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You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

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  • Create Date：2021-04-19 11:56:14
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：James K.A. Smith
  • ISBN：158743380X
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Summary

You are what you love。 But you might not love what you think。

In this book， award-winning author James K。 A。 Smith shows that who and what we worship fundamentally shape our hearts。 And while we desire to shape culture， we are not often aware of how culture shapes us。 We might not realize the ways our hearts are being taught to love rival gods instead of the One for whom we were made。 Smith helps readers recognize the formative power of culture and the transformative possibilities of Christian practices。 He explains that worship is the "imagination station" that incubates our loves and longings so that our cultural endeavors are indexed toward God and his kingdom。 This is why the church and worshiping in a local community of believers should be the hub and heart of Christian formation and discipleship。

Following the publication of his influential work Desiring the Kingdom， Smith received numerous requests from pastors and leaders for a more accessible version of that book's content。 No mere abridgment， this new book draws on years of Smith's popular presentations on the ideas presented in Desiring the Kingdom to offer a fresh， bottom-up rearticulation。 The author creatively uses film， literature， and music illustrations to engage readers and includes material on marriage， family， youth ministry， and faith and work。 He also suggests individual and communal practices for shaping the Christian life。

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Reviews

Jo Wilbur ，

A great read。 I was thoroughly intrigued and convicted by Smith’s assertion that it is not primarily what we think but what we LOVE that defines who we are and how we live our lives。 This， he goes on to argue， it is why it is the everyday liturgies of our lives that ultimately habituate our hearts。 While liturgical experiences like shopping might bend our hearts toward consumerism and the love of things， liturgical worship redirects our love toward God and away from the other loves that clamor f A great read。 I was thoroughly intrigued and convicted by Smith’s assertion that it is not primarily what we think but what we LOVE that defines who we are and how we live our lives。 This， he goes on to argue， it is why it is the everyday liturgies of our lives that ultimately habituate our hearts。 While liturgical experiences like shopping might bend our hearts toward consumerism and the love of things， liturgical worship redirects our love toward God and away from the other loves that clamor for our affection and devotion。 Pulling from the ancient wisdom of St。 Augustine， Smith makes a compelling and Biblical case for the formative power of habit to shape the human heart。 。。。more

Alyssa Borwick ，

I really enjoyed this read！ The author has an appreciation for the art of repetition， for each chapter seems to reinforce the same principle idea: we need healthy and authentic Christian worship to reorient the desires of our heart。 This book challenged me， both personally and scholastically。 An enjoyable read！The author makes a pitch that we， as Christians， need to take all things seriously。 This is because we are constantly being shaped to love and to worship the things of this world。 Therefor I really enjoyed this read！ The author has an appreciation for the art of repetition， for each chapter seems to reinforce the same principle idea: we need healthy and authentic Christian worship to reorient the desires of our heart。 This book challenged me， both personally and scholastically。 An enjoyable read！The author makes a pitch that we， as Christians， need to take all things seriously。 This is because we are constantly being shaped to love and to worship the things of this world。 Therefore， we the author pitches that we must audit our day-to-day lives and analyze the rhythms and rituals that we value。 Fascinating！ 。。。more

Davi Saro ，

I found this book thought-provoking and gave me a fresh perspective on the argument that the heart （what you hunger for） is more of a Director of who you are， and that the intellect （simply being informed） is not as effective at steering your loves。 The first half of the book was excellent。 Smith did a fantastic job at revealing how our culture shapes us， using the same tools in getting us to worship （read the chapter which describes the mall as a cathedral）。The themes were very relevant and I u I found this book thought-provoking and gave me a fresh perspective on the argument that the heart （what you hunger for） is more of a Director of who you are， and that the intellect （simply being informed） is not as effective at steering your loves。 The first half of the book was excellent。 Smith did a fantastic job at revealing how our culture shapes us， using the same tools in getting us to worship （read the chapter which describes the mall as a cathedral）。The themes were very relevant and I used them as discussion points with my teenagers。 For instance:1。 You cannot not love。 You always love something/someone。2。 You are always worshiping。 Do you know it？ Find out what it is。3。 The heart is not only a compass pointing to what your loves are， but is also the engine that drives you there。4。 You can re-form your loves through imitation and repetition。I enjoyed this book and recommend it to those who want to dive deeper into spiritual implications of daily life， and where liturgy exists outside the church。It is clear that Smith comes from a background that values liturgy and orthodoxy， and he makes an effort at showing its importance in a biblical context。 It gave me a new perspective。 。。。more

