The 7-Day Christian: How Living Your Beliefs Every Day Can Change the World

by Brad Wilcox

Christianity is facing great opposition. At the very least, most Christians know what it is like to end up on the "wrong" side of a

"politically correct" conversation. More than ever before, we need

believing and behaving disciples- men and women who are ready to

stand up, stand together, and change the world one righteous choice

at a time.

Filled with personal experiences and heartwarming stories, this book

emphasizes the importance of living in accordance with Christian

values seven days a week and offers practical suggestions for how to

actually pull it off. In addition to finding personal peace and having

a positive impact on others, choosing to live as a daily disciple opens

the door for tremendous personal development.

Genres: Lds, Nonfiction, Religion, Audiobook, Spirituality, Lds Non Fiction, Church

149 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2014

Reviews

[Lisa (Bookworm Lisa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love fiction books, if you were to look at my "read" shelf, you would see it full of books that have given me hours of entertainment. While I try to live my religion on a daily basis, I admit that there is a fear inside of rejection. What if I review religious books? Will I offend someone?

I began to realize that it is more important for me to read and review the books, not just for me to find strength, but to stand up for my beliefs and let other's know there are wonderful books that can entertain as well as uplift my spirit.

I found myself caught up in this book from the Introduction. Brad Wilcox begins with the history of Christianity. I found the story of Constantine fascinating. He recounts the persecution of the early believers of Christ, and how we are now facing a time when it is becoming increasingly unpopular to be a Christian. It forced me to take a closer look at the fears I mentioned above. Who and what do I value?

This book is written in a way that is very appealing. Brad Wilcox shares stories to illustrate his points. There are 10 chapters. Some of the titles that I found the most compelling are #3 Never Check Your Religion At the Door, #6 Facing Our People Fears, #9 Standing Together, #10 The Core of Christianity. Those are the titles that stood out to me, but each chapter can be taken and applied to life to help us strive to live our religion more fully and openly.

In chapter 2, titled Anyone Can Write a Story, I dog eared page 30. He states " Integrity fears no hidden cameras. The actions that count the most in life are those seen by the fewest people. We feel peace when we know that the size of our audience makes no difference to the quality of our performance. The every-day Christian acts seen only by Christ are usually the ones that make us most like Him." On page 87 in Chapter 7, Seven Days of Re-Creation, another quote stuck out to me. "Choosing to be a 7-day Christian is choosing to be changed."

This is a book that I needed. In January I sent my son to Chile to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I decided at that time that I needed to face my fears and choose to change. This book has helped me put my feet more firmly on that path.

Thank you, Brad Wilcox, for a wonderful book that helps me see the need for change and firm my desire to do better.

[Jinky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a Christian (Mormon) and so I like the premise of living a Christian life seven days a week as opposed to just on Sundays. Try as I may I often fall short in living accordingly every single day so I was eager to see what I can learn from this book on the matter. Although the general principles were not new to me, the author had interesting ways of looking at them from another view. The test in the distinction of this book would then be in its delivery of the content. There I say, "Well done!" This was so because every key principle was backed up with scripture from the Holy Bible and with a personal example, whether his or someone else's. Doing it this way gave the truth character and accountability. For example, in the chapter, "Without Wax", the principle of sincerity was discussed ... "Those who claim to be Christians must live lives that are sincere --clean, pure, sound --the same on the inside as they appear on the outside." (p47). Here, the author referenced Matthew 23:25 and as a personal experience he told the story of when he helped a young mother carry her suitcases. It was a simple act of service on the author’s part but the young mother saw it as so rare as to be convinced that he must have been an angel. Consequently, a principle was defined and now Christians are answerable to that fundamental truth and have a choice to act on what Jesus would have them do. Ergo, the principle of sincerity wasn't new to me but hearing it again in action was invigorating and this book was full of such uplifting remembrance of discipleship.

I know I should be living a Christlike life everyday so this book was a magnificent cause to do some reflection and provided inspiration to make it happen. It also imparted strong regard to the benefits of righteous living on individuals and society. Noting the empowerment one has to help change the view of Christians for the positive.

I like the straightforwardness writing of this author. It wasn't overwhelming in scripture as to get preachy nor his examples boastful. I felt a gentleness, a sincerity, and experience in the read so it wasn't a surprise that my spirit softened to the words and I believe that your Christian heart will feel the same. Perhaps if we hear the truths enough times, they might finally sink in! :)

Few quotables:
"Integrity fears no hidden cameras. The actions that count the most in life are those seen by the fewest people." p30

"I don't pretend to know much. My faith is so simple. But I trust God. I want to walk in His way and keep my commitments to Him. I see His love and kindness everywhere I look --even in this place that most would describe as 'God forsaken'". -p111 (author's friend in prison)

"Knowledge of Christ's resurrection not only changes the hereafter, it can also change what we are here after." p136

[Ronald Schoedel III · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brad Wilcox has made a bit of a reputation for himself for having a very good understanding of God’s grace and how it works in our lives, and how it relates to our salvation (spoiler alert: it’s pretty important!). He has helped many dispel wrong ideas about trying to earn salvation or earn grace to make up our shortcomings.

