Book Reviews
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SET FREE: God’s Healing Power for Abuse Survivors and Those Who Love Them This book offers hope and encouragement to damaged and discouraged individuals who feel unworthy to call on God because of their past or present. This is a self help book, not a book of stories, and includes resources for women to take "next steps" in the healing process. Heal & Forgive: Forgiveness in the Face of Abuse by Nancy Richards Heal and Forgive presents a first-hand description of child abuse and navigates the reader through the distinctive stumbling blocks encountered by adult survivors of abuse who are attempting to forgive. This thought-provoking illustration offers new hope to those who have given up at the prospect of forgiving. Many survivors of abuse long to forgive their abusers; however, many common approaches to forgiveness are not appropriate for situations involving abuse. This work demonstrates to the survivor the additional steps necessary to achieve forgiveness in the face of abuse. Surprisingly, it is often the very process of not forgiving, of acknowledging the pain, and taking the steps to heal that frees the abused to forgive. This book clearly points to the need to validate their story with a sympathetic listener, express their anger in appropriate ways, mourn for their losses, and protect themselves and others from re-injury. Further, this work explains to the individual that forgiveness does not mean excusing. No one needs to forgive the acts perpetrated against them in order to let go of resentment and forgive the being who harmed them. Forgiveness is not an event of immediacy. It's not a bolt of lightning that brightens the soul and burns the pain to ashes. Forgiveness is a process that is transformational. When all is said and done, the final process is an act of love. Radical Breakthroughs to Overcome Addictions Discover a new combination of biblical principles to move you from your addictions to abundant, purpose-filled living. Learn how to apply two biblical principles not taught in support groups or any recovery program and your addictions and most of your other problems disappear as a by-product of living these principles. Step Up: A Vital Process for Spiritual Renewal by Richard Meyer Much more than a self-help book, "Step Up" is a God-help book that wonderfully shows how the 12 Steps are Spiritual Disciplines -- not just for the addicted -- but for all of us -- that connect us with the healing power and presence of God. Each chapter includes personal exercises as well as groud discussion and sharing suggestions. The Harder They Fall Celebrities Tell Their Real-Life Stories of Addiction and Recovery. This book shows the extreme highs and the deep lows that each of the celebrities interviewed (Alice Cooper, Richard Pryor, Pete Hamill, Grace Slick, among others) experienced and how they were all able to find a way out to a better and even more successful life, free of drugs and alcohol. The Harder They Fall centers on lengthy interviews with twenty-one celebrities who have hit rock bottom as a result of their addiction and risen to achieve success while in recovery. Eternal Sobriety: A Spiritual Guide To Understanding Recovery By Neal P. The spiritual journey is not complete for the recovering alcoholic until he achieves eternal sobriety. The path to this final achievement becomes evident through insightful exploration of God’s whole truth. Learn about belief systems, principles, free will, choices, habits, emotions, self-control, the helper, how to get on the beam, prayer and meditation, and much more. If you are in a 12-Step program, find out how you can take the turning step that puts you on the fail-safe path for heaven. Your life will never be the same. God is for the Alcoholic by Jerry Dunn This is a book written by someone who, through God's power, escaped the pit of alcoholism. Jerry Dunn helps you understand alcoholism, gives ways to help the alcoholic, and shows the alcoholic how he can help himself. This excellent book is applicable to ANY dependence or additiction a person may have. It is helpful to the addicted person as well as their loved ones. The book reads well and holds your attention. Safe People by Henry Cloud and John Townsend For anyone who has been wounded, used, abandoned or abused in a relationship. A useful tool for avoiding taxic entanglements and strengthening good relationships. The Struggle: Let's Be Honest about Masturbation Jesus wants to free people from whatever weighs them down-even masturbation. This books helps the reader discover biblical wisdom and feel free from the guilt and shame surrounding this issue. The silence around masturbation insinuates that it's a dirty subject - even to talk about. And yet people are talking about it all the time on TV, in magazines, on college campuses. In The Struggle, author Steve Gerali opens an honest and thoughtful dialogue on this controversial subject. By doing so, the reader will gain a biblical understanding on the topic and finally attain freedom from their shame and guilt. This is a conversation every student and parent should have. The Blessing Book Sometimes our plans take a terrible, frightening twist, turning our hopes and dreams into nightmares. What do we do when our best plans fall short? How do we handle the disappointment? By looking to the Psalms, Linda Dillow shows us how the 'Valley of Weeping" can be instrumental in bringing us to need and include God in our daily lives. Done with a friend or a church group, the included four-week study will reemphasize the encouraging message found in the book. When we find ourselves in the valley, we must remember to turn our eyes off of the suffering and onto the Healer - He can make it a place of blessing. The Chase: Pursuing Holiness in Your Everyday Life The Bible calls us to "be holy." Is that even possible? There must have been some glitch in the translation, right? The writer must have meant, "Be good enough" or "Be decent," but never "Be holy." That's impossible, isn't it? That depends on your definition of holy. If by it you mean "always perfect, never making a mistake," then you're right - that's impossible. But if by holy you mean "wanting and doing the right things," that can be done with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Taken from NavPress classic The Pursuit of Holiness, this book shows students how "running as to get the prize" isn't just possible, it's what life is all about. TrueFaced: Trusting God and Others With Who You Really Are If we have to act like we've got it all together, then we aren't being real. Yet so often, we as Christians try to earn God's favor by putting on a show, hiding our true selves in the process. But with God's grace, we don't need to live like that. In this book, the authors