Lisa notes

When to break the rules

By LisaNotes December 28, 2015 Compassion, Homeless 16 Comments

break-the-rules

Some people have the gift. Some don’t. Fran does. She runs Manna House, a food distribution center. (Well, she and God—she gives God all the credit so God gets all the glory.)

When the poor and homeless come to Manna House, Fran sees the person hiding underneath the need, underneath any scam. She loves. She listens to sob stories then says, “Sure we can help. Let’s see what we have.” Especially when kids are involved. Fran has the gift of mercy.

But others aren’t so generous. . . .

I’m a rule-follower from way back. I like to do things right, in order, as they should be.

So when the rules at Manna House are one toothbrush, one shampoo, one deodorant per family representative, that’s what I *try* to give out on the Wednesdays I volunteer.

But sometimes I just can’t.

A few Wednesdays ago two people side by side asked for a roll of toilet paper each. But a fellow rule-keeper handing them out got suspicious. Perhaps these two people were in the same family, she thought, in which case they should only get one roll, not two. She questioned the couple, “Aren’t you two together?”

Really?
It bothered me.

Even if they were together, there stood two bodies that had already stood in a long line in the cold to get help, so hand over two rolls! (It’s one reason I started buying extra toilet paper myself to give away. If somebody asks for tissue, I want to be able to say, “Yes!” even if it’s only for an hour until we run out again.)

I need to remember this lesson:
People are more important than policies. That’s what Jesus teaches me. He chose people over the Sabbath. Relationship over rules. Love over laws.

The only reason we have rules and policies is to better love people, right? But if occasionally those need to be broken to keep the greater law of love, then break them.

And if that means now and again giving away two rolls of toilet paper to two people even in the same family, I think Fran would approve. Because I know Jesus would. May I remember to do likewise.

* * *

Do you ever struggle with knowing when to break a rule, too? Please share in the comments.

revised from the archives

2016 Reading Challenges

By LisaNotes December 26, 2015 Books I Recommend 12 Comments

What books do you want to read in 2016?

If you read better with some accountability, here are some great reading challenges for 2016 that I’ll be participating in. Look up the details at their individual sites to see if they’d be right for you, too.

Some have rigid rules; others are super flexible. Books can overlap between challenges (I have lots of overlap). You don’t have to have a blog to participate.

These are books I will attempt to start this year; I make no promises about finishing.  

1. Mount TBR Reading Challenge

Mount TBR 2016

The Goal:
Read 12 (or more) books from your To-Be-Read pile (books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2016; no library books count). Most will be from my Kindle. Previous years of TBR challenges have knocked quite a few books off my real shelves.

My Picks:

  • The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • The Do What You Can Plan by Holley Gerth
  • The Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo
  • Jesus > Religion by Jefferson Bethke
  • Living God’s Love by Gary Holloway & Earl Lavender
  • Running Scared by Ed Welch
  • Tell Your Time by Amy Andrews
  • 10 Things Jesus Never Said by Will Davis, Jr.
  • Beauty Will Save the World by Gregory Wolfe
  • Habit: The 95% of Behavior by Neale Martin
  • The Addicted Brain by Michael Kuhar
  • The Colors of Hope by Richard Dahlstrom
  • Finding Eve by Rita Springer
  • The Day the Angels Fell by Shawn Smucker

2. New Release Challenge

New-Release-Challenge2016

The Goal:

Read books released in 2016 (minimum 100 pages). Of the 4 levels (from 1-45+ books), I’m choosing the New Release Newbie category (1-15 books).

My Picks:

  • (No way to predict yet; I’m aiming for 5 new releases)
  • Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington
  • Habits of Grace by David Mathis
  • Spark Joy by Marie Kondo
  • Whispers by Jean Wise
  • The Blessing of Humility by Jerry Bridges
  • The Contemplative Writer by Ed Cyzewski
  • Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
  • Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup
  • The Happiness Effect by Donna Freitas
  • The More of Less by Joshua Becker
  • Underground Airlines by Ben H. Winters
  • Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
  • The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
  • The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
  • The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
  • The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
  • Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
  • Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
  • The Bridge to Brilliance by Nadia Lopez
  • How to Be Here by Rob Bell
  • Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton
  • Pursuing Health in an Anxious Age by Bob Cutillo
  • 7 Days of Soul Care by Dolly M. Lee
  • Tribe by Sebastian Junger
  • The Great Spiritual Migration by Brian D. McLaren

3. Read Harder Challenge

Read-Harder-Challenge-Book-Riot

The Goal:
Discover new genres, authors, and books you wouldn’t normally read for shifts in perspective. Out of 24 categories, I hope to meet 8-12. [Download the PDF at BookRiot.] The New York Public Library has a list of reading suggestions.

