The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life Hardcover – September 1, 2007

I read this book last summer (2012) and fell in love with it before I had even finished the first chapter! I am now leading my Sunday School class and studying this book with them and thrilled to be reading it again! Outside of the Bible itself, this book would easily make my top three favorite books I have ever read...and I read a lot of books! This book is just like any other book on personal Christian growth. In order to make the most of this book, you will need to actively apply what you are reading in each chapter. If you run through this book and don't apply anything from it then you will probably think poorly of this book and never look at it again but if you apply the "gold mine" of principles that are stuffed in each chapter of this book then you may never have a bad day again! You will still always have days that are better than others, but it would be very hard to say that you had a bad day if you are truly practicing what you are learning from this book! Your days will be filled with unbelievable JOY because once you know how to think about everyday life then your perspective completely changes! Things that used to rob you of your joy are no gone because of your changed thinking and new perspective on life! This book will get you thinking like the first century Christians such as Paul who was joyful all the way through his persecutions and even death! More importantly, you will become closer to thinking like God! That is exactly how He intends for us to think, like Him, constantly filled with JOY! I am so thankful God put this book in my life! It has truly changed me! The Christian walk is far better when you have your thinking right, not to mention, I believe true JOY and PEACE are the two greatest and most effected characteristics for our witness for Christ! It is these two things that nonbelievers point at in Christians and say, "I don't know what they've got, but I want it!" I am having a blast going over this again in Sunday School and can't wait to read his other book "40 Days to a Joy-filled life." Bottom line is: if you are serious about improving in this area of your Christian walk then you will not regret this purchase!

The only thing God has given mankind full dominion over is our volition. He gave us full range to think whatever thoughts we decided on. As you can imagine, leaving mankind to his own devices can be problematic. Many people worry constantly, because they choose to. Others may be quick to anger, because they choose to. Still other may have "why me" attitudes or be self-deprecating. And yet, God gave us the ability and the instruction manual on how to use that same volition to achieve maximum happiness. The choice is ours.Tommy Newberry's book, THE 4:8 PRINCIPLE serves as a roadmap on the journey of improving ourselves by improving our thoughts. We know that all lasting change is preceded by changed thinking, and this magnificent book gives step by step instruction on how we may accomplish just that.Newberry begins by having the reader recognize that God is the ultimate source of all that we are. Once we recognize that we are truly God's creation and therefore have unlimited capabilities, we can then stop basing our self-worth on what other people think of us and start concentrating our thoughts on what God thinks of us.No book on life improvement would be complete without the importance of forgiveness in our lives and that is where Newberry takes us next. Our true potential for joy rests on our ability to forgive others as well as to forgive ourselves. This is a critical step in taking charge of our emotional lives and makes us aware that we are responsible for everything that happens in our life. Without that awareness we will remain a part of that ever growing part of society that is forever chained to unhappiness because they think they are owed something and they are not responsible for who, where and what they are.The reader then learns how to go about the business of starving out negative emotions. There are so many wonderful insights here on how to find the inner happiness so many people seem unable to find. This is an exceptional book that I highly recommend to anyone who has ever lacked the inner peace and happiness they are missing.Pastor Monty Rainey

I've never read any of Newberry's books before but this was a great start. So straight forward and useful, this book is certainly one that should be read again and again. I'm not a very religious person but I didn't find the book too "preachy" and it simply is just good advice in most cases. It has motivated me to make two changes in my life now.. Meditate in the morning and visualize my goals and then spend a few moments before going to sleep being thankful for the day's blessings. In summary, if you really would like a nice, wholesome book to improve your life, this is one.

This book is one of the top 10. As a chaplain and counselor, I will be using this book regularly in my practice. It has a very healthy mix of psychology and Christianity. It is very heavy on the Christian side. He explains scripture plainly. I was constantly blown away with his biblical accuracy while reading the book. I can't wait to finish the book so I can summarize it and begin using it in my counseling ministry! I have a few chapters left.