help us realize that the most powerful source of relational defeat is the attempt to hide our unresolved sin issues, keeping us immature and limiting our influence. An astonishing life begins as we start living as God sees us, standing with Him to work on our issues together. The Heart of Mentoring: Ten Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential Author David Stoddard has discovered that in mentoring, giving often involves receiving, and receiving involves giving. By sharing your life with others, you will help them develop their values and priorities-not with a rigid formula or agenda, but in the natural course of a meaningful relationship. In The Heart of Mentoring, you will see that sharing your life with others is the most rewarding gift you can give and the most satisfying gift you can receive. A Minute of Margin: Restoring Balance to Busy Lives By: Richard A. Swenson, M.D. Too many of us are losing the "war of the planner. We want to get everything done, but for some reason, it never happens. And the machines that were supposed to make life easier only leave our lives more stressful. Something has to give, and often it does - to disastrous consequences. Expanding on principles from Dr. Richard Swenson's best-selling books Margin and The Overload Syndrome, this book consists of 180 daily readings to help restore balance to hectic, modern lives. Each reading serves as a practical assignment-a helpful "prescription- to eliminate unneeded frustrations and start winning the war with our time. Moving Forward God's Way by Clarence W. Walker MOVING FORWARD GOD’s WAY presents the path to positive, fruitful growth and change. Purpose and meaning are achievable when you are willing to make the right choices. A happy, meaningful, and successful life for you and your family comes through making the right choices and your willingness to do the work. You can turn your life around! This books is far more than a self-help book or a collection of inspirational verse. The path of growth offered clearly presents the critical building blocks you can use in constructing a foundation for your future. Along the way new realities and outlooks are integrated into practical suggestions and reinforced with spiritual guarantees of success. Rather than just the theories and contrivances of man, herein you will find the path to true happiness and success in life that has actually worked and been tested in the lives of the author and countless others throughout history. Starting over God's Way by Clarence W. Walker Life is about choices. As long as you are breathing, every new day will present you with an opportunity to start over. Some days will bring small opportunities and others will bring major challenges such as the death of loved ones, divorce, the loss of employment, or accidents. For others there are the clouds of addiction, abuse or trauma. No matter what befalls you or has held you back in the past, it does not have to be this way. No matter what your situation, you can start over. It is not just another self-help book, nor is it about the power of positive thinking, new age self-reflection, pseudo-psychological theories, or religious extremism. What you will learn here is based upon a personal lifetime of real life experiences and lessons learned. You have the ability to change your life and influence those around you. Herein you are shown the way! Surrender to Love by David G. Benner In our self-reliant era, most of us recoil from the concept of surrendering to a power or authority outside ourselves. God calls us to move beyond mere obedience--by surrendering to love. Grieving a Suicide by Albet Y. Hsu Guide for suicide survivors family and friends of people who took their own lives. Steering Clear by Earl Wilson With psychological and biblical insight he identifies how distorted thinking leads to secretive behavior, and he describes effective strategies for breaking bad habits. Practical help for those who want to get off and stay off the slippery slope, as well as hope and healing for those picking up the pieces after a crash. Released from Shame by Sandra D. Wilson This books helps to identify the wrong thinking that occurs when one has been involved with a shame based family. It helps you to face the truth and make a commitment to practical and necessary changes in wrong thinking. A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality by Joseph Niccolosi What a great resource for parents who want to help their children be who God wants them to be. Homosexuality is a symptom of un-met non-sexual needs. Risk-Taking For Personal Growth : A Step-by-Step Workbook by Joseph A. Ilardo Review in CIR Message Boards Dismantling Dysfunction: A Guide for Redeeming the Dysfunctional Family by Susan J. White, Plainsong Publishing, ISBN 097097180 If you have grown up in a dysfunctional family, are presently in one or want to help others who are, the book Dismantling Dysfunction will be a welcome tool to help deal with the imprisoning addictions and codependency of family dysfunction. -It might be surprising to you-I know it has been to me-to discover that all families of origin are dysfunctional to one degree or another. This is simply because human beings are incapable of being perfectly unconditionally loving. This causes us to inevitably hurt each other, defend against the hurt and even try to hurt back. Dysfunctional families are not bad families; they are families with wounds who are struggling to manage in life without all of the tools needed to be fully functional. This book accurately describes the dysfunctional family system and gives practical concrete ways to walk in recovery -- a recovery which validates the strong positive qualities inherent in the dysfunctional roles which have helped us survive, redirecting those qualities for healthy change. The appendix offers an eye-opening list of possible dependencies, a strategy for forgiveness, and prayer experiences for drawing nearer to God. Concluding the book is a comprehensive list of contact information for Christian recovery organizations and resources. This book may be purchased ($7.95 plus 2.oo postage) by contacting: Shepherd's Heart Fellowhip Attention: Susan White P.O.Box 7218 Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Drunks, Drugs & Debits: How to Recognize Addicts and Avoid Financial Abuse by Doug Thorburn This book shows you how to identify the addict in your life, the dangers they pose to you and what to do about it. Included is information on recovery for the non-addict, how to avoid financial disaster, how to separate one's financial life from that of the addict and much more! This book tells you what no other book has before. or http://www.preventragedy.com/PAGES/ddd.html If you have been negatively affected by an addict, this book provides insights and help for you.