The Naked Soul: God's Amazing, Everyday Solution to Loneliness [Paperback]

Tim Alan Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2004

Go ahead. Leave your loneliness behind.

We all want to matter to someone, but the risks of relationship can seem far too great. It’s easier to just keep our distance.

We fear embarrassment, misunderstandings, and even rejection, so we silently endure our loneliness. We work on trying to be nice–rather than being real–hoping that others will like us. Or we might simply give in to the path of least resistance–the life of hurry, impatience, and fatigue–which feels familiar and safe. We pay a terrible price to avoid authentic relationships.

It’s time to stop denying your deepest longing–the desire to be known and loved. The Naked Soul shows you how to know and accept others, and how to be known and accepted by others. You can exchange the familiar but deadly territory of loneliness for the exhilaration of giving and receiving love.

You don’t have to hide any longer. Break free from loneliness, be the person God created you to be, and start living a life that matters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gardner, marriage and family counselor and author of Sacred Sex, provides the prescription for getting out of loneliness and into genuine relationship: "the God-given answer to loneliness is love. God calls us to love Him. He calls us to love our neighbor." Gardner demands that readers recognize that friends are vital for their emotional and even physical health, challenging them to reach out and realize that giving to others will often meet their own needs. He focuses on changes needed in the lives of those trying to get out of their lonely state: they should stop being artificial, truly love God, slow down, deal with their anger, turn off the TV, forgo casual sex, put aside selfishness and love others. All of these lessons are backed up by stories from Gardner's extensive counseling experience. Throughout the book, Gardner plays the role of coach rather than companion; he teaches largely out of what he has studied and observed rather than what he has experienced. He spends a good deal of time on topics that seem to be only tangentially related—like helping the homeless—and could provide additional practical steps in several chapters. Still, his advice is sound, and his counseling experience makes him an excellent coach.
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About the Author

Dr. Tim Alan Gardner is a speaker, teacher, counselor, and the author of Sacred Sex. An authority on relationships, he serves as director of The Marriage Institute, a research, education, and consulting company working to strengthen marriage and family relationships (www.marriageinstitute.org). He is also a Senior Consultant with Chorus, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in leadership development.  Tim and his wife are directors of Marriage Makers, a marriage enrichment ministry.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578568390
• ISBN-13: 978-1578568390
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #744,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Naked Soul-The Bare Assed Facts, October 6, 2004

By 

J. L. Scattaregia "lenolaroad" (Carmel, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Naked Soul: God's Amazing, Everyday Solution to Loneliness (Paperback)

What a great book. Dr. Gardner is a Texan, and their penchant for straight talk suggests "The Bare Assed Facts" would be a great subtitle for this book; except it's probably too coarse for man of his spiritual stature. The Naked Soul is full of straight talk. There are so many times in my life I would've benefitted from having this near me. Everybody knows they're not supposed to be lonely, which only seems to make loneliness harder to bear. We know God wants us to have and enjoy fellowship, but when we're mired in the depths of loneliness, it seems like one of His promises that can't possibly be kept. Then, when we decide to do something to pull ourselves up, we do the wrong things, in the wrong places, at the wrong times, with the wrong people. Dr. Gardner identifies, instructs and encourages us to escape that horrible lonely place and develop the great blessing of authentic friendship. The areas of the book that the professional reviewer found tangential, I found enlightening and an encouragement to try different things to break the killer loop and get real. There are some things you know you know, but can't get to when stuck in the egocentric predicament of self loathing and self pity. The Naked Soul doesn't coddle; it provides the teaching and tools for changed lives built on a solid foundation of authentic friendship. This is a great book to have in your personal library, and a better one to buy for any friends struggling with loneliness. If your heart's desire is to start doing life and living it fully with the love and support of great friends, The Naked Soul is a great first step on the journey. For the price of three Grande Mocha/non-fat/easy-whips from Starbucks you can change your life. Highly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book for EVERYONE - Not just those who are lonely!, January 8, 2005

By 

Book Czar - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Naked Soul: God's Amazing, Everyday Solution to Loneliness (Paperback)

Some people may avoid this book because they think, "Hey, I've got friends. I'm married. I'm not lonely." BIG MISTAKE! This is a GREAT book for anyone who 1) needs people in their lives and 2) wants to make a huge impact on the world for God. And, hey, as Dr. Gardner explains in the book, that's EVERYBODY. "The Naked Soul" details the who, how, what, and why of authentic relationships -- the kind all of us want to have -- and the kind God uses to change the world. The book challenges our complacent, "me first" lifestyles, and details all of the things that we let get in the way of having the true, honest relationships our hearts yearn for. Further, Gardner explains how most of us have settled for "pseudo intimacy," where we know more about the personal lives of characters on TV shows than we do about our neighbors. Ouch! But it doesn't have to be that way. "The Naked Soul" shows the way out of the forest. Trust me; everyone should read this book, because God calls us to all to "love our neighbors as ourselves." This book makes it real!