Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Take Back Your Life

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I’m about a week into “Take Back Your Life: A 40-Day Interactive Journey to Thinking Right so You Can Live Right,” a new devotional from pastor Levi Lusko. It’s written like bible-based pep talks and has already prompted lots of thoughts in my mind and journal. I suppose that’s the point – and I’ve still got 34 days left to go!

I especially loved Day #5, “If You Say So.” Lusko writes about how God spoke the world into being in Genesis 1 and then how God spoke himself into the world when the Word became flesh with Jesus, who is the living Word. Words matter. And the ways Lukso ties that simple philosophy to transformation is powerful. 

We have a similar power of speech because we are made in God’s image, so what we say about something matters. We feel about situations and circumstances what we speak about them.

“Your words can unlock a life of love or one you loathe. It is up to you whether the self-fulfilling prophecies you articulate become a delight or a dungeon.” – Levi Lusko in “Take Back Your Life”

He concludes each chapter with a “Breathe, Think, and Live” section with questions and suggestions. From Day #5, I have found myself thinking about this one: When have you noticed yourself using words to hurt, tear down, or complain about yourself in your day-to-day life? What would it mean to use them to build and heal in those areas? Of course, then I think about my words to myself, to others (especially my kids!), and about circumstances out of my control. The ripple effects with words are vast and lasting.

About the book

Every person has a mission and a God-given potential to impact the world, whether they recognize it or not. But life presents challenges and traps us in a helpless, hopeless loop of anxiety and fear.

In “Take Back Your Life,” a blend of bestselling books “Through the Eyes of a Lion” and “I Declare War,” pastor Levi Lusko leads readers on an interactive journey to take back your life. With biblical truth and perspective, this step-by-step journaling process will help you get out of your own way by learning to think right so you can live right, find purpose by discovering that God will do great things with your imperfect progress, and learn that your pain is not an obstacle to being used by God but an opportunity to be used like never before.

This is more than a book; it’s an intimate self-analysis tool that will help you recognize what’s weighing you down or holding you back, and equip you to embrace it head-on as you become the best version of yourself. Start thinking right, so you can live right.

This 320-page hardcover book is published by Thomas Nelson (Aug. 4, 2020).

Find free downloads, an online Bible study, and other resources at the book’s website.

I was glad to download the Take Back Your Life guide for Kids: “The Me I Was Born to Be!” I’ve got this ready to go so my eighth-grade girl can read aloud during our morning ride to school. I’m hoping for good discussions with my kids who are 13, 10, and almost 5.

This guide is a four-day devotional that will help you kids grow in confidence and adjust their thinking to set them up for success. It’s a tool kit that will be the perfect conversation starter for you and your kids — and especially in this season of uncertainty and loneliness, it will help you explore together what it looks like for them to bravely step into the victorious life God has been dreaming of for their futures.

This free bonus resource includes four days of devotional content that corresponds with days of “Take Back Your Life,” lunch box notes to print out and send with your kids lunch to brighten their day, a worksheet to help kids work through their emotions, and reminder cards to print out to encourage the whole family. (Get it here!)

About the author

Levi Lusko is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church located in Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, and Utah. He is the bestselling author of “Through the Eyes of a Lion,” “Swipe Right,” and “I Declare War.” Levi also travels the world speaking about Jesus. He and his wife, Jennie, have one son, Lennox, and four daughters: Alivia, Daisy, Clover, and Lenya, who is in heaven. 

Giveaway

And there’s a copy for one of you! Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter to win. I’ll randomly choose a winner on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Enter giveaway here!

*****

Many thanks to Propeller Consulting and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for providing two copies of “Take Back Your Life” for me to review and share with you in exchange for this review. Choice of winners and opinions are 100 percent my own and not influenced by monetary compensation.

Practical wisdom & a pep talk for my soul

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The new book from Kendra Adachi (aka The Lazy Genuis) arrived on my porch one afternoon and I ignored my to-do list because reading what she had to say truly mattered to me. I ended up staying up past my bedtime to finish it. It’s been quite a while since I read a book in one day, but Kendra is funny and practical, real without putting herself or others down, and asks questions that I had to answer in my journal the next morning. Talk about some surprise therapy, thanks to “The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done.”

“Your tasks aren’t necessarily the origin of your stress; trying to fit into a mold of who you think you should be almost always is. You spend all day doing and managing and overthinking, and before long, you forget who you are in the midst of the madness. You need a practice of remembering who you are and resting in your identity. There’s more than one way to do this, so don’t feel pressured to find the single, perfect thing that defines you. Your list will be long, and that’s good.”

Kendra Adachi in “The Lazy Genius Way“

I could quote many other tidbits of wisdom, questions that poke right my inner struggles, and truth I want to remember. I wrote notes in the margins and starred whole sections. Sure, some parts were more relevant than others, but I closed this book and was encouraged to be me as I remember what matters, calm the crazy, and trust myself.

One surprise that happened right in the introduction was how Kendra wrote about her own perfectionism roots and I felt like she was describing my own childhood and all the ripple effects since. I tried really hard to change someone that didn’t change, and, yes, I felt responsible. That’s a heavy burden to carry, and I didn’t expect this book to be what help me continue to work through it. You just never know where and how God is going to continue the good work He’s doing in us.

All of that to say, the introduction of “The Lazy Genius Way” is powerful, and I don’t think I’m the only woman who needs the pep talk Kendra offers. Of course, the rest of the book is full of practical wisdom, funny comments, and more pep talks for your weary soul. So read on, my friend.

