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Falling to Heaven: The Surprising Path to Happiness
"When we are struggling, where is happiness actually to be found? What I have learned in response to this question has been one of the biggest surprises of my life." —James L. Ferrell
As incredible as it may sound, much of the sadness and frustration we feel in mortality is actually created by our well-meaning efforts to find happiness. Relief from this predicament can be found through a divine gospel paradox that rescues us from failed roads and puts us on the surprising path to happiness.
Through engaging stories and fresh, invigorating gospel insights, James Ferrell has written a book that challenges our unquestioned and perhaps mistaken assumptions about many of life's fundamental concerns. For example, what if happiness depends less on forgiving ourselves than on giving up that quest? What if repentance is even sweeter than forgiveness? What if neither happiness nor heaven can be reached by climbing?
Falling to Heaven is an account of a gospel that's specifically designed to change our minds and transform our hearts. It is an account of the truths of Christ that really do set us free.
As incredible as it may sound, much of the sadness and frustration we feel in mortality is actually created by our well-meaning efforts to find happiness. Relief from this predicament can be found through a divine gospel paradox that rescues us from failed roads and puts us on the surprising path to happiness.
Through engaging stories and fresh, invigorating gospel insights, James Ferrell has written a book that challenges our unquestioned and perhaps mistaken assumptions about many of life's fundamental concerns. For example, what if happiness depends less on forgiving ourselves than on giving up that quest? What if repentance is even sweeter than forgiveness? What if neither happiness nor heaven can be reached by climbing?
Falling to Heaven is an account of a gospel that's specifically designed to change our minds and transform our hearts. It is an account of the truths of Christ that really do set us free.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2012
86 people are currently reading
1049 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 267 reviews
July 31, 2012
This was an amazing book which taught me a different perspective of "getting to heaven". We all think of heaven as Up or above us. This book teaches a unique paradigm of falling to heaven. The author shares unique perspectives on "taking upon us the yoke of Christ" and on "following the iron rod to reach the tree of life".
In Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, there are basically five groups of people, most who are not successful in their pursuits to get to the Tree of Life and experience the love of God or arriving back to Heaven. One group however, gets to the tree and "falls down" and then is able to experience the rewards of partaking of the fruit. We are taught we need to strive to be perfect. This seems impossible, but this book offers unique perspectives what we need to do, by offering God a broken heart and contrite spirit. We are essentially always in a pattern of repentance and improvement, with a constant attitude of humility.
I still haven't figured it out, I keep making mistakes and falling into the same sinful patterns, but I'm learning. I continue to be taught line upon line, making mistakes and learning from these mistakes. I'm learning to rely on my Savior to overcome the "natural man" and become a child again. This book offers some amazing perspectives about life and how to deal with the day to day trials. Falling to Heaven is a must read for anyone who is serious about working out their own salvation and returning to live with God. I plan to read this book again, I truly loved it and consider what I learned as cherished insights from a loving Heavenly Father.
In Lehi's vision of the Tree of Life, there are basically five groups of people, most who are not successful in their pursuits to get to the Tree of Life and experience the love of God or arriving back to Heaven. One group however, gets to the tree and "falls down" and then is able to experience the rewards of partaking of the fruit. We are taught we need to strive to be perfect. This seems impossible, but this book offers unique perspectives what we need to do, by offering God a broken heart and contrite spirit. We are essentially always in a pattern of repentance and improvement, with a constant attitude of humility.
I still haven't figured it out, I keep making mistakes and falling into the same sinful patterns, but I'm learning. I continue to be taught line upon line, making mistakes and learning from these mistakes. I'm learning to rely on my Savior to overcome the "natural man" and become a child again. This book offers some amazing perspectives about life and how to deal with the day to day trials. Falling to Heaven is a must read for anyone who is serious about working out their own salvation and returning to live with God. I plan to read this book again, I truly loved it and consider what I learned as cherished insights from a loving Heavenly Father.
February 5, 2024
Without being proud or condemning, this book quietly, and simply turns upside down many of the tenants of self-help; showing that self-interest, pride, and the ilk, lead away from happiness. Even the chapter titles let us know that simple answers won't suffice.
For example: Chapter 2: "Truth in Contradiction" is followed by Chapter 3: "The Divine Paradox." And thus it goes, many of our up's turn out to be downs, This book makes very clear how backward and self-centered much of our thinking is. It also points the way to a happier life by being complete honest, truly humble, etc..
For example: Chapter 2: "Truth in Contradiction" is followed by Chapter 3: "The Divine Paradox." And thus it goes, many of our up's turn out to be downs, This book makes very clear how backward and self-centered much of our thinking is. It also points the way to a happier life by being complete honest, truly humble, etc..
October 6, 2024
I liked so many things in this book. The perspective it gives on repentance changed how I view repentance and made me think deeply about how I approach the Gospel.
Would read this again.
Would read this again.
January 31, 2014
I really didn't like this book (surprising because The Peacegiver is one of my favorites), but I will eventually give this one a second try.
