Ready to Restore: The Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling [Paperback]

Jay Edward Adams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1981

You don’t have to be a professional counselor to help people solve problems. But you do have to understand the principles and practices of biblical counseling.

Here is a guide to Christian counseling written specifically for laypeople. Jay E. Adams, a pioneer in the field of counseling, has taken the most essential elements of counseling and packaged them in this thorough but nontechnical volume. The result is neither simplistic nor superficial, but a complete, systematic course, useful for study groups, Bible colleges, church leaders, and individual study.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jay E. Adams is best known for his many books, including Competent to Counsel, The Christian Counselor’s Manual, Christian Living in the Home, and Solving Marriage Problems. He served for many years on the faculties of Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) and Westminster Theological Seminary in California, and founded the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Retired from the pastorate, Dr. Adams continues to write and speak on counseling and Christian living issues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: P & R Publishing (January 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875520707
• ISBN-13: 978-0875520704
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readiness Involves Ability--hence the book, April 4, 2005

By 

InHisHand "planted-in-the-mid-west" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ready to Restore: The Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling (Paperback)

"Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted." (Galatians 6:1)

Ready to Restore is a high tribute to the authority of God's Word, as Dr. Adams actually expects Christians to take action on Galatians 5:1. Adams believes that each person is responsible to obey this passage, not merely the pastor alone.

To that end, Adams writes, "Is Christian counseling the work of a highly specialized group of persons? Does it belong to pastors and elders of the church alone? What of everyday man or woman-in-the-pew Christians; do they too have a ministry of counseling to which God has called them as laymen? ... The answer is simple, yet profound: God calls every Christian to counsel some people, somewhere, at some time about something..."

Adams addresses the barriers to obedience which the "you who are spiritual" must overcome: fear, knowledge, spiritual maturity, and integrity.

It is a short book, but worth every minute spent studying and reading. I simply love it when an author places his trust in God, God's Word, and assumes that God's people will obey. Adams demonstrates an immense respect for God and for Christians in this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great survey of nouthetic counseling, March 24, 2007

By 

Caleb the Stud (Pueblo CO) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ready to Restore: The Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling (Paperback)

This book is a great review of Biblical counseling. It covers the basics very well, including some resources as to where further information can be found. The information is current (since it is Biblically based), but the resource list is somewhat dated because there has been much written in this field in the past few years.

This is a great resource for basic training. It is a must for all Christian workers, both vocational and volunteer. I would honestly say that it should be in every Christian's library. The ideas in this book are developed deeper in The Christian Counselor's Manuel, Competent to Counsel, and (Ready to Restore:)A Theology of Christian Counseling.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Nouthetic Counseling Beginning!, January 13, 2009

By 

B. Harcourt "bharc347" (South Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ready to Restore: The Layman's Guide to Christian Counseling (Paperback)

This a great nouthetic counseling book to begin with! I would recommend it to anyone wanting to start nouthetic counseling. It is not, however, as deep as other Jay E. Adams books. Adams' "Competent to Counsel" is a good compliment book to go with "Ready to Restore."