{"id":11424,"date":"2018-04-26T19:08:23","date_gmt":"2018-04-27T00:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11424"},"modified":"2018-04-26T19:08:57","modified_gmt":"2018-04-27T00:08:57","slug":"book-review-unglued","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=11424","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Unglued"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"unglued\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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“God doesn\u2019t allow the unglued moments of our lives to happen so we\u2019ll label ourselves and stay stuck. He allows the unglued moments to make us aware of the chiseling that needs to be done. So instead of condemning myself with statements like, I\u2019m such a mess, I could say, Let God chisel. Let Him work on my hard places so I can leave the dark places of being stuck and come into the light of who He designed me to be. God is calling us out\u2014out of darkness, out from those places we thought would never get better, out of being stuck.<\/em>“\u00a0<\/em> Lysa Terkeurst,\u00a0Unglued<\/em><\/a><\/div>\n
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I have never met Lysa Terkeurst, but I sure would love the opportunity!\u00a0 I’ve read two of her other books and blogged about them as well:\u00a0\u00a0Uninvited<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Best “Yes”<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0The book\u00a0Unglued<\/em><\/a>\u00a0stuck out to me and I knew I had to dive in!\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because…far too often, I find myself unglued about things that really don’t matter.\u00a0 My hope was that this book would help remind me of what I need to stay glued to!<\/div>\n
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My favorite thing about this book is the amount of Scripture and the effort that Lysa makes to point the reader to the need to intentionally redirect your thoughts to the things of the Lord.\u00a0 She is a wonderful storyteller and she really does share the good, bad, and the ugly about family life, ministry, and everything else.\u00a0 Reading this book is like sitting with a wise mentor and it sure blessed my soul and reminded me of what a great God we serve!<\/div>\n
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I highlighted several things while reading and have posted those notes below…<\/div>\n
    \n
  • \u201cI know in my heart that man is good,\u201d the inscription on Reagan\u2019s tombstone reads, \u201cthat what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.\u201dLocation 70-71<\/li>\n
  • Feeling unglued is really all I\u2019ve ever known. And I\u2019m starting to wonder if maybe it\u2019s all I\u2019ll ever be.\u00a0Location 76-77<\/li>\n
  • Imperfect changes are slow steps of progress wrapped in grace \u2026 imperfect progress.\u00a0Location 78-80<\/li>\n
  • Progress. Just make progress. It\u2019s okay to have setbacks and the need for do-overs. It\u2019s okay to draw a line in the sand and start over again\u2014and again. Just make sure you\u2019re moving the line forward. Move forward. Take baby steps, but at least take steps that keep you from being stuck. Then change will come. And it will be good.\u00a0Location 102-105<\/li>\n
  • God gave us emotions. Emotions allow us to feel as we experience life. Because we feel, we connect. We share laughter and know the gift of empathy. Our emotions are what enable us to drink deeply from love and treasure it. And yes, we also experience difficult emotions such as sadness, fear, shame, and anger. But might these be important as well? Just as touching a hot stove signals our hand to pull back, might our hot emotions be alerting us to potential danger?\u00a0Location 168-171<\/li>\n
  • Brain research shows that every conscious thought we have is recorded on our internal hard drive known as the cerebral cortex. Each thought scratches the surface much like an Etch A Sketch. When we have the same thought again, the line of the original thought is deepened, causing what\u2019s called a memory trace. With each repetition the trace goes deeper and deeper, forming and embedding a pattern of thought. When an emotion is tied to this thought pattern, the memory trace grows exponentially stronger.\u00a0Location 175-176<\/li>\n
  • We won\u2019t develop new responses until we develop new thoughts. That\u2019s why renewing our minds with new thoughts is crucial.\u00a0Location 178-180<\/li>\n
  • Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God\u2019s will is\u2014his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)\u00a0Location 182-183<\/li>\n
  • We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)\u00a0Location 185-187<\/li>\n
  • I can\u2019t control the things that happen to me each day, but I can control how I think about them. I can say to myself, \u201cI have a choice to have destructive thoughts or constructive thoughts right now. I can wallow in what\u2019s wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective\u00a0Location 185-188<\/li>\n
