Encouragement: Meaningful ministry for the Masses

books:


	• Encouragement: The Key to Caring Larry Crabb, PLLC, Dan B. Allender Zondervan, 1990 - 144 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Encouragement: Meaningful ministry for the Masses

This book has been sitting on my shelf for about four years. What a waste. I should have read it much sooner. This is a great little book and an excellent resource for every Christian. We are all called to encourage one another (Heb 10), but often we don't know how. Sometimes we are too caught up in our struggles to recognize the needs of others. Sometimes we are satisfied to never let our conversations pass beyond shallow words. If you want to minister to others in a meaningful way, then learn to encourage. If you don't know how to be an encourager, then read this book.

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Enlightening

This is a wonderful book that has changed my understanding on how to respond to others' need for encouragement. Frankly speaking, I've been misled for years by what people said about stuff like applying empathy towards others, often finding myself at dead end which did not lead to what the Bible says we should head for. The book points the way from the shallow need for nurturing the other person's layer to entering the core, from attention on what to say to having the right attitude as we seize the opportunity for encouragement. Sadly enough, although the above is not a new concept and can be realized and accepted through common sense, we have been confused by theories of secular counselling which has pointed us to unbiblical ways of caring for others.

Though I think the book could have been even more helpful by saying more how we can continue to encourage after opening the door, I decide not to drop a star since I think it is a must read for all Christians who seriously desire to do their part in this much needed ministry of encouragement, especially because I seldom come across books which provide such valuable advice on this topic which is compatible with what the Bible says.

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Discouragingly Encouraging

For a book titled Encouragement, I've actually found myself kind of discouraged. Now, I ought to clarify that. It's probably, at least partly, a good discouragement. I'll elaborate.

Dr. Crabb's book is basically a beginner level counseling book. He speaks, almost medically, about people's tendencies, thoughts, feelings, fears, etc. This alone, I don't think would be terribly useful. However, Dr. Crabb builds relatively well on top of biblical foundation (albeit stretching things sometimes) which allows him to speak with more authority.

While I didn't agree with everything Dr. Crabb had to say, I completely agree with the overall theme of the book, which is simply this: Rely only on God for everything, and on all occasions hold others above yourself. A pretty simple and elementary message, as some would say, but Dr. Crabb tenderly builds a subtext that clearly reveals the rarity with which we actually practice that message.

Encouragement spends the first twelve chapters dealing with the heart and motive of the encourager and only in the last two chapters does Dr. Crabb move onto encouraging others. He argues (well) that encouragement requires that the encourager's heart be right in his words and actions. He delves deeply into people's thoughts and motives behind why they speak and what they choose to speak and how they choose to speak it. The discussion is done with a level of care and intimacy that will almost certainly hit home with the reader.

There were some things that I disagreed with, although they may really just be contextual grievances. I think that Dr. Crabb failed to take into account the varying degrees of relationships. There are clearly times to go to close friends or wives about troubles and pains in life; that wouldn't necessarily be wrong, and in many cases could likely be encouraging to the other person. However, Dr. Crabb paints a picture of encouragement that makes it sound like encouragers are not ever to voluntarily open up themselves and their grief to another person--barring the circumstance that the other person comes looking for it. It was this that caused me to find myself walking the line of discouragement. However, that point seems to be made, inadvertently, between the lines and I doubt Dr. Crabb would actually say that outright.

Ultimately, this book caused a great deal of introspection in me. It forced a serious evaluation of my thoughts and motives and actions. With time and prayer, I hope that the concepts in this book will bear fruit in my relationships with God and people.

I wouldn't recommend this book to the casual reader. I could easily see it becoming confusing or even an undue pressure and discouragement if misunderstood. However, anyone able and willing to approach the book, at least kind of academically, will probably find a lot to learn here.

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Spiritual Friendships

Some books age well. Normally that's because they present timeless truth in timeless ways. They avoid dating themselves by wedding themselves to the latest fad or passing fancy. Encouragement is just such a book. It describes the power of timely spiritual conversations motivated by grace and spoken heart-to-heart.

This work is the most practical and immediately applicable of the many works by Crabb and Allender. Extremely useful for equipping lay counselors and caregivers.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction .

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Encouragement Is A Two Way Street

This is an excellent book by very inspired authors. Encouragement is in fact a two way street. If you read a book about encouragement you are probably expecting to learn how to be more positive personally. However, we also need to know about our responsibility to be more encouraging toward others. This book will teach the reader that we are responsible for every word and every action toward others. Our responses to other people can be encouraging or discouraging. I don't think I had taken my actions toward others serious enough until I read this book. This book should be read by all high school students because it really guides the reader into a better understanding of both self-image and social responsibility. The book is a quick read and holds your attention very well.

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reviews: page 1, 2

Drs. Larry Crabb and Dan Allender have filled their book with practical instruction on how to master the basic form of counseling Christians are called to do, following the New Testament admonition to "encourage one another." It includes step-by-step understanding with a biblical basis that shows the pitfalls to avoid.

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