5 comments about Breaking Free: Understanding Sexual Addiction & the Healing Power of Jesus.

1. There are a lot of other books out there chopping down the weeds but Willingham gets a shovel and digs out the roots. This book nails it!



2. Great Book!!!
   I Would recommend it to anyone who deals with sexual addiction!
   Read it with your spouse and get more out of it and revitalize your marriage.
   If u want to overcome sexual addiction this is the book!
   I've read it 3x's,its an awesome book!!



3. This book brings incredible perspective and hope to those that struggle with sexual sin. It has completely opened my eyes to new ways of looking at addiction. Breaking Free does not simply tell you how to stop, it teaches you why the problem exists in the first place. I would not recommend this however to atheists or those who find it uncomfortable to put their faith in God. For Christians however, this book is an amazing tool for those who are sexually broken and those who are married to men struggling with sexual addiction.



4. A great book that gets right to the issues at hand. I would recommend it to anyone I know, even if they are not directly affected by sexual addiction.



5. This is a great book! Everybody should read this to really connect with God in a big way. It's also a great tool to use with a small class. Thanks

5 comments about In Pursuit of Peace: 21 Ways to Conquer Anxiety, Fear, and Discontentment (Meyer, Joyce).

1. It was my first time buying an audiotape and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but I loved it. I had never heard the subject of peace explained so well. The CD itself was very soothing. I listen to it everynight for the first two months. The voice of Pat Lentz works very well with the title of peace. I had to other 4 CDs for friends. The CD teaches you how not to be too busy, learning to relax and to rely on God, truly receiving the peace of God that surpasses all understanding in the midst of chaos. It teaches you how to handle stressful situations as well as valuing friendship and following God's plan. This is a very comprehensive CD that talks about behavior to even living a healthy life. I would say everyone should buy this CD.



2. The audio tape contains useful information; however, I was disappointed that Joyce Meyers was not the actual speaker. I have listened to other audio cds of hers and found them to be not only useful but entertaining as well. I found my mind wandering often as I listened to Pat Lentz speak on the CDs.



3. In whatever you are struggling with in life, you will find that it all begins with seeking the peace of God. In learning to trust in Him and rely on Him completely, you can find a peace that surpasses all understanding. This is one of Joyce's most well written books and it is packed with the steps that you will need to find peace in an ever-changing, unstable world. Jesus came and died to give us HIS peace and it is up to US to pursue it! This is a must read for anyone desiring to enter the rest of God.



4. Very true and helpful...Not an 'overnight' cure but a great start!



5. I had hoped to give this audio book as a gift. Now I am praying about who to give it to that will appreciate it. The reading by Pat Lentz lacks the life, impact and zest that flows from Joyce herself. I am dissapointented and wish I had not purchased this CD.

5 comments about Breaking Intimidation.

1. Rising With The Son: A Diary Of A Growing Soul
   
   At the core John addresses many issues we all share that keep us from living a full and complete life in Christ. We do fear! Rejection, Judgment, Death, Loss and Failure...all just part of what could hold us back. Yet, how many of us think about fearing the same from our God. This book doesn't intimidate but does tell us like it is. We CAN fall forward and truly live in the power and grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This book is LIFE GIVING.



2. Absolutely true what the other reviewers are saying! This is a life-giving and changing book that is difficult to put down. I was a bit surprised on what the one negative review stated. No where does John Bevere suggest one stays in authority (hid in Christ) by striving or being unkind. And actually he does give many Biblical precidents where one can lose authority by giving into intimidation. Bevere is speaking about losing authority and the ability to excercise gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ--not about losing one's salvation and certainly not about relying on ourselves for power or answers. Depression,broken families, split churches, lack of joy--most of us have seen it, experienced it. This book shows the roots of it. And the basic root, Bevere explains, is NOT doing what we are told to do--which is lay down our self life. This book isn't an easy read by any means. Thank God. I've recently read most of Bevere's books. Balance. Root causes and the truth in all of them. I'm also recommending several other books and authors that I feel all work together. Different messages--but all in unity, that have helped me immensely see clearer the word of God. The True Nature of God by Andrew Wommack. Why I Left the Prophetic Movement by Andrew Strom. I have found all books by Wommack, Bevere, Strom and also Ray Comfort to be balanced and working the same good things I believe God wants us to know to come into unity, power and godly authority.