There is a bit of that in this book, as he describes how God’s grace is the only reason we can be all that we can be (whether we know it or not). But, this grace is not the central focus of this inspirational volume. Rather, the idea is how we can best shine our light as Christians by being not religious or pious per se, but by being good people.

It was thought provoking in several areas. I really enjoyed the chapter on sincerity and how the term “sincere” came to be (its original meaning is “without wax”. What has that to do with sincerity??? Brad will tell you!), and how we can apply that to our lives.

Although Wilcox is Mormon, this book is entirely non-denominational in its scope and application.

[Erica T · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of nice stories to help Christians remember their responsibility to live the way they proclaim to believe. Brad Wilcox gave one of my favorite Christian talks ever (His Grace Is Sufficient) so I think I expected this to be equally amazing (for me), but it was not quite the same. Good messages nonetheless.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed listening to Wilcox's talks from things like Education Week, and recalled some of the stories found in this book from those talks. Because he comes from an elementary education background, he has a way of writing, weaving in stories, and approaching a topic that appeals to a wide audience. The book is simple enough that it can be enjoyed by an entire family of varied ages, while still having insights and takeaways that will inspire more thoughtful o mature readers. I'm not sure the subtitle of "How Living Your Beliefs Every Day Can Change the World" was really answered, since it was really about allowing yourself to be transformed through Christ. I guess, the answer is that if everyone were truly transformed, the world would be changed. One of my favorite parts was near the end when he talks about the parable of the talents as it relates to God's grace. I'll never read it the same way again. A great reminder that we shouldn't just be "cultural Christians" but that our Christianity should be ingrained in us. I also appreciated the non-denominational way that he wrote. This is a book that could be shared with readers of any Christian faith and be well-received.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love?

[Elizabeth Ricks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this and hope I can remember the great stories and pop them out at the appropriate times. Although not a children's book, I think several of my grandchildren would learn from this. Enjoyable reading.

[Soquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight forward discussion on what it is to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This is a quick read but there is a lot of great quotes and questions to ponder. Will have to re-read this again!

[Jill Linford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short quick read/listen. Definitely topics and ideas that challenge you to find ways to implement and improve.

[Kylie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful message About letting our Christianity sink into our hearts and lives, rather than it being a cultural protocol.

"Christ is not only working on us, but with us and through us."

"God did not remove the Red Sea, He opened it; He will help us find a way through our problems as well."

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brad Wilcox is one of my favorite authors and speakers, so I was excited to see that he has a new book and was really intrigued by the title. I am a Christian, and definitely still have a lot to learn. There have been many times that I have not behaved the best. This book is a great reminder that it's important to work every day towards becoming more Christ-like.

Chapter One starts with the big question, "Is there a God?" He also goes into the great debate on this question where there are those who give an emphatic yes to that question and those who will give an equally emphatic no. Each side produces evidence to support their belief. The beauty of it all is that we are given the freedom to choose whether or not we believe in God. I like what he says about this. "To me, one of the clearest evidences of God's goodness is that He does not prove himself to us beyond all possibility of doubt. The fact that He allows compelling evidence on both sides of the argument of His existence preserves and honors my freedom...He may ultimately want me to believe, but more important, it appears He wants me to want to believe." (p. 11)

In another chapter, he says to not check your religion at the door, but rather to live it wherever you may be. There are times when that won't be easy to do, but it does matter. I also loved his chapter titled "Seven Days of Re-Creation." He tells how the pattern God used when He created the earth is the same pattern He uses to re-create us. Then he shares his experience of losing weight and running (first a 5K and later a half marathon), which he started at the age of 50. I found that to be quite inspiring!

There are quotes, scriptures and stories to back up his points as he goes through each chapter. He concludes with a chapter titled "The Core of Christianity." Having recently celebrated Easter, Christ's resurrection and atonement has been on my mind a lot. He had a conversation with a man who told him that it didn't matter if Jesus was resurrected or not and it only has relevance in the next life. He disagreed and said, "Knowledge of Christ's resurrection not only changes the hereafter, it can also change what we are here after. It can profoundly affect our choices, our loves, our priorities, and our ways of reaching our potential." (p. 136)

There are lots of great gems to be found in this book. It is possible for each of us to make a difference in the world simply by living our beliefs on a daily basis. This is a book I will definitely read again and again and I highly recommend it to everyone!

