Reading for a purpose

With help and encouragement, I’m trying to pick up the pace of reading. While clergy are always reading, our work demands that we often read in short snippets, here and there, catch as catch can. Perhaps that’s why so many of us are on Facebook; we find the reading of posts to be manageable and our status updates can be brief. The scholar pastor ideal that I was expected to emulate as a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, sitting in classes with Greg Beale and others, hasn’t been honored in my years practicing ordained ministry. That’s why this Sabbatical is a gift to me. I can labor for several hours at a time and the ‘bifurcated’ life-struggles that are so much a part of the day to day are lessened somewhat by going to the Center daily at 9 am and discussing my reading with Jerome, and then moving into a period of ‘scanning’. Jerome is gently encouraging me, however, to do as much as I can now, as the summer will be surprisingly brief. I agree.