My Commonplace Book

“The student leaders of the civil rights movement had shown by their example that it is not enough to merely believe in justice and equality. They had shown that one must struggle and sacrifice to achieve these things as well. They had proved that it is necessary to enter the fray and become a participant in the great contests of life or risk not having a life of consequence at all. This was a terrifying idea but an exhilarating one, too, for it implied that if one just picked up the banner and marched, one’s life might be consequential after all.”–Anthony T. Kronman

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Michael Hyatt over at his blog recently reflected on his approach to reading non-fiction. It made me feel guilty for not posting here for a while. More importantly, it reminded me of how “reading and great books are contagious” and I’d remember more if i posted more on this blog about what I’m reading. I hope to write more this year and this blog needs greater attention. After Michael Hyatt’s list of practices, I’ve added a few of my own….and also add the currently reading and enjoying list from my Library Thing. Hopefully, I get to “posting more.” Pls sneeze any books my way. I take recommendations seriously.

Michael writes: When I read a non-fiction book, I typically observe these ten practices:

1. Don’t feel that you need to finish. Not to be cynical, but most books aren’t worth finishing. I read until I lose interest. Then I move onto the next book. This is the secret to reading more. I also listen carefully to what my friends recommend. If they suggest a book, I am more likely to like it—and finish it.
2. Start with the author bio. Every book flows out of an author’s heart and mind. I want to know something about the person I am going to be spending the next several hours with. Usually, the bio in the book is enough, but often I will Google the author before I start reading.
3. Read the table of contents. I learn best when I understand the context. I look at the contents just like I look at a map before I begin a journey. I want to know where we are starting, where we are going, and how we are going to get there. Note to authors: I especially like annotated tables of contents that give me more than just the chapter titles.
4. Quickly scan the whole book. I like to do a quick “fly over” to sample the author’s writing. I notice how long the chapters are and how they are structured. I might read a few “pull quotes” or subheads. I note his use of lists, diagrams, and block quotes. I am trying to set my expectations for what is ahead.
5. Highlight important passages. I cannot read a non-fiction book without a highlighter. (On the Kindle, I use the built-in highlighter function). I prefer yellow, though I have been known to use pink in a pinch. I highlight anything that resonates with me in some way. The better the book, the more I highlight. I keep lots of highlighters handy in my desk drawer and briefcase. [Jay--I typically underline passages and rarely highlight. If I underline, I write a brief note to myself about "why" I underlined this section or some thot from that section.]
6. Take notes in the front or the margins. I often take notes in the front of the book, so I have a convenient summary of what I have read. I also like to write in the margins. Interestingly, I rarely go back and re-read these notes. They simply help me think while I am reading.
7. Use a set of note-taking symbols. I use the same set of symbols I use when taking notes:
   • If an item is particularly important or insightful, I put a star next to it.
   • 
     
   • If an item requires further research or resolution, I put a question mark next to it.
   • 
     
   • If an item requires an action on my part or follow-up, I put a ballot box (open square) next to it. When the item is completed, I check it off.
     
8. Dog-ear pages you want to re-visit. I bookmark the really, really important passages by folding down the corner of the page. These are usually passages with a quote I want to use in my writing or speaking.
9. Review the book and transfer actions to my to-do list. When I have finished with the book, I go back and do a quick scan. As I mentioned above, I don’t pay much attention to my notes—unless they have one of the three key symbols or the page is dog-eared. If there is an action I need to take, I put it on my to-do list with a reference to the book title and the page.
10. Share the book’s message. As we say. . . “great books are contagious.” They are meant to be shared. I blog about them, teach them to others, and buy multiple copies to give away to friends and colleagues. This is one way to ensure that the message lives on—and is passed on.

Please note: I don’t read fiction this way. I don’t highlight passages, and I rarely take notes. I read novels purely for pleasure.–Michael Hyatt

In addition to the practices above, I regularly:

1. Survey the Index to get another “picture” of the author’s arguments/structure/emphases.
2. I write either TW (for Twitter @jaylorenzen) or CP (mycommonplace.com) or OM (onmovements.com) in the margin to mark for future tweets or posts to blogs.
3. I summarize key thots or diagrams in blank pages in the back of the book.
4. I’m increasingly using Evernote to keep “scanned” pages for future use.
5. I look for an opportunity to “write/speak on/share/discuss/teach” things I’m learning.