I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.

Mel's Shelves

[Crystal (Books Are Sanity!!!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! Anyone who is Christian will find it uplifting, helpful and full of great advice for living their lives like Christ every day of the week. I found reading this book to be addicting! I seriously could not get enough and found myself pulling out my highlighter (which I NEVER do) and highlighting things that I wanted to remember. The pages flew by so quickly...too quickly for me. I found myself grateful I highlighted because once I was finished I immediately turned back to my highlights and shared them with my husband and family members. Wilcox has an easy to read, straight forward manner of writing. His personal stories along with quotes by other well known people coupled with his own amazing words makes for a book that I could not get enough of! Anyone who wants to pattern their life after Christ will benefit from this book! It is full of positive and uplifting ways to help you live your life after the example of the Savior. One of my favorite parts was the story concerning C.S. Lewis. My favorite quote from the book I must share! " God did not remove the Red Sea, He opened it: He will help us find a way through our problems as well. The light does always reveal distant landscapes; sometimes it gives us just enough vision to get us through one day at a time." These are words to live by! Five brilliant stars and I would give it more if it would let me! I recommend this book to any Christian striving to be a better person!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Cami Checketts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've heard Brad speak before and listened to his CD's with my older boys. I was thrilled when this book was similar to the way he speaks: Intriguing and uplifting stories that drive home the very important doctrine he is teaching. I love the inspiration and messages I've learned through this book but more importantly I've used it to teach my children at family night and as part of our nightly scripture study. Just like it says in the description, "one righteous choice at a time." This book motivates and inspires to make small and simple righteous choices that will help us to become what the Lord wants us to become. I would highly recommend this book to all.

[Bryan Tanner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Brad's best work. There are some good examples from Brad's life—effects of growing up in Africa, learning to make exercise a lifestyle choice and not an event, supporting the 206 club—however, the content didn't really address any particular needs I feel at this time in my life. Also, no witticisms like in Brad's other books. Still love Brad, though. His others books share powerful and unique info.

[Sherrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet little book. Of course I expected Brad Wilcox to come up with something like this. It is 150 pages chock full of great ideas for being a Christian every day. So many good stories. This will be read in my book club at church. We have some nonmembers in our group and I wager no one will be offended and it will appeal to anyone who is wanting to live a better life.

[Kimmi Laulusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like books that lead me somewhere.

This book not only lead me to pondering and change, but to more sources. I loved his use of literature to explain his points. I have many more books to add to my endless list.

[Micah Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some slightly different perspectives on some scripture stories, but mostly just some great advice about living with integrity and consistent with your core beliefs. I really liked his description of this life as an education not a test.

[Marci Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book is that it wasn't just written to "Mormons", in fact, I don't think it even mentions Mormonism at all. Brad Wilcox wrote this book to all believers of Jesus Christ.

[Michelle McKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great advice about living what you believe. I appreciated the true stories of Christians making courageous choices and bearing attitudes that reflected their beliefs.

Quotes:
Anyone can write a story filled with characters, but it takes courage to live a life filled with character. Anyone can write a story and portray himself in an honorable light, but it takes true integrity to live honorably in the light.

Stephen R. Covey was speaking at a university to a group of ambitious business students. “How many want to be rich?” he asked, and almost every hand shot up. “Why?” asked Dr. Covey. The answers were varied and most were very altruistic. One student replied that he wanted to care for the poor. Another said she wanted to donate to schools. Yet another said he wanted to help forward the humanitarian efforts of his church. Dr. Covey listened and complimented the students on their fine goals and desires. Then he stated simply, “If these are truly your desires, you will find a way to accomplish them now rather than later. If you wait until you are rich enough to do some good in the world, you will probably never do it.”

Christ doesn’t just want people in the church; he wants the church in people. He doesn’t just want people to acknowledge His grace; He wants them to be transformed through it. He doesn’t just want people to come to Him; He wants them to become like Him, a process that takes 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and throughout all the years of our lives.

[Grace Tolman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be the last book that I would finish before the year ends and it sure was a great one.

I appreciated the author's dive into practical ways that we can live our religion and not just be a follower of Christ on Sunday. Warning though, they are not easy. But.... they sure will make us better Christians in all sense of the word.

I liked Bro. Wilcox's examples from his own life and from others. My favorite examples are towards the end where he shares how different people show an example of being a 7-day Christian. And most of them started off with a simple thing- saying something good to others at a certain time of the day, no cussing, fighting bullies, etc. I love how inspiring their stories were, especially since they're not famous or already have a platform/organization/non profit that they work with. They're just regular folks trying their best to be a disciple of Christ.

