A review by raben_76325
Flourish: How the Love of Christ Frees Us from Self-Focus by Lydia Brownback
5.0
We all want to get closer to Jesus and we all long for lives that are full of joy. However, many things stand in the way. These may include self-consciousness, self-help attitudes, self-indulgence, self-analysis, self-condemnation or self-victimization. While these can range widely in their guises, what all these obstacles to joy have in common are an undue and unhealthy focus on ourselves. When we focus on ourselves, we often find that we have crowded Christ either out of our lives or onto the margins of our lives. We find ourselves the star of our life, and we have no room for worship of anyone but self.
Brownback helps to gently correct these erroneous views, shows how sometimes even Christian subculture helps to encourage these views, and allows us to put a right focus on Christ instead of ourselves. This is the most helpful book that I have read in a long time, as I find that I often struggle with several of the self-focused habits that Brownback outlines. This is an early contender for my best reads of the year, and I have thought about going back through the book with the 30-day guide and bible study questions that Brownback includes after the main text. It remains to be seen whether I'll do that or not, but this is one that I could find myself re-reading on a fairly frequent basis, as I truly need some lenses to help me see beyond myself and to the glory that is Christ. (book 57 of 2019)
Brownback helps to gently correct these erroneous views, shows how sometimes even Christian subculture helps to encourage these views, and allows us to put a right focus on Christ instead of ourselves. This is the most helpful book that I have read in a long time, as I find that I often struggle with several of the self-focused habits that Brownback outlines. This is an early contender for my best reads of the year, and I have thought about going back through the book with the 30-day guide and bible study questions that Brownback includes after the main text. It remains to be seen whether I'll do that or not, but this is one that I could find myself re-reading on a fairly frequent basis, as I truly need some lenses to help me see beyond myself and to the glory that is Christ. (book 57 of 2019)