In college, I recall one of my Bible class professors encouraging us to always read the foreward and other introductory segments of books before diving in.
There may be three different segments: the “foreward”—written by someone other than the author—explaining why readers should read the book; the “preface”—written by the author—explaining how and why the book came into being; and an “introduction”—introducing the main topics and what to expect.
Up until that point, I always skimmed over those parts.
Since then, I have tried to be intentional about taking a moment to read these opening words. Not surprisingly, I’ve found that – as is its intention – the words have not only prepared me for the book to come but have also, at times, brought more awareness of and gratitude toward the person whose “art” I am about to absorb.
When I recently purchased new sheet music, I was caught off guard by the usefulness of this practice, not just with books but with music! Taking the time to read the introductory segments of books (and music!) is a practice
My new purchase, Phillip Keveren’s 2015 Weekly Worship: 52 Hymns for a Year of Praise, had a preface written by Keveren that was touching and really resonated with me.
All it took was one moment – one moment to stop and read the heart and intentions of another.
Don’t skip the foreward!
(I would have called this post “Don’t Skip the Introductory Segments” but it didn’t sound as catchy! LOL).
Thank you Amy for sharing. Funny how taking time to read slowly and think about what the author is actually saying can change everything!
Sometimes I find myself just skimming through.