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.
The problem is, the more we seek the illusion of control, the more it betrays us. In place of certainty, it gives us anxiety. In place of predictability, it creates complexity. And in place of unity, it divides.
In this eye-opening book, Sharon Hodde Miller helps us discover
the psychology and theology behind why we control the primary tools of how we control the fallout of control and what it costs us the solution: the real power God promises us
The answer to our craving is not simply to "let go and let God." Instead, God has given us real power in Christ--to exercise influence over ourselves and our lives.
| Preface |
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| Introduction |
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1 The Illusion of Control |
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36 | (13) |
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3 Knowledge and Information |
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61 | (13) |
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74 | (10) |
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93 | (9) |
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PART III WHAT It Costs Us |
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9 Broken Relationships: The Toxic Impact of Controlling Other People |
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113 | (10) |
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10 Burnout: The Never-Ending Work of Controlling Our Circumstances |
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123 | (10) |
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11 Body Shame: The Impossible Ideal of Controlling Our Bodies |
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133 | (13) |
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12 Anxiety: The Balancing Act of Controlling Our Reputations |
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146 | (10) |
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13 Exhaustion: The Surprising Striving of Controlling Our Identities |
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156 | (11) |
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PART IV The REAL Power God Promises |
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167 | (13) |
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15 The One Thing We Can Control |
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180 | (13) |
| Acknowledgments |
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| Notes |
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| About the Author |
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Sharon Hodde Miller, PhD, leads Bright City Church in Durham, North Carolina, which she cofounded with her husband, Ike. She is a bestselling author of several books, including Nice, The Cost of Control, and Gazing at God. She has also been a regular contributor to Propel, Her.meneutics, and She Reads Truth and has written for Relevant, Christianity Today, (in)courage, and many other publications and blogs. She lives with Ike and their three children in Durham, North Carolina.