I really liked and believe in Ferrell's premise- that happiness comes only through Christ and losing ourselves in Him, but his first few chapters felt heavy handed. At the time I was reading it, I was surrounding by friends and family dealing with heavy situations- divorce, addiction, and depression; and while I thought Ferrell's book would be uplifting, instead it felt like it belittled the efforts of those who are truly struggling.
"As incredible as it may sound, much of the sadness and frustration we feel in mortality is actually created by our well-meaning efforts to find happiness. " This quote, also given as part of the summary, felt like a slap in the face to those hurting, often because of the choices of others. While true happiness can be obtained through the Savior, He also wants us to find joy in our lives every day. While I will agree that people often sabotage their own efforts to be happy, to paint people's personal efforts with such broad strokes was too much for me.
I really liked and believe in Ferrell's premise- that happiness comes only through Christ and losing ourselves in Him, but his first few chapters felt heavy handed. At the time I was reading it, I was surrounding by friends and family dealing with heavy situations- divorce, addiction, and depression; and while I thought Ferrell's book would be uplifting, instead it felt like it belittled the efforts of those who are truly struggling.
"As incredible as it may sound, much of the sadness and frustration we feel in mortality is actually created by our well-meaning efforts to find happiness. " This quote, also given as part of the summary, felt like a slap in the face to those hurting, often because of the choices of others. While true happiness can be obtained through the Savior, He also wants us to find joy in our lives every day. While I will agree that people often sabotage their own efforts to be happy, to paint people's personal efforts with such broad strokes was too much for me.
March 28, 2017
It turns out the surprising path to happiness wasn't all that surprising after all. (Spoiler alert: it's the Savior.)
But I really loved this book. It started out a little clinical compared to The Continuous Atonement which I had just read previously, but as I got used to his writing style I realized that it was really just a different approach to the same concepts of turning to Christ for everything. This will continue to be a go-to book for me.
But I really loved this book. It started out a little clinical compared to The Continuous Atonement which I had just read previously, but as I got used to his writing style I realized that it was really just a different approach to the same concepts of turning to Christ for everything. This will continue to be a go-to book for me.
June 10, 2013
Falling to Heaven is the third book written by James Ferrell. Ferrell is a very worthwhile author for an LDS audience. His unique insights have been paradigm-shifting for me. In this book, Ferrell challenges his readers to look at our approach to life, relationships and especially our relationship to God in a new light.
Many truths are ironic to the core. Some ironies are evident in the scriptures themselves. “He who loses his life shall find it.” But the irony of elevating oneself through countless modern devices to achieve the illusive “self-esteem” is a fool’s errand. Ferrell teaches from the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible that the way to true happiness is through submitting ourselves to God through humility. As simple as that may seem, he give countless examples of applications of this doctrine through examples and stories.
I felt quite justified when he explained principles from perspectives that I am fond of. If the book only affirmed my ideas, what would be the use of reading it? There were some other “weightier matters” that challenged me. Chapter 17 is an example. Forgiving Oneself. What could possibly be wrong with extending mercy to myself? Didn’t Christ command me to love my neighbor as myself? Read this chapter and see if you agree with Ferrell’s conclusions. He did change my perspective on this principle.
The chapters that were most affirming of my strongly held beliefs were on the value of living and participating in a “Confessional Society” and on the negative impact on the all-too-frequent teaching that we hear explicitly or implicitly of the spiritual superiority women inherently enjoy over men.
So far, this book, The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes, is my favorite of his books. Nevertheless, if you desire to have your spirit stretched and your preconceived ideas challenged, I recommend any of his books including this one. It is an easy read and won’t take long to finish. I expect to come back to it from time to time in the future.
Many truths are ironic to the core. Some ironies are evident in the scriptures themselves. “He who loses his life shall find it.” But the irony of elevating oneself through countless modern devices to achieve the illusive “self-esteem” is a fool’s errand. Ferrell teaches from the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible that the way to true happiness is through submitting ourselves to God through humility. As simple as that may seem, he give countless examples of applications of this doctrine through examples and stories.
I felt quite justified when he explained principles from perspectives that I am fond of. If the book only affirmed my ideas, what would be the use of reading it? There were some other “weightier matters” that challenged me. Chapter 17 is an example. Forgiving Oneself. What could possibly be wrong with extending mercy to myself? Didn’t Christ command me to love my neighbor as myself? Read this chapter and see if you agree with Ferrell’s conclusions. He did change my perspective on this principle.
The chapters that were most affirming of my strongly held beliefs were on the value of living and participating in a “Confessional Society” and on the negative impact on the all-too-frequent teaching that we hear explicitly or implicitly of the spiritual superiority women inherently enjoy over men.
So far, this book, The Peacegiver: How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes How Christ Offers to Heal Our Hearts and Homes, is my favorite of his books. Nevertheless, if you desire to have your spirit stretched and your preconceived ideas challenged, I recommend any of his books including this one. It is an easy read and won’t take long to finish. I expect to come back to it from time to time in the future.