  • I can\u2019t control the things that happen to me each day, but I can control how I think about them. I can say to myself, \u201cI have a choice to have destructive thoughts or constructive thoughts right now. I can wallow in what\u2019s wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don\u2019t<\/li>\n
  • Location 185-188<\/li>\n
  • I can\u2019t control the things that happen to me each day, but I can control how I think about them. I can say to myself, \u201cI have a choice to have destructive thoughts or constructive thoughts right now. I can wallow in what\u2019s wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don\u2019t feel good.\u201d\u00a0Location 190-191<\/li>\n
  • I can face things that are out of my control and not act out of control.\u00a0Location 194-196<\/li>\n
  • Could I trust God and believe that He is working out something good even from things that seem no good? You see, if I know there is potential good hidden within each chaotic situation, I can loosen my grip on control.\u00a0Location 253-254<\/li>\n
  • We can\u2019t always fix our circumstances, but we can fix our minds on God. We can do that.\u00a0Location 255-260<\/li>\n
  • The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, \u201cShout! For the LORD has given you the city!\u201d (Joshua 6:13 \u2013 16 NIV 1984)\u00a0Location 306-309<\/li>\n
  • Max Lucado\u2019s\u00a0You Are Special<\/em>\u00a0is fantastic. Perhaps you\u2019ve read it too. The main character, Punchinello, is one of the Wemmicks, a small wooden people who spend their days sticking gray dots or gold stars on each other. Punchinello struggles to deal with the negative labels\u2014the ugly, gray dots\u2014that other Wemmicks have stuck to him. The \u201caha\u201d moment in the story comes when someone tells Punchinello, \u201cThe dots only stick if you let them.\u201d\u00a0Location 357-361<\/li>\n
  • God doesn\u2019t allow the unglued moments of our lives to happen so we\u2019ll label ourselves and stay stuck. He allows the unglued moments to make us aware of the chiseling that needs to be done. So instead of condemning myself with statements like, I\u2019m such a mess, I could say, Let God chisel. Let Him work on my hard places so I can leave the dark places of being stuck and come into the light of who He designed me to be. God is calling us out\u2014out of darkness, out from those places we thought would never get better, out of being stuck.\u00a0Location 448-448<\/li>\n
  • Exploding means pushing emotions outward.\u00a0Location 455-455<\/li>\n
  • Stuffing means pushing emotions inward.\u00a0Location 601-602<\/li>\n
  • People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:7 \u2013 8 NLT)\u00a0Location 607-609<\/li>\n
  • Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:9 \u2013 12)\u00a0Location 612-613<\/li>\n
  • Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (James 3:13)\u00a0Location 624-626<\/li>\n
  • But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)\u00a0Location 630-631<\/li>\n
  • \u201cPeacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness\u201d (James 3:18).\u00a0Location 680-681<\/li>\n
  • My soul warned me: Do not check in with the screaming demands of the world before you exchange whispers with God.\u00a0Location 706-707<\/li>\n
  • I\u2019ll sometimes say to myself, \u201cSip the shame so you won\u2019t have to guzzle the regret.\u201d In other words, taste a little bit of the shame of letting it all rip before you find yourself drowning in gallons of unwanted regret.\u00a0Location 732-733<\/li>\n
  • Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel. (Ephesians 6:19 NIV 1984)\u00a0Location 782-782<\/li>\n
  • Choosing a gentle reply doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re weak; it actually means you possess a rare and godly strength.\u00a0Location 959-960<\/li>\n
  • Proverbs 10:19 prompt: \u201cToo much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut\u201d (NLT).\u00a0Location 1066-1068<\/li>\n
  • If they make the choice to walk over me rather than walk with me, I\u2019ll have to love them from afar. I can forgive and refuse to hold resentment toward them, but just because I extend my forgiveness doesn\u2019t mean I have to give them access to me.\u00a0Location 1109-1111<\/li>\n
  • Am I trying to prove or improve? In other words, is my desire in this conflict to prove that I am right, or is my desire to improve the relationship?\u00a0Location 1161-1161<\/li>\n
  • Why not take your expectations and your need for discernment about them to God in prayer? Why not ask Him to get involved?\u00a0Location 1183-1184<\/li>\n
  • \u201cFeelings are indicators, not dictators, child. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn\u2019t mean they have the right to dictate your behavior and boss you around. You are more than the sum total of your feelings and perfectly\u00a0Location 1197-1199<\/li>\n
