Healing Is A Choice by Steve Arterburn is about your responsibility and your part in the healing process. There is so much is wrong with this author and his book that it overshadows any seemingly "good points". And even these "good points" are tainted with false teachings that are not biblically based.
In Chapter 1, Arterburn falsely teaches ""All I need to heal is just God and me" is a lie." Arterburn tells us that we need other people to heal. God won't do it alone. You will have to go to other people for support and help and then God will work through them to heal you. I know this is false because God has helped me forgive people in my life without ever getting an apology and God helped take away my anger towards people many times. I prayed to God and God changed me. I didn't need to vent to humans and go to a counselor. In Chapter 2, Arterburn contradicts Paul when he claims "It is a lie to say "Christians should have joy in all circumstances" (2 Cor 7:-6, 8:2-3). There are some truthful things (nothing you haven't heard before) in this book, but they are mixed among many false claims with no scripture to back it up. So, if you choose to read this book, discern carefully! There is only a little baby and a whole lotta bathwater in this book!
I agree with other reviewers in that I also found the way the author writes about his previous failed marriage is shocking and disturbing. He comes across arrogant and self-righteous. He is all "me" "me" "me" "Sandy's ruining MY life" and "MY career". He never once mentions any warmth or love towards his wife. He never says he will miss her but instead justifies his actions. See below as the author describes his feelings and thoughts after his former wife, Sandy, phones him to tell him she is filing for divorce:
= "Anger, dread, fear and disgust swept through me"
= "I was certain I had written my last book and that everything else I loved doing was over"
= "Not all our marriage was miserable. There were some very good times, great adventures, and a few sweet moments, such as our adoption of Madeline [daughter]. [Notice that Madeline is described only as a "sweet moment" and not a "very good time"]
= "Numerous marriage counselors did little or nothing for us..."
= "I did what I knew to keep the marriage going. I was far from perfect, made many mistakes, BUT [emphasis added] was willing to do anything I could to have a marriage we both could enjoy..."
= "The last marriage counselor had [showed] some hope. [BECAUSE] she thought Sandy had finally made peace with our marriage." [Notice it was Sandy's problem and not Steve Arterburn's?]"
= "I was about to become a divorced writer who wrote about relationships; a divorced radio talk show host whose show dealth with marriage, relationships, [etc]...I was about to become a divorced speaker and preacher who attempted to inspire people... I was about to have a public divorce, and I knew the humiliation and embarrassment would be intense." [Is his own humiliation and career the only thing he cares about? From his own written words, it would seem so.]
= "This book is about so much more than just my divorce. It is about your divorce or your loss or your abuse or your abandonment [Arterburn really means his own "abuse"]. It is about the disgust you [meaning Artherburn] have felt at whatever cruelty has been trust upon you [meaning Arterburn, who is innocent since it was "TRUST" upon him. He is the victim.]. It is about the isolation you have felt from abandonment by people [I suppose Arterburn feels abandoned since Sandy left] who looked nice to the outside world but who were monsters [It seems he is referring to Sandy] to you at home.
Readers might also wish to know that Arterburn admires and believes Word of Faith cult preachers John & Lisa Bevere who claim humans "Are Christ" and have the "exact same unlimited power as God Himself" and we should be able to walk through walls, walk on water, stop natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes and pretty much anything else we want to do. We ARE God, according to the Beveres.
I also learned that Arterburn told and wrote about how he got his girlfriend in college pregnant and paid to have her abort the baby. He called himself "an adulterer and murderer" but then sued some Christian guy for telling a business acquaintance this information when the acquaintance asked directly about Arterburn.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
BUY IT: Stuck by Jennie Allen
OUTSTANDING!!! BUY THIS BOOK! I wasn't expecting a lot from this DVD. The title didn't do much for me either - Stuck. Pretty looking large box with two small booklets and one DVD. I wasn't all that sure what the book was about either. I saw people on Amazon gave it 5 stars, but anything Christian always gets 4-5 stars, so I didn't believe it. I would have guessed, I would give it 2 stars. 3 stars at the very most. But this book is 5 stars - OUTSTANDING!
