Life-Minded

In Life Minded, author Brady Boyd lays out 8 practical steps to help Christians walk in love and unity despite living in divided times. Some of his steps include: devotion to Christ, seeking to understand, and weighing our words. For each chapter, one practice is explored in depth with examples from Scripture and the author's own life, followed by a one to two page outline of how to put that principle into action. I found these actionable outlines to be particularly helpful in applying the practices.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book include:

*"I don't want to respond to the situation based on the issue at hand. I want to respond to it based on their hearts."

*"When we stop seeing each other as people, we stop forgiving each other for doing the things that people tend to do."

*Ask God each time you pray for a lost person, "Is there something you'd have me do? Is there something you'd have me say? Is there something specific I can be praying for? Is there something you'd have me know?"

For as much as I enjoyed this book, I can't whole heartedly promote it without a word of caution. Boyd using several examples in his book that speak to social justice issues. Some of the descriptive language he uses felt heavy handed and subjective. While the practices that Boyd lays out are not necessarily wrong in theory, I didn't feel like his examples or even application of Scripture was always appropriate. This was not the case in all instances; however, it happened enough times that the reader should be aware and read with their brains fully engaged. Therefore, I'm reviewing Life Minded with mixed emotions. This title may not be for everyone.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this title from the publisher. All opinions are my own.