Want to read
February 28, 2012Haven't read it all yet because I'm reading an advanced copy! But so far it's excellent-favorite paragraph thus far-
"Whether we are feeling up or feeling down, the scriptures suggest that the path of rescue lies in the one direction our natural-man tendencies keep us from looking. As absurd as it may sound, happiness apparently lies not in our trying to feel better about ourselves but rather through our allowing the Lord to help us see truths that at first might make us feel worse. In these lowest moments-the moments when we give up resisting what we haven't wanted to see- we are finally immersed in the joy we have always sought but have never found, a joy that comes not because we have lifted our hearts but because we have finally allowed them to break."
-pg. xi
"Whether we are feeling up or feeling down, the scriptures suggest that the path of rescue lies in the one direction our natural-man tendencies keep us from looking. As absurd as it may sound, happiness apparently lies not in our trying to feel better about ourselves but rather through our allowing the Lord to help us see truths that at first might make us feel worse. In these lowest moments-the moments when we give up resisting what we haven't wanted to see- we are finally immersed in the joy we have always sought but have never found, a joy that comes not because we have lifted our hearts but because we have finally allowed them to break."
-pg. xi
July 4, 2012
(Audio Book) I know this book has received a lot of praise and high ratings. I think if it was helpful and enlightening for some then that's wonderful. For me personally, I didn't care for it. While I thought the author's perspective was interesting, I spent far more time disagreeing than I did agreeing. To me, it felt like the entire second-half of the book was nothing more than a soapbox and I felt that he was often talking in circles. I felt that some of the scriptures were shared out of context and loosely fit the point he was trying to make and I felt that a lot of the stories he shared were weak when they were meant to prove a point. So, not one that I would care to delve into again.
October 13, 2012
I absolutely loved this book! It's a great reminder of how to live the two great commandments: loving God and loving others. It's also a wonderful treatise on repentance. 2 Nephi 25:23 says, "for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all that we can do." And all that we can really do is come unto Christ in repentance. We are all His debtors and every sin (no matter how big or small) keeps of from being one with Him. His hand is constantly stretched out toward us in mercy. When we approach God in true repentance, happiness is ours.
May 13, 2021
Not sure what to say, it was amazing, paradigm-shifting, and yet I didn't interpret some of the scriptures & church doctrine like he does. I specifically don't agree with the way he addresses loving and forgiving yourself. I understand what he's saying and the very real dangers of pride, which I am guilty of so often, but I don't think the way he's saying that we view these things are the same way that he's condemning them. Hard to explain, I agree with about 75% of what he said and a lot of it I'm still chewing on to be honest. Wonderful insights and soul searching questions
January 26, 2013
There are only a few books that I can say have actually changed my life -- this is one of them. I'm am a better man, a better husband, and a better father for having read and studied it.
May 11, 2016
Fantastic, though not suprising, I've loved his other books as well. The author has a gift for explaining the gospel in a unique paradigm shifting way that is SO easy to read and understand.
December 9, 2021
I had a lot of thoughts while reading this book and continue to think about it. Some of my favorite quotes from this book:
- Your personal need for the Savior is not affected in the least by what others have or have not done.
- How much more liberating it is for all of us simply to see the truth: that I am neither inherently better nor inherently worse than others—that I am, in fact, equally fallen and flawed and separated from God.
- people don’t function well if they are not giving many times more compliments than criticisms, for it is the giving of compliments rather than the receiving of them that truly edifies. One who is down is therefore not lifted merely by hearing a compliment but by seeing others in a way that awakens within him or her the desire to compliment.
- whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” If there be anything virtuous in a person or in a circumstance, Paul is saying, we should think on that single virtuous thing rather than upon the litany of the person’s faults or upon the myriad difficulties of life. If there is anything lovely or of good report or praiseworthy around us, we are to think on those things rather than upon the infinite list of dishonest, impure, ugly, and mean-spirited injustices that could absorb our attention and consume our hearts.
- The deep scars we inflict on one another can be reached only by the One who has healing in his wings. But this doesn’t absolve us from doing all that we imperfectly can do. It simply binds us to the Savior, as one of the instruments in his hands.
- Your personal need for the Savior is not affected in the least by what others have or have not done.
- How much more liberating it is for all of us simply to see the truth: that I am neither inherently better nor inherently worse than others—that I am, in fact, equally fallen and flawed and separated from God.
- people don’t function well if they are not giving many times more compliments than criticisms, for it is the giving of compliments rather than the receiving of them that truly edifies. One who is down is therefore not lifted merely by hearing a compliment but by seeing others in a way that awakens within him or her the desire to compliment.
- whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” If there be anything virtuous in a person or in a circumstance, Paul is saying, we should think on that single virtuous thing rather than upon the litany of the person’s faults or upon the myriad difficulties of life. If there is anything lovely or of good report or praiseworthy around us, we are to think on those things rather than upon the infinite list of dishonest, impure, ugly, and mean-spirited injustices that could absorb our attention and consume our hearts.
