I love to read. Always have. Love to read books on my Kindle, via my ears through audiobooks, and I still love the feel of an actual, literal book in my hands and the turning of its actual, literal pages.
-Medicine River by Mary Pember (it’s about the horrific legacy of Indian boarding schools; the author attended the boarding school on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin)
-A Scandal in Konigsberg by Christopher Clark (lust – real or imagined?? Lutherans, gossip, accusations of a cult in 19th century Prussia. Oh, my.)
-The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan
-Go Gentle by Maria Semple
Now, about DNF. It’s shorthand for shorthand for “did not finish” — a book. DNFing a book has always been a thing, but attention to this ramped up in March when Goodreads added this as a category on its website.
Is it ever OK to start a book, but not finish it because, well, for a variety of reasons: poorly written, doesn’t catch your attention, etc.?
I rarely DNF a book, though it has happened. I usually have a pretty good idea of the author’s capabilities and the subject of the book ahead of time, which cuts down on the DNFing.
Here’s something to not DNF: your reading and study of God’s holy Word. You don’t need to read it in the original Hebrew and Greek, or grind through two hours of reading every day (be sure to read Leviticus in one sitting!), or publicly post about it online (is there a GoodBookreads?). Just read and study, and meditate often. Daily. This enables the Holy Spirit to work in hearts and minds to comfort, uplift, change, encourage, and teach. Every day.
Eventually, the day will come when I simply won’t have the chance to finish anything anymore. Books will go unfinished, tasks unaccomplished, contacts unmade, appointments unmet, words and sentiments left unsaid and unshared. Because the Lord will take me home. One big DNF. And yet, that will be a wonderful day! That day will mean that my journey on earth will in fact be finished and I’ll be home with Jesus. It’s the ultimate finish!
Until then…
Happy, blessed reading!
God keep you in his gracious care,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
- Thanks to these various venues, I’m usually reading two books at a time.
- I love history, biography, fiction of all kinds (especially mysteries, crime novels, and thrillers), and some Christian authors.
- By the end of July, I’d read 85 books.
- Top three non-fiction reads of the year so far:
-Medicine River by Mary Pember (it’s about the horrific legacy of Indian boarding schools; the author attended the boarding school on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin)
-A Scandal in Konigsberg by Christopher Clark (lust – real or imagined?? Lutherans, gossip, accusations of a cult in 19th century Prussia. Oh, my.)
- Best fiction reads of the year so far (how can I possibly decide? I can’t. Here are a few)
-The Cliffs by J. Courtney Sullivan
-Go Gentle by Maria Semple
Now, about DNF. It’s shorthand for shorthand for “did not finish” — a book. DNFing a book has always been a thing, but attention to this ramped up in March when Goodreads added this as a category on its website.
Is it ever OK to start a book, but not finish it because, well, for a variety of reasons: poorly written, doesn’t catch your attention, etc.?
I rarely DNF a book, though it has happened. I usually have a pretty good idea of the author’s capabilities and the subject of the book ahead of time, which cuts down on the DNFing.
Here’s something to not DNF: your reading and study of God’s holy Word. You don’t need to read it in the original Hebrew and Greek, or grind through two hours of reading every day (be sure to read Leviticus in one sitting!), or publicly post about it online (is there a GoodBookreads?). Just read and study, and meditate often. Daily. This enables the Holy Spirit to work in hearts and minds to comfort, uplift, change, encourage, and teach. Every day.
Eventually, the day will come when I simply won’t have the chance to finish anything anymore. Books will go unfinished, tasks unaccomplished, contacts unmade, appointments unmet, words and sentiments left unsaid and unshared. Because the Lord will take me home. One big DNF. And yet, that will be a wonderful day! That day will mean that my journey on earth will in fact be finished and I’ll be home with Jesus. It’s the ultimate finish!
Until then…
- “This Book of the Law must never depart from your mouth, and you are to meditate on it day and night, so that you will act faithfully according to everything written in it, because then you will prosper in everything you do, and you will succeed.” (Joshua 1:8)
- Quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, Jesus declared, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
- “His delight is in the teaching of the Lord, and on his teaching he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:2)
Happy, blessed reading!
God keep you in his gracious care,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
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