kgshore22's review
4.0
3.75 stars. Summary: WE ARE NOT ENOUGH — but Jesus is so that we don’t have to be.
mrspenningalovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! What an inspiring read about how life should be lived & the impact it will have on everything if we let go of the pedestal, the perfection, and the prized materialism of our time. Great read! So many amazing quotes!
aturb92's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.25
megpsmit's review
5.0
This book was an convicting read. The first section is an introduction of how she started the thoughts about how we are not enough, then the rest of the book walked though chapters of John with reflect and discussion questions at the end of each section. This is a great book for a personal or group book study.
callanglas's review
5.0
okay i really loved this book and what allen had to say. i found myself crying at some points because of my own personal things that felt continually called out. but in the best way. the Lord definitely works through allen in this book and i am thankful for it
sarahfett's review against another edition
2.0
There are some good insights, but it quickly became redundant. I did not finish it.
kstep1805's review
3.0
Picked up this book around the same time as Present Over Perfect. This is another book looking to address the soul crushing weariness white women in America are experiencing. As opposed to a more liberal Christian perspective, this is from a moderate Evangelical perspective. I’ve read another of Jennie Allen’s books and I know she has a heart for God so I was willing to wade into this book knowing I probably wouldn’t throw it across the room.
And I didn’t. But it did highlight for me how much my faith has diverged from Evangelicalism. While she tries hard not to do so, faith for Evangelicals is work. It’s a subtle difference that I had a hard time really wrapping my head around, something felt wrong, but I couldn’t quite spell it out. It comes down to our view of how we interact with God. For evangelicals, we control God through our faith. So this whole book was about how we’re enough as long as we do the right beliefs. I really don’t think she meant it like that but that is the foundation and can’t escape that message.
There were good inspiring parts, too. Where Present Over Perfect seemed to advocate for isolationism, Allen specifically called for doing the hard social justice work. This is a message that is hard to come by in evangelical circles and one I appreciate that she pushes, social justice is the heart of God’s work.
And I didn’t. But it did highlight for me how much my faith has diverged from Evangelicalism. While she tries hard not to do so, faith for Evangelicals is work. It’s a subtle difference that I had a hard time really wrapping my head around, something felt wrong, but I couldn’t quite spell it out. It comes down to our view of how we interact with God. For evangelicals, we control God through our faith. So this whole book was about how we’re enough as long as we do the right beliefs. I really don’t think she meant it like that but that is the foundation and can’t escape that message.
There were good inspiring parts, too. Where Present Over Perfect seemed to advocate for isolationism, Allen specifically called for doing the hard social justice work. This is a message that is hard to come by in evangelical circles and one I appreciate that she pushes, social justice is the heart of God’s work.