We all wish we had more control. When our relationships are strained, when our bodies refuse to cooperate, when the future is uncertain, control promises security and peace. If only I were in charge, we dream. And this illusion seems more attainable than ever. Technology, science, medicine, and the internet all promise us ever-increasing mastery over our world. The problem is, control is a "devil's deal." The more we seek it, the more it betrays us. In place of predictability, it gives us anxiety. In place of certainty, it creates more complexity. And in place of unity, it divides. It's not just that we cannot control things; it's that we break them even more when we try. Thankfully the answer to our craving is not simply to "let go and let God." When our kids aren't listening, when our loved ones are self-destructing, or when our health is declining, we don't have to scramble after control, nor do we have to throw up our hands. Instead, God has given us a better tool. In this culturally insightful and eye-opening book, Sharon Hodde Miller helps us discover the real power God has given us in Christ, to exercise influence over ourselves and our lives.

Too often we think being a Christian means being nice--putting on an attractive exterior while inside our spirits flounder. We confuse pleasantness with goodness, sweetness with kindness, and likability with true character. We settle for this false virtue in ourselves and in others, more concerned with being liked than being obedient. As a result, we forfeit the fruits of real discipleship in our own lives. Even our witness in the world is damaged as we avoid sharing hard truths with others in favor of only putting forth positive messages that will keep others happy with us. In this life-changing book, Sharon Hodde Miller calls us to uproot the idols of acceptance, reputation, security, effectiveness, and idealism that keep us chasing after accolades from the world and cause us to bear the ugly fruits of falseness, self-righteousness, cowardice, corruption, and cynicism. Then she helps us prepare the soil of our hearts to bear good fruit so that we can be true followers of Jesus and witnesses to his power, love, and forgiveness to a hurting world.

We live in a culture that prizes niceness as one of its highest virtues. Niceness keeps the peace, wins friends, gains influence, and serves our reputations well, but it also takes the teeth out of our witness and the power out of our faith. When we choose to be nice instead of faithful, we bear fruits that are bland, bitter, empty, or rotten to the core. In this life-changing curriculum, Sharon Hodde Miller explores the seemingly innocent idol that has crept into our faith and quietly corrupted it, producing the bad fruits of cowardice, inauthenticity, shallowness, and more. Then she challenges participants to cultivate a better tree, providing practical steps to reclaim our credibility as followers of Christ and bear better, richer, more life-giving fruits.

Our me-centered culture affects every area of our lives--our friendships, our marriages, even our faith. The self-focused life robs our joy, shrinks our souls, and is the reason we never quite break free of insecurity. Now churches and small groups can together heed the call to a bigger, Jesus-centered vision of life--one that restores our freedom and inspires us to live for more. Free of Me helps participants - identify the secret source of insecurity - understand how self-focus sabotages seven areas of our lives - learn four practical steps for focusing on God and others - experience freedom from the burden of self-focus Anyone yearning for a purpose bigger than "project me" will cherish this paradigm-shifting message of true fulfillment. Designed for use with the Free of Me DVD.

We live in a culture that's all about self, becoming the best "me" I can be instead of becoming like Jesus. This me-centered message affects every area of our lives--our friendships, our marriages, even our faith--and it breaks each one in different ways. The self-focused life robs our joy, shrinks our souls, and is the reason we never quite break free of insecurity. In this book, Sharon Hodde Miller invites us into a bigger, Jesus-centered vision--one that restores our freedom and inspires us to live for more. She helps readers - identify the secret source of insecurity - understand how self-focus sabotages seven areas of our lives - learn four practical steps for focusing on God and others - experience freedom from the burden of self-focus Anyone yearning for a purpose bigger than "project me" will cherish this paradigm-shifting message of true fulfillment.