BOOK REVIEW

Thursday, November 19, 2009

REGRET-FREE LIVING: Hope For Past Mistakes and FREEDOM From Unhealthy Patterns
By Stephen Arterburn

OVERVIEW: REGRET-FREE LIVING takes the focus from what was and what might have been and shines a bright light onto the path of what is and what is to be. Christian counselor Stephen Arterburn speaks honestly and forthrightly about what it takes to build strong, healthy relationships. Drawing on his own positive and negative experiences, he offers specific steps to rid yourself of relationship regrets, open your heart to healing, and move forward in love.

Arterburn's practical counsel shows you how to recognize the signs and qualities of both happy and unhappy relationships, admit guilt and accept responsibility, find and give forgiveness, set boundaries, love and give out of fullness, and much more.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Stephen Arterburn is the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries--the nation's largest faith-based broadcast, counseling, and treatment ministry--and is the host of the nationally syndicated New Life Live! daily radio program heard on over 200 stations in the United States, on two satellite stations, and around the world online. A nationally known speaker, he has been featured on CNN Live, and in the New York Times, US News & World Report, and Rolling Stone, and many other media outlets. Steve is the founder of the Women of Faith conferences and is a bestselling author of more than 80 books, including the multimillion-selling Every Man's Battle series; Being Christian; Toxic Faith; More Jesus, Less Religion; and The Life Recovery Bible.

MY REVIEW: After forty-seven years as a pastor which included many hours of counseling, I recognize the need, almost desperate need, for help to overcome regret and debilitating guilt. Stephen Arterburn has blessed us all by writing this practical and extremely helpful book. With grace and transparency, he shares some of his biggest regrets and how he has learned both to live beyond them and to allow God to use them.

In my opinion, the most powerful and helpful thing in the book is found in the introduction. He relates there, as he has in other books, how he talked a girlfriend whom he got pregnant into ending the life of their unborn child. After reading about this terrible mistake and sin and what he did about it made me eager to read the book.

I wish this book had been available back when I was a young minister just beginning my ministry. There is something in this book for all of us. The chapter that will be most helpful to you will depend on where you are in life and where you have been. I will mention just one chapter that stood out to me: Chapter 12, Restoring Warmth and Trust. The chapter begins: "A very good friend of mine whom I'll call Bill had the worst possible relationship with his father. They didn't argue and curse at each other. They didn't rail and harangue. They didn't argue vociferously and then retreat, hurt and insulted, back into their corners before beginning yet another round of active hostilities. They didn't stab each other in the back. They didn't spread gossip to other family members. Their relationship was worse than any of that. ...Bill and his father didn't communicate at all."

Arterburn  relates how a hole remained in their relationship for twenty-five years. Bill married, had three children but still never talked to his father. And then I love this part of the story: "Then one day, with the help and guidance of dear friends who prayed for and with Bill until--praise the Lord!--the Holy spirit was awakened within him, Bill came to Jesus. He was about thirty-eight when he finally fell into the arms of his heavenly Father, who from Bill's birth had never for a moment stopped trying to communicate with him."

I highly recommend this book. Most of us need it. If you don't you probably know somebody who does.

Regret-Free Living can be purchased from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
http://www.bethanyhouse.com/ME2/Audiences/Default.asp

I am giving away two copies of this excellent book. If you are interested, read the information below and leave a comment.


LEAVE A COMMENT, AND WIN A BOOK.

The generous folks at Bethany House are allowing me to host this book giveaway for two (2) copies!

• Winners are restricted to the US and Canada. No PO Box mailing address please.

• You do not have to be a blogger to win. You can win more than once on my blog.
  

• I MUST have a way of contacting you, so be sure to leave your email address in your comment.

• Some choose to omit the @ sign and the . dot by writing it in "code" like this: you (at) your email (dot)com.

• I'll close the comments December 3 and pick the two winners. I will contact the winners via email to get their mailing information. The winners will have three days to respond. If I do not hear from them within three days, I will select another winner(s).