Losing Your Mind (And Gaining the Mind of Christ)(Paperback)

Our brains have taken a beating. The trauma of a pandemic and the daily assault of cell phones has damaged our ability to think deeply. In this fascinating study of how the health of the mind impacts our ability to spiritually mature, Dr. Pete Bellini offers hope and rescue of what we thought was lost for good -- our capacity to have the mind of Christ. If you struggle with focus when it comes to spiritual discipline, or long for the healing power of truth, or just want to love the Lord better with your mind, this read is for you.

The psalmist declares ‘…I am fearfully and wonderfully made…’ (Psalm 139:14). I must confess I usually think of the intricacies of the human body when reading those words, but Dr. Pete Bellini’s most recent work, Losing Your Mind (And Gaining the Mind of Christ): How to Overhaul Your Brain for Faith, Focus, and Flourishing has greatly expanded my thinking. I’ve often wondered why some folks have such a difficult time having the mind of Christ, and this book has given me a glimpse of how changing the way we think is the key to the transformation Jesus offers.

Using the best of theology, biblical study, neuroscience, and cognitive behavioral therapy, he has expanded my understanding to include not only the body—but also the mind. In fact, I believe this groundbreaking work will become an incredible resource to help followers of Jesus experience the sanctifying grace of God that comes through the renewing of our minds.

I am so grateful to Dr. Pete Bellini for writing Losing Your Mind (And Gaining the Mind of Christ): How to Overhaul Your Brain for Faith, Focus, and Flourishing. This book is extremely timely and important to the work of the church. American mental health decline is often featured in various media as well as articles that feature the decline in the number of actively practicing Christians. This book explains the neuroscience and how the brain is affected by the act of faithful discipleship. It explains how our minds are literally renewed in Christ Jesus. Pastors seeking to shepherd and disciple congregations will find this book prepares them on a different level to offer discipleship to the world.

Dr. Pete Bellini offers us an exciting ground-breaking insight connecting the Christ- commissioned and consecrated work of making disciples (Matthew 28:16-20) with the latest
neuroscience research on the brain and human learning. Losing Your Mind yokes insight and application together with biblical integrity. Here is a deep intensely practical tool which will enhance both our faithfulness and fruitfulness. I enthusiastically commend this groundbreaking work to all who are serious about making disciples of Jesus Christ!

Dr. Pete Bellini has produced a fascinating study on how our minds work, how to live with the Mind of Christ and how to train our brains for making new disciples of Jesus Christ using wise insights from the science of the mind and how we think of the Biblical truths about salvation through Jesus Christ. Losing Your Mind provides practical pastoral illustrations on how to apply Paul's admonition in Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God--what is good and acceptable and perfect." I highly recommend it for Christian leaders who are committed to making new disciples of Jesus Christ.

Christian discipleship is designed to bring life transformation. Transformation takes place by God’s grace through the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2). As Dr. Peter Bellini writes in Losing Your Mind (And Gaining the Mind of Christ): How to Overhaul Your Brain for Faith, Focus, and Flourishing, “The [Holy] Spirit’s work of renewing our minds is fundamental to our discipleship.”

Dr. Bellini takes us on an awe-inspiring tour of God’s creation, and a mind-expanding exploration of the neurological functioning of the human brain/mind. He demonstrates how our brain has been hardwired for religion in general and for faithful Christian discipleship in particular. Losing Your Mind unfolds the remarkable capabilities God has given our brains to enhance our growth in faith and holiness.

Losing Your Mind provides us with an insightful view of the connections between neurology and faith, as well as a practical resource for all who desire to grow as disciples and disciple others. The reader will find a solid foundation in Wesleyan theology, illuminating examples of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, and helpful charts, outlines, and principles for making/teaching disciples. Dr. Bellini offers passionate invitation for the church to experience the power of the Holy Spirit to renew our minds in Christ and experience the supernatural power of God for witness and service. I am grateful for this gift Dr. Bellini has given the church.

This book is precisely what the title suggests, a detailed way to nurture our brains as Christian disciples so we might have the mind of Christ. Dr. Peter Bellini’s unusual personal journey and exceptional capacity to weave scripture, neuroscience, story, boxing, and Wesleyan theology into a cohesive training manual for passionate spiritual discipleship is itself masterful. May its fruit be truly abundant to the glory of God.

Pete Bellini’s newest work combines the heart of a disciple-making pastor with deep scholarly study and the wisdom of a spiritual father. In it, Bellini weaves together practical discipleship, insights from modern neuroscience, images from the world of boxing, and ancient spiritual practices such as deliverance, hearing the voice of God, and other spiritual gifts. When it comes to a holistic understanding of what it really takes to make disciples, Bellini is no mere theoretician. Instead, this book is the work of a man who has actively molded disciples of Jesus Christ for many decades, and the reader gets to reap the fruit. This book will be a gift to anyone seeking to better understand Christian discipleship while experiencing the transformed life made available through Jesus Christ.

Losing Your Mind (And Gaining the Mind of Christ): How to Overhaul Your Brain for Faith, Focus, and Flourishing is a ground-breaking book connecting discipleship and the human brain while providing a practical guide drawing from Scripture, theology, cognitive neuroscience, and psychology. Bellini's work highlights and delivers a unique perspective into how our minds and faith are in an intricately connected relationship and how the Holy Spirit can use the human brain to transform us into the image of Christ. Losing Your Mind is for anyone who wants to grow as a wholehearted disciple of Jesus Christ that can live out faith, wisdom, and victory.