Flourish by Lydia Brownback

Flourish by Lydia Brownback ISBN-13: 9781433560651 Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: Crossway Books Released: Jan. 31, 2019

Source: ARC review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description from Goodreads:
All women are looking to live a life that will satisfy their deepest longings. Worldly thinking offers false hope found in self-focused saviors such as acceptance from others, a checklist for better living, emotional fulfillment, comfort, accomplishments, and more—some of which has crept into the church. Featuring 6 chapters aiming to free women from self-consciousness, self-improvement, self-analysis, self-indulgence, self-condemnation, and self-victimization, this book will help readers discern subtle false messages from the truth in God's Word—exchanging a self-focused life for the abundant life Jesus promises them in the gospel.


My Review:
Flourish is about how we need to focus on Christ, what He's done for us, and our new identify rather than focus on ourselves. The author examined six main areas where we might struggle, and she pointed out (often using Scripture) how a wrong focus is at the root of each problem. There's a study guide at the end of the book which provides 5 days worth of questions for each chapter--so you or a group can read a chapter, then spend the next 5 days working through the questions about what was said in that chapter or looking up verses related to that topic and answering questions about them. Overall, I'd recommend this Christ-focused book.

She talked about: Focusing your decisions around what people might think of you or your actions. Struggling to be a better person. Basing your decisions on the pursuit of constantly feeling happy. Prioritizing comfort and pleasurable experiences, especially as a way to deal with bad things in life. Not feeling forgiven (i.e. taking the place of God in declaring what is sin and what has been forgiven rather than accepting what God has said and believing that Christ's work on the cross is big enough to cover every sin). Holding on to an identity of "victim."


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.