"Why I Believe" Book Review
Daniel Crosby • October 31, 2024
“Why I Believe” by Dr. Henry Cloud is a good read especially if you like Dr. Cloud’s other work. He’s cowritten several of my favorite books “Boundaries” and “Safe People” with Dr. John Townsend, and “Necessary Endings” on his own.
This book is a lot different than his others. Dr. Cloud has never hidden from the fact that his teaching and writing is rooted in his Christian faith but this book goes straight to that point. The book is part memoir and part testimony. It’s part inspiring and part challenging. It includes personal experience and deep theology that is taught in simple ways that Dr. Cloud is a master at.
He takes us through his personal story of faith; how God took his plans and molded them into plans with more eternal purposes. He shares vulnerable moments of hopelessness, depression, feeling lost, and times where words just can match what he was feeling. He describes miracles that occurred and times where God seemed silent.
If you’ve ever wondered if God was real. If you ever felt like the mountain in front of you was insurmountable. If you don’t believe in God and you want an approachable book that describes one man’s take on his own faith journey. If you just like hearing faith journeys and stories about how people became who they are. You’ll love this read. “Why I Believe” by Dr. Henry Cloud.
“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.
