"Created for Connection" Book Review
Daniel Crosby • January 15, 2025
“Created for Connection” by Sue Johnson is a book very similar to one I reviewed last year, “Hold me Tight.” In fact, it’s the same book, except it approaches the topic from a Christian perspective.
Jump on my website or social media and look back on the “Hold me Tight” book review.
Sue Johnson is the founder of the EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) model of couples counseling. It has a proven track record of helping couples work through distress in their relationships with success rated in the 80-90% range.
“Created for Connection” take’s Johnson’s EFT framework and teaches it in a clear understandable way that anyone can follow. It also interweaves ideas from the Christian faith and scripture that shows how the framework, while not founded as a faith based treatment, really aligns with what the Christian reads in their Bible. She welcomes Kenneth Sanderfer on as a contributor in this version as he adds many of the Christian ideas and components.
Most Christians would agree that they find healing through their faith and this is also true within their marriages. Christians read in Genesis where life began with a marriage in a garden and the Bible ends with a wedding feast between the church and Christ.
If marriage is this important to God then we must continue to invest in finding hope and healing in our marriages. “Created for Connection” isn’t a fluffy Christian self-help book, but a guide to begin wading through the deeper waters of why your marriage is unwell, how to identify your part of the problem, and what to do to repair it.
There are ample stories and case studies throughout to make it readable, relatable, and entertaining.
If you want to dive into the inner struggles of your marriage then go grab “Created for Connection” by Sue Johnson.
“Uncomfortable: The Awkward and Essential Challenge of Christian Community” by Brett McCracken is a great book to read if you’re a church person or if you’ve become somewhat detached and frustrated with the church. McCracken challenges all of us, conservatives and progressives, to think about the WHY behind Christian community and one of the fundamentals of finding the WHY is approaching it with humility. Maybe you having it your way and telling everyone else they’re wrong wasn’t exactly what Christ had in mind when He instituted the church. iPhones and iPads seem to have morphed into iChurch in a sense. American culture has turned Christ’s church into a business that caters to our comforts aesthetically, relationally, and politically. It’s made us consumers, critics, and reviewers of the Church rather than servants of THE Kingdom. It’s not wrong to have preferences and to like some things better than others. Music, décor, and speaking style are all over the spectrum at different churches, but he argues that the point of picking a church and serving in it should be less about does it meet my needs and more about whether I’m showing up and using this place along with this group to glorify God. He annoyed me in parts because he steps on my toes but maybe we need that a little more often. If you’re disenfranchised with the status quo and you feel like it’d be good to be challenged about church then go grab “Uncomfortable” by Brett McCrackin.
Look for beautiful things when you're restless, uncomfortable, or on edge. There's something about acknowledging the good around us that helps us reset and realize that it's not all bad. If you're struggling to see beautiful things in the world, come see me and we can talk more about it. www.danielcrosbycounseling.com
“The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd is a book that will blow your mind. When I picked it up, it’s a very small thin book. Less than 100 pages. I assumed I’d breeze through it in a couple of hours. About a month later I finished digesting it. The truth is we cannot fully live the life God has called us to unless we acknowledge that we do have needs, that these needs are good, and discover the healthy ways of meeting these needs. Chip takes common human needs like Security and Accomplishment and he unpacks what they really are pointing us to in his typical concise but brilliant depth. There’s no fluff here. With chapters just 3-4 pages each, you’re going to want to have a highlighter ready to underline, to ponder these topics, and maybe then to discuss them with someone you know and trust. You’ll come away from this book with a deeper sense what is already fulfilled within you and ones that might be lacking where you need to go do a deep dive with a lot of prayer and introspection. If you liked Chip’s book “The Voice of the Heart,” this is one is your next read. Go grab “The Needs of the Heart” by Chip Dodd.
