they didn’t think they had time to read, but now realize they actually do. Many women come into the cohort a bit intimidated by the material, but by the end realize they can read and understand some pretty deep stuff! It is challenging, I know, but most women push through and, at the end, are glad they did.
That is one of the things I love to hear. I read so much as a child and into college, but after college, life changed. I got married quickly after college, had a baby quickly after that, and then another and another… I was up to my eyeballs in mothering and YEARS went by that I didn’t crack open a book. I thought I didn’t have time for reading, but one day I realized the truth – I wasn’t making time for it. I certainly had half an hour each day I could spend reading, but I was choosing to spend it on other things (you know, super important stuff, like facebook, or a tv show at night). I began disciplining myself to read again, and though the practice has fluctuated, I read regularly now, and am so glad I decided to make it a habit again.
I hear a lot of women say they are just too busy to read, and I often wonder if that’s really true, or if, like me, they have the time and are just choosing to spend it on other things. I am not saying we should never get on Facebook, or watch tv shows, or fill in the blank. I am only saying that if we really looked at how we spend our time, many of us have more time for reading than we might think.
So I love when other women say they have discovered, or rediscovered, a love of reading themselves. While nothing can or should ever replace Scripture, we are blessed to live in a time where so many great works are so easily accessed. There are wonderful, gospel-centered, Christ-exalting authors who point us to the truth, help us to understand the Bible, and generally encourage us in our Christian walk in unique ways. And this is why we have the Resource Shelves at New City.
The books aren’t randomly chosen. They don’t all come from a list of top-selling books pertaining to the Christian life. They aren’t always “feel good” books; they might even make you uncomfortable, just like the gospel sometimes does. We intentionally choose books that are faithful to the gospel. We choose books that point us to who Jesus is and what he has done. We choose books that paint a picture of God’s big story of redemption and how our lives fit into it. We choose books that will expand your view of God and help you to know Him more. We choose books that help you practically apply the gospel to the every day. We choose books that are in keeping with our mission – helping others to live in light of the gospel - and that will help you invite others to know Jesus and join the mission.
We also try really hard to have a diverse selection of writers. It would be easy to stock the shelves with books all written by white men, since only white men even had the opportunity to write these kinds of books for so much of history. But we seek to include women and people of color as well. This is an area where we are continuing to grow.
And because we really want you to read them, we always sell the books for $1-3 less than you can get them from Amazon! We aren’t trying to make money from these books; we just want to get them in your hands.
So if you never have before, I hope you’ll stop by the Resource Shelves on Sunday and take a look at the books. And I hope you’ll find one to take home!