I also liked Bro. Wilcox's own stories from his childhood and the funny anecdotes from his teaching career. He blended important lessons with great stories. Definitely a book worth rereading soon.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Be generous even before you feel you have the means to do so.

Integrity fears no hidden cameras. The actions that count the most in life are those seen by the fewest people.

Develop a sense of urgency, mission and integrity.

Formed, divided, enlightened, beautified, and filled with life. The phases of the creation can teach us about phases through which God takes each of us as we become 7-day Christians.

It’s as if Christ says, “I sacrificed because I want to give you the opportunity for a better life.” We cannot resurrect ourselves. We cannot wipe away our own sins and skepticism. We cannot reach into our own broken hearts and heal them. All these are gifts of grace. We cannot transform ourselves. Christ’s grace, His divine help, His enabling power, is absolutely necessary. Those who say, “I can do it myself” have not yet learned how truly powerless they are. Those who say, “God helps those who help themselves” have yet to learn that God helps us to help ourselves.

[Cammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed something to listen to, and the name Wilcox is pretty synonymous w/ awesomeness. It's hard to judge a religious book b/c while Wilcox isn't exactly a beautiful writer, there's solid, spiritual wisdom and genius in these pages. Favorite story from this book: how the word "sincere" comes from Latin in the ancient roman practice where sculptors would use wax to mask flaws in their marble statues only to have the flaws revealed after customers took them home when the hot sun would melt the wax patches away. This book has so many great tidbits that would be great for a sacrament talk it's totally worth reading!

[LMoody · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Brad Wilcox shares many personal experiences and engaging stories in his books. Here is an insight I really liked exploring from this book:
"Just as the earth went through 7 days of creation, we must also go through 7 days of recreation. My friend Rich Tenney helped me see that the pattern God used when he created the earth is the same pattern He is using as He is recreating us.  The earth was formed, divided, enlightened, beautified and filled with life as it was prepared to be inhabited by us. Then the Lord rested. Now we are going through the same process."

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super-short read, but it's long on memorable stories, cogent scripture references, and memorable principles.

As hostility toward Christianity shamelessly increases, the author says living one's beliefs will become increasingly crucial if Christianity is to survive.

In the 10 chapters of the book, he emonstrates ways in which believers of any faith can stand for what they believe regardless of the cost. I found much here to think about and many practical ideas on finding ways to avoid checking my religion at the door, so to speak. The audio version of this is excellent.

[CeeJay Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four starred only because this book didn’t impact me in the way that “The Continuous Atonement” did.

Brad Wilcox does have a way of breaking spiritual concepts down to a very understandable and relatable level. He selects good anecdotes, this time primarily from his own life, to illustrate spiritual concepts. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as a primer in Christian living (I would definitely give “The Continuous Atonement” that distinction), but I would recommend it to those who are already working on living their religion and are looking for a quick feel-good pick-me-up.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brad Wilcox writes in a very comfortable and easy to understand way. He uses many stories to illustrate principles that he is teaching and many personal experiences. There are always great quotes to walk away with. He talks about how being a Christian isn't a once a week commitment but it's the things we do every day- the person we become. One of my favorite quotes: "The farther, we progress along the path of Christian discipleship, the steeper it becomes." Great book!

[Aubree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book to read. There wasn’t anything to terribly ground breaking here, but it was still inspiring. My takeaway from this book was that loving yourself, having confidence, and trying to become the best version of yourself are all aspects of being Christian, in addition to the ways you treat others. I also enjoyed the inspiring stories of people who have stood up for their Christian beliefs and morals and applaud their courage.

[Gable Roth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick listen. It was good. It was uplifting! I wouldn't have minded if it had been longer. It was a good reminder to live your religion always. It is a nice reminder that there are other people out there with similar beliefs and that you shouldn't be embarrassed or ashamed of your beliefs. That doesn't mean that you have to be a jerk and ram it down people's throats but it does mean that you can stand up for what you believe if it is ever threatened.

[Myla · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’ve heard Brad Wilcox before you love him, right? This was very short, less than 4 hours to listen to. The first 1/3 was full of note worthy thoughts and stories and I actually did take notes, the last 2/3 was great stuff, just more...”yep, got it, heard it before 😬, but love it” kind of stuff.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Is there a lot here? Well, in a certain sense. It's pretty light and only glances off many topics, but it all is a good reminder with some great thoughts along the way. I loved it. I learned from it. I feel better because of it. It's particularly helpful if you have a love for food and carry that love around your mid-section.