I’ve joined a book club. The only two members are me and my son, because no one else wants to read and discuss the books we are reading. We just finished Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and now we are reading The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery, by W. Lee Warren, MD.

My son puts me to shame with all the books he is reading in between as I struggle to keep up with my Bible homework, and reading a middle-grade book, The Penderwicks At Point Mouette, by Jeanne Birdsall, in between.

But, today I want to share some thoughts from The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery.

Dr. Warren has some great podcasts on YouTube where he goes into the details of how our brains are made to work and heal, by an amazing Creator. And he should know, he is a Christian Neurosurgeon with not only scientific knowledge, but also has the Biblical knowledge and the ability to correlate the two.

So… here are some impressive thoughts from the book:

• “By rejecting harmful habits, embracing healthier patterns, and relentlessly pursuing the truth about ourselves, we can rewire our brains for peace, clarity, and purpose.” (p. xvi Foreword)
• “When you understand that every thought you entertain is either helping or hurting your brain, you’ll realize the urgency of becoming an intentional ‘surgeon’ of your own mind.” (p. xvi Foreword)
• “The only question is whether you will take charge of your thoughts or allow your brain to repeat old, unhelpful scripts.” (p. 3)
• “The problem comes when we assume we’re helpless and give up.” (p.3)
• “Research shows that a huge percentage of our automatic feelings and thoughts are false.” (p.9) ( I heard Dr. Warren say on a podcast that 80% of what we believe is not true. Here is a link to that podcast if you want to learn some amazing things about your mind vs. brain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxrAsoGXVhY)
• “The good news is that your brain wants to heal, change, and grow.” (p.9)
• “It takes practice and courage to tell the truth to yourself about where you stand and how far you have come or have yet to go…”. (p. 18)
• “Your mind and your brain are not the same.” (p.27)
• “Your mind controls your brain and body from a top-down (mind-down) perspective, but it listens to information from both.” (p.27)
• “you actually have a lot of control over your thoughts” (p. 28)
• “The cognitive dissonance of living a life short of the one you’re called to can become unbearable and produce anxiety, depression, rumination, and despair.” (p. 39)
• “Two things can be true at the same time.” (p. 47) see John 10:10. Dr Warren has made a formula for John 10:10 which says that “Abundance is greater than steal, kill, and destroy.” (P. 48)
• “Self-Brain Surgery is an Ongoing Process” (p.48)
• And here are my favorite final thoughts from p. 49 — “…the Bible says to take every thought captive. Each thought makes a structural change in your brain and has downstream consequences in your life and the lives of those around you…. abundance is possible, even amid hardships, the frustrations that keep you stuck, or the dripping faucets of everyday life…. changing to another approach isn’t a character flaw; it’s a necessity if you want to finally break through to hope and healing….The question isn’t whether change is possible—it’s whether you’re willing to try a new approach.” (p. 49)

I’ll leave you with a quote from this book that is enlightening:

“Peace of mind is an inside job, unrelated to fame, fortune, or whether your partner loves you.” – Anne Lamott (p.51)

I highly recommend this book if you are looking to make permanent changes so you can experience the abundant life that Jesus Christ bought for us on the cross.

Have a great week!