I’m thinking about dissipation and distraction. And what made me think of that? I just updated "My Current Reading." In so doing, I noticed that I’m reading too many books at once. I can’t recall when I started doing this. I used to read one book at a time. I’m not sure if everyone does this or just me. What’s behind this?

Is it that I’m getting older and realizing that time is at a premium? That I might not get to finish all the books that interest me? Or . . . do I have a short attention span?  And need to spread my interest across a wider palette? Sampling here and there? Maybe it’s from attending too many covered dish dinners in the past thirty years of church ministry; where you go down the line and take a little of this and a little of that. Then go back for 2 or 3 that were most appealing.

In any case, reading 5 or 6 or 7 books at once may be a source for my lack of intellectual focus these days. I seem to be interested in more things than I can read about at once. This produces in me a feeling of being scattered, always feeling that more than one book is demanding my attention. But, I’m going to try to whittle my list down over the next six months. Let’s see if I can do it. I wonder if I can ever get my current reading down to 2!

Although in my own defense (against my own concerns), usually one book is devotional reading, one is ministry related, and one is personal. In my current list of "My Current Reading," two are ministry reading and three are personal. My "Featured Books" section, at present, features my current devotional reading. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t be so fastidious.

What about you? What’s your list look like?  Maybe you need to narrow your focus and whittle your list? I wonder if we’ll feel less scattered, dissipated or distracted?