Enough
July 7th, 2012. Filed under: This & That.Meet the New Rich
Provocative New Book Suggests Living with Less is the Secret to Having More
The American way of life pushes people to constantly strive for more–more money, more stuff, more clout. Consumerism has taken over our culture. But how much is enough? And how do we know when we have too much of a good thing? How should Christians respond to the ever-present push to buy more? In this provocative, paradigm-shifting book, Will Davis Jr. challenges readers to discover the peace that comes through contentment with what we have and compassion for those in need.
Through surprising statistics, scriptural insight and real-life stories, Enough: Finding More by Living with Less encourages readers to examine their lifestyles and reevaluate what they truly need to live happy, spiritually-fulfilled lives.?Davis shares his own journey to be content with less – less stuff, less money and unfortunately, less pizza. What he, his family and his church discovered is a deeper, fuller life that isn’t bogged down by material possessions.
“Your purpose in life isn’t to make money,” writes Davis. “If you limit your life’s purpose to acquiring wealth or living comfortably, then you’ll never have enough, and you’ll never be satisfied.”
Davis isn’t asking readers to take a vow of poverty, but to consider the Bible’s promise to those who willingly choose to live with less. “The Bible says you’ll be richer if you scale back what you have. It says your life will be fuller. You’ll have less stress, more time for the things that matter, the potential for better relationships and more joy. Bottom line: in the language of our culture, you’ll be happier.”
Davis is the founding pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship in Austin, Texas, which has increased their giving from one percent to 30 percent in the past six years with a goal of giving away 50 percent of their income. The staff practices vision-based budgeting where the staff prays about their vision of their respective ministries, and they budget accordingly. For a church with a multimillion-dollar budget, they rarely have more than $100,000 in the bank, and often it’s significantly less.
ISLAND BREEZES
I’ve been yearning for a simpler lifestyle, but have been foundering when it comes to attaining it. A little over a year ago I decided to get rid of at least one thing every day.
Do you know how easily that can go from six books to one empty vitamin bottle just so I could say I got rid of something that day?
I don’t want to live with all this stuff in my house, but didn’t really have a clue as to how to separate myself from it.
That’s where this book come in. It all boils down to changing my thought processes. God has been using this book to open my eyes. When I really looked around what I thought was my enough, it turned out to be much more than enough.
Now I’m seeing ways to bless others with stuff I thought I needed. I just keep seeing more and more ways to turn all this stuff to enough rather than more than enough. Heading towards this simpler lifestyle is so freeing. It’s bringing much more peace into my life.
Do yourself a favor and use this book to find out what really is enough.
***A special thank you to Donna Hausler for providing a book for review.***
Will Davis Jr. is the author of?Pray Big,?Pray Big for Your Marriage,?Pray Big for Your Child,?Why Faith Makes Sense and?10 Things Jesus Never Said. He is the founding and senior pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational church in Austin, Texas. He An avid hiker, mountain-biker and water-skier, Davis and his wife, Susie, have three children and live in Austin, Texas. For more information about Will and his blog, visit http://willdavisjr.com and follow him at @willdavisjr.
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books for everyday life.? For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.
Available July 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.