Book Review on Nothing to Prove
by Jennie Allen
Reviewed by Kim Arnold
On a Spring day in 2017, I had a small package waiting on my doorstep when I got home from work. The previous weekend I had been talking with a friend regarding my over-full calendar and the copious amount of stress I was putting on myself, trying to balance my very hectic life. She told me she was sending a copy of Jennie Allen’s new book Nothing to Prove. I thought, “Did you not hear me say that my calendar is already full? When will I have time to read?”
Nearly four months later, I have read the book cover to cover, twice. This book has been revolutionary in my spiritual life and has helped transform the way I live day to day. Allen writes in a style that is comfortable and easy to read, like sharing a cup of coffee with a good friend. She challenges women to name the voices in our heads that keep us from following God all the way. She explains how we put undue stress in our lives by trying to measure up on our own, when “we are made for dependency on God.” (p.109)
Some of the topics covered in Allen’s book include loneliness, tiredness, passivity, fear, and shame. The goal of this book is not to cast judgment on the choices we have made. Rather, Allen encourages us to recognize the tiredness, the fear, and the shame in our lives. Further, to choose to live believing God is enough, growing in faith, and accepting the grace that God gives.
“What has God put inside you to do for Him, and what would hold you back from that?”
Two of the questions she posed caused me to stop and inspect my own heart closely. She asked, “What has God put inside you to do for Him, and what would hold you back from that?” Allen further drove her point home by asking, “What holds you back from putting this book down and absolutely going crazy obeying God no matter what He says?” (p.129) Pondering these questions can transform lives. Through the close examination of our own hearts and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we find the courage to follow God’s call on each of our lives.
So buy two books, give one to a friend, and begin sharing the journey of surrendering your control, your fear, and your loneliness. “[God] is waiting and He wants to go crazy through you. You don’t feel like you measure up? Then you are exactly who God is looking for.” (p.225)
Meet the author!
Kim Arnold has been a church member of Council Road Baptist Church for nearly 25 years. She teaches private piano lessons in her studio and at Mid-America Christian University. Her passion lies in training up the next generation of worship leaders. Kim and her husband Jason have been married for 17 years and have a 12-year old son, Nolan.
