Lisa notes

8 Books I Recommend—July 2020

By LisaNotes July 27, 2020 Books I Recommend 17 Comments

“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
– Haruki Murakami

Sometimes it’s fun to read what everyone else is reading.

But other times? Make your own path. Read your niche books. Find a topic that interests you and dive in, whether anyone else is or not.

I like to do a little of both.

Thankfully, many people are reading similar books right now on anti-racism. (Although it makes for a longer wait on my library’s hold list.) I have snagged a few copies—either bought or borrowed—of some informative and helpful books on race this month. I finished three (reviewed below) and am currently reading three others on race.

Here are 8 books I recommend from July. See all my recommended books here.

Nonfiction

1. Me and White Supremacy
Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
by Layla F. Saad

This excellent book was first an Instagram challenge, #MeAndWhiteSupremacy, 28 days to uncover white supremacy and start dismantling it. Author Layla Saad turned the challenge into a book after its widespread popularity. I’m glad she did. It helps us see things we need to see so we can make changes we need to make so white people can stop hurting (even if unintentionally) people of color. Topics include tone policing, white apathy, white centering, color blindness, cultural appropriation, and more.

“Continue to show up, even when you are called out, you feel discomfort or fatigue, or you are not rewarded for it (socially or financially).

Antiracism is not about perfectionism. It is about the intention to help create change, to keep learning, keep showing up, and keep doing what is necessary so that BIPOC can live with dignity and equality.”

2. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race
by Reni Eddo-Lodge

(But thankfully, she still is.) This began as a blog post in 2014 about racism in Britain. But Reni Eddo-Lodge discovered she’d touched a nerve with it. So she continues to talk about race in this informative book. (The principles are applicable to everybody, but the history section is mainly about the British.)

One of her messages is this:

“White people, you need to talk to other white people about race. Yes, you may be written off as a radical, but you have much less to lose. Talk to other white people who trust you. Talk to white people in the areas of your life where you have influence. If you feel burdened by your unearned privilege, try to use it for something, and use it where it counts.”

3. So You Want to Talk About Race
by Ijeoma Oluo

Many digital libraries are offering this as an audiobook to all right now. I listened and was glad I did. Ijeoma Oluo shares personal stories and touching insights to help us all think more clearly about racial injustices and act more humanely.

“1. It is about race if a person of color thinks it is about race.
2. It is about race if it disproportionately or differently affects people of color.
3. It is about race if it fits into a broader pattern of events that disproportionately or differently affect people of color.”

4. Holy Envy
Finding God in the Faith of Others
by Barbara Brown Taylor

One of my favorite authors, Barbara Brown Taylor, chronicles her journey of teaching a college course on different world religions and what can be gained from each. She writes beautifully and open-mindedly. And even despite having “holy envy” over the beautiful truths found in other religions (every religion has some basic things in common), she still remains rooted in her own faith of Christianity.

“However many other religious languages I learn, I dream in Christian. However much I learn from other spiritual teachers, it is Jesus I come home to at night.”

5. The Stoic Challenge
A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient
by William B. Irvine

Why do some people work through obstacles while the same obstacles may devastate other people? William Irvine says it might be because they behave like the ancient Stoics. This is an interesting book for alternate ways to view setbacks.

“When you add up the costs imposed on you by being set back, you will often find that the biggest cost by far is the emotional distress a setback triggers.”

“When the number of options available is limited, it is foolish to fuss and fret. We should instead simply choose the best of them and get on with life.”

6. When Things Fall Apart
Heart Advice for Difficult Times
by Pema Chödrön

Since 2020 seems to falling apart, the title drew me into this older Pema Chödrön book taken from her talks between 1987 and 1994. It’s a helpful book to live in the moment and deal with life as it comes.

“The main point is that we all need to be reminded and encouraged to relax with whatever arises and bring whatever we encounter to the path.”

“We can aspire to be kind right in the moment, to relax and open our heart and mind to what is in front of us right in the moment. Now is the time.”

7. Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire
The Guide to Being Glorious You
by Jen Hatmaker

Jen Hatmaker tells is to us straight: be all God created you to be, no holds barred. This book is your own personal pep rally to follow God’s path for your life, and to enjoy others around you as you go. Very encouraging.

“We must show up truthfully, because it is in the diversity of our souls this world receives all it needs. We do not need you to be like your neighbor; we already have her. We need you, not for what you do but who you are. Please be her.”

Fiction

8. All the Missing Girls
by Megan Miranda

This mystery is about two women who disappear, and the woman Nic Farrell who needs to figure out why. It’s a novel told in reverse, from Day 15 to Day 1, which is NOT my favorite style to read. But the plot is interesting so it is worth the extra mental work this time.

