The Loneliness Solution

 

We are lonelier than ever. As countless students travel home for the holidays, many may feel especially isolated and lonely, even while "keeping up" with friends on social media. Social media tricks us into thinking that we are engaged in genuine friendships. Yet instead of intimacy, we get little more than what amounts to digital small talk. But there is a solution.

With plenty of good humor and practical advice, Jack Eason invites you to discover the benefits of doing life together with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Grounding his message in Scripture, Eason helps you

· learn the obstacles to real community

· reimagine what real friendship looks like

· discover a place of true belonging

· and more

If you're tired of feeling lonely, this encouraging and community-building book is just what you need.

 

 

 MY REVIEW: This book on loneliness comes along at a perfect time. Not only is this a real struggle for many anyway, 2020 has been a year of enforced loneliness like most of us have never witnessed. Social Media, for over a decade, has given us an illusion of friends despite most being superficial relationships. As Eason puts it, we are satisfied with "digital small talk" rather than real relationships. Masks, social distancing, online church, and Zoom Meetings have made us even more isolated.

One sentence that particularly resonated with me was, "Fitting in and Belonging are not the same thing." (pg 57). Even as a young child I understood that I often felt lonelier in crowds even if I appeared to fit in. Quarantine has emphasized that: even those who normally spend a lot of time alone have found the awareness of being lonely has increased.

Eason's encouragement of getting more involved with helping others, preferably with others who are like-minded, can give you real community rather than a sense of community. When you are literally placed in a new location, don't cling to your old relationships without seeking new ones. "Doing life together" may seem like an overused expression, but we do need to be more intentional in finding our tribe. Getting to know others and permitting them to know you at a deeper level is beneficial for all. This book helps provide biblical steps that truly will make a difference.

I received a copy of this book for review purposes with no compensation, nor was a good review required. Thanks to Revell Books and FlyBy Promotions.

GIVEAWAY! I have one copy of The Loneliness Solution by Jack Eason to give away. This is great for your personal library or a donation to your church library. People need the encouragement to step out and build relationships, especially during this time of physical isolation. Enter the contest by posting #LonelinessSolution. The contest ends December 15, 2020. 

 

Jack Eason serves ministries and non profits throughout the United States and around the world sharing principles for fundraising, growth and development, board governance, and other areas of ministry leadership. He enjoys serving as one of the pastors at Cross Roads Baptist Church in the Upstate of South Carolina as well as the of Crossover CUPS Mission, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that has been privileged to serve the local Church and missions-related organizations around the world for 30 years. Jack also travels speaking to students in high school and college and talks about the issue of loneliness, how we can make good friends, and the power of togetherness.

LINKS:
Buy the Book

Amazon

JackEason.org

Facebook
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YouTube
Jack Eason Podcast

The Logic of God - Ravi Zacharias

The Logic of God: 52 Christian Essentials for the Heart and Mind by Ravi Zacharias is a weekly offering on the topics that are important to Christians on why the Bible and God are still vital, relevant and life-changing. Ravi says, "I am convinced that Jesus Christ alone uniquely answers the deepest questions of our hearts and minds." Each week's reading provides Scripture, questions for reflection, and some practical application steps that apply to your life.

The book itself is a beautifully bound hardcover that is meant to be used frequently. It's not necessarily one you would normally read straight through but to be used in either your own quiet time and study or as part of a small group. Some of the topics are going to make more of a personal impact than others, but each is important as part of your faith-walk. I rushed through much for review purposes although some did cause me to linger a bit. I look forward to reading the book again as part of a weekly devotion. As always, Zacharias uses rational thinking, courtesy, intellect, and humor to challenge the reader to seriously consider the topic. 



I received a copy of this Zondervan published book from BookLookBloggers at no cost to myself for review purposes. I was neither influenced or required to write a positive review.

