Hey there and welcome back to The Quoted Blog! I haven't posted in two weeks...and I might not be continuing the Escape From The Real World short story.
First off, I don't think I'm going to continue the short story because it doesn't seem like many people even read the first few chapters that I put out, and I honestly don't know where to go with it. I would rather focus on writing my second book right now over that short story. I may continue writing it in the future, but for now I think I'm going to take a pause from it.
I also want to focus on writing more blog posts like this one. I might start posting one blog a week. And, I'm going to cut back on the piano covers. Maybe I'll post one every few weeks or something.
Anyway, let's just get into this blog post! By the way, Sadie's book is all about pursuing Jesus in a social media obsessed world.
I got Sadie Robertson Huff's most recent book, Who Are You Following, in the mail the day it came out. And I've been reading a little of it every night since I got it.
I'm on the last chapter right now, so I hope to finish it tonight. But, I wanted to share some of my favorite things I read from this book, and just write a little bit about what I got out of reading this book.
1. Page 86- Little g Gods
"I've heard people describe themselves in their jobs nowadays as creators. Writers, artists, people in entertainment. There is nothing wrong with that-I believe that we are made in God's image, and we were made to create as well.
"But this can get twisted in our minds. If you're creating things to share with the world and putting stuff out that people are praising, then people can begin worshiping and idolizing both your work and you. It's not a leap for that worship to get in your head, and you can end up with this sense of entitlement, like, I should be worshiped for this because I created it.
"That is a problem I see in our celebrity culture. We make people feel like they're God and we treat them like a god because of the thing they create. But we would not have the ability to create had God not created our brain, our lungs, our hands, and our hearts in the first place. We are not meant to be worshiped. God is. This is why our calling is not to seek fame but to seek our purpose within God's kingdom."
2. Page 100- Perspective Shift
"And let's be real. Although we may be inspired by the lives of people we follow online, our own lives are typically changed by the ones who really walk with us. So don't count yourself out. You have the potential to be an influence on so many people right in front of you."
3. Page 115- Vulnerability
"If your roots are being watered by God's Word instead of the world's comments, it creates a true stability in your life."
4. Page 123- The Value of Time
"People see me speak at big events like the Passion Conference and Live Original, but they don't see me up late at night studying the Word. And I don't need for people to see me doing that. For months before I ever got on stage, I prayed for God to give me the words that would impact a generation. Those types of moments I have with the Lord in private directly affect the moments when I am leading people in public.
"If we want to be like Jesus, we can't just look at His public life. We have to look at what He did in private. Ephesians 5:1 says, 'Be imitators of God, as beloved children.' If we want to imitate Jesus' life, we need to spend time with the Father privately and give Him glory publicly."
5. Page 132- Unfollow
"Jesus set an example of sitting at the table with people who were not like Him, who lived very different lifestyles...When Jesus opened Himself up to people who are different from Him, He gave others the opportunity to form a relationship with Him and ultimately be led to eternal life. If you open up your life to people who think differently than you, you might get to lead them to the cross."
6. Page 138- A Dream, a Coat, and Cancel Culture
"People cannot cancel your life. They can try to hurt you and they can hurt you, but if you don't stop, they cannot stop what God has set in motion."
7. Page 150- Same Destination
"If we can level our voices enough to be heard, we can share and connect in peace. We need to allow one another to continue to grow, to make mistakes and learn from them. We need to listen to others perspectives with respect and love, check them against our own beliefs, and keep growing our roots deep. We need to forgive and offer grace, because it has been given to us by Jesus Christ...Give people second chances. Seek to understand people, not judge them. Follow the truth even when it's hard."
8. Page 169- The Charcoal Fire
"No matter what your past looks like, or what everyone saw you do, or maybe even what you posted on social media that people know as your past, you are never too far gone to become who you know you can be. It does not matter what your feed in the past looked like or what's in your tagged photos from the weekends. Just because you made mistakes does not mean that Jesus will love you less. Those broken places become the perfect places to meet with Jesus and receive His love places where He can transform your whole life."
9. Page 175- Following Your Own Truth
"The truth is usually simple until we try to create our own. Normally when we try to create our own truth we complicate things so much that we forget what the truth even is."
What I just shared with you in this blog post are some of the many things that popped out to me when I read Who Are You Following.
I love this book. I love every book written by Sadie. I hope you got something out of what I shared from Sadie's book today. Please go buy it! Go read it! Or go read another book by Sadie. They're all full of good advice. ~Ella