Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer

Title: Beauty for Ashes
Author: Joyce Meyer
Year: 2003 (Revised & Expanded Edition)
Softcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Time Warner Books/Warner Faith
Language: English
ISBN-10: 044669259X
ISBN-13: 978-0446692595
Study Level: Entry/Experienced
Audience: Everyone

Joyce Meyer has been very open about her tragic past; from suffering sexual, verbal and physical abuse as a child, to the degradations of a violent marriage and ugly divorce. Upon first glance, this book appears to be a tell-all or testimony about how Joyce overcame these horrible episodes, specifically designed for women (note the pretty pink cover and flowers). That is NOT the case, and I encourage EVERYONE to take a second look at this wonderful book.

The strength of this book lies in its wide range of emotional behaviors explained in context. Joyce points out that despite the harsh nature of the abuse she suffered, the scars left behind are actually typical in most of our lives. At some point, or even during long stretches of time, we all have experienced some sort of abusive situation, be it a bully at school, an overly strict parent, a demeaning boss, etc. These episodes of abuse create emotional scars that many times directly affect our relationship with God and relationships with others. If the abuse was severe or long-term, the scars can build into complete emotional bondage. Joyce's journey from bondage to freedom was only completed through the Word and by fully understanding God's unconditional love for her. Overall, the testimony portion about the actual abuse is very brief, leaving the rest of the book as a plan to overcome the bondage associated with emotional scarring.

So many of us suffer with emotional issues and addictive behaviors that are clearly identified as results of past abuse or negative experiences. As Joyce provides an insightful diagram about the roots and fruits of some of our emotional issues, she provides the alternate diagram of freedom in the Spirit, and the wonderful roots and fruits associated with this new way of life. This marks the beginning of helping to demonstrate the importance of living a life in the Spirit and the Word to allow the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. There are so many important issues that she targets in various chapters, that I will not list them here, but will list them as tags. I also recommend this book as something to consider for teens struggling with self-esteem or depression issues, as many of the issues can be rooted in abuse, which is also tied to forgiveness and allowing God's unconditional love to be at work in our lives.

This one is definitely a great tool to have in your arsenal for living a victorious life....one to read more than once! And GUYS, this is NOT a chick book - you MEN need this one too!!
Be blessed!
C