- The deep scars we inflict on one another can be reached only by the One who has healing in his wings. But this doesn’t absolve us from doing all that we imperfectly can do. It simply binds us to the Savior, as one of the instruments in his hands.
October 26, 2020
This thought-provoking book is more about the humble path to heaven than it is about finding happiness. Maybe it considers itself "surprising" because it challenges popular self-help ideas that are naturally self-focused. I see the point, but I think there are many tools the self-help world gives that can easily coexist with and have the potential to lead deeply suffering people toward "higher" yet humbler ideas. After all, we are encouraged to do all we can, to study and learn, and to make an effort without expecting God to do everything for us. We are naturally strengthened by doing some things ourselves. The book suggests we'd be better off falling at the Savior's feet than raising ourselves up. It's definitely a book that can potentially help fine-tune a person who is trying hard to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The book sometimes takes well-intentioned, typical, culturally-religious expressions and explains they can subtly confuse people about certain doctrines. I need to read the book again and write down examples. I'll return and update this review when I take the opportunity.
I'm not sure I love the tone of this one. There's a bit of a "You're doing it wrong," attitude that maybe approaches not really seeing people's individual hearts and paths.
My stake president mentioned this book in some closing remarks he gave in our sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember what he said about it, but I made sure to look for the book since I admire him. I was happy to find it at our local library.
The book sometimes takes well-intentioned, typical, culturally-religious expressions and explains they can subtly confuse people about certain doctrines. I need to read the book again and write down examples. I'll return and update this review when I take the opportunity.
I'm not sure I love the tone of this one. There's a bit of a "You're doing it wrong," attitude that maybe approaches not really seeing people's individual hearts and paths.
My stake president mentioned this book in some closing remarks he gave in our sacrament meeting a couple of weeks ago. I don't remember what he said about it, but I made sure to look for the book since I admire him. I was happy to find it at our local library.
September 9, 2017
WOW this book is humbling! It really makes you reflect on pride, and how often the things that we think will make us happy actually don't at all. This pride can come when we think we're better than someone else. But it can also come when we think so little of ourselves that we are ONLY focused on ourselves. In a sense it's claiming that you're an exception to Christ's Atonement. So crazy to think about! James Ferrell talks about how we all need the Savior's Atonement in the same way- we're all "sinking" in our own little boats, and the fact that you might be sinking slightly faster or slower than the person next to you doesn't really leave much room for comparing or competing.
I just love the concept of being "down before the Lord." All in all, this book made me realize I need to repent more. Repenting of failing to love others is a GREAT concept Brother Ferrell also talks about. And it's only when we are down before the Lord that He can truly lift us. So much food for thought!
I just love the concept of being "down before the Lord." All in all, this book made me realize I need to repent more. Repenting of failing to love others is a GREAT concept Brother Ferrell also talks about. And it's only when we are down before the Lord that He can truly lift us. So much food for thought!
September 23, 2018
The beginning part of this book was a 3, the ending part of the book was a 5. The last chapter made me cry as I was sitting in an airport reading it. Talking about all the paradoxes of the gospel and in the church was a little hard for me to grasp, but I really loved all of the insights into how we should treat ourselves and others. Recognizing that we all need the Savior’s Atonement the same amount, and that no one is truly better than anyone else is a life-changing notion to me.
October 11, 2019
I’m so glad I read this book. If caused me to rethink principles and religious doctrine that I’ve heard multiple times and just accepted at face value. I think that is an extremely healthy exercise and one of the reasons I love to read. With that being said, I don’t agree wholeheartedly with all of the author’s arguments, but found so much good and inspiration throughout the book. This is a short read but packed with wisdom.
March 6, 2017
Loved this book. Great perspectives that will have you thinking about the fall and challenges of mortality in a whole new way.
October 15, 2019
If I could give this book more stars, I would! This book deserves 100 stars and you all know how stingy I am with my stars.
April 1, 2019
Words fail to express how much I love this book! Beautiful, insightful, and inspiring. Read it!!!
Only God forgives sins-we repent of failing to love. View others with only hope and gratitude for who they are and what they do. No criticism. Down is up and up is down.
Only God forgives sins-we repent of failing to love. View others with only hope and gratitude for who they are and what they do. No criticism. Down is up and up is down.
April 30, 2012
LDS Non-Fiction.
I am so, so, so, so disappointed in this. I had the impression from the other reviews and the opening of the book itself that it would make me think and it would make me hugely uncomfortable. I love having my boundaries pushed and thus picked this up eagerly. I expected hard questions that would make me question my thought process and my behavior.
But that wasn't what I got. I did find some gems and I am really, really drawn to the central idea of the book: That we fall to our knees (figuratively speaking), to be lifted up to grace.
About half of the book is the teaching of that concept, which I found boring. This may be my bias, but I don't like scriptures quoted out of context (and this book contains hundreds and hundreds of quoted scripture). The context is what provides the depth of meaning for me and without that depth I find the usage too superficial. However, I had never noticed the paradox of up/down and found that fascinating.
