Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping… (edition 2002)

Just finished this. The book is written primarily for those who want do do Christian counseling (which is definitely not me). However, if you are a small group leader, there is a great deal in this book that is very helpful. It also has much wisdom for marriages and relationships in general. ( )

Great overview of the call for every believer to get engaged in the lives of others. Practical steps to help them apply the truth of Scripture in their situation. Must read! ( )

This book is about Biblical counseling and explains the process for helping people to see themselves and their issues as God sees them in the light of Scripture. I can see how it can be useful and the author obviously has a wealth of personal experience in this area which he is now using to instruct others through his writing. It is a helpful resource.

The author rightly explains that the root of all problem behaviour is sin in the heart. However, he doesn't allow for medical/neurological problems which may contribute to wrongful thinking and behaviour. These can be deeply ingrained and the approach of the author in places is too simplistic/overlooks reality.

For a Christian, balance is needed to ensure we do not place too much emphasis on secular psychology and its solutions, but also where there are medical issues these need to be recognised and treated properly and not just explained away as sin in the heart.

The bottom line is that God can change anyone and deal with any of these issues but how God chooses to work in the life of a person may be different in each case.

( )

如果說神將我們的成聖交在一些受過訓練的專家手中，我們可能會很放心，但這不是祂的計畫。相反地，藉著教會內每一個肢體的服事，整個教會才會在基督裏成熟。聖經輔導大師保羅‧大衛‧區普，這本書幫助我們發現自己和別人的生命中需要改變之處，並揭示如何跟隨耶穌的榜樣去認識人，以及如何以愛心向他們說誠實話。

A great book for learning how to speak to people's hearts rather than doing behavior modification. Tripp, though wordy at times, emphasizes the importance of incarnational ministry.

Key Quote = "We must not offer people a system of redemption, a set of insights and principles. We offer people a Redeemer.” ( )