Margaret Mead said: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.' My version of that quote is: 'Never doubt that a community of thoughtful, committed women, filled with the power and love of God, using gifts they have identified and developed, and pursuing passions planted in them by God---never doubt that these women can change the world.'---Lynne Hybels Nice Girls are taught early that serving God means earning God's love and sacrificing oneself to meet the needs of others. Unfortunately, after living a life she thought was what God demanded, her husband wanted, her kids needed, and her church expected, Lynne Hybels felt utterly lost---both to herself and to God. In this wise and tender book, Hybels tells of her struggle to stop living someone else's life and to reclaim the unique gifts, strengths, and passions God gave her. And she reveals how turning away from her false view of God as a harsh and demanding taskmaster enabled her to rest at last in God's sustaining love. As she explains, it's never too late to discover that who you really are is exactly what delights God and what the world needs.
Nice Girls Don't Change the World
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About the Author
Lynne Hybels joined her husband, Bill, in starting Willow Creek Community Church in 1975. She has edited many books and is coauthor of Rediscovering Church and Fit to Be Tied. She has been involved in Willow Creek's ministry partnerships in Latin America and currently serves as an advocate for those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. SPANISH BIO: Lynne Hybels junto a su esposo Bill inicio Willow Creek Community Church en 1975. Ha editado varios libros y es coautora de Rediscovering Church y Fit to Be Tied. Ha colaborado con asociaciones del ministerio de Willow Creek en Latinoamerica y actualmente trabaja como defensora de los afectados por el HIV/SIDA en Africa. Lynne y Bill residen en los suburbios de Chicago y tienen dos hijos adultos.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I want to tell you about someone I used to know very well. She was a nice girl: obedient, polite, socially acceptable. A bit too reticent, some might say, but so very pleasing, nonetheless. A really nice girl. Oh yes, her gaze seemed empty at times and her words sometimes rang, well, not false really, but perhaps a bit flat. Okay, I sometimes had the feeling she was just going through the motions of life, but they were such nice motions. Everybody liked her. She had an uncanny ability to keep almost everybody happy almost all the time, though she didn't truly seem to be very happy herself. But I could be wrong; she was always smiling. I don't know that I ever heard her laugh---and no one ever accused her of being wildly in love with life---but she had such a nice smile. She was a very caring person, though in a passive sort of way. She was not the type to turn the world upside down. Still, she was a very nice girl. What I mean to say, as you might have guessed, is that I was a very nice girl. A nice girl. There's nothing wrong with being a nice girl, especially when you consider the alternatives: A naughty girl? A mean girl? A bad girl? Who wants to be like that? I didn't. I really didn't. What I wanted was to be a godly girl. From the time I became a Christian at age seven, I wanted to please God, and I took that desire very seriously. I grew up in the 1950s and '60s in a small Michigan town, where I attended a church that was a fine church in many ways. But the preaching during my most impressionable years was pretty much hellfire and brimstone. I heard a lot about sin and punishment, guilt and shame.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By zanne
Format:Hardcover
i have to be honest, i had preconceptions about both this book and its author. i was wrong, wrong, WRONG. this book addresses a problem almost no one talks about in the church. it's not about feminism, or about the conflict between stay-at-home-moms and those who work outside the home. it's about being who God wants you to be. being a "nice girl" is about being who everyone else wants you to be, no matter what direction that takes. women in the church have for too long misunderstood what it means to be a Godly woman, no matter how they label it, and this book manages, in less than 100 pages, to address the issue, speaking to the heart, and provide a path to transformation in a simple, but not simplistic, way. it's such an amazing message that it's the foundation for a women's group a friend of mine and i are teaching. don't discount this book--it can start you on a life of freedom in Christ that you never imagined possible!
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I recently read this book with my women's group. I commend Lynne for writing such an inspiring memoir of her journey towards finding the one true God. Her honestly and transparency made me feel as if I were talking with her in my living room. I appreciated how she didn't paint a "rosy picture of christianity", but rather sought out God in the midst of all the pain & confusion. I personally related to her story/journey and hope that many other "nice girls" out there come to the peace she has found.
16 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Helen Hancox
Format:Hardcover
This has got to be one of the shortest books I have read in ages - and at Ł8.99 in the UK ($14.99 in the US) I can hardly consider it good value.
Lynne Hybels, wife of Bill Hybels of Willow Creek, tells us about her life as a pastor's wife and how she conformed to all the expectations of her role as mother, woman, pastor's wife, Christian - but missed out on the joy and true power that God can provide. An experience of depression and counselling helped her to understand her true role - not just as a support to those around her, but as someone God can use directly.