Alex Tien ，

This book presents a good alternative to modern， watered-down versions of Christianity that attempt to be entertaining but in reality have little to no depth。 Smith suggests a return to more traditional， liturgical practices that Christians routinely did for hundreds， if not thousands of years prior to the 20th century。 The book was a little bit heady at times and perhaps could have offered more practical responses rather than a diagnosis of the issue。 Smith's commentary on modern weddings and y This book presents a good alternative to modern， watered-down versions of Christianity that attempt to be entertaining but in reality have little to no depth。 Smith suggests a return to more traditional， liturgical practices that Christians routinely did for hundreds， if not thousands of years prior to the 20th century。 The book was a little bit heady at times and perhaps could have offered more practical responses rather than a diagnosis of the issue。 Smith's commentary on modern weddings and youth groups were two of the bigger highlights of the book and were completely on the money。 。。。more

Jessica Steed ，

Not going to lie， this wasn’t as easily digestible of a read as I was expecting it to be， so I definitely want to re-read it at a slower pace， but it’s very insightful and thought-provoking。 Really liked his thoughts on a "quiet and understated faith。" Not going to lie， this wasn’t as easily digestible of a read as I was expecting it to be， so I definitely want to re-read it at a slower pace， but it’s very insightful and thought-provoking。 Really liked his thoughts on a "quiet and understated faith。" 。。。more

Matt ，

It's a good， but shorter， version of Desiring the Kingdom。 If you can， read the big boy。 It's a good， but shorter， version of Desiring the Kingdom。 If you can， read the big boy。 。。。more

Ian Galey ，

This is a great and concise look at the benefits of liturgical， ritualistic， and habitual worship。 You Are What You Love embraces the received tradition of the ancient church and identifies how it approaches humans as holistic beings whose hearts， imaginations， and unconscious longings are formed by practice and habits that enfold us into the Divine Gospel Story。 This is the way of worship that embraces the idea that worship is not just something we do （expression） but is action in which God doe This is a great and concise look at the benefits of liturgical， ritualistic， and habitual worship。 You Are What You Love embraces the received tradition of the ancient church and identifies how it approaches humans as holistic beings whose hearts， imaginations， and unconscious longings are formed by practice and habits that enfold us into the Divine Gospel Story。 This is the way of worship that embraces the idea that worship is not just something we do （expression） but is action in which God does something to us: he reforms， reshapes， and "restories" our minds according to the precepts of the Kingdom。 We do what we long for or love， and what we love is formed by the habits and practices we engage in。 Therefore， we are what we love。 This is why it is important not to neglect the unconscious heart-longings of our being only to focus on intellectual development （which is what many protestant evangelical churches and Christians d0）。 The liturgical paradigm of worship spills into all areas of our lives but is centered in the Eucharistic Service of the church。 This is an excellent exploration of how evangelicals think of discipleship and worship versus how historic liturgical churches think about these issues。 In many respects， it is eye-opening and has affirmed many things that I have been thinking by putting them into well-crafted words。 I could say more， but then I would just be repeating what the book says， so go read it。 It might change your life。 。。。more

Bethany Anderson ，

Our loves dictate what we do。 Excellent thoughts & all with the premise of “what are these liturgies doing to me？” What are they forming in me？