This is about living for the glory of God and not wasting your life on endless to-do-lists and chores. Don't wait until your life is almost over to realize how many years you have wasted. It is SOOO biblically based. Also, I think nearly every denomination or non-denominational Christian will agree with this book. It isn't slanted. It is also, completely non-offensive. Men and women BOTH must listen to it! I never say good things about books - but this one I do!
The DVD is SOOOOO GOOD. It is Biblically right on! I was certain I was going to catch Jennie Allen teaching something out of line with the Bible and at times I was certain she was off base, but she ALWAYS pulled the story around in the end and made serious life-changing points. I am still in SHOCK. How could I have liked this THAT much? My sister and I watched it together. We are speechless. We never expected this - especially from a woman. WOW... IF THERE IS ONE BOOK YOU READ/DVD YOU WATCH - WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This is about living for the glory of God and not wasting your life on endless to-do-lists and chores. Don't wait until your life is almost over to realize how many years you have wasted. It is SOOO biblically based. Also, I think nearly every denomination or non-denominational Christian will agree with this book. It isn't slanted. It is also, completely non-offensive. Men and women BOTH must listen to it! I never say good things about books - but this one I do!
The DVD is SOOOOO GOOD. It is Biblically right on! I was certain I was going to catch Jennie Allen teaching something out of line with the Bible and at times I was certain she was off base, but she ALWAYS pulled the story around in the end and made serious life-changing points. I am still in SHOCK. How could I have liked this THAT much? My sister and I watched it together. We are speechless. We never expected this - especially from a woman. WOW... IF THERE IS ONE BOOK YOU READ/DVD YOU WATCH - WATCH THIS!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
OKAY: The Love & Respect Experience by Dr Emerson Eggerichs
"The Love & Respect Experience: A Husband-Friendly Devotional That Wives Truly Love is a large sized, leather-like covered, devotional designed for men and women. The book covers 52 subjects (not a 365 day devotional) all based on making married life work, appreciating what you have, and treating one another with love and respect. Each chapter starts off with a short snippet from a Bible verse and ends with a Prayer and a Call to Action.
I'm not usually a fan of devotionals, but I thought this one was okay. I love the feel of the book cover - the fake leather cover is so smooth and nice. It feels like suade-leather and is very pretty to look at and the paperback/leatherback is soft to hold.
This devotional is a bit different from most. It is not only geared for women, but also husbands can benefit from it too. It's not as fluffy as most devotionals, so the men won't be turned off by pink and purple flowery designs and fluffy commentaries. All the subjects have to do with making a marriage work, so they all apply and are relevant for both men and women. But like most devotionals, this book is also full of light reading and is not deep.
The part that will probably bother Christians the most is that this book comes across as more of a psychology/family therapy devotional than a Christian/Biblically-based devotional. It's all helpful stuff and good for married couples to remind them to behave lovingly towards one another, but it may be more fluffy stuff that sounds all good in the head but harder to apply in real life. If you are into Psychology, you will probably like this book. If you are into theology and books being biblically based, you will want to pass.
I like a lot of the ideas in this book: Marriage is about getting back up/Men and women think and desire different things, but that doesn't make the others' view incorrect. They are just different/Assume your spouse has good intentions towards you NO MATTER WHAT/Once married, always married. It's up to you to iron out the kinks, because you are in this for the long run/Mistakes can't be undone, but they should be forgiven/Choose your words wisely because they can be like punches and you might just be punched back/Suppressing negative feelings isn't the solution. Talk to one another about your feelings with love and consideration/Be fair about sex and don't play games, but meet each others' needs/Don't let your problems distract you from God, but keep your focus on the Lord and He will help you with your problems/When your spouse yells cutting words, don't believe them all. They could just be venting and often don't really mean what they say in angery/Practice quick forgiveness no matter what the crime/God designed your spouse just for you, so enjoy what you have been given and be patient when times are tough/Love God, trust Him, and everything will work out.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
I'm not usually a fan of devotionals, but I thought this one was okay. I love the feel of the book cover - the fake leather cover is so smooth and nice. It feels like suade-leather and is very pretty to look at and the paperback/leatherback is soft to hold.
