The New Year is upon us. If you want, make a book list, but you don’t have to. And if you want, share it with others, but you don’t have to. But if you do, do it for the good reasons, not the bad ones.

It’s that time of year again. Time for resolutions, goals, losing weight gained over the holidays, maybe a couple of bowl games, and also seeing the book list of what the minister says he hopes to read in the coming year.

Every time I see one of these book lists, I wonder why the minister thought it necessary to publish it for others to see.

I’ve come up with some good and bad reasons, and I’m going to address one of the bad ones that needs addressing; it’s easy enough to figure out what’s wrong with the other two bad ones.

Three Bad Reasons:

1. “Here’s my book list for the coming year; look at how spiritual I am to be reading all these books.”
2. “Here’s my book list for the coming year, and you need a list too; and the books on my list need to be on your list, and that way you will be spiritual like me. I know what you ought to be reading.”
3. “Here’s my book list for the coming year; see how very intellectual and professional I am, to be reading them. A couple of these books have a lot of pages and no pictures.”

Three Good Reasons:

1. “Here’s my book list for the coming year. If you have one, what do you have on yours? I may be missing something that would be good for me to read.”
2. “Here’s my book list for the coming year. The only reason I’m sharing it is for accountability purposes, because I really need to read and if you know about my list, maybe every couple of months you can ask me how I’m doing.”
3. “Here’s my book list for the coming year. I love books and am so grateful to God that I have these resources available. Whether you like to read or not, give thanks with me for this blessing. We give thanks at meals; we can give thanks for a good book as well.”

Now I want to address the second of the bad reasons above which is the minister pressing his congregation to read the books he is reading, or even some of them.

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