The second half of the book looks at ways we as individuals misuse / misunderstand / ignore the central idea (fall, to be lifted). But again, it never got past a superficial look; I never felt uncomfortable because it was all so Christianity 101 (or Sunday School 101). The reason I found this so disappointing was because several times I felt the author was on the cusp of digging deep and pushing to understand the barriers of ego that keep us looking up rather than down, but then each time he just changed the subject.
A key example of this was the woman who approached the author at a seminar to ask if she should invited her gay sister to a family event.
Perfect. What I wanted next was an examination of the woman's possible thoughts and some really hard questions about whether they were humble or egotistical. What was motivating her to want to invite her sister now and not before? Why did she prefer to not invite her in the first place? Was she ashamed of her sister? Was she afraid people would see her in a bad light because she had a sister who was gay? What was so fearsome about homosexuality?
Plus: Why didn't anyone come up and ask him if they should invite their gorgeous, but hugely vain sister to the family party? -The one who'd just had plastic surgery and spent more money on her hair, nail, clothes, shoes, tanning, exercize-trainer than she did on giving to the poor. Why in our minds are some (assumed) sins socially acceptable and some not within our own selves?
And what's more, why was this woman approaching a total stranger for an answer? Was she seeking his permission to invite her sister? Was she seeking social permission? Was she seeking God's permission and thought this man was the way to receive it? What was keeping her from just asking God himself?
I'd like to hear her answers. Because while I may not be homophobic, I have other issues (do I ever!) that parallel it. I want her honest answers because they have the potential to trigger within me the feeling of being uncomfortable because I am (in the center) the same and in need of grace.
Instead of digging deep into the thoughts / emotions / fears / prejudices behind the situation, the author moved on. The examples the author did dig into (about his dog, his friends when he was a kid, etc.) were just too shallow to engage me.
And yet at the end of the day, I can't give this book less than three stars. It made me think. And while it could have been much deeper and introspective, it trigger in me a desire to explore the idea more from other sources. And I suspect at the end of the day, that trigger is worth the money.
I am so, so, so, so disappointed in this. I had the impression from the other reviews and the opening of the book itself that it would make me think and it would make me hugely uncomfortable. I love having my boundaries pushed and thus picked this up eagerly. I expected hard questions that would make me question my thought process and my behavior.
But that wasn't what I got. I did find some gems and I am really, really drawn to the central idea of the book: That we fall to our knees (figuratively speaking), to be lifted up to grace.
About half of the book is the teaching of that concept, which I found boring. This may be my bias, but I don't like scriptures quoted out of context (and this book contains hundreds and hundreds of quoted scripture). The context is what provides the depth of meaning for me and without that depth I find the usage too superficial. However, I had never noticed the paradox of up/down and found that fascinating.
The second half of the book looks at ways we as individuals misuse / misunderstand / ignore the central idea (fall, to be lifted). But again, it never got past a superficial look; I never felt uncomfortable because it was all so Christianity 101 (or Sunday School 101). The reason I found this so disappointing was because several times I felt the author was on the cusp of digging deep and pushing to understand the barriers of ego that keep us looking up rather than down, but then each time he just changed the subject.
A key example of this was the woman who approached the author at a seminar to ask if she should invited her gay sister to a family event.
Perfect. What I wanted next was an examination of the woman's possible thoughts and some really hard questions about whether they were humble or egotistical. What was motivating her to want to invite her sister now and not before? Why did she prefer to not invite her in the first place? Was she ashamed of her sister? Was she afraid people would see her in a bad light because she had a sister who was gay? What was so fearsome about homosexuality?
Plus: Why didn't anyone come up and ask him if they should invite their gorgeous, but hugely vain sister to the family party? -The one who'd just had plastic surgery and spent more money on her hair, nail, clothes, shoes, tanning, exercize-trainer than she did on giving to the poor. Why in our minds are some (assumed) sins socially acceptable and some not within our own selves?
And what's more, why was this woman approaching a total stranger for an answer? Was she seeking his permission to invite her sister? Was she seeking social permission? Was she seeking God's permission and thought this man was the way to receive it? What was keeping her from just asking God himself?
I'd like to hear her answers. Because while I may not be homophobic, I have other issues (do I ever!) that parallel it. I want her honest answers because they have the potential to trigger within me the feeling of being uncomfortable because I am (in the center) the same and in need of grace.
Instead of digging deep into the thoughts / emotions / fears / prejudices behind the situation, the author moved on. The examples the author did dig into (about his dog, his friends when he was a kid, etc.) were just too shallow to engage me.
And yet at the end of the day, I can't give this book less than three stars. It made me think. And while it could have been much deeper and introspective, it trigger in me a desire to explore the idea more from other sources. And I suspect at the end of the day, that trigger is worth the money.
March 25, 2024
I read this 8 years ago for the first time but just read it again for a book club with my mom and sisters. These were the notes I took (my biggest takeaway is the one with the asterisk):
Ch 1
-There is no scriptural evidence that Jesus talks about loving Himself, yet our society is obsessed with loving ourselves.
