Patty and I have been in Palm Springs this past week with our daughter Hanna, her husband, and our three grandkids. We swam in the heated pool just outside our back door, sat in the hot tub, golfed, played horseshoes, played pinochle and hearts, ate often, and slept into nine. We leave tomorrow and head back home, and it has been a wonderful time with our family. Tonight, we all sat around a fire outside and shared our favorite time of the week. The kids said Lego Land was a highlight for them; for me, it was being with all of them. I also enjoyed the extra time to read good books, write, and watch basketball on TV. We don’t have a TV at home, so we attempted to watch some good programs in the evening together; I say attempted because Patty would fall asleep, so I would turn it off and go back to reading.

My dad was in the Navy for 22 years and retired when I was 12. During those 12 years, he was on an aircraft carrier much of the time, and we traveled up and down the West Coast following the ship. We moved over 20 times in those twelve years of my life, and because of that, I didn’t make many friends or have much of a social life outside of school and family. We didn’t have a television, so I did a lot of reading. Mom would check out a box of books for me, and I would read them, and then she would check out some more. I became an avid reader early in life, and I still am.

The earliest writing discovered is from around 3,400 years BC. Moses wrote the first five books in the Bible around 1400 BC. Writing has been God’s method of recording history and communicating with people. He is the one who created our brains, so we should know that we were created to read.

Most of us learn to read early in school, but many rarely read after school years because of television or the business of life. Reading is a discipline that I believe we ought to pursue. We need to set reading goals for the Bible and goals to read other good books to grow in wisdom and character. If you are a poor reader, read, and you will become a good reader. Listen to and read a book simultaneously to increase reading comprehension and speed.

My goal is to read 100 pages each week. That is not a big goal by the standards of many avid readers, but it is above average. Most successful people in every area of life are readers. Harry Truman said, “Not all readers are readers, but all leaders are readers.” Set a goal, start small, like ten pages a week, and then gradually increase it. Read books on how to have a good marriage, how to raise good kids, how to manage your money, and how to catch more fish.