My Picks: (subject to change)

  • Middle grade novel: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • Nonfiction book about science: The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Richard Riso
  • Set in the Middle East: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
  • Listen to an audiobook that has won an Audie Award: Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
  • A book under 100 pages: The Do What You Can Plan by Holley Gerth
  • Book by or about a person that identifies as transgender: George by Alex Gino
  • Historical fiction set before 1900: The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
  • First in a series by a person of color: Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Book about religion: Christianity After Religion by Diana Butler Bass

4. Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge

Hard Core Re-Reading Challenge

The Goal:

Re-read a book you’ve read before. I’m choosing Level 1 (0-15 books), hoping to re-read 6 books that deserve a second look.

My Picks:

  • The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight
  • A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson
  • Unoffendable by Brant Hansen
  • The Prophet by Kahlil Gilbran
  • The Search for Significance by Robert McGee
  • The Words of Gandhi by Mahatma Gandhi
  • Reliving the Passion by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

5. Back to the Classics

BackToTheClassics2016

The Goal:

Read a minimum of 6 classic books (1966 is the cut-off date). Of the 12 categories to choose from, I’m picking 8.

My Picks:

1.  A 19th Century Classic – The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
2.  A 20th Century Classic – Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
3.  A Classic by a Woman Author – Persuasion by Jane Austen
4.  A Classic in Translation – The Confessions of St. Augustine by Augustine of Hippo
5.  A Classic by a Non-White Author – Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass 
7.  A Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Dystopian Classic – A Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
9.  A Classic Which Includes the Name of a Place in the Title – Walden by Henry David Thoreau
10. A Classic Which Has Been Banned or Censored 

6. The Red Couch 2016 Selections

redcouch

The Goal:

Not a reading challenge per se, but 6 incredible books chosen by SheLoves Magazine to read together.

The Picks:

  • January: The Irrational Season by Madeleine L’Engle
  • March: Between the World and Me by Ta-Nahesi Coates
  • May:  Life Path by Luci Shaw
  • July: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
  • September: Too Heavy a Yoke by Chanequa Walker-Barnes
  • November: The Reluctant Pilgrim by Enuma Okoro

7. Newbery Medal and Honor Winners from the 2010s

This is not an official challenge, but something I just want to do.

  • 2010 Newbery Medal Winner: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
  • 2011 Newbery Honor: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • 2012 Newbery Honor: Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin
  • 2013 Newbery Honor: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
  • 2014 Newbery Medal: Paperboy by Vince Vawter
  • 2015 Newbery Medal: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
  • 2016 Newbery Honor: The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

And of course I’ll read random library books and books to review. Who knows what the year holds?

* * *

Want even more challenges? Here are more 2016 reading challenges to choose from!

Which book do you want to read in 2016? Are you participating in any challenges? Please share in the comments.

Related:

updated 12/26/16

10 Favorite Posts from 2015

By LisaNotes December 20, 2015 My stories 12 Comments

These stories aren’t necessarily the most visited or most commented on. But they involve people and stories that touched my life.

Perhaps they touched yours, too.

Top-10-Posts-2015-LisaNotes

1. Are you impatient with your impatience? 

My attitude was bad. Is it hard for you to be compassionate with yourself? The grace we give others is the same grace that God wants us to give ourselves.

Are you impatient with your impatience?

2. It’s ugly out there 

The fierceness online can get out of hand. Would we say the same thing in person that we type as a Facebook comment? Is it more important to be known as a faith-defender or a Jesus-lover?

It’s ugly out there

3. If you can’t do it every time

I wanted to do her favor, but I was scared it would start something. If we can’t do it every time, should that stop us from doing it this time?

If you can’t do it every time

4. Can you be quiet?

She asks us to keep silent for the weekend. Really? God may do his greatest work through our “waste of time.” Is it harder for you to speak up or to be quiet?

Can you be quiet?

5. Find the weird one

I take a deep breath before I enter his apartment. There is an unusual person in your life, too. How do they need you? How do you need them?