Natalya ，

Smith's reasoning for the importance of spiritual habit in the daily life of a Christian was a fascinating read for me。 I grew up in the Brethren/Mennonite church tradition， which had some liturgy， but not to the extent of those rooted in the Book of Common Prayer （BCP）。 As Smith pointed out， we are all shaped by our cultural habits and pressures， whether that is sports， consumerism， shopping， or even workplace success。 Viewing liturgy as a spiritual training tool means seeing these practices as Smith's reasoning for the importance of spiritual habit in the daily life of a Christian was a fascinating read for me。 I grew up in the Brethren/Mennonite church tradition， which had some liturgy， but not to the extent of those rooted in the Book of Common Prayer （BCP）。 As Smith pointed out， we are all shaped by our cultural habits and pressures， whether that is sports， consumerism， shopping， or even workplace success。 Viewing liturgy as a spiritual training tool means seeing these practices as ways to recenter our focus back on our faith。 Smith， as someone who deeply values the BCP western church tradition， makes a compelling argument for the benefits to our church's spiritual life that this tradition brings。 Specifically， that churches that embrace liturgy are able to help to train their members in solid doctrine using repetition and memorization。 While I appreciated Smith's points there were a few things that I had mixed reactions to。 The first is that Smith glorifies the western church BCP liturgy tradition。 While I agree that the BCP is a very helpful tool， I'm also aware that this is no the only church liturgy in practice today。 Many other denominations and groups have their own liturgical habits that are just as scripturally sound but were developed outside of the white protestant tradition。 I'd like to find out which is more important to Smith， the BCP or the spiritual habits we form？ Secondly， Smith struggled in showing why liturgy in our everyday life is necessary for our spiritual growth。 He primarily focused on why it's great to train up children。 Since I don't have kids myself， I didn't see how it could help me to grow my own faith。 Finally， I didn't see how liturgy could help me in my witness to others。 How can it be used to help me witness to those around me？ All of this criticism is ultimately rooted in Smith's inability to successfully show how our liturgy brings us back to the Bible。 I think Trish Harrison Warren's "The Liturgy of the Ordinary' is better able to show us how liturgy can bring us back to the Bible。 While Harrison Warren is also of the BCP tradition， and while she refers to it throughout her book， she's ultimately more focused on how the mundane can remind us of key biblical truths。 For example， when we're brushing our teeth it can be a time to remember our baptism。 This means that someone who grew up without the BCP tradition can still read her book and ways to practically apply it in their own life。 。。。more

G Léger ，

The book itself is very helpful。 The first two chapters are the best， I think。 The later chapters are sketchier。 My main crititiques are that it could probably have been an article。 There is a lot of repetition of the sort you get when the author needs to fill out a book， in addition to those areas that are rather thin。 Also， in the chapters on family he assumes family is always a man， woman， and children。 He has little concrete to offer the single or childless reader， beyond the incisive conten The book itself is very helpful。 The first two chapters are the best， I think。 The later chapters are sketchier。 My main crititiques are that it could probably have been an article。 There is a lot of repetition of the sort you get when the author needs to fill out a book， in addition to those areas that are rather thin。 Also， in the chapters on family he assumes family is always a man， woman， and children。 He has little concrete to offer the single or childless reader， beyond the incisive content of those first two chapters。 There is a teaser at the end about vocation。 I wish that had been filled out more。Finally， if you can， read the physical book。 The narrator of the audio is sub par。 He mispronounces some key words， and reads in a tone that sounds more lecturing down to the reader than the book merits。 。。。more

Ryan Johnson ，

Convicting revelation of the formation of my loves。 Time to refocus。 Thank you， James。

Megan ，

Thought provoking and rich， this took me a while to get through， reading a few pages at a time over quite a few months。 Smith made me consider more deeply habit and worship， love and work， from the perspective of the whole of who God is， his design for creation and the end of the story—full restoration。

Lauren Fee ，

This book would have probably felt revolutionary to me if I had found it a few years earlier before I started reading the writings of Charlotte Mason and others。 Instead， I was able to enter once again to what is becoming a familiar conversation that I love to be apart of about habit formation。 This is not a practical “how to” guide， but plums the depths of how we were created by God to be habitual creatures and therefore， how we need to have our hearts recalibrated through our spiritual discipl This book would have probably felt revolutionary to me if I had found it a few years earlier before I started reading the writings of Charlotte Mason and others。 Instead， I was able to enter once again to what is becoming a familiar conversation that I love to be apart of about habit formation。 This is not a practical “how to” guide， but plums the depths of how we were created by God to be habitual creatures and therefore， how we need to have our hearts recalibrated through our spiritual disciplines， primarily through our participation in a local church。 The first four to five chapters felt stronger to me than the final ones， but I appreciated the entire book and found his musings on the importance of liturgies and traditional institutions compelling in light of our constant human need to be reminded of eternal truths that lie behind the veil。 。。。more

Shanley Kruizenga ，

For a book whose premise is reimagining our loves in light of the Gospel story and cultivating and inspiring habits from that， I found the language sometimes too academic and dry， and content somewhat disjointed and uninspiring。 I love the message of this book， just wish the delivery had been thought through better。

