Customer Reviews

What Was I Thinking?: Things I've Learned Since I Knew It All

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If you've ever heard the "Key Life" radio program, then you've probably heard the rich, authoritative, made-for-radio voice of Steve Brown, who is also a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, where his rich, authoritative, made-for-seminary voice has dispensed wisdom and knowledge to students for a number of years now --- and to his own congregation and countless audiences at seminars and conferences

Or has it? Well, yes and no. Yes, a great deal of what his voice has dispensed could be described as "wisdom and knowledge." But a lot of what he dispensed was, as he puts it, "irrelevant God words." An older and wiser Brown admits: "I was wrong. I got the words right, but I missed the tune...if we get the words right but can't sing the tune, we miss the grandeur of the song." He's singing a new song these days, one based on a faith that is "far more radical and far less cerebral" than he once thought it was.

That's good news for the reading public, because Brown felt compelled to set the record straight about his skewed way of thinking in print. Ever the entertaining author, Brown is at his best when he's vulnerable and self-deprecating, and with a title like WHAT WAS I THINKING? you can be assured that he is, indeed, at his best here.

Each chapter title betrays Brown's former faulty way of thinking. In "The Holy Spirit Is Working in a Lot More Places Than I Thought He Was," for example, he encourages Christians to quit limiting their lives to involvement in "religious" activities and entertainment and to instead engage the wider culture around them. The activity of the Holy Spirit, he writes, is not limited to Christians and the church. "It isn't where we go, what we see, and what we hear that determines what is appropriate and right for the believer. It's what we bring to where we go, to what we see, and to what we hear that determines what is appropriate and right for us as believers," Brown believes.

Individual chapters address Brown's once-misguided views of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, supernatural warfare, people ("a lot worse than I thought they were"), people again ("a lot better than I thought they were"), self-righteousness, obedience, love and the world; the chapter on self-righteousness alone is worth the price of the book, and then you get all those other wonderful chapters as a bonus. He concludes with this chapter: "Things Will Work Out a Lot Better Than I Thought They Would."

Throughout, Brown reveals his special brand of humor. This is a guy with a doctorate who teaches seminarians things like "how to develop a Christian mean streak" and "how not to be a weenie"; who obsesses over his hybrid Honda Accord and whether it's symbolic of his judgmentalism; who comes right out and says he likes to sin; and who admits that Monday morning is depressing because that's when he has to pray. You just have to keep reading when a well-known, well-respected Christian leader writes stuff like that.

"Keep reading" is what you'll likely do once you start, because Brown has this charming way of captivating his readers and holding them hostage. Before you realize what just happened to you, you've finished reading --- and of all things, you're thanking your captor.

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford.

I loved this book. This author is so authentic, he will blow you away. He proves, even as a "professional Christian," that it's not about his goodness or purity, but about the Grace of God.

You looking for condemnation or a set of religious rules and rites? Don't read this book.

Daniel Britt

I have read several of Steve Brown's books and have always enjoyed them. This one though really exceeded my expectations. He asks himself many of the same questions I have found myself asking after I passed the AARP age. His forthrightness and honesty was like a fresh drink of water. I have since purchased and given away several more copies to my friends and family.

Steve's book is the most honest appraisal of the Christian life that I have seen - short of the Bible itself. He writes in an entertaining manner, and the book is easily read and understood, even aloud. In one word, 'awesome' comes to mind as a description.

I am a long time Brown fan, I have many of his books and listen to his Key Life and ETC. What I like about this book is that it makes you step back and look at what you have changed your mind in the past on. Brown is a great author and (probably cause i listen to him on the radio every day) when I read his books, it is like he sitting next to me talking to me personally.

I have heard people say that Steve Brown's writing is an acquired taste. He's definitely not a run-of-the-mill Christian writer. He has a way of revealing theology through day-to-day living and life experiences. There are some "LOL" moments in this book, too - or maybe it's just that I see myself here and there and find some of my thinking pretty absurd as seen through Brown's narrative. Brown is an intelligent writer - this book is good just on the merit of being good writing. It's an enlightening, easy read and well worth the time.

A book about the True Grace and Freedom we have in Christ. This book is incredible, and a must read for anyone thinking that they are not good enough. Well, the Truth is...we are all not good enough!

"We were saved by Grace, so no man can boast". If we think that we are good enough, read the word faithfully, do good works, obey Christ in everything. We are still not good enough!

And in great danger of the reality of our hidden sins. Like Pride and Self-Righteousness to name a couple. These are the most dangerous sins to overlook...but Christ is Faithful, and shed His Blood on the Cross, so we could be made clean.

Dr. Brown articulates our innermost problem...our sin. It's easy to recognise drunkeness, lust, acts of unkindness, etc. But sin is so pervaisive that we tend to overlook our inner sins. The sins of our hearts. satan is really good at what he does...and we become blinded to the sin of our own hearts.

Order this book, it will really open your eyes to how pervaisive sin really is, and the only answer for this problem is the Blood and Grace of God.

This is a wonderful book. Steve Brown is a very gifted communicator and he does a wonderful job of providing an encouraging vision of the grace of God in this book.

Very enlightening book.