TAYLOR
"This book is so important because we simply cannot stay silent anymore. Shut up has helped me see the truth and realize the negative voices in my head are simply not valid. The book helped me learn the ways I can press on in life and discern the voice of God. I see a movement coming with this book!"
MADDIE
“This book is an amazing tool for teenagers, we all need to learn how to shut up the lies from others and the lies we tell ourselves and replace them with the truth of Jesus’s, the truth that we are enough.”
NATASHA
“I think the book is incredibly helpful just by the title of it, “shut up”, which says it all.”
A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR
Hi, my name is Christy and I am a mom of three college students (plus 2 dogs & 2 cats) and I felt compelled to write this book after a series of events opened my eyes to the world young people have to navigate today.
I am a pastor and Christian author and I would hope most people who know me would say I am a nice person. But I found my patience being tested when a mother told me that she had grounded her daughter for getting a B+ in school while also participating in club soccer, ballet dancing and acting as the president of the French Club. I felt a level of rage I rarely ever experience and just wanted to shout to this mom, “SHUT THE HELL UP!.”
Let me be honest with you, I’m not a perfect parent. And, I won’t pretend to understand all your generation is going through. I’m just so tired of hearing stories of kids who are only sleeping five hours at night because they’re frantically trying to finish homework after rushing home following a club sports game. I’m so sad when teens call me and share their stories of feeling depressed, being anxious, contemplating cutting, or even becoming suicidal over all this pressure. I think it’s time for us parents, academic leaders, and coaches to seriously consider the toll all of this pressure is taking on you. More of us need God’s eyes of compassion for those of you who feel scared, depressed, or alone with no one to listen to your feelings.
The point of this book isn’t to tell other people to shut up. The purpose of this book is to help you know how to say shut up to the negative, lying, and dark voices that are inside your own mind. These are the thoughts that can make you feel so bad about yourself that you begin to feel anxious, depressed, lonely, and hopeless. And sometimes, these thoughts can take over. These thoughts can even whisper lies to you about harming yourself or giving up on life. With God’s help, you really can shut up the dark voices inside your head. You can shut them up and make them stop. You can learn to hear God’s voice of love, encouragement, and peace. You deserve that. You can be happy and have joy in your life.
WHAT YOUNG PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BOOK:
"This book is so important because we simply cannot stay silent anymore. Shut up has helped me see the truth and realize the negative voices in my head are simply not valid. The book helped me learn the ways I can press on in life and discern the voice of God. I see a movement coming with this book!"
- Taylor
“This book is an amazing tool for teenagers, we all need to learn how to shut up the lies from others and the lies we tell ourselves and replace them with the truth of Jesus’, the truth that we are enough.”
- Maddie
“I think the book is incredibly helpful just by the title of it, “shut up”, which says it all.”
- Natasha
ABOUT THE BOOK
SHUT UP: SILENCE THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS INSIDE YOUR HEAD
One very sad night, a 16 year old boy committed suicide. His shocking death was a tragic loss to everyone who knew him and his loving family. The night of his suicide, God spoke to my teenage daughter Annie in a dream by showing her angels around the train tracks and Jesus right there, saying, “Life will come out of death.” That dark night was the beginning of a three-year journey of writing this book, with the help of over 1,000 teenagers and college students. Today, teens and college students face tremendous pressure where anxiety, depression, academic pressure, eating disorders, cutting and even suicide are common among their friends. Filled with real life stories of teens and college students, this book teaches how to silence the lies and negative voices in our minds through understanding the different voices in their heads, and learning to shut up the ones that are tearing us down. Say shut up to the negative voices tearing you down, and learn how to hear the encouraging voice of a God who loves you more than you can possibly imagine.
