Candyce Roberts: Help for the Fractured Soul
Roberts devotes all of chapter eight to little children who have suffered from abuse. This reviewer invites the prospective reader to spend time on Roberts’ insights on how to minister to them and present God’s love in Christ in such a way that they do not harbor any guilt or self-incrimination concerning the abuse experienced.
Chapters nine through twelve deal with life after wholeness which includes what she calls “internal congruence,” empathy/compassion, and an unconditional positive regard for others and for one’s self. She also counsels the person with which she ministers to consult with a physician for a physical examination and also an allopathologist–physicians who specialize in the roles of stress and nutrition upon health and well-being. Unconditional positive regard for self and others includes developing positive feelings and the goodness of God and developing new life skills.
Roberts also addresses the working of the Holy Spirit within the person receiving ministry, as inner healing is not a systematic science with a set of laws to be applied precisely.
One other important point the author stresses is that of setting boundaries for both the one who ministers and the person receiving ministry. One cannot afford to be attached to the individual who seeks help for one thing; neither can one solve all the problems or encourage dependency within the recipient. Independency needs to be encouraged within the recipient as the Holy Spirit administers encouragement.
The author also encourages the role of the church and the fellowship of believers in and out of the gathered believers in worship. She writes about cultivating intimacy without being wholly intimate within “a healthy spiritual community” (p. 171).
Dr. Roberts closes her book by giving the top ten keys to healing: choosing to live in truth (John 8:32); choosing to give God permission to search your heart (Psalm 139:2); choosing to forgive (Matthew 6:12); choosing not to remain offended (Matthew 5:44); choosing to accept your true identity (1 Peter 2:9); choosing to connect with God (Psalm 37:4); choosing to ask Jesus for help (Matthew 21:22); choosing to reassess the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13); choosing to engage in Kingdom community (1 Corinthians 12:14); and choosing to commit to a lifestyle of intimacy with our Father God (1 John 4:19).
Reviewed by Woodrow E. Walton
Preview Help for the Fractured Soul: https://books.google.com/books?id=Y59zeCNyrvgC
Category: Ministry, Spring 2015
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