Reading a Christian book in a month: twenty minutes a day

The Bible remains the reference text, but God has also used books written by believers over the centuries to nourish the faith of generations of readers. This monthly quest invites you to choose a solid Christian book and read it within the month, even if only twenty minutes a day.

What it looks like in your day

Here is how to organize yourself so the reading sticks:

1. Choose your book with care. Ask advice from a church leader, from a more advanced friend. A few categories: a life story, a book on prayer, a biography of a believer, a book on a specific theme (forgiveness, grief, calling), a classic of the faith.
2. Set a realistic pace. Twenty minutes a day is about ten to fifteen pages. Over a month, you read a book of 300 pages.
3. Choose your time. In the evening before sleeping, on public transport, during the lunch break.
4. Read with a pencil in hand. Underline a sentence, note an idea in the margin, put a small mark where you want to come back.
5. Keep a notebook. One line per session: "What I kept today."
6. Take stock at the end. What did this book change? Which idea will I keep?

If you are not a reader, you can choose an audiobook. If you are in a hurry, short books exist: a hundred and fifty pages is enough. If you are a beginner, choose a life story or a practical book rather than a theological treatise.

What the Bible says

The book of Proverbs values listening to the wise:

“A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:”

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning": the wise person never stops learning. Reading a solid book is a way of listening to believers who have thought, prayed, lived. Even Paul, near the end of his life, asks:

“The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.”

He asks for "the books, but especially the parchments": an imprisoned apostle cares about his books. Believers have always read. And the book of Proverbs also says that the heart of the prudent getteth knowledge (Proverbs 18:15).

Pitfalls to avoid

Placing the book above the Bible. A Christian book is a help, never an authority. Always compare with Scripture, like the Bereans (Acts 17:11).

Choosing only what comforts you. Also read authors who challenge you a little, while staying in the common line of the faith.

Reading without applying. You can swallow books without your life moving. One idea lived is worth more than ten ideas known.

Being impressed by fashion. Bestsellers are not always the best. Ask advice from trusted people.

Getting discouraged along the way. If the book doesn't speak to you after fifty pages, you can choose another. Nothing obliges you to finish at all costs.

This month, choose a book. Plan twenty minutes of reading a day, and note one idea each week.