Customer Reviews

The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 4:8 Principle is an interesting mix of spiritual truth and practical wisdom. I've never read a book that has so many ideas that you can really use and would want to use. It's easy to read and you even feel better as you are turning the pages. The best part of the book is probably the two chapters on managing negative emotions. Newberry identifies what he calls really awful thoughts (RATs) and how you can eliminate them by changing your perspective about them. Almost anyone could relate to this material and it is very helpful for anyone, but especially for couples. The other thing that I liked is the end of chapter prayers which summarize the main ideas from each chapter. Overall, it is a book to use with a highlighter. Given all the negativity in the world, this book comes at a great time.

In a VERY negative world, I found this book to be just what I needed to focus on the positive. One really can live a more enjoyable and fulfilled life if you will simply be intentional about your thoughts. Tommy Newberry has done a masterful job in creating a very worthwhile but fun book. This is a great book to give to anyone struggling in life, or those just beginning (college graduates for example). It's a quick read and well worth your time.

A friend gave me Mr. Newberry's book yesterday and I read it from cover to cover. The content was encouraging, interesting and enlightening. That being said the principles are not new but come from the greatest book ever written. I would especially recommend The 4:8 Principle for teenagers and since I have 5 kids they will all be getting a copy.

The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry is a must read for everyone who is interested in living a joy filled life. The author takes the most basic principles of the powers of positive thinking to new levels as he challenges readers to examine on a daily, or even hourly basis, the blessings that are present in all our lives. By concentrating on what is good, we can live a life rich with spiritual rewards and good mental health.

Every so often a fresh, truly useful book appears on the self-help scene. This is one of those books. I picked up this book thinking it would be full of recycled inspiration and maybe a few nuggets worth remembering. What I found was a deep, well presented argument for thinking not just positively but also productively, regardless of what life throws at you. The book doesn't just tell you what to do, it shows you how in more detail than any other book I've read. This is like a modern version of As A Man Thinketh by James Allen, but with a lot more meat. The interesting part of this book is that the whole thing is based on a single bible verse that doesn't get mentioned very often. Great read!

This is a great book. I'm already on my second read, taking my time and making lots of notes. I believe Tommy Newberry has really nailed it.

I'm a firm believer in the Law of Attraction, and that what you think on the inside is revealed on the outside. However, this book takes me way beyond that, because the guidance provided by the 48 principle makes it clear that I need to choose the right things to think about.

Just this morning I wrote out these affirmations based on the 4:8 principle:
** I am living the life God intended for me
** I have a clear compelling vision of the future
** I am meditating and investing time alone with God each day
** I have people who hold me accountable to my best
** I consistently make choices for health producing foods and drink
** I exercise in some way every day
** I get sufficient sleep most nights
** I have 3 close personal encounters each day
** I have 'extra time' built into my schedule to have a margin of safety
** I am focused on progress rather than perfection

One of the things that I particularly enjoy is that the strategies Tommy recommends are practical. Although I know that following them will take some discipline, I believe they are already paying off.

I interviewed Tommy on Inside Success Radio for three reasons: 1) I believe that speaking with an author is the best way to know a book is genuine, 2) it gives the author an opportunity to summarize the main points, which creates a type of "Readers Digest" version of the book, and 3) during an interview you often get additional "golden nuggets" that aren't found in the book.

During the radio interview I asked Tommy about what he calls RATs, (Really Awful Thoughts) and I'd like to share a little of his response.
"Really awful thoughts, or RATs, take you down a path you don't want to go. Yet for most of us, heading down the wrong path doesn't happen dramatically. It happens subtly and as a result, we don't do anything about it. Thankfully, getting rid of your RATs is made easier by using the 4:8 principle. By choosing to ask yourself the right questions, you can choose to think on what is lovely, pure, gracious, and worthy of being called excellent to judge what is best for you to think and say"

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I usually try to identify the type person who might NOT enjoy reading this book. This book is probably not for people who are offended by talking about God (yes, believe it or not, there are some out there.) Since you're reading this review, that probably isn't you.

The rating I give books is based on a combination of how much I believe a proactive person might enjoy reading them and how much they might help you to be a more proactive person.

This book easily earns 5 stars...and I recommend it to you with no reservation.

DrProactive Randy Gilbert, producer of "Inside Success Radio"

The only thing God has given mankind full dominion over is our volition. He gave us full range to think whatever thoughts we decided on. As you can imagine, leaving mankind to his own devices can be problematic. Many people worry constantly, because they choose to. Others may be quick to anger, because they choose to. Still other may have "why me" attitudes or be self-deprecating. And yet, God gave us the ability and the instruction manual on how to use that same volition to achieve maximum happiness. The choice is ours.

Tommy Newberry's book, THE 4:8 PRINCIPLE serves as a roadmap on the journey of improving ourselves by improving our thoughts. We know that all lasting change is preceded by changed thinking, and this magnificent book gives step by step instruction on how we may accomplish just that.

Newberry begins by having the reader recognize that God is the ultimate source of all that we are. Once we recognize that we are truly God's creation and therefore have unlimited capabilities, we can then stop basing our self-worth on what other people think of us and start concentrating our thoughts on what God thinks of us.

No book on life improvement would be complete without the importance of forgiveness in our lives and that is where Newberry takes us next. Our true potential for joy rests on our ability to forgive others as well as to forgive ourselves. This is a critical step in taking charge of our emotional lives and makes us aware that we are responsible for everything that happens in our life. Without that awareness we will remain a part of that ever growing part of society that is forever chained to unhappiness because they think they are owed something and they are not responsible for who, where and what they are.

The reader then learns how to go about the business of starving out negative emotions. There are so many wonderful insights here on how to find the inner happiness so many people seem unable to find. This is an exceptional book that I highly recommend to anyone who has ever lacked the inner peace and happiness they are missing.

Pastor Monty Rainey

Great book about what the Bible says regarding what to think about! Simple concept but life changing when applied. Very interesting connection between thoughts, dwelling on blessings, etc. and the actual quality of life experienced in reality. Buy 2, one to keep and one to bless someone else with!

This book could change your life! The straightforward principle that "what you think is what you will attract to you and eventually become" is a simple, yet powerful, truism. I found the book to be a enjoyable read full of practical applications for me to use. The author's premise stems from Phillipians 4:8--it's God's guide to creating joy in our lives. I think I'm feeling better already!

I have quickly began talking about this book with almost everyone I know. I quote from it often, find myself utilizing the priciples daily, and have already read it a second time. While many of the books I read apply to one area of my life or the other, this one has literally effected everything. This is a great book to gift.