The book is hardback with arty photos to illustrate some of her points; the lines are widely spaced and it's a slim volume anyway, but I was astounded to discover I had read the whole book in just sixteen minutes. It was a good read, well-written, but I can't consider it value for money.
Lynne Hybels, wife of Bill Hybels of Willow Creek, tells us about her life as a pastor's wife and how she conformed to all the expectations of her role as mother, woman, pastor's wife, Christian - but missed out on the joy and true power that God can provide. An experience of depression and counselling helped her to understand her true role - not just as a support to those around her, but as someone God can use directly.
The book is hardback with arty photos to illustrate some of her points; the lines are widely spaced and it's a slim volume anyway, but I was astounded to discover I had read the whole book in just sixteen minutes. It was a good read, well-written, but I can't consider it value for money.
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By a reader
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This was a very short book. It took me less than half an hour to read it. My favorite thing about this book is the title. I agree with the message of this book but it isn't anything I haven't heard before. I've read a number of books related to women and spirituality, and Lynne Hybels' story is pretty typical. She seemed to convey a sincere awakening but it wasn't anything unusual. If you've never read anything related to women's spirituality and you don't like reading long books, this might be for you. But otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it.
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Growing up in a church, it's easy to "go along" with everyone else's ideas of who you should be as a Godly woman. Somehow the stereotype seems to be: quiet, submissive, kind of fading into the background, busy with motherhood but little else. While those traits may be valid at times, Godly womanhood includes other roles, duties, and yes --- even attitudes.
Lynne Hybels has written a powerful little book about how to escape from the trap of other people's expectations (even when well-intentioned) and discover the woman God created you to be. Easy reading -- but you'll find yourself setting the book down often, just so you can think about and process what Lynne is saying.
Extremely well written --- buy this book for your college-age or older daughters --- or other young women you know and love. Readers of all ages will discover truth in a new way. Thanks, Lynne!
Lisa & David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of 8 books, including Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent
Lynne Hybels has written a powerful little book about how to escape from the trap of other people's expectations (even when well-intentioned) and discover the woman God created you to be. Easy reading -- but you'll find yourself setting the book down often, just so you can think about and process what Lynne is saying.
Extremely well written --- buy this book for your college-age or older daughters --- or other young women you know and love. Readers of all ages will discover truth in a new way. Thanks, Lynne!
Lisa & David Frisbie
The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
Authors of 8 books, including Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent
By Diana A.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Trying to squeeze into a conventional box, make everybody else happy, and earn God's love is an impossible task which can leave us broken, worn out, and in despair. In the short book Lynne Hybels offers another perspective. Perhaps we have misunderstood what God really requires of us. If you are looking for freedom, peace, and genuine love I highly recommend this book.
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Lynne Hybels writes with great insight and vulnerability. I truly appreciate her willingness to share the wisdom she has gained with her journey. O that young girls would be taught these truths early on by their mothers, and especially their fathers, and be able to hold onto their unique, God-given sense of self throughout their lives.
All that creative energy and intelligence unleashed...well, it would change the world.
All that creative energy and intelligence unleashed...well, it would change the world.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have never written a review on amazon before, but I loved this book so much I just wanted to encourage you to buy it and read it immediately. I read it and underlined it on almost every page. It took me about an hour to read. I love that Lynne is, and encourages us to be, dangerous women. Wonderful book! Brooke Castillo
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Book
Excellent for anyone, especially women, who has suffered depression and/or loss of faith.
Not a book to be gulped down. Yes, it's short - and it's powerful. Read more
Not a book to be gulped down. Yes, it's short - and it's powerful. Read more
Published 14 months ago by COO-Character Development Lab.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A little short, but so true
This book arrived in excellent condition. I read the entire book in about an hour. I found myself looking for more! Read more
Published on November 12, 2010 by vicky
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love the book
I am happy with this transactin. Shipping was fast. The book is in very good condition. I love the book.
Published on May 12, 2010 by BJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good things do come in small packages!
This little book is a quick and great read. It gets down to the point and brings encouragement to "busy" people working for God - and lets us know that there is more to it than... Read more
Published on November 5, 2007 by Stephanie
4.0 out of 5 stars
Get moving!
What I liked most about this book is that it motivated me to get moving. Over the past year, I've been on a journey of self-discovery and this book helped me verify a lot of... Read more
Published on January 16, 2007 by Kara Sandusky
5.0 out of 5 stars
Powerful and Honest
This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. My husband and I read it together and had many meaningful sometimes teary conversations along the way. Read more
Published on December 3, 2006 by Peggy Halvorsen
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