Stop Googling Yourself

Finding Peace In A Noisy World

Christian - Devotion/Study
108 Pages
Reviewed on 10/07/2016
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Carla Trueheart for Readers' Favorite

Stop Googling Yourself is an inspirational book that will help you slow down in life and remember what is important. Author Orlando Javien Jr. opens the book with this valuable lesson, explaining about a vacation he once took where he was basically working the entire time, googling himself to gauge his business progress, and not paying as much attention to his wife and family as he would have liked. From there, he offers short stories for the reader, each one followed by a reflection, verses, and a prayer. Some of these stories were little life lessons contained within themselves, while some were downright funny and made me laugh out loud. Through each story, the reader will understand the power of prayer in a loud, technological world, the importance of going to church although we lead busy lives, and the lessons of forgiveness that are so important.

The message of Stop Googling Yourself was loud and clear without being overly preachy. Author Orlando Javien Jr. offers snippets of his life when he learned a lesson, mainly through his family, and his voice was authentic and at times humorous. I loved the story about the ants in his house and found myself laughing at his battle. He also told a story about doing dishes for his wife and the lesson he learned, all of this focusing on finding God, beginning prayer, and learning how to be silent and listen to God. Stop Googling Yourself held my attention the entire time I read it, and because it was a shorter book, I know I will go back often to look over the stories, prayers, and the lessons learned. There was an underlying sense of joy in the book, and even though the author shared his own struggles, it is clear he has found a better life through his beliefs. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for inspirational stories or those seeking to quiet their lives in a loud, modern world.

Tiffany Davis

Stop Googling Yourself by Orlando Javien Jr. is a Christian devotional study that gives various life experiences in relation to Bible verses and expectations. The tone of the book is very easy and simple to read. It was particularly helpful that the author gave examples of everyday life and related them to the Bible along with a scripture in the reflection portion of the text. The book starts out with a loaded question: "Do you know what the noises of your life are?" I struggled with how to answer the question because there are so many different parts that make up my life, but as I read further I began to understand that the noises of our lives are all about priority and distractions. A lot of our daily distractions are limiting us from becoming closer to Jesus Christ because we feel too busy after doing a million other things that hold no real meaning.

The book made me feel more comfortable regarding the excuses I've told myself about religion over the years. Other readers will enjoy this book because it is insightful and is written in a way that allows other people to understand and draw their own conclusions. The reflections portion at the end of each story also offers optimistic points and allows the reader the opportunity to scribble notes to reference at a later date. This is a definite must-read because of the openness of the narrative and the opportunity to identify with the main themes throughout the book.

Cheryl E. Rodriguez

Orlando Javien Jr. pens a humorous and heartfelt devotional study in Stop Googling Yourself (Finding Peace in a Noisy World). The world gets really loud sometimes. Life screams, and the noise is deafening. Chasing after success becomes all consuming as you search for your significance in the world. While spending his vacation “fixated on business ventures,” and constantly googling himself, Orlando Javien Jr. realizes he is being controlled by noise. Within the text of this devotional, Javien shares the noises that prevented him from living a life beyond ordinary. This is his journey of faith to silence the clatter and clamor of the world and discover peace found only in the presence of God. Turn off the noise and listen.

Stop Googling Yourself (Finding Peace in a Noisy World) challenges the reader to pursue a life beyond ordinary, to live a life of adventure with God as your tour guide. Orlando Javien Jr. writes simply, yet profoundly. I love a good devotional. One that not only causes me to think, but encourages me to apply its truths. The study is filled with short stories of how to live out the Lord’s Prayer in your life. The devotional includes topics on relationships, forgiveness, prayer and discipleship. By sharing his personal God moments, Javien encourages the reader to discover the noises in their own lives and to confront them boldly. Each chapter includes a brief personal story, followed by a time to reflect, meditate and pray. Stop Googling Yourself (Finding Peace in a Noisy World) gives straightforward and applicable solutions to silence the resounding racket of the world.

