There’s a word Jeff Crosby uses that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about: unselfed. It’s what happens when you read a memoir by someone whose life looks nothing like yours, or a novel set in a world you’ve never inhabited. You step out of your own story for a while. And when you step back in, you’re a little different. That, Jeff argues, is what reading is for. In this conversation — his third on the podcast — we talked about reading not as information-gathering but as spiritual formation. Jeff is a 24-year veteran of InterVarsity Press, current executive with ECPA, and author of World of Wonders: A Spirituality of Reading.
Being “Unselfed” by Reading
When Jeff encounters a poem about a Nebraska estate sale, or a history of race in American basketball, he’s no longer at the center of his own story. He’s somewhere else entirely — in another’s shoes, seeing through another’s eyes. That displacement builds empathy. And for pastors and ministry leaders who work with people carrying all kinds of stories and experiences, that empathy is indispensable. It shapes how you preach, how you listen, and how you lead.
Reading Diverse Voices
Jeff made a compelling case for reading widely and across perspectives — not just voices that affirm what you already believe. He mentioned Reading While Black by Esau McCaulley and The Cross and the Lynching Tree by James Cone as books that challenged and expanded him, even where he didn’t agree with every point. He also named Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey as an example of how diverse reading enriches our understanding of Scripture itself — not just contemporary issues. Reading in uncomfortable directions is genuinely hard. Our phones feed us what we already want. Pushing past that takes intentionality.
A Liturgy of Reading
Jeff shared a seven-part framework from his book for developing what he calls a liturgy of reading:
- Make a commitment of time — reading becomes a daily practice, not just a vacation activity
- Find the format that fits you — print, audio, digital all count
- Choose spaces conducive to reflective reading
- Keep a journal nearby to capture what stirs in your soul
- Maintain a reading list so you’re never wondering what to read next
- Read in community — share books with others and hear their takeaways
- Tell people about what you’ve read and why it impacted you
He also mentioned a beautiful prayer from Every Moment Holy by Douglas McKelvey that he uses as he begins a new book — an intentional act of inviting the Lord to meet him in the pages.
When It Feels Like a Chore
Jeff’s advice when reading feels like a burden? Take a break. Fast from it. Don’t let guilt compound the weight. He told the story of a bookseller who, at the suggestion of his spiritual director, fasted from books entirely — and found that it opened space for Scripture and other good things. The point isn’t to read as much as possible. The point is to be formed. As Brennan Manning put it: don’t should on yourself.
Discussion Questions
- Jeff says what matters isn’t how many books you read, but what reading does to you. How has a book genuinely changed you — not just informed you?
- What does it mean to be “unselfed” by reading? Can you think of a book that pulled you out of the center of your own story and placed you in someone else’s?
- Jeff describes a seven-part liturgy of reading. Which of those practices is most underdeveloped in your reading life right now, and what would it look like to cultivate it?
- He opens new books with a prayer, intentionally inviting God into the reading. What would it mean for you to approach reading as a spiritual practice rather than an intellectual one?
- When reading feels like a chore, Jeff recommends stepping away without guilt. Have you ever fasted from a spiritual practice? What did that open up for you?
