SQJ Taipei

Although I’m old enough to feel old sometimes… like yesterday (after hoops and squash on Sunday)… and today (after 40k on the bike on Monday - with a cat)… I’m not probably old enough to know for sure that Ravi Zacharias is right about The Dying Art of Thinking, although I suspect that he is.

A person sitting at his desk and staring out of the window would never be assumed to be working. No! Thinking is not equated with work. Yet, had Newton under his tree, or Archimedes in his bathtub bought into that prejudice, some natural laws would still be up in the air, or buried under an immovable rock. Pascal’s Pensees, a work that has inspired millions, would have never been penned.

The Bible places supreme value in the thought life. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” Solomon wrote. Jesus asserted that sin’s gravity lay in the idea itself, not just the act. Paul admonished the church at Philippi to have the mind of Christ, and to the same people he wrote, “Whatever is true . . . pure . . . if there be any virtue . . . think on these things.”

As one who spends a lot of time sitting at my desk and staring out the window… I’m glad that at least somebody realizes that I might still be working!

It seems like a person is measured by how busy they are these days… has it always been like that? I doubt it.

Ravi suggests 3 things to remedy the situation… I couldn’t agree more with each one. These 3 suggestions are his, the comments are mine… although you’ll probably want to read Ravi’s comments too.

Study God’s Word

It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or not… the Bible is an amazing book and worthy of your time. I know of no other piece of literature that provokes thinking on so many subjects.

Read Great Books

I don’t remember whose it was, but I was looking at someone’s Facebook profile the other day and under favorite books they wrote something like “I don’t put much value in books, but always take time to read GQ, Details, and” something else I don’t remember. Wow… almost speechless… maybe they were kidding? I hope so.

I’ve found DailyLit to be a convenient way to get through some “Great Books”. But of course there are always libraries and garage sales!

Even if it takes you a long time… make your way through some of the “Great Books”.

Challenge the Mind

This has a lot to do with what you read, too. Don’t stop learning! Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong about something in light of new information. Talk to people that you don’t agree with. Although it is mostly political spam these days, check out reddit.com. Read CS Lewis. Learn from Tim Keller.