I had picked this book up several times in the bookstore but never bought it.  Finally a copy was given to me.  I am glad I got it because it is a very good book.  My original hesitancy was that it appeared to be a feel-good positive attitude shallow book.  It turned out to be more.  It is a very practical, Biblically based look at how we can control the 50,000 thoughts we have a day and the implications of doing so.

One of the concepts he shares is regarding RATS – really awful thoughts.  RATS paralyze our potential for joy.  All of us have them. If we are not careful we develop really crooked thinking patterns as a result of RATS.

Here are some of the thinking patterns Newvberry identifies:

Amplifiers magnify unpleasant situations with the use of words like always, never, no one, and every time.

Feelers accept negative feelings as true with questioning them.

Guessers pretend to know what other people are thinking and then assume the worst ahead of time.  ( I am really guilty of this one)

Exaggerators transform mole hills into mountains with trigger words like horrible, worst, ruined, devastated, and stunned.

Identifiers overestimate how an event it related to them. They take things to personally.

Forecasters predict the worst case scenario even before an activity begins.

Cynics have a knack of finding something wrong, even if it s the only thing wrong.

Newberry gives practical advice for changing how we think.  He looks at the far reaching implications of following the advice given in Philippians 4:8 for us to think on the things that are true, noble, excellent, admirable and praiseworthy.

This is a very good book and it helped me to learn to be more conscious of my thoughts and more intentional about thinking the right things.  It is one of those books that I probably should read again from time to time.