Ravi Zacharias website is RZIM.org.
FaithGateway.com 
Zondervan 
Thomas Nelson books
Amazon

Keep Your Love On by Danny Silk

Keep Your Love On: Connection and Boundaries by Danny Silk

Danny Silk, a member of the leadership team of Redding, California's Bethel Church, wants to raise the standard our culture has on the definition of love. He wants people to have a mature Jesus-focused love instead of our more immature version of love that is based more on emotion and what we are feeling. Silk offers ways for people to "keep their love on" during all times and not give up easily during times of conflict. According to Silk, there are 5 ways to help you to choose love.

1. Consider the other person’s love language. Based on The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman, knowing your own love language, as well as your loved ones can make a tremendous difference.

2. Become powerful. Power is not about controlling others. Powerful people learn to control themselves.

3. Turn your love on. Know that love is a choice and it is up to you to seek a connection and commitment.

4. Communicate. You don't have to agree on everything, but you do need to listen to what the person says, thinks, and feels. Find a point of connection.

5. Set limits. Boundaries are important to maintain a healthy relationship. Creating levels of who has priority in your life is vital. If you drop everything to please everyone, and neglect those nearest and dearest to you, it is bound to cause resentment. 

My Review: I loved it and and, sometimes, I really disliked it. There were times to be honest, my toes were stepped on---HARD! I mean the book started out pretty good. Silk was talking about something from The 5 Love Languages that fit a personal situation so closely that I could have sworn he was spying on me. It made me laugh, but also helped clarify things to add some resolution to my personal conflict. I was feeling pretty good. And, then...I began to read truths I did not always want to accept. Sometimes we let ourselves get comfortable and that's not always a good thing. Change can be difficult, but I recognized several things that need tweaked. Also, a couple that I need to completely revise. I wish I had been given some of this advice as a younger woman, but there is still time to grow and improve. I definitely recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book from Shelton Interactive for the purpose of writing a fair and honest review.

Loving On Purpose website

Danny Lee Silk

Life Work by Randy Harris

What does minimal human ethics look like? Can Christians really be followers of Jesus in the way they live today? In his own unique style, Randy Harris wrestles with these and other ethical issues facing Christians and all humanity.

In a world gone crazy, what would basic human decency look like? Are there principles that all humans could follow to make their neighborhoods, countries, and world more just and peaceful? Randy Harris, from his long experience as a teacher of philosophy and ethics, calls us to those principles of fair play, justice, and peace.

Life Work: Confessions of an Everyday Disciple by Randy Harris is the third in a trilogy of books. Harris divides the book into 4 different sctions: Ethics (chapters 1-4), Cruciformity (chapters 5-9), Fellow Travelers (chapters 10-12), and Shalom (chapters 13-14). It starts out with a series of ethical questions that prove that many decisions are harder to make than one thinks. Sometimes there simply is not a perfect answer, and even the greater good of all can be blurred on what is personally invested in the outcome. For a Christian, it goes beyond simply good morals and ethical decisions to looking at the situation through a cross-shaped vision, or, as Harris call it, "cruciformity". A follower of Jesus is bound to look at any situation through their Biblical worldview, but that does not mean that it is easy or mistakes never made.

His fellow travelers include both the dead and the living. Harris gives us insight into things he has learned from reading the works of some the historical leaders and from learning from those who are still forming a pathway and making differences today. Some he agrees with and some he doesn't, but he uses all to come to his own conclusions of best to live his life as a philosopher, ethicist, and theologian. He ends the book with finding the importance of finding peace.

Honestly, I sometimes got a bit bored or had trouble making the leap to the same conclusion Harris made. He has a good writing style, so it may have simply been that my mind was filled with other matters. However, I do plan on reading it again. Sometimes ideas just need to marinate for a while. If you are looking for light reading, this is not the best choice. But, if you want something to think about, I do recommend the book. It is only 157 pages, so you can spread out the reading a bit without losing sight of what you have already read.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from ACU Press/Leafwood Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”