Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature

Im half way thoigh the book, and what revelation i got so far. If you feel your in a rut emotionally, or you keep going around the same mountains and wonder why, this is a great book to read....

At last a book that offers a way to let Jesus heal the whole person, empower a Christian's entire life. With unflinching honesty and humility, Pastor Scazzero witnesses to a spirituality that gives attention to our past without allowing us to remain perpetual victims. He offers us disciplines for our future that can shape our lives and make room for the abundance that Jesus promised. My favorite surprise in the book was the call to true "Sabbath." I'm not there yet, but I feel the tug of the Spirit, urging me to take this seriously. It is such a joy to realize that the world can carry on one day a week without me! It's difficult to imagine the Christian whose walk would not benefit from reading this book.

Three years after Pastor Pete published his award-winning book "Emotionally Healthy Church"(Zondervan, 2003), we finally have a new book from him. Personally, I believe that this is a great book that will revolutionize the ways churches around the globe approach spirituality. In this book, Pastor Pete tries to provide an antidote to unhealthy emotions and/or unhealthy spirituality by two cures: emotional health and contemplative spirituality. (Chapter Three) These cures, I believe, are helpful even to non-Christians. Pastor Pete begins the bulk of this book by enumerating the top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality. (Chapter Two) In the seven primary chapters constituting the pathway to emotionally healthy spirituality, he begins by "Know yourself that you may know God"(Chapter Four). This is indeed important because oftentimes we misunderstand God because we do not even understand ourselves well enough. "Going back in order to go forward" is the title for the next chapter, which is also a slogan of the New York City subway system from time to time when it tries to explain the reason and result of rerouting. This is equally true for spiritual maturity because to understand ourselves well, we frequently would have to go back to our (sometimes hurtful) past to find out the reason(s) of our current wound/immaturity in order to find an effective remedy. Chapter Six describes the journey through the wall. This is important because the journey to heaven is full of thorns and never without obstacles. Appreciating the necessity/inevitability of walls and the importance of patiently waiting upon the Lord during the period of walls is a key to mature spirituality. As human life is never consummated without grief and loss, the next chapter teaches us to accept this fact and to enlarge our soul through the grieving process. (See e.g. Ecclesiastes 3:4 and Job) Chapter Eight is one of my favorite chapters in this book, which describes the rhythms of the Daily Offices and the Sabbath. Daily Office (opus) is the functional equivalent of the quiet time or devotional time with an emphasis in meaning on the "work of God". This is a favorite chapter because personally I have greatly benefited from the observance of the Daily Offices and the Sabbath. Moreover, I believe that observing the Sabbath is a great way to get some quality rest on a weekly basis while observing the daily offices is crucial to rest and center on God on a daily basis. "Love your neighbors as yourself" is one of the central tenets of Christianity (Matthew 22:39). Chapter Nine teaches us some useful techniques to love people well as a mature person, such as the right way to resolve conflicts, reflective listening, the Bill of Rights on mutual respect, checking out assumptions and expectations. In the last chapter, Pastor Pete challenges us to consider developing a personal rule of life by adopting two or three of the following elements at a time, such as sc

I'm reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality for the second time. This book aligns with my spiritual belief, as well as my personal belief system, that emotional health should be--no, must be--integrated into the body of Christ so to promote true spiritual maturity. The book, as some people may believe, is not saying that we should live or be driven by our emotions, but to address them. Avoidance is a curse to emotional health. Given my past experience, I wholeheartedly believe that emotional health is one of the major keys to spiritual growth. However, Peter Scazzero is the first pastor that I know of who has articulated the issue--and well!

I have read few books that caused me to stop - make time to re-read, weep, journal and pray about the impact they were having on my life. This book is THAT powerful. It is deeply personal, both from the author's point of view and to where it takes you, the reader. The stories shared vividly illustrate Scazzero's points and I have never seen the relationship between emotional maturity and spirituality so deftly woven together. Great find!

Peter Scazzero's first book, "The Emotionally Healthy Church" has had a great impact on churches and church leaders all over North America and beyond, so much so that it is now available in 5 languages. Next year another language will come out and by sometime in 2008 it will be available in 7 languages according the publisher. It is interesting to note that book was written for a church leaders. This new book, "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash the Power of Authentic Life in Christ", goes beyond just leadership, to everyone who has a seeking heart. I am member of Pastor Pete's church. His preaching and teaching has and continues to transform how we see ourselves in Christ, how we relate to each other, both in the world and in the Body of Christ, and in how to walk out a freedom in emotional and spiritual health that has restored our joy in the Lord! Our church funtions in a greater degree of love and understanding of who God made each of us to be as individuals and as a body. We are still journeying on that path, growing daily. Yet, upon reading this book I told Pastor Pete that his writing is even better than his preaching on this book and that's saying something! Even after sitting under teaching for 3 years now on this new book "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash the Power of Authentic Life in Christ", I found myself drawing nearer and deeper into who Jesus is as I read, and how much the love of the Father is impacting my life like never before. The grace and the power of the Holy Spirit reaches through every word. Although written in easy reading form, there is much to chew on in this book, much to digest. Pick it up for your summer reading under a shade tree on your vacation. Read it slowly and contemplate the Lord's presence as you do so. You won't be sorry, you'll be changed.