This devotional is a bit different from most. It is not only geared for women, but also husbands can benefit from it too. It's not as fluffy as most devotionals, so the men won't be turned off by pink and purple flowery designs and fluffy commentaries. All the subjects have to do with making a marriage work, so they all apply and are relevant for both men and women. But like most devotionals, this book is also full of light reading and is not deep.
The part that will probably bother Christians the most is that this book comes across as more of a psychology/family therapy devotional than a Christian/Biblically-based devotional. It's all helpful stuff and good for married couples to remind them to behave lovingly towards one another, but it may be more fluffy stuff that sounds all good in the head but harder to apply in real life. If you are into Psychology, you will probably like this book. If you are into theology and books being biblically based, you will want to pass.
I like a lot of the ideas in this book: Marriage is about getting back up/Men and women think and desire different things, but that doesn't make the others' view incorrect. They are just different/Assume your spouse has good intentions towards you NO MATTER WHAT/Once married, always married. It's up to you to iron out the kinks, because you are in this for the long run/Mistakes can't be undone, but they should be forgiven/Choose your words wisely because they can be like punches and you might just be punched back/Suppressing negative feelings isn't the solution. Talk to one another about your feelings with love and consideration/Be fair about sex and don't play games, but meet each others' needs/Don't let your problems distract you from God, but keep your focus on the Lord and He will help you with your problems/When your spouse yells cutting words, don't believe them all. They could just be venting and often don't really mean what they say in angery/Practice quick forgiveness no matter what the crime/God designed your spouse just for you, so enjoy what you have been given and be patient when times are tough/Love God, trust Him, and everything will work out.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: The Book of Man By William Bennett
This book is about the character of men and how our kids/sons/boys need men with strong characters as role models. Bennett believes these boys need to model themselves after real life "heroes". The hope of this book is that people can use this book to turn boys into men of strong character - a worthy goal.
The subject of the book sounds interesting, especially considering Bennett is the author of a famous book called the "Book of Virtues". The biggest problem I have with this book is that Bennett chooses real life public figures, like Presidents of the United States, politicians, military personnel, athletes and many other famous men. When picking ideal "heroes or idols" for my son, these are the guys who would be at the BOTTOM of my "hero" list. These are the most money hungry, dishonest, sleezebags in society. Sure some of them show SOME bits of character from time to time - but then so does everyone, even criminals in jail! Why should we ever encourage our kids to idolize these public figures? Their OVERALL character (in general) are terrible! And some/most are not even Christian! I don't get this book at all. Very disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
The subject of the book sounds interesting, especially considering Bennett is the author of a famous book called the "Book of Virtues". The biggest problem I have with this book is that Bennett chooses real life public figures, like Presidents of the United States, politicians, military personnel, athletes and many other famous men. When picking ideal "heroes or idols" for my son, these are the guys who would be at the BOTTOM of my "hero" list. These are the most money hungry, dishonest, sleezebags in society. Sure some of them show SOME bits of character from time to time - but then so does everyone, even criminals in jail! Why should we ever encourage our kids to idolize these public figures? Their OVERALL character (in general) are terrible! And some/most are not even Christian! I don't get this book at all. Very disappointing.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
PASS: The God of Grace by Andy Stanley
This is a book that re-tells Old Testament bible stories and then interprets God's grace into the way God interacted with the humans in the stories. Each chapter takes a different bible story or multiple stories and then says "God dealt gracefully with humans" because they didn't deserve such merciful treatment.
