reading for my 2020 vision

i know it's not really an original idea...in fact, it was really inspired by mark batterson a couple of weeks ago...but i put together my own 2020 vision.

we're on the doorstep of a new decade! and because that has only happened twice in my lifetime i'm determined to take this milestone seriously. these last few years in ministry have really been a turning point in my life in understanding the importance of casting vision, living on purpose, setting goals and staying organized. so it was exciting to dream and set goals not just for this next year, but for the next 10!

one of my goals is to read 100 books by 2020.

for some that may not seem like much, but although i absolutely love reading i have to confess...i'm pretty slow. if you break 100 books down by 10 years...that's uh...10 books per year (if you have to use math in life it might as well be easy math!). and 10 books a year means a book almost every month. whew. not gonna lie, that's going to be a challenge. my biggest problem in reading is not the amount of books i read, but rather the amount of books i actually finish. i usually have an average of 3-4 books going at any one time...whether i'll finish any one of them is debatable.

so in order to achieve this lofty goal i'm going to have to be purposeful. for me reading is a joy. but to really benefit from reading i have to be a disciplined reader. which means there are certain sacrifices that will have to be made to become a better reader and accomplish this goal (which i'm convinced holds invaluable benefits and blessings). i already know that books will have to schedule an appointment with my google calendar. there will have to be certain times during my week where reading time is built in. then it will also have to become a main source of relaxing and downtime (but a distant second to spending time with my girls...and our little one on the way...). and in an effort to sacrifice distractions i have voluntarily banned video games from my life (unless it is for the purpose of fellowship...which is just comical to think that mowing down my buddies with an assault rifle could be considered fellowship). and along with scheduling and removing distractions, i want to be purposeful in what i choose to read. i wonder how many words we actually read in a day...and how many of those words are just junk food compared to what we could be dining on if we chose our reading material carefully. so in light of being purposeful and realizing the need to streamline the process to accomplish the goal, i am putting together a reading list. 100 books. kinda feels limiting, but limiting may cause me to be cautious in not wasting my reading time on frivolous books that aren't truly stimulating, encouraging, challenging or inspiring. of course, a reading list will work like a budget: a flexible guide. for who knows what awaits to be written within the next decade (an exciting thought). but then again, as C.S. Lewis said, 'it is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between". so my goal is to read many of the time-tested classics on the Christian faith!

obviously this reading goal is just a part of my spiritual disciplines, but i'm so excited to see how God will use it in my life! i pray that in 2020 i will have a clearer vision of truth and wisdom.