Carol ，

A little dense

John Mccambridge ，

You are what you love。。。 But what if you don't know what you love？ This is the central tension of this really powerful book by Jamie Smith。 We are not brains on sticks， we are actually humans who inhabit a world by touch， feel， and emotion。 Therefore， what we think we love - or what we think we ought to love - is not really what we love。 Therefore， our loves must be habituated into our being through ritual， repetition， and intentional behavior。 This is sound， not just from a theological perspect You are what you love。。。 But what if you don't know what you love？ This is the central tension of this really powerful book by Jamie Smith。 We are not brains on sticks， we are actually humans who inhabit a world by touch， feel， and emotion。 Therefore， what we think we love - or what we think we ought to love - is not really what we love。 Therefore， our loves must be habituated into our being through ritual， repetition， and intentional behavior。 This is sound， not just from a theological perspective， but from a psychological and sociological perspective as well。 You can hear similar echoes in books like The Righteous Mind by evolutionary psychologist Jonathan Haigt。 Behavior is formative！ This is a truth that modern Protestants would be wise to heed。 。。。more

Julia Hiser ，

While the general framework and aim of his argument remains consistent through out， I really appreciated the areas on which he chose to focus in these seven chapters。 My favorite was the chapter on liturgies of the home， which appropriately rebuke the idolatry and unrealistic expectations of marriage and family life。

Rebekah Buchterkirchen ，

Wish I could give this book even more than 5 stars！ It is one of my all time favorites and I find myself revisiting it time and time again。 The author does a great job unpacking the concept that we become what we worship and our identity needs to be found in Jesus alone。 Timely while remaining timeless。

Taylor Burdiss ，

I would highly recommend this book！ Such a helpful break down of living a liturgical life。 It gave me deeper insight into the connection between spiritual practices and communing with God。

Carol ，

Some of my favourite quotes:"。。。too often we look for the Spirit in the extraordinary when God has promised to be present in the ordinary 。。。'"The practices of historic Christian worship are not just old， "traditional" ways the that Christians gathered around Word and Table。 They are rooted in a fundamentally different understanding of what worship is， a fundamentally different paradigm of the primary agent of Christian worship。 Instead of the bottom-up emphasis on worship as our expression of d Some of my favourite quotes:"。。。too often we look for the Spirit in the extraordinary when God has promised to be present in the ordinary 。。。'"The practices of historic Christian worship are not just old， "traditional" ways the that Christians gathered around Word and Table。 They are rooted in a fundamentally different understanding of what worship is， a fundamentally different paradigm of the primary agent of Christian worship。 Instead of the bottom-up emphasis on worship as our expression of devotion and praise， historic Christian worship is rooted in the conviction that God is the primary actor or agent in the worship encounter。。。Worship is the arena in which God recalibrate our hearts， reforms our desires， and rehabituates our loves。 Worship isn't just something we do; it is where God does something us。 Worship is the heart of discipleship because it is the gymnasium in which God retrains our hearts。" 。。。more

Rafferty ，

The book should be good if you can understand itI tried reading through the book but the writing style and vocabulary used was too difficult for me to read and comprehend。This book is supposed to be very good。 Unfortunately， I couldn't understand even when I "read" it from cover to cover。 The book should be good if you can understand itI tried reading through the book but the writing style and vocabulary used was too difficult for me to read and comprehend。This book is supposed to be very good。 Unfortunately， I couldn't understand even when I "read" it from cover to cover。 。。。more

Lydia Musselman ，

Really great and challengingSpeaks on liturgies so if you aren't well-versed it may be confusing Really great and challengingSpeaks on liturgies so if you aren't well-versed it may be confusing 。。。more

Marilyn pillow ，

Smith's thesis could not be more true， however his exploration of the thesis could not be more redundant。 I enjoy his unique perspective: we truly are what we love。 However， the reader masters his premise before the first chapter ends。 The rest of the book involves long-winded metaphors and explanations。 Smith's thesis could not be more true， however his exploration of the thesis could not be more redundant。 I enjoy his unique perspective: we truly are what we love。 However， the reader masters his premise before the first chapter ends。 The rest of the book involves long-winded metaphors and explanations。 。。。more

