A few months ago, I was looking for a book in our office that was nowhere to be found. So I did the un-thinkable: I tore every book off the shelves and started to re-organize them so that I might actually find things. So far, it remains organized, which is a world record of some kind.
On the shelf right next to the door, I put all my "go-to" authors together. Brennan Manning. Rob Bell. Leonard Sweet. Don Miller. David Crowder. Brian McClaren. All the works by these guys (and the extra copies I've collected over the years) are in one place, a quick grab situation if I need some encouragement.
But lately, I've been trying my best to reach out to some different authors and get some different voices into my diet. Mike Yaconelli. Scot McKnight. N.T. Wright. Authors that I've known were good, but were almost always in second place to my habits of reaching for the same books over and over again.
The problem with reaching for the same books over and over again (especially if you're reading theology books) is that your view of the world is shaped by these books, and if you keep reading them again and again, then you're in danger of cementing your worldview with no hope of growth.
So when you're looking for new voices, where do you look? Does the Amazon recommended section help? Do you have trusted friends who share what they're reading with you? Do you have a book club? What are you reading now?
Good questions to ponder!
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