Mamta Madhavan

Stop Googling Yourself: Finding Peace In A Noisy World by Orlando U. Javien Jr is an engaging read in which the author invites everyone to practice their relationship with Christ and experience His calm in our daily lives amidst all the hustle and bustle. He encourages readers to find the perfect within the imperfect by stepping into the Word of God through Scripture, prayer, church, and relationships. Life always starts off as simple and then gets complicated when we start chasing the extras. The author speaks about technology which, instead of making life easier, has made it noisier and more complex.

The book is simple and the author tries to make readers understand the connection between God and daily living. It is insightful and will help readers to make better choices and prioritize their needs and choices by getting rid of distractions. Lives have become so busy and no one has the time to devote a minute to God. The author wants everyone to lower the volume and make time to hear the small voice of God. The stories in the book are motivational and will inspire everyone to take steps that will keep them away from distractions and temptations.

A relationship with Christ is like any other relationship, and the author stresses the importance of communication between people for relationships to grow and bloom. The ‘Reflection’ and ‘Prayer’ at the end of each chapter are good for readers to contemplate and connect with God.

Marta Tandori

Stop Googling Yourself by Orlando Javien Jr. is an interesting, and oftentimes humorous, look at one man’s spiritual journey. The author theorizes that for most people life starts off pretty simple, with most of us having basic dreams of getting a good job, finding a mate, buying a house, having some kids and living happily ever after ... but at some point, life gets more complicated when our focus shifts to making more money to buy bigger homes, nicer cars and sending our kids to expensive colleges. As a result, we spend less time with our families and more time working as we scramble to stay ahead. Javien experienced all of these things and the purpose of Stop Googling Yourself is to share some of the noises (distractions) in his life that prevented him from being the best husband to his wife, the best father to his kids, and a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

Told in short stories or vignettes with catchy titles such as Faith is a Verb, I Can Touch My Toes, Healing Begins With You, Happy Wife, Happy Life is a Myth, Too Many Water Bottles, The Gospel According to Batman, and I Don’t Want to Do the Dishes, each vignette includes a reflection, a relevant verse to ponder on, as well as a prayer from the Bible. Using simple and oftentimes humbling prose, Javien, through his own admitted imperfections, shows us how we can find joy while coping with our own insecurities, jealousies, and inadequacies by finding joy through Christ and embracing what is within all of us. Stop Googling Yourself is a feel-good read sure to provide spiritual nourishment.

Hilary Hawkes

Stop Googling Yourself by Orlando Javien Jr is a motivating and encouraging book written for the Christian market or for those wishing to find out more about the Christian life journey. It begins with the recognition that our lives are often full of “noise” and distractions that keep us from developing our relationship with God and from leading lives that feel more fulfilling. Chapters discuss how to pray, faith, our priorities, forgiveness, participating in the Church, understanding and getting the most out of the Bible, standing up to evil, finding God’s purpose for our lives and life in general as a committed Christian. The author includes many examples and stories from his own life and experiences to make his points and each chapter ends with a reflection and prayer.

Stop Googling Yourself (as the title suggests) aims to help the reader turn from activities and ways of thinking that basically waste time and distract and detract from really living. It is a gentle but at the same time challenging book that helps the reader take a look at different areas of living – with the purpose of making changes that will strengthen belief and a relationship with God. Orlando Javien Jr's message is that when we lower the volume of all the unnecessary stuff in our lives and in our heads, we begin to hear God, understand ourselves and others better, and grow as individuals. This closer relationship with the Creator especially affects our relationships and mental attitudes and well-being. I liked the inclusion of Bible quotes and verses and the way the author ties these in with his own words and explanations. My two favorite chapters were Lord, I’ll Shut Up Now (about listening to what God has to say) and the chapter on how to read and understand the Bible: by placing ourselves in the stories/characters’ lives.

There is a lovely honesty that comes across in this book – the author does not claim any kind of expertise or perfection and, like the reader, is on his ongoing Christian journey. Stop Googling Yourself is a book that will make you think and will give advice, encouragement and inspiration to anyone who seeks to grow in faith.