We desire to be transformed, to grow more and more like Christ. But for
many of us, our strategies for change don’t work. We misperceive God as a
judgmental Father, leaving us demoralized and paralyzed by shame. Stumbling toward Wholeness
offers a new strategy for spiritual growth and life transformation:
regularly returning to the arms of a kind and loving Father.
There
are many books that explore the parable of the Prodigal Son, but few
approach it with the personal vulnerability and psychological insight of
Andrew Bauman. Andrew shows how taking the time to identify with each
of the brothers in this story can help us come to terms with our own
brokenness and the need for God revealed in it. We discover a process of
change that applies to each of us and a healing journey that moves us
toward the likeness of the Father in how we love the people around us
and address the pain others have caused us.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Synopsis of Luke 15: 11-32 A Story of a Loving Father and His Wayward Sons
- Battling Affections Gone Mad
- Exposing Our Shame
- Confronting Our Self-Contempt
- Wrestling with Goodness
- Demanding Our Due
- Owning Our Contempt for Others
- Addressing Abandonment and Betrayal
- Grieving Our Wounds
- Engaging Kindness
- Embracing Resurrection
ENDORSEMENTS:
The Bible makes it clear that is is in our weakness that we discover God's strength; it is in our guilt that we discover God's grace; it is in our shame that we discover God's rescue; it is in our slavery that we discover God's freedom; it is in our failure that we discover God's faithfulness. This is one of the many reasons I deeply appreciate Andrew Bauman's book: It's real and it's raw. It's uncomfortably honest and therefore unfathomably hopeful.We need more books like this - books that acknowledge brokenness and need - for it is only then that we will see and appreciate the one-way love of God that comes our way minus our merit. - Tullian Tchividjian, author of One Way Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World.
Today I add Andrew Bauman's name to Luke, Nouwen, and Rembrandt as my beloved guides through the magical prodigal story from Jesus. Illumination is an ancient sacred practice. Stumbling toward Wholeness helped me anew to carry my grief, my shame, my confession, and my mourning, nudging me with its honesty and wisdom toward healing, joy, and hope. - Tony Kriz, author of Aloof: Figuring Out Life with a God Who Hides.