3. [[ASIN:159185881X Breaking Intimidation]
   As I read this book, it addressed exactly what I've experienced in so many relationships. My favorite quote, "Unless you use your God-given authority, someone else will take it from you and use it against you."



4. ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS I KEEP BUYING COPIES AND GIVING THEM AWAY THIS TIME WHEN I BUY ANOTHER COPY FOR MYSELF I WILL BUY AT LEAST TWO.I THANK GOD FOR JOHN BEVERE . I AM SO GRATEFULL TO HAVE DISCOVERED THE BOOKS HE HAS WRITTEN.



5. Abolutely awesome book that is a must for every Christian who follows Jesus and wants to live in His power, love and word.
   
   Have heard him preach this message in person and the book reads just like he preaches. The book has much more depth though.
   
   John Bevere is a great teacher of God's word and his books are very easy to read and understand. Highly recommended book.

5 comments about A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism.

1. this book is an excellent intro to UU thought; anyone who is open-minded and liberal should read it



2. If you want a book to share with others about what UU is about, this one would seem a good choice. It may be good for you, as well, although you may find enough on the Web to get you started, after which a visit to a UU church, if you can do that, would seem an excellent step: I don't know if it is representative, but the bookstore at my UU church is heavily supplied in many areas that would be of interest to anyone exploring UU, with both general introductory and specific material. And UU church members I've met have been happy to talk about UU and knowledgeable about it.
   
   What this book did present especially well is UU's history, including the role of key early Unitarians and Universalists including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, John Murray, and William Ellery Channing. The brief (6 page) chronology of UU history was a big help to me and one would give you many leads for further study, as would the "Suggestions for Further Reading" that follows the chronology.
   
   Although the effort by Unitarians on the "Humanist Manifesto" is covered, this book does not present much about those atheists who find a home within UU even though, according a survey cited in Wikipedia, 18% of the U.S. UU's describe "atheism" as the best term to describe their "belief". Nevertheless, this book does emphasize that UU is non-creedal and does include atheists.
   
   But what this book did best for me is share the spirit of what religious pluralism means and the freedom and support it provides and which I can share within UU and with others who may not have known what UU is about. At this time (as in the past) of so much hostility among those of differing beliefs, why not learn about a faith that is so welcoming without needless conditions?



3. I grew up in one of the larger UU churches, going through the RE program and learning from people of many religious traditions what being a UU was. So reading this book now, after almost 20 years of being a UU was a very UU experience. I disagree with the authors on some points, but that's what's great about the UU faith. I learned a lot through this conflict, so from that perspective, this can be a great book. If you read this expecting a dogmatic "what a UU is", you'll be disappointed.
   
   The sense I got from the book was that this is a good introduction if you are coming from a Judeo-Christian faith, or that is what you are most familiar with. If you are an Athiest, Wiccan, Buddhist, etc, the latter chapters may seem to be coming from a very different perspective and may not be as clear or relevant to you.



4. This book was a wonderful introduction to Unitarian Universalism, a faith that I knew very little about. Often misunderstood as an "anything goes" new age religion, Unitarian Universalism has in fact a rich and long history with a lot of careful thought behind it.



5. Overall, I enjoyed and found helpful this introduction to Unitarian Univeralism. But, you must know a but is coming.
   
   However (I fooled you!) I must say I chuckled at some of the themes that Revs. Buehrens and Church emphasized.
   
