One of my seminary professors, Dr. Sue Russell, was a missionary to the Tagal people in Southeast Asia. She would share these incredible stories of living among people very different than the Americans I grew up around.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the Tagal culture to me was their collectivist nature. The United States of America is the most individualistic nation on earth, so hearing about a culture that saw themselves as one people who shared things in common with others was a culture shock in and of itself.

As I remember the story, before Sue Russell because Dr. Sue Russell, she was helping to translate the Bible into Tagal, all the while working on a Doctor of Missiology. After graduating with her DMiss, she returned back to the the Tagal people. One of the first orders of business after Dr. Russell returned was a meeting among the elders of the group.

At the beginning of the meeting, the purpose of the meeting was proposed: “How should we use our doctorate?”

The communal Tagal people saw Dr. Russell’s PhD as their PhD. To an American mind, that might sound presumptive or violating boundaries or even a bit demeaning to the one who worked so hard for a doctorate. However, I was amazed by two things: 1) that they welcomed Dr. Russell so much that they saw her doctorate as their doctorate; and 2) that they saw the achievement of one as a benefit to all.

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One of the great privileges I have as a pastor is to be a perpetual student of Scripture and of society. It’s not uncommon to find me in my office with an open book, Bible, highlighter, and pencil. It’s not lost on me how great of a privilege this is: for a church to support me in being set apart for the work of study.

After I heard that the Tagal people saw Dr. Russell’s doctorate as their doctorate, I realized that the study I get to do isn’t just my study. It’s our study. Our study as a church. Our study as Christians. Our study as a society.

“My” work isn’t for me. It’s for others. Therefore, “my” study isn’t for me. It’s for others.

I get to share that study with my church and the world when I preach or write, but I’ve also thought about how I can share some of the “raw study” I do. Specifically, how can I share what I read with others so that they can learn what I’ve learned? Or maybe even to help filter what books they might want to read?

That’s why I’ll begin sharing some book reviews for books I’ve read. These won’t be “book reviews” in the traditional sense. Rather, I’ll use a format I’ve adapted from others to help share some of the most insightful pieces of wisdom I’ve gained from each book.

That format will be:

• A summary
• Three main takeaways
• Three quotes
• What “hole” the book fills on the shelf of literature*
• A review of the book
• Three types of people that might enjoy the book

*My high school AP Literature professor told us that every book should fill a “hole” on the shelf of literature. He had us answer: What does this book do that no other book does? If we can’t answer that, the book shouldn’t be written. Over a decade later, I’ve found that to be a helpful question when reading and writing.

I hope the books I ready and study can be books that we read and study. Thanks for joining me on this journey!