Soul Repair: Rebuilding Your Spiritual Life

Companion Written by 3 people who have experience in counseling and psychology as well as having taken the journey themselves in the church and on to healing - this book offers their experience, strength, and hope in a very accessible style. The book provides the means of indentifying where one is at on the journey, what one is probably feeling, afraid of, etc. and suggestions of how to move forward and what that might look like - with all of the understanding and gentleness one would expect from someone who has been through it all and come out clean. Because they have been there, the authors are able to correctly identify the pitfalls and sore spots with the courage to face what's ugly and at the same time affirming the presence of grace that is 'tailor made' for each journey. They remember well what it is like to be faith-blind. These are most welcome companions on a most difficult journey. Toolbox The book is well organized and the chapters are broken down into digestible bites with questions for reflection at the end of each section. This makes it an easy volume to work with - and the progression of the chapters are well-paced and thorough, following a pattern without tangents. The tools offered in this book are identifying abuse, identifying the fallout, finding compassion for self, what is involved in overcoming obstacles to trust, letting go of what doesn't work, finding what does work, taking responsibility, and finding community. There is nothing I wish were different about this book. It's not too long, not too short, makes nothing too heavy and takes nothing too lightly. It is very well-balanced in its delivery and approach to the realities of the healing process, offering hope and a way through the impossible paradoxes of spiritual woundedness. Background I have been reading books on understanding and recovering from spiritual abuse for 15 years. I have also been following the work of Dale and Juanita Ryan HOPING for a book of this kind from them. They are the only Christian authors I know of who have addressed the journey of finding God all over again. I consider them faithful and true doctors of the church. Of all the books I've read over the years, this is the best and most concise - the ONLY one I would recommend. I have been very encouraged!

Soul Repair is an excellent companion book to The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse. Where this book let off, Soul Repair picks up. Knowing that I came out of two spiritually abuse groups has done little to touch the grief. This book provides practical ways to begin to deal with the painful acknowledgement of such deceit. You are not alone.Soul Repair: Rebuilding Your Spiritual Life

The authors of Soul Repair have provided insightful examples from their own lives as well as the lives of others to explain how spirituality can become distorted and destructive instead of comforting and helpful. Using Scripture, they clarify the differences between the God of the Bible and "gods-who-are-not-god" that too many of us unwittingly follow instead, leading us into unhealthy relationships with God and with other Christians.As a therapist, I appreciated the numerous real life stories that can be found within these pages. They opened my eyes to my own distortions and unhealthy spiritual tendencies and increased my awareness of how easily people can be led astray by false ideas about God. But the best part is the message of hope that can be found throughout the book. For those who have become discouraged or frustrated in their relationships with God and the church and want to grow closer to the God of love and grace found in the Bible, this book is for you.

One of the many things I like about SOUL REPAIR is the honesty of its authors. For example, Dale Ryan talks about a time when he was experiencing distress over God's silence toward him: "While God still seemed to have nothing to say, his followers could not stop talking. Everyone had something to say, a verse to read or advice to give. . . . The advice was glib, dismissive and shaming. . . . I put these people on a list of people not to be trusted again with my spiritual struggles. . . . I was still pretty sure I knew what God would say to me, if anything. God would surely browbeat me by saying something like, 'Think of everything we could have gotten done while you wasted all this time! I've been here all along. Where have you been?' These were the messages I expected to receive. But if God had spoken too soon, too glibly or in such a shaming manner, I know what I would have done. I would have added God's name to the list of people who could not be trusted with my spiritual brokenness" (pp. 114-115). For many of us, God has at times seemed silent, distant, and uncaring, leaving us feeling alone, confused, and perhaps angry or fearful. The authors have experienced these feelings at times in their own spiritual journeys, but they do not give us quick fixes or tell us what to do more of. They know from experience that increasing the amount or the intensity of our spiritual practices--praying more, reading the scriptures more, going to church more, serving others more--tends to do nothing but leave us exhausted. Instead, they help us rest--by learning how to recognize and say no to the false gods that we may be unknowingly serving, and how to say yes each day to the God who daily offers us love and grace. As a spiritual director, I've found SOUL REPAIR to be a rare treasure. Free of religious jargon, it provides wisdom and practical tools for me as I help others to draw closer to God and as I seek to be honest in my own relationship with God. But I have at least one other reason for loving the book: I sometimes pick it up and open it at random just to enjoy the waves of grace that flow from every page of text. SOUL REPAIR is a must-read for those who want to follow Jesus more closely and are willing to do some honest self-probing. It is also for ministers, spiritual directors, therapists, leaders of spiritual formation groups, leaders of support groups, and anyone else who provides spiritual support to others.

This book is simple, clear and insightfully written for spiritual understanding. Our souls are complex but "Soul Repair" uses simple concepts as it guides us toward spiritual health. It is especially for anyone who has ever been on an honest journey of discovery toward knowing God and encountered damaging religious teaching and practices dispensed in the name of God. If your soul is hungry for a healthy relationship with God but all the "normal" Christian stuff hasn't worked or have left you cold this is a must read. The book is solidly Christian but it provides life giving guidance without all of the meaningless code words and trite solutions which typically discourage genuine God seekers. Incisively describing concepts like spiritual abuse, spiritual addiction and spiritual anorexia the authors present cogent insight into how our souls were damaged. Then with the skill of gentle spiritual surgeons they help us move into a rebuilding process of our internal lives with God. As a pastor who has been trying to help pastors for more than a decade, I find this book is the one book every pastor and his/her spouse should read. I wish I had experienced "Soul Repair" early in my ministry instead of later.