Reading Now

Be the Bridge
Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation
by LaTasha Morrison
Stamped from the Beginning
The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi
The Color of Compromise
The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism
by Jemar Tisby
Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints
by Daneen Akers
A Way with Words
Using Our Online Conversations for Good
by Daniel Darling
The Giver of Stars
by Jojo Moyes

What good book are YOU reading this month? Please share in the comments.

My books on Goodreads
More books I recommend

sharing with Modern Mrs. Darcy

Don’t Be Stingy with Your Encouragement
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes July 24, 2020 Encouragement, Grace & Truth Link-Up 2 Comments

“Most people want love and acceptance first and information second.”
– Bob Goff

As a lover of information (I’m an Enneagram 5 so it comes naturally to me), I have to remember that encouraging words are often more needed than informative words.

Sure, we do need to give advice and share knowledge when it’s needed. But even while doing that, we also need to give encouragement to each other.

And especially now. With all the uncertainty of 2020, we can easily question ourselves:

Am I making the right decision to go here or not go there to keep my family safe?
Am I doing enough to combat racial injustice in our country and help end white supremacy?
Am I making the best use of these “safer at home” months?

We all appreciate encouragement that it’s going to be okay; that we’re doing the best we can and that it’s enough; that we’ll get through this together and come out stronger on the other side.

But do we say those words? Are we actually giving that encouragement to others?

Or do we withhold it? And if so, why?

Today’s Featured Post

Amy Jung reminds us that we’ve probably all felt the sting of others withholding from us: an ignored text; absence of forgiveness; a scowl instead of a smile.

And it hurts. That’s all the more reason we don’t need to withhold our good gifts from others. Amy says this:

“Withholding is not Christ-like. And withholding is not becoming of a Christian.”

Read the rest of her post here as this week’s featured post. Then add your own links below!

Am I Withholding Myself From Those I’m Called to Love?

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3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

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Somebody needs to hear your encouraging words today. Don’t be stingy. Give them. Share your thoughts in the comments.

Honestly, We’re Not Very Good People. Here’s Why.

By LisaNotes July 22, 2020 Book reviews 9 Comments

Oh, Pride!

“We desperately want to be a good person in our own eyes, and we will rearrange everything to make it happen.”
– Brant Hansen

What would happen if we just admitted it: we’re not very good people.

We may want to be to be good. We may try real hard to be. But it’s actually much harder than it looks to be a really good person.

And oddly enough, one giant obstacle to our being good is to think we already are.

It’s called Self-Righteousness.

Pride is one of the things that Jesus warns us against again and again. Yet we often remain addicted to it. (I speak from experience.)

Pride disqualifies us from joining the spiritually elite.

Biases that Bind

“Being unaware of how unaware we are is merely one way to be wrong. It’s just one of the many options in our Tool Belt of Wrong.”

That’s what Brant Hansen says in his book, The Truth About Us: The Very Good News About How Very Bad We Are.

We can fool ourselves in many ways into thinking we’re better than we are. We may not be familiar with the nomenclature of every bias, but we are very familiar with the practice of them.

Here are a few biases that keep us from being better people.

• Confirmation Bias

We want our decisions to be right. So we actively seek out information to support our own views and reject information that contradicts ours.

• Hostile Attribution Bias

We give ourselves the benefit of the doubt, but we assume the worst motives in others.

• Actor-Observer Bias

When I mess up, it’s because of external circumstances. When you mess up, it’s because of who you are.

We can conjure up hundreds of recognized cognitive biases to assure that we’re one of the “Good People” and others are the the “Bad People.” Brant says we each have our very own PR firm—and that we should fire them.

“We need to become more aware of how we think, because our thought processes are skewed. Our reasoning is a tool, and it’s not the precise, calculating, impartial tool we like to think it is. Every waking moment, it’s put to work to defend us and our conception of our good selves.”

That’s the bad news.

Stop Defending Your Goodness

But the good news trumps it.

When we admit, “I am not a good person,” we no longer have to protect our egos or justify our actions or be judgmental of others. That is a blessing from God.

“If we begin to understand God’s blessing over us, we can be freed from so much of this. There’s simply no longer any need to defend our supposed goodness.”

Trusting in Jesus’s goodness instead of our own brings rest. It only requires laying down our pride.

“According to Jesus, there are no good people, only humble people and proud people. He favors the humble and opposes the proud.”

When we stop using our energy to defend ourselves, from trying to prove we’re right, to up our moral ranking, we can accept that we are “loved by Someone who already knows the truth about us.”

“Our value to God isn’t determined by our goodness at all. He loves us because that’s what he does. He loves. Yes, I’ve heard that a thousand times, and maybe you have too. But it’s only when I begin to believe it that I can not only admit I’m not a ‘good person’ but do it joyfully, knowing my value isn’t attached to my morality.”

