4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Self-help from two experts, June 1, 2006
This review is from: Out of Control : Finding Peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out (Paperback)
OUT OF CONTROL by Ben Young and Dr. Samuel Adams is an excellent place to start if you feel stressed and spiritually wrung out. As the quote from Lee Strobel, author of THE CASE FOR CHRIST, so succinctly puts it, "If you're too busy to read this book, then this book is especially for you." And while it's true that when we're feeling stressed the last thing we need is another task, just by taking time to focus on the solutions offered here will help to ease your problem.
Ben Young, M.Div., leads seminars on how to build successful dating and marriage relationships. He is a teaching pastor at the 40,000-member Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas. Samuel Adams, Psy.D., is a licensed psychologist. He earned his Master's from Western Seminary and a doctorate from George Fox University. He maintains a full-time counseling practice in Austin, Texas.
The expertise that these two bring to OUT OF CONTROL is obvious on many levels. It is a book that does not waste time, which many readers who are seeking help consider their most valuable commodity. Instead it states problems and clearly offers feasible solutions that one can begin using immediately. Many of the suggestions are ones that we have heard before, but putting God into the equation is seldom found in secular self-help books and articles. Biblical references support the solutions and offer new hope for success.
Taking their own advice to "simplify," the authors avoid complex psychological and Biblical exercises. "Not too long ago, during a difficult personal struggle, I recall desperately having searched for answers from a wise friend. I fully expected a long, philosophical explanation of my circumstances and I was prepared for a lot of advice and wisdom. The only thing he said, however, was, 'Pray, pray, pray.' I went away feeling slightly disappointed but willing to try." As it turned out for the author, and for us as well, sometimes there is nothing else to do. No matter how many degrees we have or how much influence we wield, there's nothing we can do but trust God.
As with most self-help type books, readers can seek to shortcut the process by checking the table of contents and then turning to the chapters that seem most appropriate. A sure sign, by the way, that we really need to start at the beginning and allow the process to be part of the cure!
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding[...]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This book helped me, January 26, 2009
This review is from: Out of Control : Finding Peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out (Paperback)
Ben Young & Samuel Adams's book, Out of Control, has a very long subtitle: Finding Peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out. But the subtitle is accurate. They describe how our culture is out of control because rather than letting the greater efficiency afforded by technology such as cell phones and computers give us more time to rest, we have instead tried to cram even more activity into shorter time.
They describe seven symptoms of an "out of control" lifestyle: out of shape (physical), out of sorts (emotional/mental), out of touch (relational), out of time, out of focus, out of balance and out of order (spiritual). Then they confront the lies that keep us out of control, particularly the idea of pleasing the world to be successful and the idea that getting rest is laziness.
The rest of the book takes a pleasantly surprising turn, as it is NOT another "how-to" book with seven easy steps. Instead, they dig into the spiritual disciplines of the Bible, and encourage the reader to practice a real "Sabbath" and take time to unplug completely from technology in order to practice the other spiritual disciplines of solitude and prayer.
This book influenced me to become more serious about unplugging from technology for a large portion of the day on my day off in order to spend more authentic time with God. It was a truly rewarding experience that I pray I will continue to explore for a long time to come.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolution and Direction for a Culture/Life that is Out of Control, May 23, 2006
This review is from: Out of Control : Finding Peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out (Paperback)
Very Timely and Relevant. This book not only diagnoses our current American condition of break-neck busyness and hyper-availability but it also offers prescriptions for recovery that are very practical and achievable. Their remedies are a return to proper priorities and the spiritual disciplines that Christians have practiced for centuries. I was both relieved and grateful that the authors solutions were not so drastic as to be unrealistic. The few baby steps I've managed to take so far have yielded great results in my life. I highly recommend the read and the results!
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