Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Book Review: Hinge Moments.

Today I begin a little project to read and summarize my findings from the books I am reading. 

I begin with a great read by Dr. D. Michael Lindsay, President of Taylor University. In fact, as I read his book, Hinge Moments, Dr. Lindsay is just beginning a his new role as newly elected president. He is experiencing transitions in real time! 

This book looks at several interviews of popular individuals that have experience transitions in their lives. It is a book that perhaps was intended for college students has become more popular among others as well. In the book he differentiate between change and transition. 

One of the quotes that I found most compelling is found in just the very introduction of the book that reads; “For all of us there is only one thing that remains the same – the fact that nothing does.”

Taken from his own personal experiences and also interviews with very popular and interesting people, Lindsay helps define the principles and ideas that deal with the transitions in our lives. His book is an easy read and very compelling.

I’m a person who loves to underline the interesting facts found in books and articles. Sometimes it’s one sentence out of a paragraph that jumps out at me but in this book, I find myself underlining far more. My guess is that I will re-read the book and extend my highlights with my yellow highlight marker to draw out distinctive from my first read.

A summary of the book can be found on page 20 when the author simply states; “There are at least three kinds of changes we face: those we wouldn’t choose but we can see coming, those we choose ourselves, and those that flood our homes at two in the morning.” (Referring to my personal experience as a child when this home was flooded.)

And interesting diagram is provided as an outline for the book that begins with one axiom going up call confidence in another axiom moving right called time. Within these are a series of steps that occur through the transitions in our lives.

Each chapter unpacks each of these beginning with discernment, anticipation, and intersection that reduce our confidence but over time, we begin to unpack the remaining chapters he unpacks the following outline beginning with landing, then integration, the  inspiration, and finally realization.

This book is not written just for the young adult but for everyone who anticipates and experiences life’s transitions. It’s a book that helps each of us make the most of life’s transitions (also the sub title).