We’ve received quite a break. The ultimate break. It’s only when we realize we’ll never meet the mark of perfection that we realize we don’t have to. Brant quotes Philip Yancey:

“Ask people what they must do to get to heaven and most reply, ‘Be good.’ Jesus’ stories contradict that answer. All we must do is cry, ‘Help!’”
– Philip Yancey

Anyone with an attitude of moral superiority never made a good impression on Jesus. Including us. Our claims of, “But at least I don’t…” don’t get anywhere with him. But dependence on him does.

“Dependence isn’t weakness. The denial of our dependence is.”

Humility frees us to lean on God instead of our own self-righteousness.

In the last chapter of The Truth About Us, Brant says this about himself. Maybe we can each substitute our own name for his.

“So, yes, I’m Brant Hansen, and I’m not a good person. I seem like a good guy, maybe, but you don’t really know me. You don’t know my thoughts. You don’t know all my real motives, and you know what? Neither do I. But I’m convinced the only one who really knows me loves me more than anyone else. More than I can imagine. It’s a big relief.”

I’ve been spiritually challenged by every Brant Hansen book I’ve read. The Truth About Us is no exception. My thanks to Net Galley for the review copy.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Repeat After Me: “I don’t know!”
—Because Nobody Knows It All About COVID-19

By LisaNotes July 20, 2020 Encouragement 22 Comments

Trusting People Who Trust People

Are you the person collecting every specimen for COVID-19 tests? Are you the one evaluating all the results? Are you the one compiling all those results?

No?

Me neither.

So who are we?

We’re the ones trusting other people who trust other people who trust other people.

We’re trusting that they’re doing it relatively right. That they’re reporting it relatively right. That those they report it to, are reporting it to us relatively right.

Is somebody along the way getting it wrong? Of course. They are all humans, just like we are.

But are most people along the way doing their best to get it right?

I’m trusting, yes.

Repeat Often: “I don’t know”

So listen to multiple sources, not just one. Evaluate broadly, not narrowly. Take a comprehensive view and not either extreme.

Don’t believe everything you hear, read, or say because at least part of it will be wrong, if not today, at least by tomorrow.

Hold your opinions loosely. Give news stories time to breathe. Eventually the truth always finds its way to the light.

And most importantly, repeat often:

“I don’t know.”

You may choose to elaborate afterward with what you’ve heard and read from media (regardless of what you call it, any source of mass communication is “media”) and/or from your cousin’s best friend’s aunt by marriage that works at a hospital in some town whose name you can’t quite remember.

After you finish sharing your expert knowledge, follow up again with, “But I don’t know.”

And if you’re extra humble, tack on, “I could be wrong.”

Practice Humility

None of us down here can say for sure what’s going on with COVID-19. It’s new to everybody. Expect mistakes. When initial explanations are proven wrong, trade them in for more accurate information. Gladly. Humbly. Gently.

Don’t make this a pride issue.

We all want to have relationships to return to when this disaster fades away. And pride is a relationship killer if there ever was one.

A little humility can go a long way in keeping our relationships intact.

So don’t assume you are the one holding all the facts. On any topic. None of us is that person. None of us is God.

I admire the scientists who admit that they’re still learning, that they’ve had to change their mind along the way, that they wish they knew more but they’re not there yet. That’s honest.

And for the overly confident who claim they know all the correct facts, figures, and solutions already?

I just have to say about them, “I don’t know.”

Share your thoughts in the comments.

The Great Farmapalooza: Children’s Book Review

By LisaNotes July 18, 2020 Book reviews 5 Comments

If you’re looking for a fun board book for toddlers, The Great Farmapalooza is a lift-the-flap rhyming treasure, written by Jill Roman Lord and illustrated by Kelly Breemer.

All the animals on the farm are waking up to celebrate God’s brand-new day. They give thanks throughout the day with “baa”s and “coo coos.”

And at night,

“As they gather at day’s end,
they get a grand surprise.
God shows His awesome love again
as splendor fills the skies.”

This book is sturdy and beautifully illustrated, a real treat for young children.

My thanks to B&H LifeWay Bloggers for the review copy of this book.

You’re Not Alone—You are Still Held
—Grace & Truth Linkup

By LisaNotes July 17, 2020 Grace & Truth Link-Up No Comments

Today’s Featured Post

With our activities limited, there are days we may feel isolated from others.

But in our featured post this week, Stacey Pardoe reminds us of this:

You are still held.

Stacey shares three comforting truths and scriptures for when you feel alone in life. Read them at her blog, staceypardoe.com. Then add your own link below!

“God is reliable to reach out and take hold of us. You are never all alone in this wide world; underneath are the everlasting arms.”

“When You Feel all Alone in the World“

Thanks for sharing, Stacey! Here’s a button for your blog.