Formation through Books
I have been thinking about the idea of formation and deformation and the image that came to mind was of a potter creating art on their wheel. Now, I don’t know a lot about pottery, but what I do know is that a potter doesn’t simply sit down one day and create a masterpiece without having first mastered the craft. They have to learn to shape the clay. They might form and deform a piece of clay multiple times before it looks the way that they envisioned.
One way a potter can become an expert at their craft is by taking classes to learn from others who know more than them. Part of this learning process requires practice; sitting at a wheel creating mediocre work before getting to the beautiful work. A potter will need to try various techniques to find the ones that work best for them, and then they will need to work at the wheel regularly to develop their skill.
Someone just getting started in the field of pottery will likely pick up tips from those they are learning from to help them progress. Now if they have a skilled teacher these tips might be foundational in the way they create pottery, but if their teacher isn’t very knowledgeable or teaches faulty information their tips aren’t as helpful, and can even be harmful. The student must learn to recognize the difference between the information that is helpful and the information that isn’t.
I mentioned last week that I wanted to look this month at how various media forms or deforms us, and I thought we’d start today with books. I love books. I am constantly adding books to my Amazon cart or my Libby account at the library. Our house is full of books. I have not read all of them, so I always have a stack of books to be read. I love a mixture of fiction and non-fiction, but for our purposes, I’m going to focus on non-fiction.
There are a lot of excellent books put out into the world every year, and a lot are not as excellent. So how do we decide what to spend time reading?
Here are some questions you could ask -
Is it a topic that is going to make me think deeply or wrestle with new ideas? If so, am I in a season of life that will allow space for that type of book at the moment? If not, do I want to add it to a list to be read later in the year?
Is it a book I want to read in a group to be able to discuss it? If so who do I want to read it with and how will I approach them?
Is it a book that is going to help me grow in my walk with Jesus?
Is it a book that is going to help me lead better?
Is it a book that will aid in my healing journey?
Is it a book that is being widely discussed and do I want to be a part of that conversation?
Is it a book that was recommended by a friend? If so does it need to get bumped to the top of the pile to be read next?
I don’t mind reading books that are controversial or that challenge me to think about something from a different perspective. I read because I want to learn and grow. That doesn’t mean that I agree with everything I read.
When I read non-fiction I read with a pen or a pencil in hand and I mark my books up. I do this for two reasons. First, because I read a lot, there is no way I can remember all the highlights from each book. I underline parts that are important or that stand out to me. I also write in the margins. I use stars and exclamation points to indicate passages that are significant to me allowing me to flip through the book later and find them again. Second, I make notes about things I disagree with or have more questions about - I might dig more into those ideas or I might just note them as I read.
It is important to me that reading books does not replace reading the Bible. Within the pages of Scripture we see God’s character and the more years we spend reading the Bible the more we wonder, ask questions, and learn.
Understanding God’s love for all of creation helps us to understand that our learning and growing are for the good of the world we live in. The better we understand who God is, the work of redemption through Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit the better we can bear the true image of our creator to the world around us.
Books are a wonderful way to learn from other people. To see parts of humanity that we might not have seen before. To explore questions in theology that we might have never considered. To learn ways to grow as leaders. To discover ways that healing is possible. The possibilities are endless.
But if we are followers of Jesus, as we learn and grow, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. We need to be wise as we absorb information. Everything has a way of forming us, and not all formation causes us to look more like Jesus. There is plenty of formation that shapes us into men and women who look more like the world. This type of formation actually deforms us away from God’s intended plan which is for us to live transformed lives that point people to Jesus while loving them deeply.
In the same way, the pottery student must learn to recognize the difference between the information that is helpful and the information that isn’t, we too have to learn to wrestle with uncovering what is helpful in forming us to look like Jesus. So as you read and learn be sure to test what you are reading. Ask questions. Wrestle with the content and see if it aligns with the truth of Scripture.
Happy Reading! ~ Melissa