   1. The claim to be a non-hierarchical church. Buehrens himself was the president of the UUA--not all that different from being the pope. I think you have local supervisors. Another word for supervisor is "bishop." BTW, concerning Catholics, maybe 1% of an average day has anything to do with the pope. Maybe 2% of the same day has anything to do with the bishop. 97% of the time we are congregationalists.
   
   2. The claim to be non-credal. But what are the six sources? What are the 10 beliefs of Rev. David Rankin in the book's introduction? If you say that "they are not creeds, they are suggestions," I tell you, that is the way that the majority of Catholics take their creed.
   
   3. The claim to all inclusiveness, toleration, and non-judgementalism. How are pro-life UU's treated, if there are any? Rankin (#6) states that "we believe in the worth and dignity of every human being." Certainly a pre-born baby is human; he/she isn't animal or vegetable or mineral. Is she/he a "being?" I think so, as opposed to a non-being. In 1966, my brother was born at 6 months maturity, at 2lbs, 13 oz. He was given a 1% chance of living. Now he is about 222lbs. No one says anyone should go to jail; that is a 'straw man' argument. Just that it should be left to the states, contra Roe v Wade, and that it be recognized as 'not a good thing, to be avoided.' Apparently, Susan B. Anthony and many of the original feminists were against abortion.
   
   Would a UU who said "my sense of justice requires that those who take a life should forfeit their life" be tolerated?
   
   4.) There seemed to be too much emphasis on "fundamentalists" as bogey men/women. Where's the tolerance, the love, the acceptance, even if you don't have to think alike with them?
   
   At any rate, thank you for this introduction, and I look forward to learning more about your denomination.

5 comments about Healing is a Choice: 10 Decisions That Will Transform Your Life and 10 Lies That Can Prevent You from Making Them.

1. Healing is a Choice is the book and workbook my Bible Study Small Group chose this fall. It is a great study for everyone.... A real work on myself what a diffence my outlook on life is now.



2. If we want to be real we need to be healed from the inside out. Being born into this world means we are born into dysfunctional familes. It is up to make the decision to get real and stop the pattern from being repeated. This book will help get you on the road to recovery.



3. I have read several self-help books and "Healing is a Choice" is the best. This book has given me a fresh perspective on old issues. Steve Arterburn is a great author. Go for it...you won't be sorry.



4. Very well written materials to facilitate personal thought processes toward healing. I found the biblical basis and references to be very helpful. Definately geard for those searching for solid suggestions for emotional and spritual healing. POWERFUL!



5. You may not necessarily appreciate Mr. Arterburn's advice unless you are broken and humbled. Some reviewers take offense at the advice offered by one whose own marriage failed. However, my point of view is, "Who better to listen to than someone who has walked in my shoes?". I've spent the last year of my life trying to survive. I'm ready to heal and start living again. Seems to me that the author has "been there, done that" and he speaks the truth. If you aren't ready to hear that truth, perhaps you should set it aside until you are ready.

5 comments about Four Pillars of a Man's Heart: Bringing Strength into Balance.

1. This book was recommended by a friend and it turned out to be the best men's book I have ever read, organizing a man's life into the four roles he fills. Mr Weber also does a great job in
   showing what happens when those pillars become unbalanced.
   Recommended for all men!



2. Stu Weber paints a precise picture of biblical masculinity. This book is helping several of my friends and I grow as husbands, fathers and teachers.



3. Our small group went through this book as a three month study. Overall, I felt that the author had good intentions and principles, but IMHO the book was poorly written and organized. On the positive side, Weber's section on the "King pillar" was for the most part quite strong and provided good application to me as a man.
   
   However, the other pillars were not nearly as good. Some chapters seemed to be a string of sob stories without a particular point. I'm sure the author was attempting to stir up some sort of emotion, but the application and substance was sorely missing. Additionally, Weber tended to inject his political viewpoints into the book quite a bit. I'm very conservative by nature and even I thought he was a little heavy handed with the propaganda. Considering the glowing reviews on Amazon, I expected a little more from the book. I can't say that I recommend this book as group study, but it may be worthwhile to those who like his style.



