Review and Giveaway: Overrated

So I agreed to do a review on this book, when I still lived in a house on an acreage. I thought, YES! This book sounds exactly like what I need to read right now. Here's the write up on it.

About the book:
We all want to change the world, but as pastor Eugene Cho found out, it takes more than just desire. It takes action. In this personal confession he encourages readers to discover a practical discipleship that begins with the recognition that changing the world starts with changing ourselves.

Many people today talk about justice, but are they living justly? They want to change the world, but are they being changed themselves? Eugene Cho shares his story, a messy, painful story of being more in love with the ideas behind the actions than counting the cost and being a world-changer in action. Because everyone loves justice and compassion, but few have taken it upon themselves to truly live it out in their own lives. Cho is still on that journey to discover what it means, and invites readers to join him.

About the author:
Eugene is the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages, a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. He is the founder and senior pastor of Quest Church, an urban, multicultural, and multigenerational church in Seattle, Washington. Eugene and his wife, Minhee, have three children.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying this book. It is challenging, even though we are currently living quite simply already. September 1st we moved out of our rental home on a beautiful acreage and found ourselves homeless due to the crazy housing market. So like Eugene Cho and his family, who opted to go couch surfing for 3 months, we have been camping and staying at my inlaws house for the past 5 weeks. It isn't easy.

One of my favorite chapters thus far has been, "Shut up, Listen, and Pray". In this chapter, Eugene shares the following statistics:
"-Parents spend an average of about 3.5 minutes a week in meaningful conversation with their children.
-An average child spends 1'680 minutes (that's 28 hours per week) watching television.
-The percentage of households that have at least one television is 99 percent, and in fact, the average TV household owns 2 1/4 TV sets.
-The percentage of US homes that own three or more TV sets is 66 percent. Wow, that's a lot of TVs.
-The percentage of Americans who regularly watch television while eating dinner is 66 percent. " pg88-89

These statistics made me glad I homeschool as well as not own a tv. Yes we still watch netflix on occasion. But where we are camping there is no internet or a cell signal for that matter. We are truly living simply. Connecting with our children and disconnecting from the material things. Downsizing from a 4 bedroom house to a 12'X14' tent and now in a 30ft motorhome, I'm realizing how much excess we still have. Like really, I don't need more than 2 or 3 skirts or shirts. It is purely for vanity's sake that I have more. This book also continues to challenge us in our attitudes. Are we going to simply whine like the Israelites did or are we going to face things head on and seek Yahweh for provisions and shelter?! This is the perfect book for me to read during this time in my life. It has helped me to realize that it is easy to talk about living simply and giving to those in need...it's quite another to actually live simply (with a good attitude) and give to the needy. Now I never grumble about giving to those in need...but it's hard to find them when you are out camping in the wilderness.

I highly recommend this book to all who love the Lord and desire to walk the way Jesus walked. It WILL challenge you, though. You won't set the book down unchanged.



"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

Giveaway Time
We will be giving away a copy of this book!

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