Book Recommendations
The Art of Breathing: Abiding in Christ
Gina Roes, Xulon Press
Making a living or really living? Really living is an art form. After a few years on this planet, really living seems a bit idealistic. We are more likely to settle for making a living. So what happened? How did our stories end up here? How did we become so disconnected from the life for which we were made? Is there any hope of really living the abundant life Jesus promised?
Life on this side of Eden is not what we hoped for. It is not what we were made for. Something is missing. As we abide in Christ, we offer Him our hearts. He, in turn, offers His heart. We point to Him. He points to us. We give Him our pain. He heals and restores us to wholeness. We give our sin. He gives His forgiveness. We give our lives. He gives His life. We breathe out ourselves and inhale His presenece, a fluid motion of abiding. This is the abundant life. This is the art of breathing.
Gina Roes is a professional counselor, writer and national speaker. She has led conferences, retreats, and workshops on such topics as depression, boundaries, recovery from trauma, and spiritual formation. Gina lives in Savannah, Georgia with her dog, Ellie.
Love is a Choice
Dr. Robert Hemfelt, Dr. Frank Minirth, Paul Meier M.D.
These bestselling doctors walk you through their ten proven stages to recovery from codependency that results from external circustances. Humans are susceptible to codependency because of our sinful tendency to use defense mechanisms to fool ourselves. In codependent relationships, deceitful games are played, and important Christian principles are often taken out of context and abused. God wants us to have healthy relationships with a balance between being dependent and independent. The doctors describe how the most effective means of overcoming codependent relationships is to establish or deepen a relationship with Christ Himself. They describe the causes of codependency, pointing out the factors that perpetuate it, and lead readers through their ten stages of recovery
Love Busters
Willard F. Harley
Is the honeymoon over? Are you losing the love you once felt for each other? According to Dr. Harley, “After couples get married, they usually develop habits that destroy their love for each other. I call those destructive habits Love Busters. And as long as Love Busters are tolerated, love doesn’t have a chance.” With this insightful book, you and your spouse can learn to avoid the six most common Love Busters that may have gained a foothold in your marriage: • Selfish demands • Disrespectful judgments • Angry outbursts • Dishonesty • Annoying habits • Independent behavior Once you throw out these habits, your love for each other can be restored and your conflicts more easily resolved.
Captivating
John and Stasi Eldredge
Every little girl has dreams of being swept up into a great adventure, of being the beautiful princess. Sadly, when women grow up, they are often swept up into a life filled merely with duty and demands. Many Christian women are tired, struggling under the weight of the pressure to be a “good servant,” a nurturing caregiver, or a capable home manager.
What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating can do for women. This groundbreaking book shows readers the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how the feminine heart can be restored, and casts a vision for the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be. By revealing the core desires every woman shares-to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a grand adventure, and to unveil beauty-John and Stasi Eldredge invite women to recover their feminine hearts, created in the image of an intimate and passionate God. Further, they encourage men to discover the secret of a woman’s soul and to delight in the beauty and strength women were created to offer.
How to Really Love Your Angry Child
Dr. D. Ross Campbell
Few things in life are as important as raising our children. But sometimes, even when you do your best, you find that you need help addressing your child’s anger—and, as a result, your own anger. If this is your situation—there is real cause for hope! In this breakthrough book, Dr. D. Ross Campbell helps both you and your child deal with this little understood emotion. You’ll learn the stages of a child’s life and how anger manifests itself at each juncture. And you’ll learn the practical steps to take when you face it in your home.
His Needs, Her Needs
Wiilard F. Harley
Marriage works only when each spouse takes the time to consider the other’s needs and strives to meet them. In His Needs, Her Needs, Willard Harley identifies the ten most vital needs of men and women and shows husbands and wives how to satisfy those needs in their spouses. He provides guidance for becoming irresistible to your spouse and for loving more creatively and sensitively, thereby eliminating the problems that often lead to extramarital affairs. The revised anniversary edition of His Needs, Her Needs is a celebration of how the book has helped thousands of couples revitalize their marriages during the last fifteen years. This best-seller identifies the causes of marital difficulties and instructs couples on how to prevent them, guiding them to build a relationship that sustains romance and increases intimacy. With today’s soaring divorce rate and prevalence of affairs, Harley’s insights are needed more than ever before.
Five Love Languages
Gary Chapman
Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? While love is a many splendored thing, it is sometimes a very confusing thing, too. And as people come in all varieties, shapes, and sizes, so do their choices of personal expressions of love. But more often than not, the giver and the receiver express love in two different ways. This can lead to misunderstanding, quarrels, and even divorce. Quality Time Words of Affirmation Gifts Acts of Service Physical TouchDr. Gary Chapman identifies five basic languages of love and then guides couples towards a better understanding of their unique languages of love. Learn to speak and understand your mate’s love language, and in no time you will be able to effectively love and truly feel loved in return.Skillful communication is within your grasp!
Bringing up Boys
Dr. James Dobson
Dobson, a psychologist and family counselor, takes a decidedly conservative approach to the “special challenge of raising boys.” Celebrating the natural differences between boys and girls, Dobson outlines biological differences, particular issues in disciplining boys, and the different roles of mothers and fathers. He scoffs at those who attribute differences to social factors. Dobson is particularly critical of feminists and their influence on American culture, for example, the advent of nonsexist toys. Dobson sees the “future of Western civilization” dependent on how we handle the “crisis” of raising the next generation of men. Much of his advice on boy-rearing issues, from discipline to attention deficit disorder to coping with divorce, is biblically based. Each chapter ends with a question-and-answer format. The most controversial chapter examines the origins of homosexuality, calling it a “disorder” that can be cured. Conservative and Christian readers may enjoy Dobson’s book; other readers are likely to take issue with some of his observations. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved—This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
False Intimacy
Harry Schaumburg
WHY ARE SEXUAL TEMPTATIONS SO HARD TO RESIST WHEN THE PRICE IS SO HIGH? We all long for true intimacy. Many people seek to fill that void by seeking sexual relationships-whether real or fantasized-that promise to provide the relief, acceptance, and fulfillment for which they long. But it is false intimacy. And as Dr. Harry Schaumburg points out, “Sexual intimacy can’t relieve their deep, unmet longings.” False Intimacy goes beyond behavioral symptoms and willpower-based solutions to provide biblical guideposts for the journey to restoration. With frank honesty, False Intimacy examines the roots behind these kinds of behaviors and offers realistic direction to those whose lives or ministries have been impacted by sexual addiction.
Every Man’s Battle
Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey
DNA of Relationships
Gary Smalley
“Life is relationships; the rest is just details.” We are designed for relationships, yet they often bring us pain. In this paradigm-shifting book, Dr. Gary Smalley unravels the DNA of relationships: We are made for three great relationships—with God, others, and ourselves—and all relationships involve choice. Gary exposes a destructive relationship dance that characterizes nearly every relationship conflict, and he offers five new dance steps that will revolutionize relationships. The DNA of Relationships, the cornerstone book in Gary Smalley’s relationship campaign, will help you learn to take personal responsibility, create a safe environment, keep their battery charged, listen with the heart, and adopt a no-losers policy. It will revolutionize your marriage, family, friendships, and work relationships!
A Way of Escape
Neil T. Anderson
For people trapped by unwanted thoughts, compulsive habits, or painful pasts, Anderson provides steps to overcome sexual strongholds. No matter how high the walls, escape is possible. Readers will discover practical and biblical insights to help them discover true freedom through Christ.
Boundaries
Henry Cloud and John Townsend, Zondervan Press
In this book the authors help us know when to say yes and when to say no in relationship so they work better and everyone is happier.