4. I cannot recommend this book more heartily. It transformed my husband from a bachelor who happened to have a wife and child to a godly, loving, servant leader of our home. This book drove my husband directly to the Word of God where he was challenged to rise to the calling of Biblical manhood. I, his wife, am reaping the benefits of this transformation, the recipient of his tender leadership, his protection and provision, his prayers and undying love.



5. I believe this is a book which every young man should read,
   awareness of these principles would strengthen every mans
   response on how to be a competent father and husband in the family
   as well as his community.

5 comments about Discover Your God Given Gifts.

1. The best resource I've found for spiritual gift study so far.
   
   The theological foundation is very sound, making good sense of the main passages on spiritual gifts in a way very few others do. Gifts are broken into 1) Manifestation (sign gifts - 1 Cor 12-14; Acts 2) 2) Ministry (equipping gifts - Eph 4) & 3) Motivational (every-Christian-gifts - Rom 12).
   
   Written in a style anyone can use.
   
   Inventories are great and surprisingly accurate for the limited number of questions used.
   
   Warnings regarding misuse of spiritual gift impulses are very helpful (e.g. a "teaching" gift can incline a person to feel they are always right).
   
   Application into the arena of employment is a bit excessive and beyond the scope of biblical applications for spiritual gifts. Better to do a Myers-Briggs or some other personality profile for that endeavor.



2. Thanks so much to the Fortunes for writing such a helpful book - so clear and full of useful information. After reading and re-discovering my Gift, I am in awe of how easy it is to see His Gifts in others. Thank You!!!



3. This book has all that you need to encourage any Christian that he or she IS gifted by God. The author not only describes each gift as outlined in Romans ch 12 but gives biblical examples of each gift. A tremendous resource.



4. I took a couple spiritual gifts tests and did not find them benefitical because they did not use Bible verses very much. When my wife and I took tests together using this book (Discover Your God Given Gifts) - I find it very easy to read and identify 7 motivational gifts that helped us to identify our gifts to serve Lord at local church. Now I am using this book as a tool to teach others at my church.



5. This book is fantastic for those who struggle between serving God and earning a living. When we work within our giftings, we will be happiest. This will help you discover where your gifts can be best suited both in the church and in your career. It will help you align yourself with your giftings so that you can not only be a bigger blessing to the world, but focus on the gifts God gave you to enhance them and use them as He intended.

4 comments about You're Born an Original, Don't Die a Copy.

1. This book is full of wonderful self affirming statements. It has passages from scriptures mixed in. A very uplifting piece of work. Lot's of wisdom to live by.



2. that can really help you change as a person if you want to. I enjoyed the fact that it was a simple easy read. John Mason gets the information across in a clear manner. He doesn't waste a lot of words.



3. It's wise, it's great, it's complete and a very big boost for self-assurance!
   
   Sad thing is seeing STUPID OBNOXIOUS Gorillaz fans who think the phrase from the title of this wonderful book is a quote from Murdoc Niccals. What a bunch of losers.
   
   John Mason, congratulations for your brilliant work!!!



4. I was going through a terrible time in my life when a friend handed this book to me - I read it over and over - it was my source for reassurance everytime I questioned my decisions. I have given this book to several people that I thought needed the same help - it was amazing how such small thoughts could have such a dramatic effect on someone

5 comments about Let Me Be a Woman.

1. I wish there were a way to have this review appear at the top of this book's Amazon page instead of the ones that were there. This book does not imply that a woman's only role in life is to "serve" a man. Elisabeth Elliot has spent most of her life single! While it is written to her daughter, it is for ALL women - and I think for some men too! I have been looking for a book that will tell my sons about marriage. (I'm preparing ahead to have something to give them when they become engaged). There are parts of this book that are better than anything I've read in any book for men, such as the chapter, "You Marry a Sinner." It's good to have REALISTIC expectations of your spouse! I have purchased two copies of this book for my future daughters-in-law and set them aside with instructions for my SONS to also read certain chapters as well. This is the best book on the role of women and for anyone anticipating marriage that I have ever read, and believe me, I've been looking far and wide among the "men's" books for my sons.



