Wright shares in a refreshing new way how readers can let the grace and power of Jesus Christ transform them and unlock the key to an entirely new way of living and loving. (Practical Life)
An intimate look at the full spectrum of shame—often masked by addiction, promiscuity, perfectionism, self-loathing, or narcissism—that offers a new, positive route forward Encounters with embarrassment, guilt, self-consciousness, remorse, etc. are an unavoidable part of everyday life, and they sometimes have lessons to teach us—about our goals and values, about the person we expect ourselves to be. In contrast to the prevailing cultural view of shame as a uniformly toxic influence, Shame is a book that approaches the subject of shame as an entire family of emotions which share a “painful awareness of self.” Challenging widely-accepted views within the self-esteem movement, author Joseph Burgo argues that self-esteem does NOT thrive in the soil of non-stop praise and encouragement, but rather depends upon setting and meeting goals, living up to the expectations we hold for ourselves, and finally sharing our joy in achievement with the people who matter most to us. Along the way, listening to and learning from our encounters with shame will go further than affirmations and positive self-talk in helping us to build authentic self-esteem. Richly illustrated with clinical stories from Burgo's 35 years in private practice, Shame also describes the myriad ways that unacknowledged shame often hides behind a broad spectrum of mental disorders including social anxiety, narcissism, addiction, and masochism.
Hope for the Restless, Hurting Heart “Shame on you.” We’ve all heard those words and felt the sting in our souls. We might try hard to earn love and acceptance for a while, but eventually we find ourselves exhausted, anxious, despaired. Shame can motivate us to try harder but it never sets us free. It is, in short, a lie that steals real peace and hides true joy. Now Alan D. Wright shares in a refreshing new way how to let the grace and power of Jesus Christ transform you and unlock the key to an entirely new way of living and loving. While he experienced this liberation for himself, as a pastor he has also guided countless others to the same place of freedom. Here’s how to give up your tireless quest for the approval of others, find rest in God’s love, and turn the exhortation upside down: where the shame comes off you…for good! They Say Success Is Sweet… Too Bad You Don’t Enjoy It. You could be relishing your accomplishments. Instead, are you plagued with: Feeling like the pressure’s always on? Wishing it didn’t matter so much what others think of you? The same reoccurring sins or addictions? Regret for criticizing those you love? Then it’s time to overthrow the tyrant within. It’s a lie called shame that whispers, You’re not good enough. With a brilliant combination of humor, biblical wisdom, and practical guidance, pastor Alan Wright invites you to get grounded in God’s grace. It’s the only Truth powerful enough to banish the lie. And it’s the only way you can receive the life you struggle so hard for, but never attain. A place of contentment and love is waiting for you—if you dare accept the gift. Don’t wait. Get the shame off you—for good! Story Behind the Book “When I was in the fourth grade, we had a ‘family meeting’ at which my dad announced that he wouldn’t be living at home anymore. Thus ended my happy world. I launched into a life of superlative success. But my secret master motivation was not joy, but fear. Some years ago I began a ruthless self inventory that uncovered the various manifestations of shame in my life. I found that it was not as powerful as I once thought and that I could change by the healing grace of Jesus Christ. Over the years, I developed a passion for telling people how they could release their shame to Christ and be healed by His love and grace.” — Alan D. Wright
"Hello Mr. Beasley, I am calling to find out more about your meditation classes. A friend of mine told me the meditation you teach really helps with stress. I really want to find out more about how I can get a handle on my stress."As a meditation instructor, I receive phone calls and emails like this about once a month. Along the way I began to write down the lessons that I share in the courses and classes. These are ancient spiritual lesson that saved me from myself and gave me my life back. I have compiled them into a handbook for the average person to use to free themselves from a path of self destruction. This book is designed so that the reader can jump around from problem to problem and seek understanding about why they are stressed and how to stop self destructing behaviors. The lessons over lap and as you begin to understand your own craziness, you begin to understand what you have been doing and why. This handbook is part of a meditation course, so I strongly recommend that you study mindfulness meditation along with mindfulness study. If you take up this path with determination and do not give up, you will transform your life. These teachings are how to free your self from ego and find your true self, your true path. As you begin to study and practice other spiritual paths, you will find that it takes will power to choose the wisdom when faced with choices. This is about how to free your self from distraction and take back the power of choice.In this way you can choose an implement wisdom, moment by moment, step by step along your path to freedom. Your destiny awaits you. Free Your Self
This book is about encouraging and empowering people of all nationalities with specific tools to use to help you on your self love journey. We must allow ourselves to see the good out of every bad situation.
