Restless: Because You Were Made for More

This is the third book/ study I have read of hers. I needed this book at this time-Jennie is real and honest- shares the good, bad and ugly. This one had me laughing and crying on almost every chapter/ episode! So glad she added the podcast to follow along. From big to mundane, I requested my church Bible study do this as it has something for everyone.

AMAZING book! 🙌 Loved the journaling sections in the book to give you time for reflection, and the book itself is phenomenal! ❤️ Jennie Allen is AH-MAZING! 🤩

This is not a bad book. Nor is it particularly poorly written. I just think it is a bit misguided.This is my first Jennie Allen book and, after reading many glowing reviews (and a couple of not so glowing ones), I was ready to jump right in. I am no stranger to journaling (I understood from a review or two that this would be necessary) so I was poised to dig, journal and discover what it means to dream again -- all with Jennie Allen cheering me along the way.And that’s exactly what she does. Early on in the book, I felt understood -- after all, she too was a wife and mom who struggled with a sense of purpose and that restless feeling we all seem to get in our lives at some point or another. Jennie felt like a friend who understood (who would love to be discussing your hopes and dreams over coffee right this instant, but simply couldn’t), and the conversational tone of this book makes it both engaging and easy to read. Jennie is nothing if not sincere. She sincerely wants you to realize that God has uniquely equipped you with gifts, and she sincerely wants you to passionately pursue God’s call and purpose for your life.And these are very good things. The journaling activities are meant to help you discern what your giftings and calling might be. You were asked to write about your own story, highlighting unique instances when you felt joy and delight in what you were doing, and she also directs you to see how God might use suffering in your life to fuel your passions or to enable you to help others who suffer. She encourages you to write about the places you encounter regularly and how you might live more meaningfully and purposefully as you engage with those places. In short, she helps you to connect the dots of your life: your gifts, the people in your life who need you (and whom you need), the suffering you have endured, the places you regularly encounter and the passions you have all to help you pinpoint what your purpose might be.And she cheers you, she is behind you, and she shares countless stories about countless, amazing friends who have died, come back to life or almost died and who now are living lives on mission, and she wants to help you to do the same -- to not miss it, or to bury the gifts God has given you because of fear. She lived that way for a while, but now she is “running hard toward God” and, incidentally, so is her husband, Zac, who wasn’t always on board with her pursuing her dreams. But now says he is.Chapter 21, “When Women Dream”, is where my former enthusiasm began to unravel. Framed a certain way, it seems possible to justify almost anything. Being away from your four children for extended periods of traveling and working is perfectly acceptable so long as you are doing it for the kingdom. Why should we have any less access to pursuing our dreams than our husbands do? After all, God gave us dreams and giftings too. This sounds eerily like a Christianized version of a worldly ideology. It made me feel like Jennie was using a very old, yet cleverly disguised strategy: “God didn’t really say…” Why else would she basically say it was okay for her to charge full speed ahead in her career (with what she feels is God’s approval, of course), candidly admit that sometimes her husband feels “eclipsed” and that she often absent in the home (to the extent that she gets help from sitters, cleaners and administrative assistance) with absolutely no reference to Titus 2:5 whatsoever?I am also concerned that what is being further eclipsed here is the matter of daily, ordinary, unsung faithfulness. Attention to the common, boring, monotonous, unremarkable with remarkable regularity, devotion, a daily (often moment-by-moment) dying to self for the sake of others -- not for praise we may receive presently, nor the thrill or sudden “rush” of knowing we are walking in our “purpose”, but out of sincere devotion to Christ and out of our love for Him. I am concerned that women reading this book will think their purpose “out there” somewhere -- something they must leave to do or look for somewhere else. Often what is required of us is right beneath our noses, but fails to look appealing, because we are fickle mortals and our ‘restless’ feelings are often still just feelings, and we should be wise in how we respond to them, interpret them, and where we allow them to lead us.I also believe that simple discontentment is a far greater issue that people in general, and women in particular, grapple with. We Christians are not exempt from the inner tuggings that tell us we deserve more, were meant for more (than this) and that it's our God-given "right" to pursue more. We needn't even leave the church to find support for this sort of belief system. It is a far greater challenge, indeed, to embrace contentment with what God has apportioned us, and to do so will always be swimming against the current in today's culture.I realize it is often difficult to be discerning with so many well-meaning Christian books coming at us, with a thousand different voices about what is right or what is advisable. The Holy Spirit and God’s immutable Word must ultimately lead us in the right direction. It seems to me that the vast majority of women live ordinary lives where they can and should use the gifts God has given them. But how and when they use those gifts is a matter of great discernment that should be made with much prayer, counsel and adherence to God’s Word.

Great song !

Arrived just in time as promised. So excited to read this book by author Jennie Allen. I love her podcasts and as I began reading the first few pages I can almost hear her voice reading to me.

Author Jennie Allen has a sweet, southern style of writing that oozes of hospitality, comfort, and loyal friendship. It’s refreshing, really, to know there are still people in the world like this. In her book, Restless, she describes a large network of friends who support each other through good times and devastating times.We each feel restless with our lives. It may come across in different times, different ways, or with different intensities, but it is a common feeling. We were made for more. But what is the “more” we seek? According to Jennie Allen, we were made to be Christ to others: “We are filled with God to pour him into the darkness, pour him into the broken souls who are starving for something.”Following our sense of purpose—the “why am I here”—can be risky. Jennie Allen doesn’t want that to hold you back: “Risk something. Step out and fail. Be the fool. Build a life that needs our God.”I enjoyed reading this book because it is very personal and the stories really developed the ideas well. At the end of each chapter are suggestions for journaling because that is where you dig in to discover your own purpose. Because I read it on Kindle, I chose to read through it the first time and come back to the journaling exercises, which I think are worth the effort.I give Jennie Allen’s Restless five cups of love.This review, with additional book quotes, first appeared on my blog, ChristyBower.com.

I "stumbled" upon this beautiful yellow book while I was pouting in my church's bookstore and feeling listless after weeks of wrestling with God. A few days earlier I had tearfully cried out to the Lord, "something is wrong with me, I feel so restless." This book was His answer to that sad little prayer. I have struggled for quite some time about whether or not I was entitled to dream the dreams that filled my head and heart. I have sat contently in a ministry where I knew my gifts were being used afraid to raise my hand and admit I had more to offer. I have been in chains to this ministry that had essentially put me in a box and I felt it was "inappropriate" to ask to be let out. God has ignited a passion in my heart and he has compelled me to follow my heart. This book confirmed I was on the right path and was truly a cool cup of water that has quenched the doubts and insecurities that plague me. They still rear their head, but now I can turn from them and turn towards the path God wants me to take. I cannot wait to see what he does. If you feel any of these things, read this book. You will not regret it, but rather, you will be set free. Many thanks, Jennie Allen and bravo!!

Encouraging you to live the life God planned for you with abandon, not looking at others to compare, but finding out who God made you and what exciting plans he has for you!!

This is written by a lady who by baring her own soul, makes it easier to do the same, and move on with god. Thanks Jennie.

Very helpful and good teaching.

This book exceeded my expectations, I spent a good hour looking for the right book at a Christian book store, couldn't find a book for where I was right now, on the verge of my next step in life, I was restless and knew I am made for more. This book inspired and consoled me, it's ok to want better, it's ok to dream big. God was going to use those scars from my past to kindle the fire of my destiny and cause others to flourish

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