-Happiness rests on believing Jesus, even when what He is telling us seems mistaken.
Ch 5
-Alma said “I behold that ye are lowly in heart and if so, blessed are ye.” He says it’s a good thing they’re down because they’re compelled to be humble and seek repentance. He’s not saying there is value in feeling down by itself. There is a kind of depression we feel when we’ve bought into the doctrine of “up” but believe we have failed under it. We need to feel dissatisfaction with self. but we must shun disdain for self.
-Our insufficiency doesn’t disqualify us from His redeeming love.
-Feeling down about oneself is no more helpful than feeling pridefully up about oneself.
Ch 8
-“We must not only be justified or forgiven from past sins, but must also be sanctified from any desire for sin. How else could God entrust us with His power?”
Ch 12-15
-One church is not superior to another. Women are not superior to men, like is sometimes alluded to.
Ch 17
*-Forgiveness actually means repentance. When I forgive myself, I am really repenting. When I forgive others, I am really repenting from my pride.
Ch 18
-There aren’t universal exceptions to making sure people don’t walk all over you. That will come from the Spirit. You forgive one hundred fold but might need to leave a situation if the Spirit tells you so.
Ch 19-21
-We think more of people when they confess openly and honestly.
-Struggles give us hope and allow us to see miracles.
-Even though her confession made her seem like less of a singer, her crying while singing made the song more meaningful.
-Focus on our own sins and others’ virtues.
-Confession alone is not enough. Neither is forsaking enough. We must confess and forsake.
-We repent of our sins, in part, by continuing to help those who might still be burdened by them.
Ch 1
-There is no scriptural evidence that Jesus talks about loving Himself, yet our society is obsessed with loving ourselves.
-Happiness rests on believing Jesus, even when what He is telling us seems mistaken.
Ch 5
-Alma said “I behold that ye are lowly in heart and if so, blessed are ye.” He says it’s a good thing they’re down because they’re compelled to be humble and seek repentance. He’s not saying there is value in feeling down by itself. There is a kind of depression we feel when we’ve bought into the doctrine of “up” but believe we have failed under it. We need to feel dissatisfaction with self. but we must shun disdain for self.
-Our insufficiency doesn’t disqualify us from His redeeming love.
-Feeling down about oneself is no more helpful than feeling pridefully up about oneself.
Ch 8
-“We must not only be justified or forgiven from past sins, but must also be sanctified from any desire for sin. How else could God entrust us with His power?”
Ch 12-15
-One church is not superior to another. Women are not superior to men, like is sometimes alluded to.
Ch 17
*-Forgiveness actually means repentance. When I forgive myself, I am really repenting. When I forgive others, I am really repenting from my pride.
Ch 18
-There aren’t universal exceptions to making sure people don’t walk all over you. That will come from the Spirit. You forgive one hundred fold but might need to leave a situation if the Spirit tells you so.
Ch 19-21
-We think more of people when they confess openly and honestly.
-Struggles give us hope and allow us to see miracles.
-Even though her confession made her seem like less of a singer, her crying while singing made the song more meaningful.
-Focus on our own sins and others’ virtues.
-Confession alone is not enough. Neither is forsaking enough. We must confess and forsake.
-We repent of our sins, in part, by continuing to help those who might still be burdened by them.
August 10, 2019
This is a quick and pleasant read from a religious author and educator who takes the gospel seriously and has some insights to share.
The setting of the book centers around paradoxes: how one must lose their life to find it, how one must be humble to be exalted, and, as the title states, how heaven is something we fall down into, rather than lift ourselves up into. The key reference for this idea comes from the vision of the tree of life, where those that reach the tree and reported to have fallen down at it. (1 Ne 8:30)
This is valuable, and true as an insight, but the tone of the book took a strange turn. In essence, it seemed to be something like “look, you’ve got it all wrong. You actually need to see things like this.” My issue was this is not that it is false. It may very well be true. But this seems common in a lot of religious material. The premise that the “common understanding” is wrong, and we need to reexamine the scriptures to “get it right.” The obvious question is why can’t we get it right to begin with? Why do we need niche authors, religious fanatics, and crackpots to tell us how to course correct. This is more of an indictment of mainstream religious societies in general, rather than a criticism of the book or the author, but it is a frustration nonetheless. Why do those that “get it” or who “got it right” continually have to swim upstream the current of mainline beliefs?
One jab I will take is that the author claims that the idea of “loving one’s self” is not scriptural, and Jesus never said he loved himself. I don’t disagree with his conclusion: that self-help, egocentric gospel is poisonous and vacuous, but he seems to be ignoring the reference to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” (Lev 19:18; Matt 19:19, etc.) which seems to indicate some acknowledgment of self-esteem. Furthermore, Jesus stated “The Father loveth the Son” (John 3:35) and “Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” (John 5:19-20) which alludes to some uncomfortable conclusions in light of the author’s thesis.