2. Personally, I do not think several previous reviews do the book the justice. I also know that I will NOT be able to explain the mystery and glory of the true "submission" (Ephesians 5:22), which this whole book is about. However, I'll try.
   
   I don't believe Elizabeth meant:
   1) "Woman for Man,... or Woman for God?" As this issue, I think one has to look over the whole book, the systematic way, instead of just one chapter or one sentence, just like how we should read and interpret God's Words. As for whom women belong to, the author made it quite clear in Chapter 2 & 3.
   
   2) Also, I read this book many times, but don't personally get "its underlying assumption is that our purpose is simply to marry and reproduce and be good wives and mothers."(quote from the previous review). That was never my impression. Actually, my impression is that she's a woman of God, who loves God, pursues God, and submits her will to God. The author herself has been single for most of her life time.
   
   3) If you read "Passion & Purity", you get to know her own love story with Jim Elliot, her first husband. Marriage has never been priority #1 in her life. Instead, it's God's will. She was willing to sacrifice her heart's deepest desire to God's will as they were dating... Isn't that exactly what God wants every of His followers to do, to imitate Jesus, "Not my will but Yours be done", to surrender, to submit...only then He can start His beautiful, mysterious, but magnificently glorious transforming work in us??
   
   4) I'm single and I think it's always encouraging and reassuring to me whenever I pick it up to browse. I got it in 2002 and the book shines new insights to life as I grew as one of His followers, namely, a Christian. It reminds me of my ultimate priority, to love Him and obey His will, whatever that maybe. It emphasizes on what true freedom means, what deep and delicate respect to others (may it be husbands, or men in general or even women friends) means, what relationship, in essence, means...
   
   5) However, if you are looking for a practical book on relationships, such as "Five Love Languages", etc. Yeah, this is not the one you want. However, remember that practical books address behaviors itself, just changing behaviors without addressing heart issues, generally, if not all the time, doesn't bring any lasting changes. Only when the heart truly repents and get humbled and realign its worship disorder in front of God, that's when the behavior changes come not only lasting in time, but naturally flowing from heart. This book is one that addresses our hearts problems....therefore, you can choose according to your own need...
   
   OK, I write enough now... Hope this will help you decide... I've been reorganizing/slimming my bookshelf... wanted to donate this little book to the public library, but after browsing it again, decided to save it... Not many books "survive" my browsing again...



3. Elisabeth Elliot is concise, practical and inspiring. This is one of the best books on marriage I have read in 27 years of marriage and I give it to every engaged couple I can.



4. I read the reviews before I bought the book and had a feeling I would like the book. What is so wrong with a woman depending on a man? I do believe Women's Lib had more wrong with it than right. It is no small wonder there is so much divorce now. Women had to prove they were stronger through getting out of the house to work? Strength is providing for the home and for the children. I wish I had this book when I was younger. Being sexually liberated has only proven to be a heartache for me. Of course, a lot of women think times are better BUT now men treat women as disposable. The Bible says that whoever finds a good wife finds a good thing from God. They are not many nowadays...they get divorced at the first sign of discomfort. Elisabeth Elliott inspired me that whenever I do get married, I will be prepared and willing with all of my heart to call my man MILORD, just as Sarah called Abraham. I will be liberated by true love and devotion and not by burning my bra.



5. What can I say? Elliot's books are classics. She not only is a talented author but she shares real truth. If you're like me, it is best to buy your own copy so that you can highlight whatever you want. It would be faster than copying down all the good quotes. The book is comprised of letters that Elliot wrote to her daughter before she was married, but the book has truths for women in each stage of life.
   
