The Power of Reading...Pastor Abraham Adenuga 

Literacy is the ability to read and write. Being literate is just one step out of the many steps required to becoming what the Creator has designed you to be.

It is knowledge that empowers and enlightens you to know what is required of you to be successful. Knowledge is power and light. When you gain knowledge you are empowered to change situations. When you gain knowledge you receive light that reveals the way ahead to make impacts.

I will like to throw a challenge to every student and every parent to revive the reading culture in our homes in particular and schools in general. Because the power and the light everyone of us need to impact our world is embedded in the books.

Reading is a crucial habit of our modern civilization. Even though, reading is as old as humanity itself. Though, this is not an Histroy seminar, it is necessary to remind ourselves that ancient civilization like the Greek and the Hebrew civilization were known to have seriously imbibed reading culture.

Today, nations like United States of America, China, Germany and other developed states are what they are now by the fact that their educational system emphasized reading as important part of educational culture. Because through reading, an individual can learn just about anything.

The most interesting illustration I will like to share on this subject of "Reading" is that of a world renowned neurosurgeon Dr Benjamin Carson of the United States of America. His life story is a testimony of the power that can be contacted when an individual choose to read widely. According to his story, Dr Ben Carson did not start out as smart or intelligent student. He was the dummy of the class. He always was at the bottom of the class. So in order to change the situation, his mother enforce a rule for him and his older brother. That rule was that Ben and his brother Curtis, will begin to read two books of their choice in a week. After reading, they are to make report of their reading and submit to their mother. The time they spent watching television was drastically reduced to just watch three programs of their choice in a week.

Of course, Dr Ben and his brother protested against the rule, but their mother stood her ground. The moment Ben and Curtis began to do what their mother instructed them, the tide turned for Ben. The class dummy soon became the smart guy and the champion of the class. This feat was made possible because he cultivated the reading culture. The guy just zoom off reading all manner of books that were instrumental to his academic pursuit ranging from science, agriculture, geology and even music. Throughout, his medical school and training, the reading habit helped him to be outstanding in his career and today he is being celebrated as a world renowned neurosurgeon.

Reading activates and exercises the mind. Reading forces the mind to discriminate. From the beginning, readers have to recognize letters printed on the page, make them into words, the words into sentences and the sentences into concepts. Reading pushes us to use our imagination and makes us more creatively inclined. Reading actually does activate the mind in the same way that we activate muscles when we lift weights. The more we read, the more we active our minds are, the more agile they become, which results in a higher level of creativity. According to a quote, "The mind, once stretched by an idea, never returns to its original dimensions."

Finally, reading is for all ages. You can't grow out of reading and learning, as life itself is a study. There is always something new to learn especially when you desire a change or to make impact in your world. In this dispensation, knowledge is the power that moves the world. The world economy is knowledge driven. Reading expands and enriches the mind and clarifies the thought process. Reading stimulates the mind and motivates research which increases productivity and well being. To be a great leader, you must be great reader. Anyone in position of leadership that will not read, is a disaster waiting to happen. Sooner than later it will wreak havoc on the society.

I close with this quote, "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read." Mark Twain.

Thank you for reading. God bless you.