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Summary: A WHOLE NEW WAY OF SEEING FORGIVENESS-a life changing book!
Review: God doesn't want you to be a doormat--and forgiveness is MUCH more than just 'sucking it up' or 'forgetting and forgiving'. You may have heard "turn the other cheek" so many times--but as Laurie explains--that scripture is highly misunderstood and had a whole other meaning in Jesus' day. Jesus spoke for forgiveness-but He also spoke of a 'defiance' towards sin and abuse, and 'turning the other cheek' was a way of defying the one who would strike you--and winning back ones' dignity. This book about forgiveness gives a whole new way of looking at real forgiveness, radical forgiveness in a sound, scriptural way. The realities of betrayal and abandonment abused people feel were part of Jesus' pain on the cross- a topic rarely spoken about in the church. Lauries' experience with her sexually-addicted husband, as well as disappointments and struggles with the Christian advice she often received, have produced a wisdom which is God inspired and gives hope to the hopeless. As the wife of a man addicted to pornography, I know how lies and deception can ruin not only your marriage, but yourself. This book changed my life and gave me back hope-- not a hope based on any certain outcome in my marriage, or my husbands recovery. I was reminded of the scripture, "Above all else--guard your heart--for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23) I had a wrong idea of what forgiveness is--and I never understood what "tough love" was about. A good complement to this book is "Boundaries" by Cloud and Townsend--which dispells the many myths of 'loving' people taking responsibility for each others' actions. I don't believe it sexist to say that women (especially Christian-women) are especially prone to this. The spouses of addicts even more so. May the peace of Jesus be with you."The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Ps. 34:18)
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Summary: Exceptionally Lame
Review: This book is all over the map. Have you ever read 200 pages and still not known what the main point of the book is? If you enjoy such experiences, this one's for you.
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Summary: Good...but difficult
Review: This book is written for Christians who are dealing with significant issues of betrayal and trust in their family lives. The author has included many good points in her book, as other reviewers have commented on. I do want to warn the potential buyer that this is not a quick or easy read. She writes about many difficult concepts relating to forgiveness which take some real time to think over. Also, I feel that the title and subtitle of this book really don't fit it's contents. The author spends a great deal of space in the book writing about theological, biblical and somewhat ethereal issues dealing with forgiveness and the roles of men and women in marriage; but there was much less practical, hands-on, day-to-day, "real family life" living advice than I expected. One part of this book that I greatly appreciated was it's emphasis on the need for we "evangelical" or "fundamentalist" Christians to stop playing a role, a part that we think we should fit into, and rather focus on the true internal character of our hearts. She also differentiates between falsely judging someone (that is God's job, alone) and serving as someone who helps someone else overcome their sin. She points out that, since our churches suffer from as much overt decay as our society (as seen in our divorce rates and porn-use rates), we need to realize that there is something drastically wrong in our church society. I recommend this book for anyone who has the time to devote to this deep subject of forgiveness. I highly recommend this author's first book, An Affair of the Mind.
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