   "Womanhood is a call. It is a vocation to which we respond under God, glad if it means the literal bearing of children, thankful as well for all that it means in a much wider sense...the unconditional response in Mary the virgin, and the willingness to enter into suffering, to receive, to carry, to give life, to nurture and to care for others. The strength to answer this call is given us as we look up toward the Love that created us, remembering that it was that Love that first, most literally, imagined sexuality, that made us at the very beginning real men and real women. As we conform to that Love's demands we shall become more humble, more dependent--on Him and on one another--and even (dare I say it?) more splendid." (p62)

5 comments about Spirit-Controlled Temperament.

1. The minute I got into this book and started reading about the different temperments, I was nodding and saying, "yea, that's me. Oh yea that is me, too." The best part is I often wonder if I could ever change or get rid of my weaknesses. Now I realize that it is a part of my temperment and I don't need to change it but find out how to turn my weaknesses into God's glory.



2. I first read this book 27 years ago. I read the original edition published around 1974. But this edition is no better!

   First, LaHaye condemns "negative" human emotions as SINS. This idea comes from late medieval theology, and was implemented by--who else?--John Calvin. LaHaye insists that anger--which he says is the dominant "negative" emotion for the "choleric" temperament--is the fruit of selfishness. At times he confuses selfishness with self-centeredness. He implies that losing one's temper is a sin, and that by being "controlled by the Holy Spirit" a Christian can NEVER get emotionally angry. He also insists that fear of any kind--especially worry--is also sin, and that the root of fear is selfishness.

   The second problem with this book's ideas--which are naturally the author's ideas--is that the fruits of the Spirit are positive emotions. LaHaye also teaches the so-called four temperaments as if they are modern-day notions, while they are actually classical in origin and no longer accepted by behavioral scientists.

   LaHaye believes in Sola Scriptura--one of the cries of the Protestant Reformation. Yet, he goes outside of Scripture in his dogmatism. What's more, he manipulates Scripture in order to have it say what he wants it to say.




3. Remember the King prancing around as a reformed pirate, at the camp meeting out in the woods while the Duke ripped off the print shop back in town? The King made out great that day, 80 dollars and more. LaHaye's made a lot more with this book. The King and the Duke wound up getting tarred and feathered, ridden on a rail.
   When's Lahaye going to get shown up for what he is? How come 19th Century Arkansaw had more sense than 21st Century Middle America?



4. I read this book thirty years ago or so, when as a young Christian I was searching for understanding of myself and others. At the time it helped me face myself and understand some things about my natural strengths and weaknesses. As I studied and grew, I came to understand the ancient and somewhat occult origins of his theory, and had to set it aside as heresy.
   
   A thorough treatment of the occult and heretical origin of his theory is available in book form from PsychoHeresy Awareness Ministries. They have a web site with specific information about this book, one of many that add to scriptural teachings about personality and motivation.
   
   I found Kiersey's work on personality type to be more useful to me. Also I have taken a Myers-Briggs test administered by my church and obtained very useful insights. The leadership of my church treats personality variations as phenomena and does not make associations between personality traits and elements of the sinful natute, as LaHaye does, because they think these associations are heresy, that is, a teaching that does not derive from scripture.
   
   LaHaye's system is too crude to be useful for anything except perhaps to stir debate.
   
   I hope Christian home schoolers are not using this book. There are better resources.



5. This is an interesting subject and LaHaye has some good insights, but overall this book is underwhelming. For starters, his system of classification and division of the temperaments is not even internally coherent. Then his descriptions of the four temperaments are inconsistent and overlapping. For the best book on temperament and personality type read "Please Understand Me II" by David Keirsey instead. One positive aspect of the book is the combination of psychology and Christianity. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we can overcome many of our weaknesses. However, much of his advice is too general or theoretical. For a more practical book combining Christianity and psychology, read "Escaping the Matrix" by Greg Boyd and Al Larson.