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Summary: Hurt By Christian Slant
Review: This book would have been good, but it is so slanted towards Christinanity that it is not worth reading by anybody not of that persuasion.
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Summary: A good, practical book about forgiveness
Review: This is a great book about forgiveness. Smedes has a real way with words, while keeping things practical and applicable. I've never read a book that covers forgiveness so thoroughly. It doesn't just talk about the theology of forgiveness in theory, but it boils it down to who, what, when, where, why, and even how. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A good, practical book about forgiveness
Review: This is a great book about forgiveness. Smedes has a real way with words, while keeping things practical and applicable. I've never read a book that covers forgiveness so thoroughly. It doesn't just talk about the theology of forgiveness in theory, but it boils it down to who, what, when, where, why, and even how. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: I found this to be very practical
Review: This may turn people off because it talks about Christianity, but to me the author who is a Christian couldn't have illustrated it more perfectly than with talking about Christ. Christ provided the ultimate role model for forgiving others. When he died on that cross some 2,000 years ago he not only paid the penalty for our sins, but illustrated forgiveness on the cross while he was up there by asking God to forgive the ones who wanted him up there. I honestly don't feel that any of us could begin to start to learn about forgiveness without looking to Jesus Christ. I know I couldn't I tried for what seemed like an eternity to forgive those who hurt me as far back as 30 years ago, but it was a struggle to as I still wanted to see them suffer, and go to hell for what they did to me, and this was still after I accepted Christ. Let's face it if you've been able to forgive someone, and not think, or speak ill of them afterwards without Christ I want to meet you because somewhere through the stoic secular rhetoric I was told I missed something. Forgiveness is something that is not really held in high regard in the world as people are told to just let go, and move on, but how many people must we meet before we find the ones who meet up to our standards, and we know in our knower that they won't hurt us. I know some out there feel that "Well our families are all we need", but are we strong in ourselves that to prove we don't need Christ to forgive, and can overlook small and big disappointments our families can and will put us through. I'm a recovering unforgiver, and I've been unforgiving for over 30 years. Since reading this book I've forgiven 7 people who have hurt me, and others I'm chiseling around the edges. It's not an easy road to forgive others because you still wonder "Why Did It Have To Happen To Me?". There are things that are so small that need to be forgiven, and we don't think of them because they don't cause us financial, emotional, or physical, but left unchecked they can and will. I just can't think of forgiveness without looking to the cross because we all killed the Saviour, and not just Romans, or the Jewish. I mean the Germans, Irish, English, Arabians, Eskimos, etc. We all did it, and through it all he forgave us, and left a way open to come to him. For those who were offended I apologize, and I pray that you can learn to forgive.
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Summary: Absolutely fabulous and resourceful!!!
Review: Throughout my life I've been betrayed by individuals - more times than I like to remember. And for so long, I've held grudges or feelings of being vindictive to those who hurt me. But after reading this fabulous and resourceful book, I have begun to trek down the road towards forgiving those who hurt me. Life is too short to let anger fester inside of us. There's so much to enjoy in life and we shouldn't let our pasts constantly haunt us. This book provides excellent points and processes one can utilize in order to relieve themselves of such negative feelings and begin the process of healing. I particularly appreciated the author's writing style - that of adding stories and examples to model the processes. For those who struggle to find it in their hearts to forgive others who have hurt them, this is, by far, the book to read!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely fabulous and resourceful!!!
Review: Throughout my life I've been betrayed by individuals - more times than I like to remember. And for so long, I've held grudges or feelings of being vindictive to those who hurt me. But after reading this fabulous and resourceful book, I have begun to trek down the road towards forgiving those who hurt me. Life is too short to let anger fester inside of us. There's so much to enjoy in life and we shouldn't let our pasts constantly haunt us. This book provides excellent points and processes one can utilize in order to relieve themselves of such negative feelings and begin the process of healing. I particularly appreciated the author's writing style - that of adding stories and examples to model the processes. For those who struggle to find it in their hearts to forgive others who have hurt them, this is, by far, the book to read!
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Summary: An enlightening and inspiring study of Forgiveness.
Review: We have all been wounded by those we love at some time. We all know the pain of disappointment, injustice, betrayal. In the midst of our pain we cannot fully understand the nature of our feelings of loss, anger or even hatred. Nor are we capable of fathoming the nature of the process by which our most intimate bonds to those we love are sometimes destroyed.
Lewis B. Smede's book is more than a mere intellectual journey into the psychology of our hurts. It is a thoughtful and insightful study of the only true medicine for our deepest wounds: Forgiveness. It appeals not only to the mind but also to the spirit. It is a wonderful companion for anyone who is suffering the loss of a cherished relationship, unable to reconcile the injustice or futility of such loss. And for those fortunate few who do not have a grieving heart, it will offer challenging insights into our most intimate emotions. This is a book whose audience is humanity as well as the reader.
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