Leaders Are Readers

I'm going to read to a 4th grade class this morning. I've been invited to a READ-A-THON after their TAKS test and to talk to them about reading as a life habit.

To be honest, my reading experience and enjoyment was pretty limited up through my seminary days. I only saw reading as an assignment and an order to spit back some information

for a test or exam.

It wasn't until my Walk To Emmaus experience in 2000 that I learned about the importance of reading and Grow Through Study and the benefit of reading (widely) held in our spiritual development. From that time forward I became a "reader eater"--meaning that I would blow through books fast and move on to the next, often times without pondering what I was reading.

However, in the years that followed, I have slowed down a bit and am now more apt to take book reading at a slower pace (except for BORN TO RUN which I read in a day!). Recently I've completed LINCHPIN by Seth Godin and NO MORE MONDAY'S by Dan Miller. I have a stack of books by the side of my bed and on my desk and I'm known to take a book with me to lunch or to a conference so in down moments I can get some reading in.

If you see a book of mine that's marked up or me with a pen, you'll know that I'm digging into the book because it has struck a cord with me. I used to be afraid to do that but now I figure the only way to remember the highlights is to highlight.

In the future I'm thinking that more of our kids will read books from these kinds (see picture) of readers (inlcuding the Ipad) and that print books will become more scarce. I don't know how I feel about that yet--I see both sides, but there's nothing like a good book in your hands to read and understand.

So--what are you reading right now? Do you believe the statement that LEADERS ARE READERS?