{"id":14178,"date":"2017-10-05T12:14:25","date_gmt":"2017-10-05T19:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dminlgp\/?p=14178"},"modified":"2017-10-05T12:25:54","modified_gmt":"2017-10-05T19:25:54","slug":"search-for-rhinos-and-poop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/search-for-rhinos-and-poop\/","title":{"rendered":"Rhinos, dialogues & poop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Where have you been all my life! I don\u2019t know about the rest of you but while reading this book by Alder and Van Doren, I kept wondering if I had read this in college would it have made a difference in how I read books? There are times that I start a book and want to yell, \u201cWould you get to the point!\u201d only to discover that the author does get there in the next chapter. I was mad, frustrated and relieved while reading this book. Mad because I felt like I should have known some of these ideas before, frustrated that I felt that I had plowed through lots of material I didn\u2019t need to read looking for the \u201cmeat\u201d and finally relieved because I felt as though I was freed to use the book as a resource the way I needed \"\"<\/a>it to be, and not locked in to the way the author wanted. In the spirit of the book, I want to spend a little time dialoguing with some statements that were made.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

If I was reading this in paperback rather than digital, I would have wrote a giant \u201cAMEN\u201d next to the following quote, \u201cEveryone has had the experience of struggling fruitlessly with a difficult book that was begun with high hopes of enlightenment.\u201d[1]\u00a0<\/a>The day began early as we rode in our safari vehicle, looking and longing to see what is referred to as the big five: Rhino, Elephant, Leopard, Buffalo and Lion. The day passed quickly as we saw lots of buffaloes, elephants, lions and even the evasive leopard all before noon. Though we searched all afternoon the rhino was not to be found. What began as high hopes of finding all five ended with a disappointment; no rhinoceros were found. I will admit we had a great time but it reminded me of so many reading experiences where you have been told by others or read a great review only to discover that it didn\u2019t deliver what was promised. I do think that using techniques like pre-reading, or understanding the index and table of contents, even reading, as Jason recommended, book reviews would help bring a better understanding to the books we are reading. I do look forward to using suggestions from this book to find the hidden rhinos that I hope exist and that give me incentive to keep searching for.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In chapter 5, the section on marking up your book, there is quote that I have been thinking about. \u201cThe person who says he knows what he thinks but can\u2019t express it usually does not know what he thinks\u201d [2]\u00a0<\/a>This idea of conversing and arguing with the author was intriguing to me. There are books that I disagree with the author and they make me want to yell. Others just cause me to roll my eyes and think how stupid that point was. I was challenged to move away from just reacting to the words and start engaging the topic; maybe even actually writing down why I think that particular point frustrated or pushed me. I also think that this quote calls out to me because there are times I don\u2019t know how to express why a chapter, a paragraph, or a story has disturbed me. As I look back at those situations, I can\u2019t really think of any examples probably because I didn\u2019t take the time to truly wrestle and internally discuss the troubling thoughts. Beware the next book that gives me pause, I may write all over you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Another quote that provoked a response from me was, \u00a0\u201cHis propositions are nothing but expressions of personal opinion unless they are supported by reasons.\u201d [3]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poop! You \"\"<\/a>ever wonder how much poop an elephant makes? Ok just one more safari reference. I am in Nairobi and so it is fresh on my mind. On the game drive there was a lot of poop, dried poop, small poop, fresh poop and huge piles of poop. You can smell it for miles. Did I mention there was poop? I will admit that when I saw the poop it made me think that an animal was nearby. I have no experience with hunting or tracking game, so I know that when I confidently say, \u201cI think there is, insert an animal name here, that I really don\u2019t know what I am talking about. It was all just poop. I was reminded that all of us opinionated doctor of ministry students really have a temptation to over step our bounds. This can be easy when we know a little about the subject and say it with confidence we are usually not challenged. This quote reminded me that I really have a responsibility, as a pastor, as a father, as a husband, as a mentor, as a leader, as a student to not pretend that the poop I am shoveling, is anything other than poop.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I do think the techniques that Alder and Van Doren propose will be a helpful reference as I learn to read, discuss and digest thought provoking ideas into my life. I shouldn\u2019t have to yell at any more books; at least very often. I do want to be authentic in my conversations with people and I believe that comes from understanding what I believe is true and how well I can communicate that to those around me. What does that have to do with a book about how to read? I think that reading well, conversing with other thinkers through their books, will help me clearly and genuinely express the journey that I am on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Adler Mortimer J, and Van Doren, Charles How to Read a Book: The Classic guide to\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 Intelligent Reading. (Simon and Schuster, 2014). 36<\/em><\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid, 49<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid, 114<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Where have you been all my life! I don\u2019t know about the rest of you but while reading this book by Alder and Van Doren, I kept wondering if I had read this in college would it have made a difference in how I read books? There are times that I start a book and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[660],"class_list":["post-14178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-adler","cohort-lgp8"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14178"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14183,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14178\/revisions\/14183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}