The setting of the book centers around paradoxes: how one must lose their life to find it, how one must be humble to be exalted, and, as the title states, how heaven is something we fall down into, rather than lift ourselves up into. The key reference for this idea comes from the vision of the tree of life, where those that reach the tree and reported to have fallen down at it. (1 Ne 8:30)
This is valuable, and true as an insight, but the tone of the book took a strange turn. In essence, it seemed to be something like “look, you’ve got it all wrong. You actually need to see things like this.” My issue was this is not that it is false. It may very well be true. But this seems common in a lot of religious material. The premise that the “common understanding” is wrong, and we need to reexamine the scriptures to “get it right.” The obvious question is why can’t we get it right to begin with? Why do we need niche authors, religious fanatics, and crackpots to tell us how to course correct. This is more of an indictment of mainstream religious societies in general, rather than a criticism of the book or the author, but it is a frustration nonetheless. Why do those that “get it” or who “got it right” continually have to swim upstream the current of mainline beliefs?
One jab I will take is that the author claims that the idea of “loving one’s self” is not scriptural, and Jesus never said he loved himself. I don’t disagree with his conclusion: that self-help, egocentric gospel is poisonous and vacuous, but he seems to be ignoring the reference to “love thy neighbor as thyself,” (Lev 19:18; Matt 19:19, etc.) which seems to indicate some acknowledgment of self-esteem. Furthermore, Jesus stated “The Father loveth the Son” (John 3:35) and “Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do” (John 5:19-20) which alludes to some uncomfortable conclusions in light of the author’s thesis.
May 4, 2013
I honestly really enjoyed this book! It's not often that I spend the money to buy a book (usually I just get them at the library!) but about 1/2 way through this book, I bought it because I knew I would want to re-read this to soak it in a little bit more.
A basic (very basic) synopsis of this book is that essentially getting rid of pride (referred to in this book as "upness") is the only way to be truly happy, because it is the only way to truly bring ourselves closer to the Lord. So essentially "up is down" and "down is up" as far as our actions and the related consequences, respectively. It is a paradox that I had not considered and is worth the time the book spends to explore the analogy.
Keep in mind, this book is just a jumping off point. It's a very easy read, and it doesn't necessarily take time to go incredibly deep. Each chapter presents one concept related to the theme, and I think just about every chapter is under ten pages. This makes for a very easy read, but makes one want to stop and ponder after each chapter.
I did feel that the book started out very strong and did rather fizzle out at the end, but the greatness of the beginning made me forgive the shortcomings of the end.
Also, he often references scripture with no in-text citations. All references have a superscript, but rather than listing the citations at the end of each chapter, all references are found at the end of the entire BOOK. This definitely makes it annoying and difficult to go to the actual scriptures referenced, but again, this is a minor flaw, and I'm still willing to give the book 5 stars for an excellent concept.
A basic (very basic) synopsis of this book is that essentially getting rid of pride (referred to in this book as "upness") is the only way to be truly happy, because it is the only way to truly bring ourselves closer to the Lord. So essentially "up is down" and "down is up" as far as our actions and the related consequences, respectively. It is a paradox that I had not considered and is worth the time the book spends to explore the analogy.
Keep in mind, this book is just a jumping off point. It's a very easy read, and it doesn't necessarily take time to go incredibly deep. Each chapter presents one concept related to the theme, and I think just about every chapter is under ten pages. This makes for a very easy read, but makes one want to stop and ponder after each chapter.
I did feel that the book started out very strong and did rather fizzle out at the end, but the greatness of the beginning made me forgive the shortcomings of the end.
Also, he often references scripture with no in-text citations. All references have a superscript, but rather than listing the citations at the end of each chapter, all references are found at the end of the entire BOOK. This definitely makes it annoying and difficult to go to the actual scriptures referenced, but again, this is a minor flaw, and I'm still willing to give the book 5 stars for an excellent concept.
February 15, 2016
I love this book and think everyone should read it. It is easy to get caught up in condemning others for there sins, but in reality we are all so far from the perfection of God that we are equally fallen. I was reading in Mosiah 2:23-25 in which is talks of us always being indebted to go and that we can say aught for ourselves. We are not even greater than the dust. As such we are certainly not greater than an other person regardless of what there sins may be in comparison to ours. Additionally Christ created us and purchased us through the atonement. Which was making me think that as each of us belong to him we shouldn't condemn others, but love them. I went YSA workshop and one of the workshops I went to was amazing. The women that taught it had an amazing testimony of the Atonement because she had applied it, not as the sinner, but as the one sinned against. Her husband and best friend had an affair. She told of her struggle to find peace and came to realize that would only come through forgiveness. Through prayer, fasting, temple attendance, etc she was able to apply the atonement and truly forgive this women. One thing she said that really stuck with me was that she realized that they were on the same team. Though she hadn't committed the sin of adultery she had her own sins and that we are here to help each other not to condemn one another.
It is a great book that really makes you think about life and how you view and treat other people. Please read it! I for sure need to read again and probably again since it will be a lifetime struggle to gain charity.