This book is a fast light read because we've heard the story of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jospeh etc many times and 2/3rds of this book is the re-telling/paraphrasing these stories.
Although the book paints a nice picture of a graceful God, I didn't find this book very deep. Example: Stanley takes the creation story and explains that God didn't have to make the world so beautiful - that was grace.. God didn't have to give Eve to Adam - that was grace. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve for the fall, but instead He allowed them to live outside of the garden - by grace.
By the end of the book, I felt it was nice to see that ALL good things are undeserved, unearned and all come from the grace of God. I just wish this book could have had more depth and not been 2/3rds re-telling stories we already know by heart. I feel there are much better and deeper books that would bring us to reflect on the grace of God. This book was just kind of "blah" or "okay". You could easily go without having read it, it wouldn't go in my library and I would never recommend it to others. I'd say "read it if you want but it's only so-so".
Readers may be interested in knowing Andy Stanley is writing from an Arminianist Christian perspective.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
This book is a fast light read because we've heard the story of Adam and Eve, Abraham, Jospeh etc many times and 2/3rds of this book is the re-telling/paraphrasing these stories.
Although the book paints a nice picture of a graceful God, I didn't find this book very deep. Example: Stanley takes the creation story and explains that God didn't have to make the world so beautiful - that was grace.. God didn't have to give Eve to Adam - that was grace. God could have destroyed Adam and Eve for the fall, but instead He allowed them to live outside of the garden - by grace.
By the end of the book, I felt it was nice to see that ALL good things are undeserved, unearned and all come from the grace of God. I just wish this book could have had more depth and not been 2/3rds re-telling stories we already know by heart. I feel there are much better and deeper books that would bring us to reflect on the grace of God. This book was just kind of "blah" or "okay". You could easily go without having read it, it wouldn't go in my library and I would never recommend it to others. I'd say "read it if you want but it's only so-so".
Readers may be interested in knowing Andy Stanley is writing from an Arminianist Christian perspective.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
OKAY: Close Enough To Hear God Breathe by Greg Paul
The title of the book is poetic and catchy, but I don't feel it relates well to the book. A title like "Is God Like Human Parents?" would very accurately describe this book. This book is broken into 5 Parts (1 The Heart of the Matter, 2 Creation, 3 The Fall, 4 Redemption, 5 Consumation) with 3 chapters in each part. The book is full of parent-child stories and is not very deep, so it makes for a quick read. The idea behind this book is to look at God as if he were a human parent and to look at us humans as his children. Each chapter begins by telling a human parent-child relationship story and then ends by explaining how God views us humans in a similar way.
I'm not sure of the theological accuracy of this book, and I'm sure many will have disagreements with relating God to human parents, but it does make for an interesting read. At the end of each chapter, you stop and go: Does God really think/feel/behave like human parents in this way?
As an example:
Part 2's first story tells a story of how the author adores his son because the son is a reflection of himself, then concludes that God must adore humans because we reflect God.
The second story is of the author's cold unemotional father who provides physically for his family but is so hard-headed that his sons don't speak to him for 3-25 years!!! BUT the author concludes that his own human father loved all his kids because he provided for them physically. So the author says although God is distant, doesn't speak to us, is unemotional and much like his cold father, that God also provides for us physically, so God must love us.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
I'm not sure of the theological accuracy of this book, and I'm sure many will have disagreements with relating God to human parents, but it does make for an interesting read. At the end of each chapter, you stop and go: Does God really think/feel/behave like human parents in this way?
As an example:
Part 2's first story tells a story of how the author adores his son because the son is a reflection of himself, then concludes that God must adore humans because we reflect God.
The second story is of the author's cold unemotional father who provides physically for his family but is so hard-headed that his sons don't speak to him for 3-25 years!!! BUT the author concludes that his own human father loved all his kids because he provided for them physically. So the author says although God is distant, doesn't speak to us, is unemotional and much like his cold father, that God also provides for us physically, so God must love us.