Find the weird one

6. Everybody can do something. What will you do? 

I watch this homeless guy. He’s using what he has, doing what he can do at the library.

That’s all God asks of any of us, right?

Everybody can do something. What will you do this week?

7. When racism hides 

I knew this flag story would be retold to their friends up north as something they found in Alabama. 

But it matters less how we look; what matters more is how we are. Where do you see racism hiding?

When racism hides

8. Who are you avoiding?

All I see is a dad who wants to talk to his kids. All relationships—even cracked ones, even ones separated by death—are eternal. Do you have a relationship you’d like to repair before it’s too late?

Who are you avoiding?

9. When I am embarrassed to be white

Then it fell, her final question, the zinger: “Were those people black?” I wanted to lie. When have you been embarrassed about who you are?

When I am embarrassed to be white

10. Admit you don’t know

I didn’t know. But Patrick would. If I would just ask. When have you had to admit you didn’t know? Who have you had to ask for help?

Admit you don’t know

* * *

Thanks for reading along in 2015! I’ve loved having you with me. Let’s see what God will show us in 2016. Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Related:

Top 10 Books from 2015 (+ a few extra)

By LisaNotes December 17, 2015 Books I Recommend 20 Comments

Top-10-Books-2015-LisaNotes

These ten nonfiction books were the most impactful I read in 2015 (not necessary published in 2015). See below for the top five in fiction, memoirs, and spiritual/social science favorites.

Top 10 Nonfiction books

1. Just Mercy
A Story of Justice and Redemption
by Bryan Stevenson

Just-Mercy_Bryan-Stevenson

[my review here of Just Mercy]

If you only read one book in 2016, read this one! It’s an important work on justice (and injustice) in our current society. Author and attorney Bryan Stevenson (also the executive director and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative) will move you with his true stories about real people unfairly trapped in our legal system. A movie is also in the works.
(copyright 2014)

2. Unoffendable
How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better
by Brant Hansen

Unoffendable-Brant-Hansen

[my review here of Unoffendable]

Can we “forfeit our right to be offended”? Can you imagine how much more pleasant we’d be, if so? This book by Brant Hansen is a huge attitude-changer. We are often overly-sensitive and it leaves an ugly mark on the world. But we don’t have to be this way.
(copyright 2015)

3. Being Mortal
Medicine and What Matters in the End
by Atul Gawande

being-mortal-atul-gawande

[my review of here Being Mortal]

Aging and dying are not pleasant topics for most of us. But that doesn’t mean they should be shunned. We can’t avoid the reality of either. This book does an amazing job of confronting quality of life as we age.
(copyright 2014)

4. A Guide to the Present Moment
by Noak Elkrief

A Guide to the Present Moment

[my review here of A Guide to the Present Moment]

Our emotional life is a product of our thought life. And many of our thoughts aren’t based on reality. This book is full of questions to help us get to the truth behind our thoughts.
(copyright 2012)

5. Some of My Best Friends Are Black
The Strange Story of Integration in America
by Tanner Colby

Some of My Best Friends Are Black

Another eye-opening book. This one is the story of the racial divide in America, then and now. Full integration still hasn’t happened. Tanner does a great job addressing it from four perspectives: our schools, neighborhoods, jobs, and our churches.
(copyright 2012)

6. Rising Strong
The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution
by Brené Brown

Rising-Strong

[my review here of Rising Strong]

Brown is the expert on vulnerability, which at times can and does lead to painful falls. But what then? She explains in this book that the next steps make all the difference.
(copyright 2015)

7. Deep Down Dark
The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle that Set Them Free
by Hector Tobar

deep-down-dark

This true story of 33 Chilean miners trapped in a mine was truly riveting (even when I already knew the ending!). The story-telling was excellent from the views of several different men trapped underground as well as from those above ground trying to rescue them. (I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I want to.)
(copyright 2014)

8. Falling Upward
A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life
by Richard Rohr

Falling-Upward_Richard-Rohr

Rohr (a guaranteed thought-provoker) encourages us here that the second half of life can be more spiritually rich than the first half. That’s good news for those of us who have made it to this stage.
(copyright 2011)

9. The Untethered Soul
The Journey Beyond Yourself
by Michael A. Singer

The-Untethered-Soul

This is another book (like #4) that reminds us we don’t have to believe everything we think. Untethering our thoughts from our egos can bring out our true depth in freedom and adventure.
(copyright 2007)

10. Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian
by Paul F. Knitter

without buddha i could not be a christian

I found lots of great truths here, not just about what people believe, but how we live and love in our everyday world.
(copyright 2009)

BONUS PICKS

Here are five more favorites in each of three categories.

