You Are More Than You've Been Told: Unlock a Fresh Way to Live Through the Rhythms of Jesus

by Hosanna Wong

You don’t have to live disconnected from yourself or from God. Have you ever felt unseen, unwanted, or unworthy? If so, you’re not crazy. You’ve been told lies your whole life. From the beginning of time, the enemy has been fighting against you knowing who you really are, so you never live the full life you were created to live. But there is good news… There is a way to know who you really are, and live like it, every single day. It’s shockingly practical, down-to-earth, and tangible.
While Jesus was on earth, He lived a lifestyle of rhythms that helped Him fight the lies of the enemy. Through His habits, we will discover a roadmap to living lighter, and living as who we really are. In  You Are More Than You've Been Told,  spoken word artist and bestselling author Hosanna Wong unveils a fresh approach to spiritual disciplines as the practical ways we can stay connected to God and to our true selves. She will help you You are more than what people have said about you. You are more than what you have done and what’s been done to you. It turns out—You will know who you really are when you spend real time with the One who knows you the best. Let this practical roadmap show you how.

Genres: Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Inspirational, Religion, Christian Non Fiction, Audiobook

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Amanda (BookLoverAmanda) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Hosanna Wong’s spoken word poetry and got to see her perform it at a women’s conference in the past. This book was filled with the Gospel of Jesus and I got so much out of it. Some things were repeated several times but she really brings her points home. I love how she explains we have a new name in Christ with all the names He has given us. And we are NOT what others have defined us as. I also appreciated her discussions on the Sabbath and resting - and her story about her family and her past.

This is all about how can we figure out who we are, how you don't have to live disconnected from yourself or from God. She gives us a roadmap to living and reconnecting with God. When you don't feel worth or loved or good enough....Hosanna's book truly reminds us of spending time in prayer, finding time to rest, finding time for real community, fighting for time in God's word...etc.

No matter what stage you are in your faith walk, there is something for everyone in this book. She has such a beautiful way of explaining things in a very poetic way and I loved reading through this.

If you haven't been blessed to watch her spoken word poetry or her speak, please watch some of these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A_uX...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bgND...

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genres: Nonfiction/Religion

I loved this author's energy. I listened to the audio and she did her own narration. And she shined. I so appreciate it when they are all in and she was.

I also liked her message. It was positive and encouraging. And I've already started listening to this one again. SO. SO. SO. GOOD.

[Gillian Farber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblical, practical, refreshing and real. This book reads like having coffee with Hosanna- sitting across from her, listening to her open up about past hurts — discovering who God made her to be, and living her life in such a way as to emulate Jesus. She writes as your friend and advocate, and clearly breaks down Biblical truths and passages that will hit you in a new way whether you are hearing them for the first time or fortieth time. The book is well written and organized in 3 sections. I especially loved the metaphor of the trellis, and how when we abide in Christ we are supported and able to flourish - as opposed to going it alone and slowing our growth because we are weighed down by stress, lies, and burdens that were never meant for us. This is hands down in my top 5 best books of this year, and I am recommending it to everyone! No matter your faith experience or life stage, God has something in this book to reveal to you and He is FOR you. You are more than you have been told. Read these pages, crack open your Bible, and see for yourself. Buy it today!

[Kayleigh Antenucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a beautifully written book, and I loved listening to it. Hosanna Wong is gifted and has such a calling on her life.

[Crystal Rapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful journey. If you have heard her spoken word and think you don’t need to read this, think again. Her words will call to you, invoke feelings, laughter, and tears. Do not skip this book!

[Rebecca Ketterer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this slowly, a couple chapters each week, with another person. We met weekly to discuss our takeaways and honest thoughts. It is a beautiful book. You realize, at some point as you get older, that many things in your life have come to define you; you do not always pay attention to how those definitions have become a part of your identity, your name. Hosanna does an amazing job of sharing her story, bringing out what has had hold on you, talking it through with strategies (rhythms) that will help break down those barriers, moving you towards peace, and providing inspiration. I just adore her heart and writing style. Check out her spoken word piece that goes along with this book (I Have A New Name) at www.hosannawong.com.❤️

[ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I can stress enough how incredible this book is. Hosanna Wong brings humor and truth along with practical rhythms to help believers live fully. She reminds readers that the hurtful names we have been given by those in our past are false. Instead, she points us to what God says about us.

