My Thoughts: The Lost Virtue of Happiness

The Lost Virtue of Happiness: Discovering the Disciplines of the Good Life, by J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler, both philosophy professors at Biola University, was one of the best books I have read this summer. I found this book to be very thought provoking and practical at the same time. While I was reading this book, I could not stop thinking of a book called Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. I found that many of the ideas in Moreland’s book were similar to the ideas in Willard’s book. I think that one of the main ideas this book was trying to get at was the importance of spiritual formation. As I have found out with this book and previous study on the topic, it is indispensable for the believer in Jesus Christ.

The book starts out by taking a look at today’s view of happiness and the ancient view of happiness. It shows just how far away and messed up a view of happiness that we have. Then it goes into the idea, and another main idea in the book, that in order to gain true happiness, we must reject ourselves and serve. The beginning of happiness is taking up our cross just as Jesus did. Once we do this, than we must transform our entire self. The book gives practical ways of dealing with this such as participating spiritual disciplines for example. Some of the activities you can participate in are spending time in silence, solitude, mediation, journaling, intellectual reading, study, fasting, and being mentored. It is hard, if not impossible, to get close to God and being happy without doing any of these spiritual disciplines.

The book concludes with a chapter that is all about cultivating spiritual friendships. It shows through Biblical texts some of the characteristics of a spiritual friendship. It states over and over again that we cannot live life alone. Friendships are essential for our spiritual growth on this earth.

This book has inspired me to do some of these spiritual disciplines on my private time. I am striving to make these disciplines habits in my life.

All in all, it was a very good book. It was deep, understandable, and practical all at the same time. It challenged me to better myself and the relationships I am in. I will say that all Christians should read this book at some point in their lives, especially when you feel like you are going through a spiritual dry spell. I think this book will help motivate any believer. This book gets 4.60 stars out of 5.

Next Book: The Great Omission, by Dallas Willard

My Thoughts: Captivating

Want to understand the female soul and how it works a little better? Captivating takes you on a journey through the female soul on how it works and how it was intended to work. This book defines what true femininity is.

Personally, after reading this, I learned a lot. I learned the three most important things that females long for. Females want: 1.) To be romanced 2.) To be rescued 3.) And to unveil their beauty. If these characteristics of women are accurate, then they should help me out a lot in life. This book taught me that women are the Crown of God’s creation. Men, and society in general, absolutely need women by their side. There is so much more that I could say that I learned about the book, but because of time constraints and lack of motivation, I will only write about the huge things.

I enjoyed this book a lot, well, at least the first half. In my mind, the first half I thought had many good insights and kept me wanting more. After that, it seemed like the book was just dragging on and the authors were rambling. The book was very repetitive and I feel that I could have read the first 100 pages and gave a good, solid, and detailed description of what the whole 200 page book was about. Some of the examples they give in the book were also a bit questionanable in my mind. At best, it was a good book, but nothing more beyond that. It does not get my highest recommendation whatsoever. I hear that Wild at Heart is much more enjoyable and better written. Maybe next summer. For now, I will give Captivating 2.95 stars out of 5. The worst book I’ve read this summer, but not a complete waste of my time.

Next: The Lost Virtue of Happiness

My Thoughts: The Four Loves

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis is an eye-opening book to say the least. If what Lewis is saying about Love is true, then it shows just how skewed our perception of Love really is. Lewis demonstrates that there are four different kinds of loves: Affection, Friendship, Eros, and Charity. I thought that some of Lewis’ best insights came in the chapter on Charity. He says that these first three loves all grow out of Charity. Charity is the love that God, and only God, can give us. It is the only kind of love that will satisfy our deepest desires. The reason for this is because the first three kinds of love fade, but God’s charity for His creation lasts forever. “All human beings pass away. Do not let your happiness depend on something you may lose” (Lewis 120).

Another argument that he makes in the chapter on Charity is this. To love anything at all is to be vulnerable. If we do not want to be vulnerable, then we cannot love. If we put our hearts away in a closet because we do not want it to be broken, then it will only become “unbreakable, impenetrable, and irredeemable”. “To love at all is to be vulnerable….The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell” (Lewis 121). This quote captures the point that he is trying to get across.

I would have to say that this may have been the most enjoyable and deep book that I have read all summer. I will for sure have to read it again just because of how much depth there is and how much content went completely over my head. The things that did not go over my head I thought were brilliant. All in all, I will give this book 4.75 stars out of 5.


Next Book: Captivating
(No, this book was not on my original reading list.)