Happy July! It’s time to announce our focus and book choice for the month! 🎉
We are focusing on one theme, reading one book, and completing a challenge for the month. I hope that book club has been a tool to help you grow closer to God, to learn more about Him, and how we should live out our lives while we are here on Earth. It’s been a highlight for me and I’m so excited to dive into July!
July Focus: Freedom
Let’s be honest: aren’t we sick of the messages we get as women? We’re told we have to put ourselves first. We’re told it’s all about me. This will make us feel better and be better. And yet I think we know in our souls it’s not true. Last year in book club we touched on this with Allie Beth Stuckey’s book “You Are Not Enough (and That’s Okay!)” but this month we are going to dive deeper into why it’s not all about us.
We’re often told we need to focus on ourselves more. More self care. More self love. More becoming who we’re really meant to be – our so-called “best self.” But all this talk about self doesn’t actually free us; it burdens us even more! Becoming so “me focused” actually grows our insecurities and robs us from having the best relationships with the people we love, fulfilling our calling, and truly being the people God wants us to be. It seems so wrong because we’ve been so inundated with culture’s message of putting ourselves first, of having life be all about “me” and what I want. I’m sure we’ve all wanted these sorts of messages to empower us, to free us from our insecurities and flaws, but there’s a different way. This month we focus on what it really means to be free – when we take our eyes off ourselves and put them onto Jesus. Having a Jesus- centered vision is what truly empowers us and frees us to live the lives we were meant to live!
July Challenge: Write down “It’s not about me” then list the reasons why.
July Book Choice: “Free of Me: Why Life’s Better When It’s Not About You” by Sharon Hodde Miller
July Bonus: Printable list of scriptures on the attributes of God.
July Challenge:
Let’s remind ourselves that it’s not about us. Take a piece of paper and write across the top “It’s not about me.” As you read this month’s book choice (or as you discover reasons why in Scripture, etc.) list the reasons why it’s not about you. Also, as you go through the scriptures on the attributes of God, let them encourage you. We are weak and that’s a good thing! We are not God, and it’s not about us – and that’s a great thing!
July Book Club:
This month we are reading “Free of Me: Why Life’s Better When It’s Not About You” by Sharon Hodde Miller. “Free of Me” is going to inspire us to expand our vision and be free. Using personal experience and Scriptural insight, Sharon will help us to:
· understand how self-focus sabotages seven areas of our lives
· learn four practical steps for focusing on God and others
· experience freedom from the burden of self-focus
I’m really excited to read this and a tad bit nervous too. I know I need to hear this message and will be challenged to make it all about Jesus rather than all about me. But I can’t wait to walk in the freedom this message is going to bring, and I hope you’ll join me!
TO DO:
*Purchase your copy of “Free of Me” by Sharon Hodde Miller. If you have Kindle Unlimited, the book is free!!
*Join us on the blog for weekly discussion questions posted every Friday. The first week’s questions will be posted on July 8th.
*Comment and share what you’re learning so we can interact with one another and learn together! I think this is going to be a freeing and encouraging conversation!