Books, Book Clubs, and Alligator Mating Season
Third Monday / May, ’25
Hello! Third Monday posts are more incidental, personal, and situational updates touching on my life in general and on the possibilities and circumstances of ministry. Let me know what you think at randy@greatheartstable.com or in the comments below.
I
Today we release the third part of my podcast interview with pastor Adam Tisdale and bookseller Byron Borger on reading and books. I encourage you to head over to Apple or Spotify and listen to this episode, or all three if you’ve not yet listened to the first two parts. Yes, we began the conversation thinking particularly about the reading habits of pastors, but the topics spun out from that to address reading in general. Hence the title, “The Reading Life of Pastors (and Other Humans).” Chances are that you fall into one or both of those categories.
You will also discover why I link books I mention to Bookshop.org and not Amazon. We have opinions, the three of us. I’d love to hear yours.
II
Discussing the books one reads with others is part of what can make reading meaningful. Reading is a solitary activity with social implications. Recently Russell Moore wrote positively in Christianity Today about his book club experience. I found it intriguing, and it makes me want to find my own reading group. Let me know if you are interested.
Of course if your book club includes Tim Keller, Michael Gerson, and the like, as Russell Moore’s did, it’s going to take on a character that may not be reproducible. Just saying.
III
Recently I spoke about my adoption of the term “micro-church” to describe ministry which intentionally embraces the attributes of smallness to better serve both its constituent persons and its community. I’ve since learned that the term “micro-church” has already been used elsewhere with a meaning more applicable to something of a house church sensibility. I still like my understanding of the term and the helpfulness of the image in removing the stigma some churches feel with being small. Nevertheless, I’ll probably steer clear of this language henceforth to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.
IV
Perhaps your household, like ours, receives seasonal warnings and updates from local agencies. Here in Florida, for example, we are reminded at this time of year to prepare for hurricane season. That probably surprises no one. Other seasonal updates, however, like the one sent out by our local city government and pictured here , simply scream, “Only in Florida!”
V
Recently my friend Kathy Cydrus posted on her Facebook page this message: “Small church pastor? I encourage you to sign up for Greatheart’s Table. Its free!”
I’m wonderfully encouraged when anyone promotes what I do here. Friends telling friends is one of the only ways that others will find Greatheart’s Table.
What I particularly love about Kathy’s message is that Kathy and her husband Steve are Pentecostal. It’s gratifying to know that what we do here reaches beyond my own tradition.
I believe that the Holy Spirit may have something to do with that.
I think Kathy would agree.
Randy: I am a voracious reader. Since I was 4 years old. My Mother was a kindergarten teacher. She read incessantly to me. I caught the habit. As a young boy, I read the dictionary and encyclopedia. In early elementary school, I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William Shirer. I love history and biographies. I am an eclectic reader. I mostly read the Bible. I will also read commentaries on the church. I love Christian fiction; Charles Martin is my favorite novelist. Our small church (100) has a vision to plant 4 churches by 2040. One of my ideas is to start a Charles Martin book club in our neighborhood clubhouse to see how many nominal and non-Christians I can attract to a clubhouse which could become a "church." Pun intended, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!