Currently Reading these Books….Need to Blog about Them

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Christianity is about something that happened. something that happened to Jesus of Nazareth. something that happened through Jesus of Nazareth.

Christianity is not about Jesus offering, demonstrating, or even accomplishing a new route by which people can ‘go to heaven when they die.” This is a persistent mistake, based on the medieval notion that the point of all religion–the rule of the game, if you like–was to make sure you ended up at the right side of the stage at the end of the mystery play (that is, in heaven rather than in hell), or on the right side of the painting in the Sistine chapel. Again, that isn’t to deny that our present beliefs and actions have lasting consequences. Rather, it’s to deny both that Jesus made this the focus of his work and that this is the “point” of Christianity.

Christianity is all about the belief that the living God, in fulfillment of his promises and as the climax of the story of Israel, has accomplished all this–the finding, the saving, the giving of new life–in Jesus. He has done it. With Jesus, God’s rescue operation has been put into effect once and for all. A great door has swung open in the cosmos which can never again be shut. It’s the door to the prison where we’ve been kept chained up. We are offered freedom: freedom to experience God’s rescue for ourselves, to go through the open door and explore the new world to which we now have access. In particular, we are all invited–summoned, actually–to discover, through following Jesus, that this new world is indeed a place of justice, spirituality, relationship, and beauty, and that we are not only to enjoy it as such but to work at bringing it to birth on earth as in heaven. In listening to Jesus, we discover whose voice it is that has echoed around the hearts and minds of the human race all along.

Exerpts (Pgs 91-92) from Simply Christian

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My daughter, Jody Landers, is on the last leg of her flight to Liberia. We’re sending her there to report on the “water wells” that Water4Christmas.com built over the last two years. She has great way of reporting details and describing her impressions. If you’d like to follow her story, see Jodyrlanders.com.

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The Church is the foretaste, sign and instrument of the Kingdom. A taste of the truth of the Gospel which speaks of a future hope, a sign pointing beyond itself to Christ and His coming Kingdom, and an instrument of grace to a broken world.–Lesslie Newbigin

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The Church is the foretaste, sign and instrument of the Kingdom. A taste of the truth of the Gospel which speaks of a future hope, a sign pointing beyond itself to Christ and His coming Kingdom, and an instrument of grace to a broken world.–Lesslie Newbigin

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What is real?

The foundation of reality is personal and rooted in the Trinitarian fellowship of the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

Who is blessed (well-off)?

All who live in the reality of God’s kingdom (his loving rule and reign).

Who is truly good?

All who actually love God and love other people from the heart.

How do people become good?

By becoming students–disiples—apprentices of Jesus.

– Dallas Willard

(Source:

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Finding the Groove: Composing a Jazz-Shaped Faith” (Robert Gelinas)

Just finished reading Gelinas’ book on a Jazz-Shaped Faith–very provocative. In his chapter on “developing your ear,” he asks:

“What if every moment of life with Christ is pregnant with promise–containing the potential to be a one of a kind masterpiece?”

His book also led me to read Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s Opening Address to the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival:

God has wrought many things out of oppression. He has endowed his creatures with the capacity to create—and from this capacity has flowed the sweet songs of sorrow and joy that have allowed man to cope with his environment and many different situations.

Jazz speaks for life. The Blues tell the story of life’s difficulties, and if you think for a moment, you will realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph.

This is triumphant music.

Modern jazz has continued in this tradition, singing the songs of a more complicated urban existence. When life itself offers no order and meaning, the musician creates an order and meaning from the sounds of the earth which flow through his instrument.

It is no wonder that so much of the search for identity among American Negroes was championed by Jazz musicians. Long before the modern essayists and scholars wrote of racial identity as a problem for a multiracial world, musicians were returning to their roots to affirm that which was stirring within their souls.

Much of the power of our Freedom Movement in the United States has come from this music. It has strengthened us with its sweet rhythms when courage began to fail. It has calmed us with its rich harmonies when spirits were down.

And now, Jazz is exported to the world. For in the particular struggle of the Negro in America there is something akin to the universal struggle of modern man. Everybody has the Blues. Everybody longs for meaning. Everybody needs to love and be loved. Everybody needs to clap hands and be happy. Everybody longs for faith.

In music, especially this broad category called Jazz, there is a stepping stone towards all of these.

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