Overall, this was so refreshing. Hosanna’s dedication to supplying scripture and putting a new light on it was such an engaging experience for me. I loved it & I want everyone to read it—seriously, I’m gonna go annoy everyone I can about this!🤭

[Isabelle Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first moment I heard Hosanna speak at my parents' church, I knew I had found an author I couldn't resonate any closer with. With her roots in Creative Writing, she ties in her gift and passion to her relationship with Christ. It's been inspirational and so encouraging to witness how she integrates the two.

This book came out at a perfect time in my life as I struggle with identity post-college. While there is still more for me to unravel, the spiritual practices that she writes about are great beginnings points for me. Highly recommend!

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Absolutely amazing book

Really encouraging and inspiring writing.

Some really powerful chapters on self, being, and knowing God.

Great message on Sabbath, prayer, and prioritizing Jesus over the things of this world

Really touching book. I was very emotional when reading it.

Highly recommended

4.8/5

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Positive and encouraging. The author reminds us of our identity in Christ. Great scripture references.

[Sophie Ferry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Working through the idea of preaching to people in pain, there were moments when this book slapped and there were moments when it worked against everything I’ve been learning on how to approach pain and communicate to others with your pain who are also feeling pain. I think some parts were so good and some were not for me. Some also felt so out of touch that they felt fake and forced. Fine, but not my fave.

[Lynsee Manning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book. And prepare your heart to be changed, and renamed. A friend recommended this one and oh my goodness it's amazing. More than once while listening I had to pause and sit with the weight of the truth that was presented in Hosanna's words. Y'all. I can't recommend it enough.

(Also if you listen, she's a spoken word artist, and it's a delight to listen to her speak.)

[Angela Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

“For many of us, we may feel like our dance was stolen from us. Our parents weren’t there for us. Our friends abandoned us or let us down. That opportunity was lost, the door closed. We’ve been told we’re a victim of our circumstances. The Enemy hopes that we believe our lives are defined by our losses, and we see ourselves through the lens of defeat.”

“We will not discover who we are through the broken lens of other people. God’s voice must be the loudest in our lives. You will find out who you are by knowing Him for real and resting in His presence. Before we chose Him, He chose us.”

** NOTE: The author is a spoken word artist and the audiobook is exceptional

[Megan Calkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5! Just really great practical theology!! I love Christian-living books that contain personal testimony, which this one does. You can definitely hear her spoken word roots in her writing. Chapters 5-7, and Part 3 were my favorite parts! Didn’t give it 4 stars because it felt a little chaotic in flow, and some of these concepts feel repetitive to other authors from the past few years (John Mark Comer, Rebekah Lyons, etc.), BUT she did have some profound insights that bumped it up to 3.5 for me. Easy read, some VERY powerful revelations, and would definitely recommend!!

[Natalie Dawes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 This book took a while to get to the content that I was really interested in, so thus my rating. The content about spiritual practices is excellent. The concept of the trellis is really helpful. I also appreciated the other content around identity, though it wasn't the reason I picked up the book. A good read with great tools to build your own trellis of spiritual practices -- I will likely come back to it over the next weeks and months as I pray through what my trellis will look like.

[Kelly Catlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hosanna does it again with her new book You Are More Than You’ve Been Told! If you ever thought you were not enough, felt invisible, or struggled with feelings of unworthiness, this book is for you. Hosanna has a wonderful way of writing in a real and down to earth style that we can relate to like a friend. This book is filled with her experiences and insights that clearly sets up the problem, the plan and the peace we all need to walk through. Leave the lies behind and find out who you truly are in God and who He created you to be.

[Joanne Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly have never read a more beautiful book. It leaves you knowing Jesus on a whole new level, knowing yourself and the love Jesus has for you on a new level. I know I will read this book many times throughout my life. It’s not just some book on theology but deep stories the author shares of when Jesus changed the name of her past negative experiences. Truly beautiful. Read it!

[Shannon Eaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Resonated so much with the stories. Evoked a deeper awareness full of meaning, especially about the words, "Come, follow me." So much to ponder and engage with to let the words, rhythms, and practical tools to form and shape my thinking as I draw closer to God and who He says I am and live out of that in wholeness and abundance.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 🤗/4.25
Thoughts: If you ever forget who you are Hosanna will remind you who’s you are and how to remind yourself against the battles that tell you differently. Highly recommend on audio because she’s a spoken word poet and it’s incredible.

Format: 🎧
Source: That Sounds Fun podcast

[Tori Riches · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful and beautifully written. Fun to have the added bonus of performed spoken word in the audiobook! A challenge to consider deeply what the Lord says about us and reject the lies that have been spoken over us by others (or ourselves) in favor of a life of freedom.