Discover your inherent capacity to overcome obstacles and find unlimited joy—with these quick and easy tools. Though the voice of our heart may be buried beneath the shouts of our ego and the clamors of our worries, our heart already has all the characteristics of the person we want to be in the world -- it's trusting, curious, aware, resourceful, compassionate, kind, grateful, forgiving, truthful, and peaceful. And if we manage to listen deeply, we can access these traits and the strengths they bring. In an encouraging, uplifting voice, therapist Carolyn Hobbs draws from her years of counseling experience and her spiritual practice to present the liberating truth: each of us has within ourselves the power to release ourselves from fear, from past traumas, from our ingrained habits of mistrust and defensiveness. All we have to do is listen to our wise hearts. Each chapter in this gentle, pragmatic book focuses on a single power of our heart and contains illustrating examples drawn from real life. Hobbs concludes each chapter with clear tools we can use to develop and apply these strengths amid the challenges of daily life. Busy people of all faiths will be able to use these tools to find freedom and inner peace -- to tame anxiety, anger, grief, and despair while awakening fearless love. Warm and inspiring, Free Yourself maps the path to lasting peace and freedom -- a path that absolutely anyone can follow, as the way lies within our own hearts.
Your life depends on how you think and what you believe. Discover these and free yourself from emotional conditioning. Do you find that you are stuck in a situation that you do not want? Does life seem to lead you in a direction that is not bringing you closer to reaching your goals? Are there obstacles in your way that keep you from achieving what you desire? What if I told you that your progress in life is not determined by people, circumstances, or how much money you have. Achieving your goals, dreams, ambitions, and desires, depend entirely on YOU -- how you think and what you believe! Some of these thoughts are in your subconscious mind, so you may not know that you have them. This means that you need to discover the thoughts and beliefs that hold you back, change them, and only then will you be free to design and create the life of your dreams. This book shows you how to: Discover what holds you back Stop believing what you tell yourself Remove unwanted thoughts and beliefs Break free from past conditioning Get out of your head and into your heart Take control of your life and start anew Design and create a new life the way you want it Move forward to a productive and successful life FREE YOURSELF is a practical book, filled with exercises, to mobilize your subconscious mind, so that you can live a life of contentment and joy. Discover what holds you back and start living your dream life now!
ISN'T IT TIME YOU SHED PERFORMANCE-BASED LIVING? When Alas Wright's childhood family collapsed, he took the blame. As a wounded fourth grader, Alan secretly wondered, What's wrong with me? How can I become loveable again? Unconsciously, he made the most devastating--and common--of vows: "I'll do whatever it takes to be loved." Excelling in sports, earning straight A's, and well-liked by everyone--except himself--Alan had made a childhood commitment to performance-based living, which led to a series of grown-up problems. Hyper-sensitivity: Why am I so bothered by every criticism? Self-Doubt: Why do I always question my abilities and motives? People pleasing: Why do I have a hard time saying no or facing conflict? Fear of failure: Why do I feel like I have to be perfect? Self-sabotage: Why can’t I celebrate my gifts and accept God’s blessings? Laugh, cry, struggle, relate, and be set free as Alan Wright invites you to discover his simple solution—how to release your pride and shame to Jesus, banish fear, and accept unconditional love and acceptance to live as you were meant to live.
Jackie Kendall's childhood was a horror story of abuse. A counselor deemed her family "one of the top-ten most dysfunctional in America." Family members have dealt with this trauma in different ways: Two siblings committed suicide. Some siblings ran wild. When Jackie decided that she wanted to break the mold and be a healthy, loving woman, to forgive or not to forgive was not a question. Simply put: one can't love freely without the developed skill of forgiving freely. In Free Yourself to Love, Jackie shares her own story and struggle to learn this vital life skill. She also reveals the reasons for -- and results of -- refusing to forgive. In passionate, empathetic prose, Jackie urges her readers to exchange free-floating bitterness for the freedom to love and be loved.