2008 has been a great year for me in a new way. At the beginning of the year I was asked by Tim Stevens to read a rough draft of his book Pop Goes the Church and offer my suggestions to make it better. Then as a result of that, I was asked to begin to review books before they came out to the general public and then offer a blog review right around the time of it’s release. So far I’ve done 4-5 and it’s been a lot of fun. Recently I was asked about another and thought it sounded perfect for Lisa to read…so without further ado…here’s Lisa’s take on Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight.
I got an email from Gilbert asking if I’d like to read a book and write a review on it. The book was by Karen Linamen and the email contained a brief description of the book “Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight”. It’s about acknowledging your dissatisfaction with your life and using that dissatisfaction to fuel change rather than feeling helpless to do anything about it. It sounded like a fun read and like it would contain very timely and helpful advice for the young women I mentor. I was looking forward to the book but the day it came it I had just finished one amazing book and was looking forward to starting a book I had already chosen to read next. I selfishly resented the timing of the arrival of Karen’s book.
The book started out alright, I must admit I was skimming, hoping to get it done quickly. I didn’t really have any habit in mind that I had been struggling to change, so I wasn’t reading this book for me. I was diligently taking notes on things I could present to my girls at my next small group, but I was hurrying through so I could get to my “real” book. I must admit though, Karen was making some pretty good points. Not just good points, but the way she gave word pictures to drive those points home was quite impressive. I could picture the look on the faces of the girls in my small group as the light bulb goes on when I’m sharing these word pictures. I love those looks.
Karen gives you small assignments throughout the book. It didn’t take me too long to stop hurrying and start realizing that this book was exactly what I needed to be reading at the time. These assignments forced me to confront past hurts and buried dreams that I hadn’t thought of in years. Reading through her stories and heeding her advice I began to gain a new perspective on these old hurts. I no longer wanted to bury them. Somehow I was starting to appreciate them and found an amazing energy and hunger to confront them and use them to propel me into a newfound hope for a future that I previously did not dare to believe could exist. I gained a new perspective on life.
“Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight” contains real stories by a real woman who doesn’t claim to have it all together, who has not attained perfection, who does not have all the answers, but who is on a persistent journey toward Godliness and wholeness and is eager for you to join her on the way. Her bite-sized step-by-step approach makes the mundane exciting and her conversational style and whimsical examples make you feel like she is walking through the process with you. Whether you are in desperate need for change in your life or are just open to self improvement this book is for you.
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