Christian Retailing

Are you reading more or less? Print Email
Written by Staff   
Thursday, 26 March 2009 11:29 AM America/New_York
In a scene in Wednesday's night Lost, main character Jack barges into another character's house to find out what they're going to do to get out of the mess they were in. He discovers Sawyer sitting reading a book and questions him on it. “It doesn't look like you're doing something about it, it looked like you were reading a book.” Sawyer then argued “I heard Winston Churchill read a book every night, even during the blitz. He said it made him think better.”

That prime-time book plug, ironically during an addictive TV show, should remind viewers that books aren't just something to pass the time away but a valuable resource, even when they don't seem to fit in the schedule. They not only provide escape but help exercise the mind to make better informed decisions. As Christians, there's an even more valuable element.

While technology offers more distractions from reading, it also has the potential to make it easier to squeeze it in, like audiobooks, eBooks, etc. Last week in Dallas, author Thelma Wells made the humorous point that there's no excuse for not reading the Bible; “You know they even have it in DVD.” How many formats do you have your Bible in? How many audio or eBooks do you have? Do you find it makes it easier to fit reading into your schedule or is it still a discipline you have to exercise?

With all the new technologies, are you reading more books or less? How often do you read? And how are your customers' reading habits changing?