  • We are more than just a sum total of our feelings. We are more than exploders who shame \u2026 or exploders who blame. We are more than stuffers who build barriers \u2026 or stuffers who collect retaliation rocks. Indeed, we are more. We are children of God made to walk in truth with soul integrity. 7\u00a0Location 1193-1197<\/li>\n
  • Feelings are indicators, and it\u2019s good to honestly assess what we\u2019re feeling and why. We need to keep a gauge on our hearts so we can process, clarify, and understand our lives and relationships more deeply. But God gave me more than just a heart to use in processing life. He gave me a mind as well. A mind made for truth to reign supreme and to keep my heart in check. We must remember, \u201cThe heart is deceitful above all things\u2026. I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind\u201d (Jeremiah 17:9 \u2013 10).\u00a0Location 1250-1256<\/li>\n
  • His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:3 \u2013 8)\u00a0Location 1321-1322<\/li>\n
  • For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. (2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV 1984)\u00a0Location 1340-1343<\/li>\n
  • The human soul is designed to recognize and respond to the calm assurance of Jesus. When I am in an unglued place, I can invite a power beyond my own into the situation by simply speaking His name. I don\u2019t have to know what to do. I don\u2019t have to have all the answers. I don\u2019t have to remember everything I learned in Bible study last week. I just have to remember one thing, one name \u2014 Jesus.\u00a0Location 1416-1418<\/li>\n
  • The fear of God came upon all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. (2 Chronicles 20:29 \u2013 30)\u00a0Location 1425-1428<\/li>\n
  • My reactions testify to the kind of relationship I have with Jesus and the effect He has on my heart. After all, I\u2019m reminded in the Bible that out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. When my happy gets bumped, what\u2019s really going on in my heart is on display. In those times I will either add to the authenticity of my love for Jesus or, sadly, negate it.\u00a0Location 1447-1448<\/li>\n
  • \u201cLet your gentleness be evident to all\u201d (Philippians 4:5). I\u2019ve run across this verse in so many unexpected places\u00a0Location 1447-1447<\/li>\n
  • \u201cLet your gentleness be evident to all\u201d (Philippians 4:5). I\u2019ve\u00a0Location 1618-1620<\/li>\n
  • \u201cYou will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit\u201d (Galatians 6:7 \u2013 8 NLT).\u00a0Location 1807-1808<\/li>\n
  • Did someone actually say this or am I making assumptions about what they\u2019re thinking?\u00a0Location 1815-1815 |<\/li>\n
  • Am I actively immersing myself in truth?\u00a0Location 1822-1823<\/li>\n
  • Are there situations or relationships that feed my insecurities?\u00a0Location 1948-194<\/li>\n
  • Where am I going my own way right now?\u00a0Location 1953-1955<\/li>\n
  • God\u2019s way is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 \u2013 23).\u00a0Location 1980-1981<\/li>\n
  • What one area of my life is more self-pleasing than God-pleasing?\u00a0Location 1981-1982<\/li>\n
  • May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)\u00a0Location 2003-2004<\/li>\n
  • What idle words need to be reined in from running rampant in my mind or spilling from my lips?\u00a0Location 2024-2025<\/li>\n
  • Do less. Be more. Clear out the clutter of idle words. Find that white space. Honor God.\u00a0Location 2158-2159<\/li>\n
  • \u201cWe take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ\u201d (2 Corinthians 10:5).\u00a0Location 2161-2162<\/li>\n
  • \u201cWhatever is true \u2026 think about such things\u201d (Philippians 4:8).\u00a0Location 2166-2166<\/li>\n
  • \u201cSet your hearts on things above \u2026 set your minds on things above\u201d (Colossians 3:1 \u2013 2).\u00a0Location 2218-2219<\/li>\n
  • \u201cFor the mouth speaks what the heart is full of\u201d (Matthew 12:34b).\u00a0Location 2314-231<\/li>\n
  • Proverbs 3 redirect me a bit. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (vv. 3 \u2013 4 NLT)\u00a0Location 2338-2340<\/li>\n
  • Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the LORD, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12)\u00a0Location 2371-2372<\/li>\n
  • Make a right choice that honors God. Don\u2019t let Satan separate you from God\u2019s best.<\/li>\n
  • <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    “God doesn\u2019t allow the unglued moments of our lives to happen so we\u2019ll label ourselves and stay stuck. He allows the unglued moments to make us aware of the chiseling that needs to be done. So instead of condemning myself with statements like, I\u2019m such a mess, I could say, Let God chisel. Let Him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,14,25,16,23,28,17,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible-study","category-book-review","category-education","category-family","category-generosity","category-integrity","category-leadership","category-marriage"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}