[Caity Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Kristel Acevedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book that I’ve taken so much wisdom from. I will continue to refer back to it, especially the pages from part 2 of the book. My only complaint is that the last part of the book, while beautiful, feels like it’s from a different book. Doesn’t seem to flow as well. But zero complaints about the content. It’s all beautiful truth that points to Jesus.

[Caroline Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so encouraging! It helped in deconstructing lies and things I’ve been told in my past and replacing them with truth!!

[Destiny Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

So so so good! Listened to the audiobook in a day and ordered a copy immediately after I finished.

[Sharon Israel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book club book!! So many good reminders of our identity in Christ. It is pretty straightforward and doesn’t beat around the bush in calling us out of unhealthy mindsets which I appreciated.

[Randi Stretch · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 - organizationally it felt a bit scattered, but the content was meaningful. Worth a reread to take down notes. Would recommend to anyone needing solid encouragement.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great teachings. Wong really loves God and people she loved the Word of God. There isn’t much that I want to comment on, but a few things I fill that I want to share.

When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He knew who He was. The Son of God. Wong, like many teach that He was being tempted to doubt that fact. I don’t agree. He was showing Satan that He knew who He was. Satan knew who He was and wanted Jesus to prove it by disobeying the Word of God. We know this for sure when the devil said he would give Jesus the world, that is what he meant, but Jesus didn’t bow down and worship the devil, but as always quoted the Word of God. Satan knew the Word and used it to try to get Jesus to sin. Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12,13, Luke 4:1-13.

Be careful of using translations or paragraphed of the Bible. Personally I think the King James version is closest to the original writings, but the New King James is a good chose. Also the Amplified Version is a great choice. A good study book that explains the verses is good, but needs to be used with the Bible and a Bible dictionary is a must have. It is so much fun to learn the Word and to grow spiritually from the milk of the Word into the meat or deeper things that the Word has for us. Be blessed!! ❤️📖✝️🙏🏻♈️ One more thing, when choosing a Bible, a study Bible that has Bible references is a good idea. They will be either on each side of every page starting at the top and going downward or in the middle of the pages. You can look up the scripture references and learn so much. I also recommend the Strong’s Concordance which has every word in the Bible and references to the Hebrew words in the Hebrew dictionary in the back of the book with the definition in Hebrew. The same with the Greek. Each line in the concordance has a partial sentence with the word you want to look up that has a number by each line. If you want to look up death or joy, for example, every scripture is listed in order it is found in the Bible starting with the Hebrew and then the Greek.

You can find the Hebrew few word and definition and the Greek word and definition. It is so much fun and such a good way of learning. I got my first person Bible when I was 18 and it is worn out. I had to get a new study Bible. My concordance and my Amplified Bible is really worn too. I memorized over 650 verses and passages and was able to tell you where they were in the Bible. I used to go to a home Bible study in my early 20’s and the teacher quoted scripture as she taught and would tell us where the verse or passage was.

I thought I want to do that. And I did. Thanks to the Holy Spirit’s help. I taught Bible studies for years and continued to be taught. One time I looked up in the concordance mysterious, looking for the Bible reference that people quoted which was, “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” It wasn’t in the Bible. So the next Week at the Bible study I was telling you about, the teacher quoted it, but no scripture reference. I spoke up and said that isn’t in the Bible. She bristled up and said, angrily, yes it is and next week I’ll tell the class where it is. She admitted the next week that it was not from the Bible, but from an old hymn. I looked it up and the name of it is God Moved in a Mysterious Way, by William Cowper in 1773. The comply line is in the hymn. I made a mistake correcting the teacher. It was a really large class and I was concerned that some women would not be there the following week snd would miss out on the nugget I had discovered. It was never mentioned after that following week when the teacher told us where the saying came from and that she would never use a reference again without knowing where it was found. I was so sorry I embarrassed her. As you can tell, I have a big mouth and love to interject the things I have learned. When I do that enough times, the teacher gets upset.

Once, not so long ago, I brought a list of scriptures in the Sunday school about a particular topic we were studying. I was going to give everyone a copy and as I started to pass them out, the teacher, who was the pastor’s wife, said I couldn’t. So I didn’t. Another time I said Pharaoh hardened his heart against God when Moses was before him. And another teacher said he had never heard of that happening, where a person in the Bible hardened their heart before God hardened their heart. Another man looked it up and read a long time snd didn’t find it. I said nothing. I knew, without a doubt, that he hadn’t read far enough and thought someone would find it and tell where it was in the Bible and read it. It was never mentioned again. Exodus chapters 7-12 is the complete story.