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
BUY IT: Our Last Hope: Awakening The Great Commission by Ronnie Floyd
This book is about making missionary work the most important goal of your life - become another Apostle Paul. The author focuses greatly on planting churches in enormous numbers all around the world and preaching in all parts of the world. The author's goal is to convince you of the importance of missionary work, calling it the "last great hope".
As a Christian woman, I found this book very interesting. It challenged my current lifestyle and even if it doesn't change my goal in life into becoming a missionary, it certainly has challenged my perspective on missions and made me re-evaluate the importance of missionary work. It also makes me question whether the Bible REALLY does tell us to become missionaries or if that did end with the apostles. Not only did the author hold my attention, but I found this book very thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to others - it is worth considering, even if you don't agree 100%.
If you read this book, expect to be convinced, pressured, guilted or scared into becoming a missionary. To say the author takes missions VERY seriously is even an understatement - he goes to the extreme of nearly (without outright saying it) questioning one's salvation if they aren't a missionary and he uses scriptures to back up his side of the story. Floyd is quite convincing. One way or the other, you will certainly come away with that feeling of "Oh boy, I better get off my butt and become a missionary" much like some say "I better read my bible more".
xxv: Per the author, in the book of Matthew, we are commanded to "make disciples - of all nations", but there were no organized missions anywhere until 1783, when British William Carey, a Baptist pastor, had to work by himself because he was told by other ministers that the charge was no longer binding. Since Carey, missions grew around the world.
As a sample:
xxvii, pg3: Floyd describes The Great Commission as "Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations." He wrote "we have no choice - this, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, is our last great hope." We are ALL to become missionaries and there is nothing more important in life than to save people from a horrible end in hell.
pg5: And just in case you are wavering, he quotes James "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. (James 1:22–24)" Floyd almost presents it like "if you don't become a missionary" you are disobeying God and you may not be saved after all. If you REALLY loved God, you would become a missionary. Floyd writes on pg7 "focus utterly and completely on pleasing God"
pg 9: "How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them? How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them?"
pg10-11: "If only I could spend all my time, all my abilities, all my strength on what really matters. I look around and see our streets teeming with people who are consumed by football or politics or Hollywood or Wall Street or the dating scene or the Internet. I understand the lure of all these things. But as for me, I want to trade in my remaining years, months, days, and minutes—God alone knows their count—for the kind of seeds that will take root among people and then blossom in heaven. I now see my moments as currency, and I can spend them on trash or treasure. I don’t want to give any precious resource of this life to that which isn’t eternally significant."
pg14-15 "Look again at the question I’ve posed—Do I know Jesus intimately?—and think about how you would honestly answer it. Take your time—you’ll never answer a more important question. You see, we’re talking about the Great Commission. How can someone have a passion for obeying it if he or she hasn’t fully internalized its message? What if I asked you to tell people all over town about a new restaurant when you had never dined there? You wouldn’t be so excited about that subject, and frankly, you wouldn’t be a very effective spokesperson. But if you had been there, enjoyed the specialty of the house, and knew it was the greatest meal of your life—so fantastic you would never want to dine anywhere else, for any meal—then no one could stop you from telling your friends about that place. If you’ve truly tasted of the Bread of Life, if you’ve sipped from living waters that well up to eternal joy, there is absolutely no way you can live without telling others about it. You want everyone to have a chance to sit at that table, even people you don’t know—people across the country or across the world. That’s why the Great Commission is my passion, and why it should be yours."
pg19: "To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him. We want everyone to experience what we have experienced. We want it because we are obedient, because it’s natural to share what is wonderful with others, and because those others face an alternative that is terrible beyond imagining."
pg20: Floyd writes that if you love Jesus, this love "will lead you inevitably to caring about the Great Commission."
pg21: "What could I give up, you will wonder, so that I could support our friends who are winning people to the Lord? Never again will you want to simply indulge in your own pleasure— you’ll know the joy of returning to God what has always been His."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
As a Christian woman, I found this book very interesting. It challenged my current lifestyle and even if it doesn't change my goal in life into becoming a missionary, it certainly has challenged my perspective on missions and made me re-evaluate the importance of missionary work. It also makes me question whether the Bible REALLY does tell us to become missionaries or if that did end with the apostles. Not only did the author hold my attention, but I found this book very thought-provoking. I would recommend this book to others - it is worth considering, even if you don't agree 100%.
