Joseph F. Radosevich

When I have a choice of several things to read, I often choose the shortest book first. I adapted this idea from Dave Ramsey's debt snowball. The reading snowball means that you choose the shortest book in your list first and then move on to the next shortest book until you go through the whole stack, shelf, or list. This is a psychological trick that I use to help me feel like I'm making good progress through a list or shelf of books. This keeps me from feeling overwhelmed which the books that I plan to read.  I read a 700 page commentary and realized that I had neglected a lot of other reading while I was going through that one. I had a list of three commentaries that I wanted to read next, and started with the short one. I don't always use this approach. Sometimes, you should read the most relevant or important book. For example, I'm starting a 700 page biography of Abraham Lincoln tonight. I'm also reading The Lord of the Rings right now. Those books are import...

I keep lists of books that I want to read. I have lists on my phone, an album of pictures of books that I want to read, and pages in my pocket notebook for books to read. I constantly look forward to what I get to read next.  Here are screen shots of the lists that I keep on my phone. Maybe this will give up ideas for what to read next.

I've noticed something in the news every time I see a politician. They wear a suit and a tie but no pocket square. I think that is a big mistake. Politicians are the main people wearing suits these days. I wear blazers and sport coats regularly as pastor. You can wear a suit, a blazer, or a sport coat with or without a tie. Without a pocket square, though, it looks like something is off. I've heard someone say that a suit is incomplete without a square. You probably shouldn't be too fancy with a pocket square. There are rules so that you don't draw too much attention to it. Wearing a pocket square should bring your outfit together and finish it. I much prefer a pocket square to a lapel pin or a flower. Three presidents who wore pocket squares are Truman, Kennedy, and Reagan. To make it easy, you can do one of two things. Wear a simple white pocket square with a basic square fold. Wear a pocket square that complements but doesn't exactly match your tie or shirt. Grab...

If you are looking for a study bible, here are my thoughts on the ones that I have and use. I ranked them in order of preference. NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (formerly the NIV Zondervan Study Bible) This is the best study bible that I have. It is so big, though, that you wouldn't want to carry it. The design is really good and the notes are really excellent. It focuses on the themes of the bible and the articles are supposed to be a big feature. I haven't read any of them, though. ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible This is a different kind of study bible. I heard it described on the Room for Nuance podcast interview with Jonathan Carswell as the Jesus Storybook Bible for adults. That fits. It has just a few notes per chapter, but it shows how every passage in the Bible points to Jesus. This is great for teachers and for those who struggle to understand the full storyline of the Bible. CSB Study Bible This was my favorite study bible before I bought the NIV Biblical The...

  You Probably Won't Get a Book Deal. . . This is on why people should write even if they don't get a book deal. I feel this, and that is why I've been writing on this for over 200 posts over 6+ years.   Why Hobbies are an Advantage This is on the power of hobbies. There is also something good inside about not getting our identity from our work. Better Ringtones I saw this in David Pierce's newsletter for The Verge. They are softer, less-obnoxious ringtones and notification sounds. I much prefer them. It is a download, and we should all be careful of the things that we download in case of malware. This seems legit, though. As a bonus, here is a photo of my onion seedlings from this morning.

I make a list of things I'm thankful to God for every morning. It's a practice that I learned from a counselor I saw years ago. Lately, I often thank God for teachers who teach me through their writing. I've been thinking about that aspect of writing lately--writing as a form of teaching. I don't sit under a lot of teaching except through the books and articles that I read. I don't know what I would do without the teaching that I get through reading. There are so many questions that would go unanswered, topics I couldn't understand, skills that I wouldn't learn if teachers did not take the time to write out what they have learned. I'm blessed with teacher in biblical studies, leadership, theology, pastoral skills, communication, history, science, parenting, gardening, etc. Writing is also for entertainment, enjoyment, and beauty. Most non-fiction, though fits in the category of teaching. So one reason to write, keep a blog, practice the craft of writing,...

I challenged myself to practice writing in cursive everyday in January. I found that I loved it so much and that it made writing with a fountain pen even more fun, so I've kept it up and write in cursive as much as I can. I'm reading Nuts and Bolts by Roma Agrawal. I would call it a popular history of common but extraordinary innovations like nails, wheels, string, and springs. It's really good. I first read a children's book to my kids by Agrawal on how buildings are built. I'm also reading A Good Old Age by Derek Prime. It's a book by an older pastor on following Jesus as we get older. It would be good for anybody to read, but those coming up on old age or caring for elderly people would be really helped by this book. Here is a link to my cooking playlist for this year. I add songs to the playlist to make it fun while I cook. I've been cooking more since we had our new baby, but I usually cook one to three times a week anyway. I include old songs that I ...

