SPIRITUAL SIMPLICITY "How Loving More Means Doing Less" by Chip Ingram: A Review

 

SPIRITUAL SIMPLICITY

By

Chip Ingram, with Chris Tiegreen

Howard Books; January 8, 2013

Hardcover, 192 pages

Genre: non-fiction, spirituality, self-help

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

 

My review

 

"If you'll simplify your life, quit chasing the wind, and be quiet before him, he'll show up."

 

In order for the things that matter to us the most (our families, our spouses, our children) to rise to the top of our list of priorities, we have to make a conscious decision: do less, love more. How hard can that be? Very. No matter how good our intentions are. In Spiritual Simplicity, Pastor Chip Ingram maintains that the key to simplifying life is in our hands, but we tend to misplace it in that clutter of much less relevant priorities (performing, possessing, providing) that crowd our goal-oriented, scheduled-to-the-minute, busy modern lifestyle. Through a psychological interpretation of biblical passages, Ingram offers practical insights to achieve spiritual simplicity, decrease stress, and reorient our lives around the highest and most fulfilling purpose: it's, in fact, only in the context of daily life and its challenges, more than the Scriptures, that we experience God's love  in a hands-on way.

 

A gratifying and uplifting read that I would recommend to all Christians and non-Christians who are open to an interfaith approach to religion and spirituality.

***A free copy of the book was provided by the Publisher. The thoughts expressed in this review are my own.

 

From the book cover

 

If you crave simplicity, yearn for peace and calm, this book is for you. Through biblical teaching and practical insights, author Chip Ingram goes beyond so-called quick fixes and speaks to men and women who know what they need to do, want desperately to do it, but find it next to impossible to break free of the too many good and important things that flood their lives.

The thesis of this book is very simple: Spiritual simplicity will never be achieved by strategic, managerial attempts to control our lives and schedules but through doing less because we love more. As you learn the practice of loving people, you will experience a shift from complex to simple, from hurried to peaceful, from “never enough time” to “time enough for those you love.” Lasting change is within your reach.

 

****

 

 Chip Ingram is the senior pastor of Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos, California, and president of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over twenty-five years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. Chip is author of twelve books, including Overcoming Emotions that Destroy; God: As He Longs for You to See Him; The Invisible War; and Love, Sex, and Lasting Relationships. Chip and his wife, Theresa, live in San Jose, California.