There was another time that I shared and the pastor’s wife got so mad that she told me the following week that I could not come back into the class. I had apologized for upsetting her, but it had made no difference. She detested me and everything I did to show her my Christian love was not accepted. I did go into another class and the teacher’s wife said her husband is going to love you because he needs all the help he can get.

The church eventually split and guess where I ended up. In the pastor’s new church. It went from bad to worse. After almost a year I left because this pastor’s wife made my life so bad that when she actually lied about something she said I did, she did it, I left. I don’t tell you these things to turn anyone away from the church. These were only a few times I talked too much, as I see the problem. Some people don’t want as much input as I have to give. The church is a gift from God. I love church. I never had problems like this any where else I went, no other church or Bible studies. Everyone appreciated my hard work, leaning, studying and even my sharing. I love to do it too. CathyR

[Jennifer Utech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! To be transparent, I wasn’t very excited about the book when I started it. I had put it on my list a while back and wasn’t really “in the mood” for it when it came available from my wait list at the library. But hold on tight!! Just a little way in and my heart was singing and bursting with reminders of God’s love for me and truth I had let slip from the forefront of my heart and mind. Oh how I needed this reminder (and will probably often need again and again!) I will be recommending this book to so many people! If you need a little taste, check out the author’s spoken word poetry on YouTube.

[Candy Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hosanna Wong skillfully guides the reader on a transformative journey of rejecting the deceitful lies sown by the Enemy. Through inspiring biblical references and profound insights, the book encourages the reader to break free from legalistic and narrow views of rest and Sabbath, reminding us that true spiritual nourishment goes beyond mere productivity in today's enslaving world. She shows us how to choose prayer and solitude as necessary foundations for discovering our true self-what Our creator intended us to be.

The heart of this book, and I believe the heart of Hosanna ( if you have been blessed to hear her spoken word poetry) is its emphasis on engaging with scripture to comprehend the liberating power of the One who has already freed us from bondage. The author beautifully weaves scriptural references and thoughtful reflections, inviting readers to seek a deeper understanding of their spiritual identity and God's immense love for them allowing them to lay aside the weights that they were never meant to carry.

One of the book’s Highlights lies in its practical approach to building authentic and joyful relationships within the community. The book artfully illustrates the value of genuine connections, drawing from real-life examples that mirror Christ's compassionate nature and grace. By following these practical guidelines, readers learn how to refresh their souls and experience the transformative power of Christ's example in their daily interactions. Are Hosanna’s themes new? Absolutely not. These biblical concepts were valued and described thousands of years ago. Yet, she has creatively taken Gods Word, His commandments, His expressed desire for the behaviors of the New Testament church and brought them forward to this hurting world with imagery and applications that we can immediately weave into our daily rhythms.

Overall, “You Are More Than You’ve been Told” is a profound and insightful read that empowers readers to dispel the Enemy's lies, embrace true rest and build soul-enriching connections in their journey of faith. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of spiritual freedom and find authentic joy in abiding in and fully depending on Christ .

[Bernadette F]

While I have been a Christ follower my entire life, it wasn't until I came to the church I currently attend that I truly realized what that meant. Then I wondered what that meant for me....a person who for so many years felt like a lesser than...felt unworthy....felt alone. While the healing process from these thoughts and labels is well underway, I have realized these ideas took root from listening to the world rather than listening to the Truth...it was this book that took my healing to the next level. Hosanna Wong shows the reader how wonderful it is to be vulnerable in sharing her story and then unlocks the treasure chest of rhythms that we can implement in our daily walk with life, family, friends, and most importantly, Jesus. These rhythms will allow the reader to learn who they really are...and that YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU'VE BEEN TOLD.

This book is perfect for every age group from teens on as we are all faced with a barrage of societal norms at school, the workplace, the grocery store, the gym, etc. that can easily destroy one's self-image. What and how we think of ourselves is so vitally important, and Hosanna reminds us not only who we are but WHOSE we are. In that identity as a creation of the Most High, Hosanna then reminds us of some of the names given to us by God as his creation. The more we surround ourselves with the Truth, the more we engage in prayer, community, and celebration of this identity, we can begin to truly give glory to Him and hold our head's up high knowing who we are...knowing we are so much more than we've been told,

A MUST READ WEHREVER YOU ARE ON THIS JOURNEY OF LIFE AND FAITH!