It is a great book that really makes you think about life and how you view and treat other people. Please read it! I for sure need to read again and probably again since it will be a lifetime struggle to gain charity.
April 10, 2013
An excellent book about humility, grace, and the Atonement. Some of the concepts were fairly basic and nothing new, but others really helped me put the Atonement in a new light.
I particularly liked his "speed of light" analogy. On a highway, if another car is going one mile faster than you, you will see it gradually approach, then pass, then go away from you. However, because of the nature of the speed of light, you can be going at a speed just slower than the speed of light, but the same phenomena will not be witnessed because light will always pass you at the full speed of light no matter how fast you are going. The only way to "catch up" to light is to be made light and to be going at the same speed. He shared how this is like the Atonement in that our need for the Savior is so great that even when we are doing wonderfully well, we are so far from what the Savior is that it is like the speed of light. Eventually, because of the Atonement, we will be "made light."
I also liked how well Ferrell described the need to stop comparing our sins or righteousness to those around us. Because of this great gulf separating us from God, it is useless for us to compare our relative speed to those around us. Compared to the speed of light, we are all infinitely in need of the Atonement, no matter how great or small our sins.
I particularly liked his "speed of light" analogy. On a highway, if another car is going one mile faster than you, you will see it gradually approach, then pass, then go away from you. However, because of the nature of the speed of light, you can be going at a speed just slower than the speed of light, but the same phenomena will not be witnessed because light will always pass you at the full speed of light no matter how fast you are going. The only way to "catch up" to light is to be made light and to be going at the same speed. He shared how this is like the Atonement in that our need for the Savior is so great that even when we are doing wonderfully well, we are so far from what the Savior is that it is like the speed of light. Eventually, because of the Atonement, we will be "made light."
I also liked how well Ferrell described the need to stop comparing our sins or righteousness to those around us. Because of this great gulf separating us from God, it is useless for us to compare our relative speed to those around us. Compared to the speed of light, we are all infinitely in need of the Atonement, no matter how great or small our sins.
July 31, 2015
This book was amazing. James Ferrell talks about the truth in contradiction, that trying to help yourself or someone else by puffing them up will actually be detrimental. That true happiness comes from falling on your knees and repenting. He speaks frankly but kindly and reminds me a lot of CS Lewis, an author I dearly enjoy. He speaks truths that are hard to hear in a way that doesn’t sound so hard to hear. That we all have need to repent and there’s no justification for ever feeling better than someone else. That act alone separates us from God even more.
The prophets were frank about their inadequacies, and we should be frank about ours. The most interesting idea that I found was that feeling low and down about ourselves is in itself a sort of pride. It’s feeling bad that we don’t measure up, that we might look bad to others. Feeling humiliated is not the same as being humble.
The wonderful truth is, that taking His yolk upon us is uplifting and freeing. Facing our faults, all the things that scare us, is actually light. When we ‘labor and are heavy laden’ if we do the seemingly contradictory thing and take yet more burden upon our shoulders: His ‘yolk,’ our burdens, all the things that used to weigh us down, become easy. And it’s true! It’s a wonderful book and I highly, highly recommend it!
The prophets were frank about their inadequacies, and we should be frank about ours. The most interesting idea that I found was that feeling low and down about ourselves is in itself a sort of pride. It’s feeling bad that we don’t measure up, that we might look bad to others. Feeling humiliated is not the same as being humble.
The wonderful truth is, that taking His yolk upon us is uplifting and freeing. Facing our faults, all the things that scare us, is actually light. When we ‘labor and are heavy laden’ if we do the seemingly contradictory thing and take yet more burden upon our shoulders: His ‘yolk,’ our burdens, all the things that used to weigh us down, become easy. And it’s true! It’s a wonderful book and I highly, highly recommend it!
April 10, 2012
I can't begin to describe how important this book is to me. I agree with James Ferrell, that most of us are slavishly laboring in an effort to find happiness, but our efforts are often the very thing keeping us from that result! His language is plain, direct, humble and laden with the Spirit. I believe that he has captured the essence of our true mission on Earth and cut past our usual to-do lists, even those good and better lists, to go straight for the best. At the same time, his approach is empathetic of our fallen nature and our human foibles and does not leave the reader feeling shamed or condemned. Just as if blinders have been taken off our eyes and a wonderful tool given by a loving friend to draw closer to Heavenly Father and to true joy. This book could remake the modern world, if enough eyes and hearts took it in.
January 2, 2015
There were several metaphors that the author used in this book that changed the way I think about some gospel topics. The most powerful one for me was when he compared sin to a life boat with holes in it. He says we are all in sinking life boats and only Christ's atonement can patch the holes, so since we are all sinking we have no cause to judge others but only cause to patch our own holes. It is a beautiful idea and one that makes me want to be more kind and patient.
February 8, 2017
These concepts feel life changing to me. But I'll likely have to read this 17 more times to more fully understand even a few of them. This author amazes me.
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