True North by Gary and Lisa Heim ~ review

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kregel Publications (May 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0825427517
• ISBN-13: 978-0825427510

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Product Description

Every day we face some kind of frustration: flat tires, flooded basements, wounding words, a broken body, a troubled marriage-trouble comes in all shapes and sizes and can happen when we least expect it. While everyone struggles, few people have learned to struggle well. But it's not impossible!

Frustrations arise when we look to people and things of this world to fill our desires, rather than to the only One who can really satisfy us. True North offers a unique, biblical paradigm that gives understanding and help to turn to God in the frustrations of life. Frustration often causes us to "go south" and react in the flesh. We grumble and grasp. God calls us to "go north" and respond to hardship with wisdom and redemptive love. Combining biblical insight with personal stories, practical help, and compelling examples, authors Gary and Lisa Heim encourage readers to turn from self-centered grumbling and grasping to Christ-centered gratitude and giving. As they read stories of hardships and trials, successes and profits, readers will see how frustrations can actually help them grow in their personal lives, in their marriages, in their parenting, and in their ministries.

Believing that learning to live for God through all of life's frustration is an intentional activity for every day, the Heims also provide discussion questions at the end of each chapter to help readers apply biblical truths to situations where frustrations loom. Perfect for use in ministry settings or as a handbook for personal growth, Truth North shows readers how to embark on the life-giving adventure of walking with God.

My take on this book:

"True North," by Gary and Lisa Heim isn't just another christian self help book instead its down to earth advice that's sort of like a road map which guides the reader to True North which is a different way of looking at the hard times in life. Instead of being a grumbler and complainer,  which I have always called  my negative Nellie attitude, when life's adversities get us down we can choose to find something positive and look for the blessings that we have. 

The first chapter titled Life Is Difficult starts out with the scripture from John 16:23 which says "In this world you will have trouble." Its how we handle that trouble though that determines how our life will be. I guess the greatest thing I took away from this book was how our attitudes can not only affect us but the people around us, so why not choose an attitude of gratitude and giving. I liked how each chapter started out with a scripture verse, but easily my favorite parts of the book were the personal stories the author's shared allowing me to see that they were writing from a place of experience.

The study questions included would make this a perfect group study book. While I had never heard of the Heim's until picking up this book, I found plenty of useful ideas, this book is a definite keeper for me and I am sure I will refer to it often.


A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.