Top 5 Fiction

1. The Martian by Andy Weir
2. The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon
3. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Top 5 Biographies/Memoirs

1. Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People by Nadia Bolz-Weber
2. Scary Close: Dropping the Act and Finding True Intimacy by Donald Miller
3. Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel Held Evans
4. Diary of a Jackwagon by Tim Hawkins
5. Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina by Misty Copeland

Top 5 Spiritual/Social Sciences

1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty
2. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others by Daniel Pink
3. Permission Granted: Take the Bible into Your Own Hands by by Jennifer Grace Bird
4. The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time that Will Change Your Life by Philip G. Zimbardo, John Boyd
5. The Question That Never Goes Away by Philip Yancey

* * *

What did you read in 2015 that you would you recommend? Please share in the comments.

Related:

4 lessons on living in the now

By LisaNotes December 14, 2015 Now 26 Comments

4-Lessons-on-Living-in-the-Now

What time is it? It’s always NOW.

Below are 4 lessons I learned from living in the “Now,” my #OneWord2015.

On Tuesday, December 15, I’ll share 3 steps from these lessons to help us choose a new #OneWord2016.

4 LESSONS ON NOW

1. ACCEPT THIS MOMENT

You don’t have to understand the whole thing; just accept this piece of your situation. This one step, not the next 99 steps. Pay full attention to life as it is. Be present to it without creating stories around it.

Yield to circumstances; offer no resistance to life. Resistance is weakness. Vulnerability is strength. Complaining makes you a victim. All you have to cope with is this moment. Give up waiting. Give your full attention to now.

→  ARTICLES

2. DON’T ATTACH TO YOUR MIND

Observe attachments to your own opinions and thoughts. Then let them go. Don’t be trapped by your mind; just observe it. Be as interested in your reactions to a situation as the situation itself.

You are not your ego. You are not your thoughts. Don’t judge them too seriously. Listen to the voice in your head, but don’t become it.

→  ARTICLES

3. LET GO OF TIME – THE PAST AND FUTURE

When unneeded, withdraw attention from the past and the future to stay in the present. Surrender to the pain and pleasure now, not a fixed outcome that it will be this way forever.

It’s always now and never the future. Time is an illusion. This moment is the only one we ever have. This is where God is most present.

Living too much in the past can cause guilt or sadness. Living too much in the future can cause anxiety or fear. Time is the root of suffering when there’s not enough presence.

→  ARTICLES

4. GIVE UP RESULTS – ENJOY GRACE NOW

Release fixating on outcomes and give attention to the journey. Let “here” be enough. Wherever you are, but there totally. Is there something lacking in this moment? Then leave it, change it, or accept it.

You can’t always be happy, but you can always be at peace. Forgive the past for any pain; forgive the future for its uncertainty.

Whatever is in this present moment, accept it as if you chose it. Work with it, not against it.

→  ARTICLES

* * *

More here on “5 Ways to Stay in the Now” and excerpts from Eckhart Tolle’s, The Power of Now

Is it easy or hard for you to stay in the moment? What helps you stay present? Please share in the comments.

Tomorrow:  “3 Steps in Choosing One Word for 2016”

Where is God’s presence now?

By LisaNotes December 10, 2015 Guest posts 3 Comments

1-Corinthians 6-19

Once upon a time, God traveled alongside his people with a box—the Ark of the Covenant—kept in the Holy of Holies.

But what they didn’t know then was that the Ark was foreshadowing a greater reality to come—when God would reside in his people, not just beside them.

We’re looking at the items inside the Ark…then and now…to discover where God’s presence truly dwells today.

Read the rest here

* * *

Please join me at Do Not Depart to talk about carrying Jesus around in us.

And print our free resource there for a quick study of the Ark of the Covenant…then and now.

It’s part of our Finding Jesus in the Old Testament series.

How often are you aware that you carry the Lord’s presence everywhere you go? How can you be more mindful of it?

Finding Jesus in the Old Testament. With printables resources for you... at DoNotDepart.com