Blessings, written by Anna Quindlen
This story starts with lives made messy by bad decisions, but the mess creates a backdrop for the redemption that comes later. Scandalous pregnancies, a brief marriage, a convicted criminal, trauma, betrayal, and loss, but also hard work, compassion, integrity, dreams fulfilled, and second chances.
Inside Out, written by Larry Crabb
Filled with insights about the negative impact of self-protection in our relationships with others, and the importance of acknowledging our own sin while loving others in the midst of theirs, this book is an encouragement to take an honest look at the desires that drive us and stop looking for fulfillment in the wrong places.
p. 114, Many of us who are thirsty come to Christ for water - in fervent prayer, renewed commitment, and zealous service - but motivating our appeal is a demand for relief rather than a determination, come what may, to believe, to hope, and to love.
p. 117, When the imperfections of another are realistically admitted, true love has its finest opportunity.
p. 123, We will not recognize the subtle sin of self-protection until we realize the pain from which we want to protect ourselves.
p. 128, Sincere questions spoken from a heart of pain must be allowed to open the door to confusion. To slam the door shut, and in doing so assert that honest confusion has no place in our pursuit of God, leads to a forced, mechanical trust rather than a real and vital confidence.
p. 132, The mature Christian in one who is growing in his ability to love people as they are, not as he wishes them to be.
p. 153, The mark of maturity is love, and the essence of love is relating without self-protection.
p. 170, Demandingness is a serious problem partly because it rarely feels like a problem. We may actually feel stronger and more alive when we pursue our demands and rehearse to ourselves their credibility. It's possible to sense a flush of counterfeit spirituality as we approach God in a vigorous attitude of petition that's fueled by a demanding spirit.
p. 186, Biblical scholarship may be more important than impressions but it's worth nothing if it doesn't eventually leady to personal impact. The text must affect our life and make us more loving, not just fill our head with more facts to support favorite doctrines.
p. 188, We must come to the Bible with the purpose of self-exposure consciously in mind.
p. 190, But an important part of our responsibility to fellow Christians has been neglected: to give feedback lovingly and to receive feedback non-defensively.
p. 193, Someone who enjoys providing critical feedback is not qualified to do so. His enjoyment betrays his purpose in giving feedback as more self-protective than loving.
p. 211, Self-protection and love are opposites. Because love is the ultimate virtue, self-protection is the ultimate problem.
p. 232, The more deeply we sense our thirst, the more passionately we'll pursue water.
p. 234, To meaningfully repent of the ways in which we violate love, we must recognize them.
p. 259, If something is from God, it will inevitably promote the character of Christ in those who embrace it.
p. 260, The realization that every moment consists of a moral choice to look after self or to put others first is staggering. Many of us never wrestle with morality at that level. We prefer to talk warmly of esteeming others above ourselves while carefully avoiding the self-awareness that would convict us about our failure to do it.
p. 270, When you swerve to the right or to the left, admit it. See your failure for what it is: sin. Confess it to God, the Father of Jesus, who eagerly waits to forgive you again and again and again and again, and each time to restore you.
I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations, written by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers
I strongly believe anyone who voices their political views in any type of setting would benefit from reading this gem of a book (as would everyone in their circle, by ripple effect). Published in 2019, it's even more relevant to our world now. If you don't engage in political discussions, I encourage you to read it anyway because I'm finding the content to be applicable in all areas of disagreement.
p. 6, Neither stridence nor apathy is a virtue.
p. 16, The righteousness of unchallenged thought freezes us in time.
p. 77, We're all guilty of assuming that a step in a direction we don't embrace or understand will lead to extremes.
p. 81, We can find our way back from this less than nuanced approach by first and foremost reminding ourselves that those around us are our neighbors. We have to practice seeing each other as human beings - not walking opinions or ideologies. We also have to remind ourselves that our neighbors are not here for the sole purpose of allowing us to exercise our political opinions or win arguments.
p. 90 (speaking of what it means to show grace in political discussions), We mean recognizing the unproven, unverifiable worthiness in every person we encounter.
p. 94, Grace simply means that all people are valuable. It does not mean that all opinions are valid.
p. 101, We aren't the boss of anyone else, and grace shows us that others don't have to comply with our worldview in order to be worthy of sharing our world.
p. 103, It all comes down to personal growth. How can we stretch our capacity for empathy and understanding through our conversations? What can we learn about ourselves and each other? How much better are we for examining and reexamining other's theories and our own?
p. 108, That's the beauty of curiosity. In trying to understand another person's perspective, it often gives us the space to understand our own more deeply as well.
p. 110, The hard truth is, too often we engage with issues only in a search for information that will prove our point.
p. 113, Getting curious does not mean you support a stance. Empathy does not equal endorsement.
p. 132, Nothing about what we're doing with each other or asking others to do is easy. In fact, the point is that it is not. The point is discovering a new reality in which you engage with politics in ways that don't make you feel comfortable, happy, validated, or vindicated.
p. 133, We need to put aside our instincts to retweet that burn or flip on a couple of hours of outrage that we share. We need to do the nourishing, enriching work of exposing ourselves to new and contrary perspectives. We need to build the muscles of learning to understand and be understood by people with whom we don't naturally connect.
p. 147, Conflict is healthy. Conflict is necessary. Without conflict we stay in a state of comfortable arrested development.
p. 151, We think that institutions of education should be in the business of creating discomfort for students. Learning is a form of growth, and as we're describing throughout this chapter, growth requires discomfort.
p. 181, It helps us to remember we are all doing the best we can, and every situation is a complex mix of individual choices and societal influences.
p. 181, If we can all come to the table understanding that we do not and are not expected to know everything, we can learn from one another.
p. 186, ... united without being unanimous. That is the promise of nuance. That is the power of saying, "I think you're wrong, but I'm listening."
An eighth grade boy falls off a roof and loses his memory. Upon returning to school he starts to learn what kind of person he used to be and has to decide whether to slip back into that life or take advantage of the chance for a new beginning.
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