Lucas Motta ，

Ainda não li 😀

Ronald Dom ，

Você é aquilo que vc pratica！ Este poderia ser o subtítulo do livro。 O autor esclarece que nos somos o tempo todo bombardeado por influencias "ocultas" ou hábitos que até então não levamos a sério， que dominam nossas atividades， modo de pensar e rotina。 Reforçando que devemos nos avaliar e reorganizar nosso estilo de vida de acordo com a Palavra de Deus e a dinâmica cristã。 Pra isso， devemos vigiar para não cairmos no engano de "atualizar" a Bíblia de acordo com nossas necessidades ou expectativ Você é aquilo que vc pratica！ Este poderia ser o subtítulo do livro。 O autor esclarece que nos somos o tempo todo bombardeado por influencias "ocultas" ou hábitos que até então não levamos a sério， que dominam nossas atividades， modo de pensar e rotina。 Reforçando que devemos nos avaliar e reorganizar nosso estilo de vida de acordo com a Palavra de Deus e a dinâmica cristã。 Pra isso， devemos vigiar para não cairmos no engano de "atualizar" a Bíblia de acordo com nossas necessidades ou expectativas。 。。。more

Stephen long ，

“You need to worship well。 Because you are what you love。 And you worship what you love。 And you might not love what you think。 Which raises an important question。 What do you want” James K。 A。 Smith with a PHD in philosophy writes this book very much so through a philosophical lens on the idea of worship and habits。 But the way he is able to articulate what worship is， and what it does to us， is something everyone would do well to read， take in， and enjoy。 He is at his strongest in the book whe “You need to worship well。 Because you are what you love。 And you worship what you love。 And you might not love what you think。 Which raises an important question。 What do you want” James K。 A。 Smith with a PHD in philosophy writes this book very much so through a philosophical lens on the idea of worship and habits。 But the way he is able to articulate what worship is， and what it does to us， is something everyone would do well to read， take in， and enjoy。 He is at his strongest in the book when he explains how we are not simply thinking things or “brains on a stick” we are first lovers not thinkers。 So if we are to change we can’t simply think our way into change， instead we must be formed by spiritual habits of the heart。 Seriously give this a read， this is my second time and will be one I read throughout my life again and again。 。。。more

Anderson Paz ，

Smith busca argumentar que adoração é a estação da imaginação que incuba nossos amores para que nosso engajamento cultural tenha Deus como referencial。 No primeiro capítulo， o autor sustenta que somos o que amamos no coração。 O amor é um hábito dirigido por nossas afeições。 O discipulado é reformular os hábitos dos amores。 No segundo capítulo， Smith sustenta que práticas culturais treinam amores e automatizam a forma de amar。 Podemos não amar o que cremos amar。 Práticas culturais são liturgias q Smith busca argumentar que adoração é a estação da imaginação que incuba nossos amores para que nosso engajamento cultural tenha Deus como referencial。 No primeiro capítulo， o autor sustenta que somos o que amamos no coração。 O amor é um hábito dirigido por nossas afeições。 O discipulado é reformular os hábitos dos amores。 No segundo capítulo， Smith sustenta que práticas culturais treinam amores e automatizam a forma de amar。 Podemos não amar o que cremos amar。 Práticas culturais são liturgias que formam hábitos e amores。 Em seguida， o autor diz que somos treinados por ídolos culturais， como a liturgia do shopping， que não satisfazem。 É preciso reabituar os hábitos por meio de liturgias e cultos cristãos。 Para Smith， a história de que fazemos parte determina o que somos。 A adoração cristã e o culto são chamados para vivermos uma história。 No capítulo cinco， o autor sustenta que o casamento e o cotidiano do lar são importantes formadores de liturgias culturais。 Já no capítulo seis， diz que a comunidade e o culto agem de modo formativo por meio de uma educação dos hábitos。 Por fim， Smith entende que nossos desejos e princípios indicam quem amamos。 Se nossas vocações forem liturgias reensaiadas para Deus， Ele é honrado。 。。。more

Andrew Alkema ，

I was all over the place on this book。 Some parts I loved - the part about youth education and worship were great some other parts I didn't get jive with as much。 It's a quick read， and the premise is super important， so I'd still recommend。 I was all over the place on this book。 Some parts I loved - the part about youth education and worship were great some other parts I didn't get jive with as much。 It's a quick read， and the premise is super important， so I'd still recommend。 。。。more

Jae Duran ，

This is the most accessible of Smith's books that I've read so far， and well worth the read。 Smith artfully and eloquently gives us words to name and re-order those habits which shapes our lives。 Highly recommend。 This is the most accessible of Smith's books that I've read so far， and well worth the read。 Smith artfully and eloquently gives us words to name and re-order those habits which shapes our lives。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

Mat ，

Very helpful and inspiring way to view Sunday worshipImaginative and old school。 Guides well and creates space。 Rests on truth and expects innovation。 I’ll be taking the elders of our church through it soon。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0