If you read this book, expect to be convinced, pressured, guilted or scared into becoming a missionary. To say the author takes missions VERY seriously is even an understatement - he goes to the extreme of nearly (without outright saying it) questioning one's salvation if they aren't a missionary and he uses scriptures to back up his side of the story. Floyd is quite convincing. One way or the other, you will certainly come away with that feeling of "Oh boy, I better get off my butt and become a missionary" much like some say "I better read my bible more".
xxv: Per the author, in the book of Matthew, we are commanded to "make disciples - of all nations", but there were no organized missions anywhere until 1783, when British William Carey, a Baptist pastor, had to work by himself because he was told by other ministers that the charge was no longer binding. Since Carey, missions grew around the world.
As a sample:
xxvii, pg3: Floyd describes The Great Commission as "Tell every person in the world about Jesus Christ and make disciples of all nations." He wrote "we have no choice - this, the fulfillment of the Great Commission, is our last great hope." We are ALL to become missionaries and there is nothing more important in life than to save people from a horrible end in hell.
pg5: And just in case you are wavering, he quotes James "if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. (James 1:22–24)" Floyd almost presents it like "if you don't become a missionary" you are disobeying God and you may not be saved after all. If you REALLY loved God, you would become a missionary. Floyd writes on pg7 "focus utterly and completely on pleasing God"
pg 9: "How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them? How many people do we encounter every day who are dying of thirst for the living water only Christ can provide, but we’re too busy to tell them?"
pg10-11: "If only I could spend all my time, all my abilities, all my strength on what really matters. I look around and see our streets teeming with people who are consumed by football or politics or Hollywood or Wall Street or the dating scene or the Internet. I understand the lure of all these things. But as for me, I want to trade in my remaining years, months, days, and minutes—God alone knows their count—for the kind of seeds that will take root among people and then blossom in heaven. I now see my moments as currency, and I can spend them on trash or treasure. I don’t want to give any precious resource of this life to that which isn’t eternally significant."
pg14-15 "Look again at the question I’ve posed—Do I know Jesus intimately?—and think about how you would honestly answer it. Take your time—you’ll never answer a more important question. You see, we’re talking about the Great Commission. How can someone have a passion for obeying it if he or she hasn’t fully internalized its message? What if I asked you to tell people all over town about a new restaurant when you had never dined there? You wouldn’t be so excited about that subject, and frankly, you wouldn’t be a very effective spokesperson. But if you had been there, enjoyed the specialty of the house, and knew it was the greatest meal of your life—so fantastic you would never want to dine anywhere else, for any meal—then no one could stop you from telling your friends about that place. If you’ve truly tasted of the Bread of Life, if you’ve sipped from living waters that well up to eternal joy, there is absolutely no way you can live without telling others about it. You want everyone to have a chance to sit at that table, even people you don’t know—people across the country or across the world. That’s why the Great Commission is my passion, and why it should be yours."
pg19: "To know Christ is to love Him; to love Him is to share Him. We want everyone to experience what we have experienced. We want it because we are obedient, because it’s natural to share what is wonderful with others, and because those others face an alternative that is terrible beyond imagining."
pg20: Floyd writes that if you love Jesus, this love "will lead you inevitably to caring about the Great Commission."
pg21: "What could I give up, you will wonder, so that I could support our friends who are winning people to the Lord? Never again will you want to simply indulge in your own pleasure— you’ll know the joy of returning to God what has always been His."
Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge from the publisher but I am giving my honest review.
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