I've started reading abridged novels. Maybe that's a good idea for you too.  What do I mean by abridged? I mean a lightly-abridged version intended for adults. They are often done by scholars. The one's I've been reading tend to be from the mid-1900's. I'm not talking about the Great Illustrated Classics, but those are fun to read with kids. Many older novels have extra descriptions that don't move the story forward. Abridged novels remove the extra so that the plot shines through. Abridged novels are good for novels that you might reread. They give a quick(er) overview that lets you see if you enjoy the author, characters, and plot. Then you can reread the whole thing. I don't want an abridged novel that removes 3/4 of the book. I want one that goes from 1000 pages to 500-600 pages. A good book is worth rereading. You get more each time that you return to it. Abridged novels help with the rereading process. I read an abridged  War and Peace last year a...

I want to share another way that I use commentaries. When I say "another, " I mean in addition to the normal way. Normally, I refer to a specific passage if I have a question about it while I'm preparing a sermon or lesson. It is best to study the passage on your own (with biblical languages if you know them) first. A second way to use a commentary is to use it to be a Bible student ahead of when it is needed. For this purpose, I read a commentary front to back just like a book. I usually read 5-6 pages at a time over a period of months and just soak in the text. Part of my calling as a pastor is to be an expert in the Bible, and it is good for me to grow in my knowledge of the Bible outside of devotions and sermon preparation.  To read a commentary to learn, you need to select a good commentary that is reliable. You don't have to agree with everything, but it should be like learning from a teacher that you trust. If you cannot trust the author, then you probably shou...

We had a baby this week, so my workouts have been thrown off. It's good and normal to take a break every 4-6 weeks. I skipped most days because I've been at the hospital or very tired. Today, was a little more normal, and I wanted to fit in a little bit of exercise. That was a chance to try a workout called Swing-Swing-Other Thing. I got the idea from Pat Flynn. Here is what I did: I set a timer to go off every minute for 10 minutes. I picked a 52 lbs kettlebell. Minute 1: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 2: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 3: 3 Overhead Presses with each hand Minute 4: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 5: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 6: 3 Overhead Presses with each hand Minute 7: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 8: 10 Kettlebell Swings Minute 9: 3 Overhead Presses with each hand Minute 10: Suitcase Carry down and back. I finished with a few stretches and was done in 15 minutes. It felt good.

Our new baby girl was born on Monday. Mom and baby are happy, healthy, and home. I haven't decided if I'm posting her name here yet. It is interesting to have a new baby and face the challenges of delivery and newborn care while knowing the Lord 5 years-better than the last time and 15 years-better than the first time. I've been noticing Bible verses for the last year that explain what it means for God to be Father and meditating on what it means to be a father like the Lord. It is glorious that the Lord would tell us to call him father and that he would be so kind, patient, generous, and compassionate.

I don't ever care to see an AI-generated video. I already see what I suspect on YouTube are AI-generated or AI-enhanced Beatles videos. I can't stand them and want nothing to do with them. I want the real thing, and I suspect that will be what everyone wants in the future. We will want reality and authenticity. That means real... Writing Music Art Preaching Teaching Sports It means it is still a good time to be a writer, pastor, musician, creator, etc. You just have to do something that AI can't do yet: be you.

 Right now, I have two books on my nightstand. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. This is short, so I'll finish it this week. It is so good, though. It uses simple scenes to show what war is like for one soldier. I've read so many books on war and soldiering that do not capture it as simply and powerfully as this. I picked this up on the giveaway stand at the library two years ago. I'm just now getting around to reading the books that I own but haven't read. 21 Days to Childlike Prayer by Jed Coppenger. This is the best book on prayer that I've ever read. What are you reading?

1 Chronicles 12:32 describes men " from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do."  It is good to understand the times we live in. Two issues that affect our times are drugs and gambling. How can a pastor understand the times we live in especially regarding drugs and gambling? We shouldn't assume drugs and gambling are the way they were in the past. One difference is that sports gambling wasn't legal the way that it is now.  I've been listening to two podcasts to help me understand these issues. The Poisoning is a YouTube podcast about the fentanyl crisis. Against the Rules with Michael Lewis  Season 4 is about gambling and how that is rapidly changing our world.   I highly recommend both podcasts to understand these times.

We had a snow storm blow through on Sunday, and our church cancelled our services. I turned on Jared Wilson's sermon for my family from the Midwestern Seminary 2024 National Conference. I wanted to have some fun with my notes, so I folded a mini pocket mod notebook from one piece of printer paper. I turned the pocket mod into a sermon booklet while I listened. Keeping my hands busy adding pictures and expanding the applications helps me listen. I enjoyed having separate spaces to write on each page. I felt like I could start new for each point. I added the back page additional applications and the pictures to make it more like a book.  I preach much more than I listen to sermons, but I will probably do something like this at most conferences that I go to. Kids and teens should totally be encouraged to do something like this. Benefits: This gives space to be creative. This is easy to keep on top of your bible. I don't fumble between notebook and bible. Mistakes don't ruin a ...