About the book

The chorus of “shoulds” is loud. You should enjoy the moment, dream big, have it all, get up before the sun, track your water consumption, go on date nights, and be the best. Or maybe you should ignore what people think, live on dry shampoo, be a negligent PTA mom, have a dirty house, and claim your hot mess like a badge of honor.
 
It’s so easy to feel overwhelmed by the mixed messages of what it means to live well. 
 
Kendra Adachi, the creator of the Lazy Genius movement, invites you to live well by your own definition and equips you to be a genius about what matters and lazy about what doesn’t. Everything from your morning routine to napping without guilt falls into place with Kendra’s thirteen Lazy Genius principles, including: decide once, start small, ask the Magic Question, go in the right order, and schedule rest.
 
Discover a better way to approach your relationships, work, and piles of mail. Be who you are without the complication of everyone else’s “shoulds.” Do what matters, skip the rest, and be a person again.

“The Lazy Genius Way” is a 240-page hardcover book is published by WaterBrook (Aug. 11, 2020). It’s also available as an ebook.

About the author

Kendra Adachi went to college to become a high school English teacher but instead became the Lazy Genius, passionately and candidly sharing how to stop doing it all for the sake of doing what matters. Her work includes hosting The Lazy Genius Podcast, cooking dinner on Instagram, and convincing her three young kids that talking into the phone is Mommy’s job. She and her husband love raising their family in the same North Carolina city they both grew up in. Learn more at her website.

*****

I’m reviewing this book because I genuinely loved it so much. I pre-ordered it and paid for my copy with my own money. This review for y’all is just bonus material. You’re welcome.

Celebrating & feasting on truth

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My Bible study group studied the gospel of John for 18 months. There’s a lot of history and truth packed into those 21 chapters. In the Precept study, which is actually three studies, we spent some time talking about the feasts John mentions, their relevance to Jesus, and how that affects our faith. It was super interesting, but I wanted more time with it.

So when I was asked to review a new study called “7 Feasts: Finding Christ in the Sacred Celebrations of the Old Testament” by Erin Davis, I said yes without hesitation. It seemed like the next right thing for me. Plus the timing was ideal because I wasn’t doing another study. Now I’m three weeks in, and I’m thankful this study showed up in my life.

Before the study gets to the feasts, the introductory week spends some time talking about creation and rhythms. I loved this section so much, I texted pictures of it to a friend from my Bible study group. Sabbath is commanded with four of the seven feasts, so Davis writes about how God created and created and created and created and created and created … and then changed the pattern with a day of rest.

“The Seven Feasts and the Sabbath are examples of ways God invites His people to change the pattern – to look up from our work and rest in His work; to stop gazing at ourselves and to gaze at Him instead; to unclench our fists and open our hands for the gifts He has for His children.”

– Erin Davis in “7 Feasts“

In this eight-week study, Davis teaches the significance of these feasts and why God wanted His people to celebrate, how each of them point to Jesus and His work in redemption, and why all of this matters for our lives today. Leviticus 23 is the launching pad for this study, but Davis takes readers throughout the Old and New Testaments as she unpacks each feast. Perhaps now I won’t skim over the mention of feasts in the Bible because I can better see how they all point to Jesus, who is certainly still relevant in my life, even if animal sacrifices aren’t.

“The Israelites were commanded to observe the seven feasts as a practical way to remember who God is. God graciously structured their calendars in a way that combatted their spiritual amnesia,” Davis said in a press release about the study. “Because of Jesus, we no longer live under the letter of the law. We do still live, however, under the spirit of the law. We’re still prone to spiritual amnesia. We still need to rest in God’s redemptive plan. Our hearts still need to be shocked back into praise on a regular basis.”

I’m looking forward to learning about the relevance of a few more feasts now that I’ve spent time studying Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

About the book

After spending the first week setting a foundation by helping readers better understand the rhythms of God, author Erin Davis focuses on the following feasts in subsequent weeks:

  1. Passover: Reminds us of our deliverance from death.
  2. Feast of Unleavened Bread: Reminds us that we still face the dangerous and permeating death of sin.
  3. Feast of Firstfruits: Celebrates that God gives us His very best: Himself. In return, as an act of worship, we give Him our very best.
  4. Feast of Weeks: Reminds us that God never wastes the wait.
  5. Feast of Trumpets: Jesus will fulfill the Feast of Trumpets with His triumphant return.
  6. Day of Atonement: This day showcase’s God’s elaborate grace.
  7. Feast of Booths: Shines the spotlight on God and reminds His children of His character.

“7 Feasts” is a 304-page paperback published by Moody Publishers (June 2, 2020).

About the author

Erin Davis is a writer and teacher passionately committed to getting women of all ages to the deep well of God’s Word. She is the author of many books and Bible studies, including “Connected,” “Beyond Bath Time,” and “7 Feasts.” Erin hosts the Women of the Bible podcast and the Grounded videocast. When she’s not writing, you can find Erin chasing chickens and children on her small farm in the Midwest. Learn more and discover her work at ErinDavis.org.

Giveaway

And there’s a copy for one of you! Just use the Rafflecopter below to enter to win! The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. A winner will randomly be chosen Friday, Aug. 21.

Click here to enter giveaway!

*****

I received a free copy of this study from Moody Publishers in connection with Sidedoor Communications in exchange for a review, but I genuinely love working through this study right now. They’re also providing a copy to the winner of the giveaway. I’m happy to include it in my recommended reads.